Final thoughts on Greece

An extended time in Greece was never on the cards in our original plan. We'd considered Israel & Italy, Israel & France, Israel & the UK. But when we settled on our "Best of Israel & Steps of Paul" tour, and realised that it ended in Athens, after a little taste of the Greek Islands, we started to consider the merits of staying on in Greece, seeing as we would already be there. And then, after hearing about the Greek Islands from a dear friend who spent 7 weeks there last year, we were even more inclined.

Turns out we saw Greece in "chapters" - our overnight stay on our way through to Israel, where all we really saw was the area near the airport, a little of the coast, and our first taste of delicious Greek food; a whirlwind cruise from Turkey through the islands; then a couple of days in Corinth and Athens at the end of our tour; our relaxing Greek Islands days; and lastly some more time in Athens to finish our holiday.

In the end, our Greek Islands jaunt turned what would have been a "mainly-in-Israel-with-a-little-taste-of-Greece" holiday into a "first-visit-to-Israel-with-a-lovely-chunk-of-time-in-Greece" experience. We chose two islands for the main part of our stay, based on feedback from others who recommended NOT spending too much time travelling between the islands, as the ferry rides can be long, the timing isn't always great, and direct routes aren't always possible, which all means you can end up spending as much time in transit as actually enjoying the islands.

Which islands we eventually settled upon was determined in the end by a combination of feedback from friends, as well as the ferry schedules. We weren't interested in the "party" islands of Mykonos or Ios, or the island to which EVERYONE heads - Santorini, of course. Having visited there briefly during the "steps of Paul" part of our tour, we were satisfied that having seen and appreciated the "caldera view" we didn't feel a need to return. It's also a long way from the mainland, requiring long ferry trips back, so that settled it for us.

Naxos and Syros, the two islands on which we stayed, are not that far apart, but are quite different from each other, and that made for an interesting and varied couple of weeks. Naxos is much more mountainous, although Syros is not without its own impressive hills! The buildings in the main town of Naxos are typically white, with lots of blue shutters, blue doors, blue domed churches. The houses in Hermoupolis, the main town on Syros, are more earthy colours, and very pretty in their own way. But a sunshine-y day on either island was quite something to behold. The marble streets on Syros are impressive, and if it wasn't for the ubiquitous flattened gum splotches, they would be even more attractive.

The narrow streets and traditional houses of Naxos Town

The narrow streets and traditional houses of Hermoupolis, Syros

Sunny day on Naxos

Sunny day on Syros

Hiring a car on Naxos was a good move, as it allowed us to explore much further afield than we would have otherwise. The local buses are a good option, but they are less frequent in the off-season, and can be really crowded and most definitely over the passenger limit, as we experienced on the return journey from Apeiranthos. The bus trip we enjoyed on Syros allowed us to see more of the island, and we could have hopped off and stayed in one of the villages for a while then caught the next bus back, but with the weather not always kind at that time of year, we were happy just to enjoy the journey and the sights out the window. If it had been summer, there were definitely beaches on Syros that we would have enjoyed visiting for a swim in the lovely clear water of the Aegean Sea.

I think visiting in summer would be an entirely different experience. The few days of gorgeous sunny weather we did get gave us a taste of what it would be like, and it would only have needed to be a few degrees warmer for us to brave the water. I can definitely imagine spending a couple of amazing weeks relaxing and enjoying the Greek Islands in the sunshine and summer heat, maybe even chartering a yacht for a few days of Greek Island sailing. What the cooler weather did allow us was to really enjoy our many, many walks, unperturbed by the endless steps and hills. Steps. Hills. Loads of them!!

Some of the many steps, Naxos

Some of the many steps, Syros!

Back on the Greek mainland, there is some amazing history to be had in many places not all that far from Athens, such as Corinth. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour day that took us to Corinth and Mycenae, despite the rainy morning.

Athens was a surprise treat. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. The history, of course, is amazing, and you could really trek for hours in the various museums (and we did), but we enjoyed our wandering explorations in the historic areas and the markets just as much. It's much like other really old European cities, and you have to get used to the griminess that has accumulated over the years, but Athens has a charm all its own, and is somewhere I think I could enjoy spending more time. And of course there's the churches - they're everywhere, and they are FULL of bling (even the little ones), so you might as well enjoy the spectacle, if not the significance.

Lastly, it was lovely to be greeted so enthusiastically by Greek people when they realised that we were Australian. Many of them are aware that Melbourne is one of the most "Greek" cities in the world outside of Greece, and almost everyone we spoke to had a relative or friend who lives, if not in Melbourne, then somewhere else in Australia. They see that person as having achieved success in Australia, living the "good life". For us, it added something special to our visit to Greece to be welcomed so warmly by the locals. 

And of course, the Acropolis site is amazing. What more is there to say?

And that's a wrap. Now maybe I'll have to find something else to blog about!!