October Holidays to the sunshine

Last month I had 12 days off so I planned a trip to where the sun is still shinning. First stop the Amalfi Coast in Italy then onto Athens and Santorini Greece. When I was planning the trip I started hearing about all the strikes and chaos in Athens but underestimated it and decided to tough it out. I might plan differently next time.

I flew to Rome on a Saturday. The plan was to take a train to Naples then from there another train to Sorrento. But I soon learned this trip was all about throwing plans out the window. When I arrived in Rome I caught a bus to the train station. But the bus was late arriving at the airport. The ride to the train station took a lot longer than it was supposed to. All the talk about riots and strikes in Athens, I didn't hear anything about it happening in Rome too. But the bus was having to turn around and reroute because of road closures. Some roads were closed because of riot police blocking the streets, others because rioters had pulled dumpsters into the road. At one point we were stopped so a group of police in full riot gear stormed the building beside us. All this to say by the time I got to the train station I had to take a later train. I paid more for the fast train, but it didn't help. When I got to Naples I had just missed the last train to Sorrento by 20 minutes. So I was stuck in Naples. I thought about staying in the train station but it was a little shaddy so I found a hotel for the night. A nother plan shoots out the window.

The next morning I caught the train to Sorrento. First reaction was Sorrento was gorgeous. I found my hostel and checked in. It was a cozy homey little place. I then headed into town and had a great lunch at a Italian cafe. So nice. I made my way to the bus station and took the bus up the Amalfi coast. First stop was Positano.

Positano was great. A beautiful beach town going up the side of a cliff. I explored the city and checked out the beach. I also visited the Church over my shoulder in the picture. The Pope had been there. It got a little windy but it was a beautiful day. From Positano I continued on the bus to Amalfi. I only had a short time there but it was a great spot too. By the time I left it was dark and very windy. It had been a long day and the long windy ride back up the coast wasn't the best. But I arrived back in Sorrento, checked out the city and then headed back to the hostel. I met some great people at the Hostel. The next day I headed with some of them on a tour of the Island of Capri. Capri was gorgeous and had some incredible views...

...and some harsh rules against high fiving.

The next morning I had planned to stop in Pompei on my way back to Rome. But you remember what we learned about plans. WHOOSH! that's the sound of that plan going out the window. I had gotten email that my flight from Rome to Athens was likely going to be cancelled due to strikes in Athens. On the website it siad it was cancelled in one place, but in athother place on the site it said it was on. So I spent the morning trying to sort stuff out with the airline and getting practically no where. I went straight through to Rome and had a hella time getting to my hotel from the train station. I chose a hotel close to the airport with a shuttle service because I had an early morning flight...maybe. When I got to the hotel I learned their dirty little secret. The shuttle service doesn't start till 7:00 and I had a 6:40 am flight (maybe)...WHOOSH! I checked my email at the hotel and my flight was cancelled WHOOSH! Then just when I was sorting out alternative plans WHOOSH! I got another email that my flight was back on. That was a good WHOOSH!

So Bright and early the next morning I was up and heading out to the airport paying crazy high prices for a cab that early in the morning. After checking in at the airport and going through security everyone was waiting at the gate when WHOOSH! Smacked with a 3 1/2 hour delay. So I got to know the airport pretty well and with the on agan off again flight there only ended up being about 40 people on the flight. I consider myself lucky to have gotten to Athens, as all the other flights from Rome were cancelled that day. 

When I arrived in Athens all the trains were cancelled due to the strike, but luckily the buses were running. I took the bus but didn't realize that it wasn't going all the way downtown like I needed to do. What you know riot police and street closures. There were demonstrations in Syntagma square causing problems. The bus driver gave me directions to walk, but I ended up walking around for hours as I kept coming to closed streets. I eventually made it to the hostel.

There were demonstrations in Syntagma square causing problems. The bus driver gave me directions to walk, but I ended up walking around for hours. I kept coming to closed streets. I eventually made it to the hostel. I did get a chance to see some of the city. Unfortunately all of the archeological sites were closed because of the strike. So I wasn't able to get to the Acropolis but the Acropolis museum was open so I visited there. And the city is still beautiful.

I met some more great people at the hostel and checked out the city with them. We ended up spending most of the afternoon at Syntagma square. There were lots of protests going on and so many people showing up for there cause. Unfortunatly some people took it to the next level and things got a little crazy. We had moved in closer and got the full taste of an Athens riot. 

Just before this video was taken the people started kicking and shoving the police. The cloud of tear gas was a bit of a ways from where we were but we took off after it went off. Pretty quick after that we felt the tear gas kick in. Luckily the demonstrators were prepared and were handing out a cream to put on your face to stop the stinging.

Amongst all the chaos in Athens I learned that WHOOSH! my ferries to and from Santorini were cancelled due to the strike. Just full of surprises. Instead of cancelling my trip to Santorini I ended up shelling out the extra money to fly. It was a short flight and worth it. The last stop on the trip was my favourite. Santorini was gorgeous.

The hostel I stayed at was called Caveland and was packed with character and Greek charm. Again, I had great weather and was able to see all over the Island. Oia is a city that is known to be one of the most beautiful spots for a sunset in the world. And it lives up to the hype.

It was an incredible place. After seeing Fira and Oia, the two main cities on the Island. I joined a bunch of others from the hostel and we went on a tour of the nearby volcano. It was a beautiful place. But the best part was on the way back the boat takes you to the harbour. It is 500 something steps up to Fira or a cable car, or a Donkey ride. I had heard friends who had done the donkey ride there and it was on my must do list and well worth it.

The next morning I had a chance to check out the Red Beach. It is yet another beautiful beach with red stone and sand from the volcano. It was hot that day and perfect for a day at the beach. Though I didn't get to spend too long there because alas, this crazy trip of ups and downs was coming to an end. I flew to Athens with another girl from the hostel. Luckily the trains were running and I was able to get to the hostel. I had one quick night in Athens and a morning flight back home to Amsterdam. But WHOOSH! the morning of my flight the transit went on strike. This meant another over priced ride to the airport. But I made home to Amsterdam in one piece.

So all in all it was a great trip despite the unexpected costs, tear gas and WHOOSHes! Because the trip cost more than expected I had to change possible plans for a trip to Portugal, that will have to wait. But I am working on plans for a couple of quick weekends closer by. And then home for Christmas. Looking forward to it.

Until next time...