Athens - Getting into the Greek!

After an uneventful night in Madrid where we were too tired to do anything worth while and ended up having a Chinese feast for dinner, we caught an early flight to Rome. Here we had four hours plus a three hour delay before finally boarding the plane to Athens and arrived around ten at night to our hostel. Had a few hiccups trying to get there as the bus wouldn't take us to the stop we needed to go to because of the strike so we had to get off early and catch the underground to our proper destination. Upon arrival we were exhausted, so were delighted to find out that we'd been upgraded from a dorm room to a studio apartment. Fantastic. We left our things in the room and then went to find some dinner.

The area around the Athens Backpackers hostel where we were staying was very lively with bars and restaurants. All the restaurants have people outside trying to get you in, however we gave into 'Vitro', one of the small restaurants we passed having seen that the menu was great and also they were going to give us a free round of drinks...who could say no to that? For dinner I had haloumi cheese and wrapped wine leaves, which were absolutely delicious. We sat outside where there was a great atmosphere from the buzz of all the diners and some relaxing music in the background. After dinner we went back to the apartment to get a good night's sleep. We only had one day in Athens the following day so wanted to make the most of it.

For our one full day in Athens we booked ourselves on a walking tour run by the hostel for only five euros. Our tour guide was fantastic, he really loved his city and knew so much. We got to see so many things, including some amazing views that looked over the whole city. We learnt a lot and really enjoyed listening to all his stories. I loved all the ancient ruins and also learning about the ancient Olympics. The Royal Gardens were very pretty and it was also seeing the Parliament building where all the riots have been taking place. The only problem with our tour however, that it went for nearly five hours in forty degree heat. Towards the end it was so hot we just wanted the tour to end so we could get up to the Acropolis and then head back to some air conditioning, food and water. We all felt bad for losing our enthusiasm with the tour, but had it been a cooler day I think I would have enjoyed it much more. Still glad we did it though considering how short a time we had in the city.

The Acropolis was amazing, it is so hard to comprehend just how old some of the buildings and structures in Athens are. Europe makes you realise just how young Australia is, we have nothing in terms of history etc compared to things like this so you really appreciate being able to see it for yourself. We took some great photographs then agreed it was time to get out of the sun and to a restaurant to recharge our batteries. Had another really nice lunch of Greek salad, wrapped wine leaves and about a litre of water and then went to book our ferry to Ios for the next day. We found it was much easier to book with a travel agent than online. While they do charge a slight commission, it was so much easier being able to organise, pay and collect our tickets for our trip there and return in the space of about twenty minutes. The websites seem really unreliable and confusing! Athens Backpackers directed us to a very good travel agent so I'd suggest doing this if you are travelling around the Greek Islands.

Our hostel had an amazing chilled out rooftop bar that looked out onto the Acropolis which is where we spent our last night in Athens. It was so nice watching the sun set behind the Parthenon and then seeing it lit up against the night sky. It was a very social area, and we met people from all over the world and just talked about our travels, swapped tips and stories etc. We had dinner at the same place again, our little man who convinced us to come in the first time was very glad to see us and gave us another round of free drinks. I would definitely suggest Athens Backpackers to anyone travelling to Athens who wants a great location, atmosphere, range of activities and a relaxed but fun experience of Athens. This hostel is listed on the Hostel World website. We had another early travel start the next day so got another early night, our ferry to Ios departed at 7am!

San Sebastian and Bilbao - Sun, Sea, Sightseeing and Silliness

What a great place! Mum organised an apartment for us a few months earlier, so when we arrived we went for lunch while Mum and Katrina got the keys from the landlord. The apartment was incredible, with a balcony looking over the beach and mountains. It had three bedrooms with six beds and a comfy couch which was perfect for when Lucy, Mat and Boydy arrived. Kirsty and Tim also had an apartment just around the corner, so after we freshened up with spent some time down at the beach before having a few wines on our lovely balcony and getting ready for a tapas or pintxos tour with San Sebastian Food that Mum had booked us all on to treat us. For seventy five euros a head, we were taken on a tour, led by Jon Warren around both the older and more traditional parts of San Sebastian as well as the more modern ones, sampling the most amazing tapas and wines. As we toured around the city our guide told us all about the city including its history, about all the tapas bars we visited as well as got to know us. One of the men on the tour, Paddy Woodworth, came along to help with all the history information as he is a successful history writer. We learnt so much, and absolutely loved all the food and different wines. Would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get a real experience of San Sebastian. To find out about the tours and what else there is to offer with this company see: San Sebastian Food

The following day, Mat, Lucy and Boydy arrived and we spent most of the day lying in the sun and swimming down at the beach. It was nice to see them again, they had been to Barcelona so was great to hear their stories and what they thought of it! I've always thought Barcelona is a fantastic city. After a very lazy day in the sun we decided to cook dinner for everyone and picked Lucy's signature honey soy chicken stir fry as the dish for the night. Success! Had a really nice dinner with everyone at our apartment then Lucy, Mat and I headed out to check out some of the bars and the night scene in general. There's one area of the city where down all the allyways and streets the roads are lined with bars. It was a lot of fun, did seem like everyone was eighteen and on gap but the vibe was crazy! Had a lot of fun, and even stopped for a swim in a fountain on the way home. Not the best idea but we enjoyed ourselves!

The following day was cloudy so we decided to go for a day trip to Bilbao. It was about an hour's drive from San Sebastian, so we arrived around lunch time and had Menu del dia in the city. We then set off on foot to the Guggenheim. What an amazing building! I think the 10 of us combined took over a thousand photos :) My favourite part was the big spider art piece on the pathway around the museum. It was also great to see Jeff Koon's 'Puppy' (1992) which we studied in school and I always wished I could see for myself rather through just pictures. The Guggenheim is so fascinating to look at from all angles, I think it's definitely necessary to do a full lap of the building so you can see everything it has to offer!

After this we headed back to the underground car park where we discovered that it was all closed up with our cars inside....bit of a panic...all started to think we may have to find somewhere to sleep for the night in Bilbao, but then two girls who lived in the building came home and luckily, having Katrina, she explained that our cars were stuck down in the basement. Apparently it was a private carpark for residence only. But the two girls were really helpful and managed to get us inside to then wait for someone to open the garage and get the cars out. Just one of those moment where we all felt like silly tourists. At least we managed to get out!

Our nightly activity was a game that mum organised where you have three dice, and written on them is L (left), R (right), C (centre) and a dot which means nothing. Basically you can play with any amount of money, but we played with ten coins each. You roll the dice when it's your turn and wherever the dice tell you to put your money is where your coins go. For example if it says 'L' you have to pass one coin to the person on the left, or C means you put your coin in the centre of the table and the dot means you dont have to move it anywhere. Two L's mean two coins to the left etc. The game got pretty exciting, definitely a game of luck, something that I've never been blessed with when it comes to these sorts of things. In the end it was down to Mat and Tim and Tim won the kitty. Unfortunately winning 100 1c and 2c coins isn't the most appealing thing in the world so he left it behind :) Was such a fun game, hopefully we play again soon and I do a bit better!

The following day was sunny again, Sam and his friends arrived in San Sebastian from Bilbao as an impromptu, last minute decision trip, mainly because they were just going to be travelling that day anyway and needed some beach time, plus Sam had lost his travel card and I had his spare. They went down to the beach while Katrina, Lucy, Mat and I went for a walk up the mountain next to the beach to the Jesus figure that looked over the bay. We took the short but steep route, and were extremely worn out by the time we got to the top but the views were amazing so was definitely worth the effort. We then met the boys at the beach for the afternoon and then had a quiet night at home finishing off the food in the fridge as we were all leaving in the morning.

The morning we left was rainy and miserable, seemingly matching our moods about leaving San Sebastian. We absolutely adored the place, and it is definitely a place I'd like to go back to. It was just the perfect beach holiday, and in Spain! So couldn't ask for anything more. The apartment definitely made it to, we spent so much time on the balcony enjoying the views of the sea. So sad to leave. We caught an Alsa bus to Madrid which took about six hours for a stop overnight before flying to Athens.

Santillana del Mar - Perfect Spain

Arriving in Santillana del Mar it was instantly recognisable why this little Spanish community was voted the most beautiful town in Spain. I immediately wanted to photograph everything, the cobble stone streets that cars could hardly drive over and you instantly respected women roughing it in high heels, the warm coloured old little buildings, the flowers decorating them and the gardens, the friendly gentle nature of the people and its happy little spirit.

Arriving at our hotel 'Hotel Casa del Marques' was beautiful, everything was antique and colourful, very elegant and welcoming. Detailed chairs, bookcases, rugs, paintings decorated the walls and floors, illuminated by a stunning chandelier. Each room had a style of its own, it's own old fashioned character, we loved the place straight away. After settling into our hotel we went to freshen up then met for a drink in the garden, it was so peaceful and pretty. Felt like a little paradise. The restaurant next door that we chose had the most amazing food. Katrina and I shared a goat's cheese salad and hake in a tomoto based sauce with mussels. The portions were huge! It had a breezy, forest-like setting, so we sat there for a long time enjoying our food and drinking nice wine. Definitely felt like a holiday :)

The rest of the time there followed more or less the same, slowly wandering the streets, checking out the little stores at the views of the countryside. The one strange thing about the place though was that smack bang in the middle of the town is a torture museum. Nothing like big, ugly, gruesome cages and torture machines layed out in the middle of the garden to spoil a beautiful town! But it was more amusing than anything and definitely didn't make the town seem any less pleasant.

We ate so well, a million menu del dia's :) and apart from the local cider which Mum, Kirsty, Tim and Dad tried which apparently tasted like vinegar, we drank really well too! It was sad to leave, I would recommend this place to anyone who really wants to experience Spain and the beauty the country has to offer. Might try and go back someday.

Ponferrdo - Spingle Spangle Spanglish!

We left Leon to head North to Ponferrada where we met up with Katrina's friend Alberto who took us for a big lunch at his family home where we met his parents Alberto Senior and Maria and his sister Christina. Alberto Senior and Maria spoke no English, and of course we can't really speak Spanish, so Katrina and Alberto were slightly apprehensive about how it would go and whether they were going to be able to translate everything back and forth. It turned out to be such a wonderful day, where there was a lot of translation, a heap of Spanglish and outrageous gestures as both Spanish and English speaking parties were trying to communicate. We managed to have a four hour lunch and a night out together, really connecting as people despite the language barrier. We joked that Maria and Mum were the Spanish and English versions of each other. At no point was there no conversation! Christina spoke a little English but as the day continued on and everyone relaxed she tried a lot of what she knew on us and we encouraged her to keep going. She knew so much more than even her family knew! Katrina's Spanish also blew everyone away, she didn't even know she was that good! Very impressed.

Maria cooked us a traditional Spanish lunch with bread and meats, then seafood paella, then fresh fruit from the town, cake and of course sangria! Dad and Alberto tucked into the whisky  :) After lunch Alberto Junior took us for a wander around his town. The Camino walk actually runs down the street next to his house so we wandered down that for a while and had a look at the houses and countryside. Then he took us to ... so we could dip our feet in the river, enjoy the small little town. Maria and Alberto Senior met us down there for more hilarious conversations of Spanglish, translation and larger than life hand gestures and actions. It's a beautiful place with a bridge crossing the river built by the Romans in the 12th Century. The weather was perfect so it was quite lively with lots of people swimming, picnicing and enjoying the sunshine on the patio bar.

It was about 8pm before we moved so we quickly went back to our hotel to shower and then met Alberto and his family in town for tapas. They took us to one of their favourite restaurants where they ordered a number of their favourite Spanish tapas dishes. These included potatoes, chips and omelet, squid and calamari, breads with caramelised onions and cheese, smoked salmon and pate and of course some great wine. All the fresh produce in Ponferrada is grown there so everything is so fresh and full of taste. We were so full by the end! After dinner we wandering through the town which was lit up with colourful lights illuminating the markets, lively bars and beautiful castle in the centre of the town. Like all the little Spanish towns we visited it was an extremely vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere, with the crowds of people enjoying food, wine, browsing the markets, socialising and dancing to all the different types of music you could hear around the town.

Around 1am we left Katrina to say good bye to her friends and headed back for the hotel. Maria and Alberto Senior were parked near our hotel so without our translators we set off with them home, and still managed to talk most of the way! I really hope we get to see them again one day, it was such a fantastic experience, something you don't get every day as a tourist so I feel very lucky. Next stop Santillana del Mar!

Lovely Leon

After a five hour bus ride from Madrid we finally arrived in Leon after a long evening and morning of travelling. Katrina met us at the bus station and took us back to her apartment to shower, make some Sangria and get ready to go out to the festival that was on in Leon to celebrate their patron Saint. The city is absolutely stunning. Beautiful old, colourful buildings, all the balconies lined with bright flowers, cobblestone streets lined with tapas bars and relaxed, happy Spanish people. Just the perfect picture of a traditional Spanish city. We went down to the river to meet up with Mum and Dad and then to the festival where all along the river were stalls set up selling all kinds of South American food. There was music and dancing, everything smelt amazing! We stopped at an Argentinian BBQ and shared platters of different meats and vegetables - delicious!  It was such a vibrant and exciting atmosphere. We then moved onto the fair where all the rides were. We tried churros which is a delicious pastry with sugar and you dip it in rich hot chocolate sauce and then get to drink the left over chocolate. Katrina then took us to a few bars to meet all her friends and we enjoyed a fantastic night dancing, speaking Spanglish and enjoyed the lively Leon nightlife.

In Leon it is tradition to get free tapas with your wine. There are a large number of little tapas bars all in the same area in a social centre of Leon where everyone goes most nights to meet for tapas and drinks with their friends. Each tapas bar is famous for one dish, so it is traditional to have a wine and a plate of tapas at one bar and then move on to the next. The tapas and the wine is absolutely delicious. Some of the tapas we enjoyed included potatoes with blue cheese sauce, jamos (ham) and other meats with bread, squid, mushrooms with potato and cream and morcilla which is essentially blood mixed with herbs and spices...this was surprisingly definitely one of the favourites! Spanish food is so full of flavour, each dish was mouth watering. Both nights we did tapas we changed bars about five or six times, it's definitely difficult to call it a night when everywhere smells so good! The atmosphere is very lively and happy, everyone around us involved in expressive and animated Spanish conversations and lively Spanish music in the background. The staff were very forgiving of our Spanglish when Katrina wasn't there :)

Another great thing about Leon is that they never really get tourists. Katrina said whenever she heard someone speaking English outside the exchange student program it sounded out of place and was very rare! The only tourists they really get are the pilgrims walking the Camino in the summer months. The Camino is the pilgrimage walk from France and ends in Santagio. You can do as much of it as you like, but the full pilgrimage takes about four weeks if you only have one or two days rest. It's very intense! But would be absolutely amazing to do, something I might try and aim for one day! Leon is the last stop before Santiago, so we saw quite a few of the pilgrims travelling through. Traditionally you shout out Bien Camino! to the pilgrims as they are passing so we definitely got into that!

During the days we just explored the city. The Cathedral was a central point, and where Katrina said everyone would always meet regardless of what they were doing. It was a stunning building both in the day and the night time and quite haunting inside. I find that religious building such as cathedrals, and particularly in Europe are so eye opening to what religion is to so much of human life - the dedication people have to it and the power it holds. It's a truly overwhelming experience standing inside cathedrals such as the one in Leon. We explored all the little streets and ate Menu del dia (Menu of the Day) for lunch which is a set menu where you choose one option from Group A and one option from Group B and then wine or water and dessert. A definite highlight was the potatoes in soup and the beef. Just so full of flavour!

All in all I thought Leon was absolutely stunning and such a fun, relaxed and exciting Spanish city. I am so jealous of my sister Katrina who got to spend a year there! Looking forward to travelling up North with the family to see more of the untouched, traditional towns of Spain.