So Greece was full of surprises and lessons to be learned/ Tips 11-16 (which we decided to number throughout this post) but the Lord just showed himself more and more, so we thank him for every low moment!
So, the island of Keffalonia…
I had been dropping pebbles awaiting Greece and my one utter ignorance of the greeks written and spoken language. Let alone the chest hair ripping manly men, that will tell me that my Y chromosome is to effeminate for their countryside. I’ve got this whole scenario down in my head, play by play… BUT what I don’t have planned out is exactly how we’re going to stumble out of our terminal directly onto a series of busses to then find the hostel that exists more or less on a hunch… Without speaking the language.
Lesson number 1/Tip Number 11
Luckily almost everyone in Greece speaks some English and everything is translated into English as well. When you call a bus/ferry/airplane operator thank them for their time, and call them directly back within 5 minutes and ask the same questions over again. The answers change.
Lesson Number 2/ Tip Number 12
I call our bus operator and the last bus to our port leaves within 45 minutes and is an hour of middle day traffic away. With every taxi charging a $45 dollar flat rate we’re not so hot on the idea of spending $100 on transportation to just fork out another $65 on an overpriced hotel in Athens. In despair, we call back and find out the absolute contrary to the first piece of Intel and now realize that if anything we have a surplus of time. Getting to Patras Port, first of all Patras as well as the greater part of Athens looks, feels and smells like a town set in post zombie apocalypse. I found myself literally waiting for a hoard of thick-browed undead to knock over the bus at any second.
It took a little coaxing to walk Jordan off of the bus into the twilight on my spider sense that somewhere off in the rubble was a hostel with our name on it. We sure enough found it eventually, and yes I’m sure it had our name on it somewhere but it was probably written in red lipstick backwards on a mirror by some freaky kid that referred to himself in the third person as tony. (props to anyone that gets the reference). This place truly is Jive, it reminds of something you’d find after googling economy rehab clinic. Pretty great.
Getting on the ferry goes seemingly well. Minus the greek coffee (despite how legitimate it sounds it’s just Nescafe with grounds added in for authenticity) and the cheese toast we’re off to a good start. The sea is gorgeous and I have a new found wonderful sense of false security.
Lesson number 3/ Tip Number 13
No matter what you think, the ferry you get on is never taking you to the side of the island you’re planning on. Because when you ask the answer is always, “yes of course it is going to the main port” even if there is a Metropolis on one side and goat country on the other, the main port that day will goat country. Never trust the term “Main Port”.
So we’re getting off on the total opposite side of the largest island in the Ionian sea, and I don’t realize this until the moment a step off the ferry. After a slight break for a micro-tantrum, Luckily enough we find a bus to stowaway on to go to yet another mystery town.
Lesson number 4/ Tip Number 14
When left stranded in a new place after by whatever means you got there. Ferry, bus, donkey carriage. Try Immediately to find a connecting bus and do so successfully. Then began the search for the missing hotel. Now at first everything is like being in a mouse maze but eventually, with the help of one lovely Greek woman then a few other helpers, we found our hotel right on the corner of the main square. Our room was great with a balcony and since our clothes smelled of rotting bacon we washed them instantly in the shower and hung them outside to dry. We were so shocked with how quiet the island was when we arrived; seriously all you could really hear was the wind and the birds. This was a big change from Peru, and one that we were going to savor entirely. We thought that all of the stores were closed, since Greece is in a major downfall right now and most of the locally owned businesses are going under. However, come 6 pm everything on every street opens and all the people of the land arrive.
I don’t know where they all come from but I guess in Greece the people are late to bed and late to rise. They all smoke and all wear familiar American apparel. Most of them find us interesting and we get a lot of stares, probably since it is apparent that we are tourists. More than likely we were some of the only tourists on the island, since this is the quieter side of Greece which was our intention. Everyone we talked to was incredibly friendly and could go on talking for hours if we sat there patiently. Most of them were curious about where we were from and were surprised to hear America. I guess that the Ionian Islands never get American tourists so everyone assumes we are British or Italian. Then a lot of them talk about the local politics and how impossible it now is for them to make a living (the country in constantly in my prayers).
After eating one disappointing meal after another, basically just a bunch of carbs and bad meat, Jef got really sick and couldn’t leave the bathroom for a couple days. It turns out that vitamin water and Jef aren’t really the best of friends and vitamin water is the only form of water you can buy in Greece.
Lesson number 5/ Tip Number 15
So we decided we could vedge out and just watch T.V. for a while; however, only two channels were in English and the Greeks love commercials more than is humanly bearable. We got lucky with some old classics of Ghost Ship and Clash of the Titans, and every once in a while we’d get a break and watch some American shows such as Friends and House. On the third day we went to the local beach, which was by far the most gorgeous beach I had ever seen. The water was an incredibly bright turquoise and was completely see through. Jef and I both got way to red for comfortability but we didn’t want to leave since the person watching was just too grand. Nobody, and I mean not a single person was not what America would call “a healthy weight” and it was fabulous because they were all beautiful and sexy and rocking it.
We got to stay an extra day on the island since it turns out that once again the ferries aren’t running when we expected. And it was a day much needed since Jef was once again feverous and needed to sleep. We made sure to escape every day for our daily sweet fix though and to have dinner at a new restaurant. Once wonderful thing about Greece is that they LOVE their sweets and it is really one of the only great things you can get to eat there. Every street is lined with stores in this order: Clothing, Bar, Café/possible market then sweet shop! With the world’s best ice-cream, crepes and cakes. Oh my gosh there is no way I can explain the magic that is in those sweets, through the glass they are heavenly and enjoyable. Oh man, we were pleased with the sweets that is for sure…maybe a little too much but that comes later…
Lesson Numer 6/Tip Number 16: Find the Mango Sorbet and EAT IT! It makes you redefine mangos entirely…because it’s awesome!
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