Archive for April, 2011

Spring Break 2009: Naxos

View of Naxos Town

Given that Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades, the decision to stay there the least amount of time may have been a tad questionable. In retrospect, I do believe that the short stay mostly had to do with ferry prices and availability. With that said, perhaps I could have stood to stay for a little longer on the island mostly known for its agriculture and lovely beaches. In any case, our short stay was perhaps the best one that we could’ve asked for.

Our ferry arrived in Naxos at approximately midnight and we were greeted with the commencement of the Easter celebrations. The hostel owners of Pension Sofi, Rena and Panos, picked us up from the dock and allowed us to drop off our stuff in our rooms, before directing us back to the city centre to watch the spectacle. The chiming of bells soon stopped as we raced down to the Old Town, and found ourselves in a crowd watching a firing of flares. We returned to the hostel to find small Easter celebrations – dyed eggs and small buns.

The real delight in the adventure, though, arrived the next morning when Rena instructed us to return to the hostel by noon. We weren’t quite sure what would be happening, but we did hear something about Easter. When we returned from a quick wander about the old town, we found ourselves following a scooter up the road to what I presumed to be her (or her father’s) home for an Easter celebration. Everyone staying at the hostel was invited, along with friends, to dine in the mid-day feast. Our stomachs were stuffed to the limits; even I found my stomach to be full, and had to spend a good couple of minutes back at the hostel sprawled out on the bed before being able to explore the island.

Since Angela joined us in Syros, we were now able to rent two ATVs (since she had a license) instead of a boxy car. Since we had been so well fed, there was no need for dinner, and we spent the later afternoon and evening exploring the island’s beaches and windy roads. Eventually, driving around loses its intrigue, and we returned to the hostel to park our ATVs, and walk to the old town.

If you scroll down, you’ll notice something called Diogenes Café. What attracted us to the place was the long happy hours, starting from 2PM until midnight or 2AM (I can’t quite remember which one, but that’s not really the point). The daiquiris are delicious, delightfully fruity and with a decent kick, and arrive decorated with sparklers so as to create excitement. And really, the large concoction is only 4€. The café is located right by the port.

I wish there could be more for me to tell you about Naxos, but there really isn’t, since our stay was that short. The next day, we took an early morning drive before returning our ATVs to the rental place and catching the ferry for the last leg of our trip: Santorini.

Naxos rocks

The ruins near our hostel, Pension Sofi

We were welcomed with bread and Easter dyed eggs

Roasting lamb

Prepping the lamb for the big feast

The lamb's head has got your nose!

Celebrating the chef's (papa's) birthday

Let's dance!

Myself, Angela, and Linfei full of food

Us and our ATVs

Yup, we spent a lot of time reading the map

Look at me - I'm a speed demon!

Diogenes Café in Naxos Town - happy hour runs from 2PM to 2AM! (Or was it midnight? Either way it was until late)

Quite some tasty cocktails with sparklers

Driving through the very agricultural island

Angela in front of Pension Sofi

Octopus hanging out to dry

We ran into this lady when we were wandering about the city looking for directions, then at the Easter meal, and then at this gyros joint!

April 10, 2011

Spring Break 2009: Syros

The beach by the village of Galissas in Syros

Syros often seems to be overlooked in terms of island destinations amongst the Cyclades, despite it being the capital of this ring of islands. Admittedly, my intention to stop over in Syros wasn’t deliberate – it was simply the easiest port for us to meet up with our friend who was arriving from Athens, and us from Mykonos. In the two days that I spent on here, the island managed to work its charm on me.

At 25€ per person (i.e. 50€ for a double), we found ourselves staying at Hotel Benois in the village of Galissas. Located 7km away from the main city of Ermoupoli, we took the local bus that dropped us off metres away from the hotel. While HostelBookers designates the hotel as a two-star, it is definitely more than that right from the check-in to the facilities (swimming pool and wi-fi) and the rooms. Our rooms were greeted with chocolate Easter bunnies, which we saved for our ferry ride the next evening. The café on the main level was well-lit with the sunlight and furnished with comfortable chairs.

Much of the delight in Syros came from the food. We dined at a nearby tavern and picked a number of dishes from the menu to taste, including gemista (stuffed peppers and tomatoes). Of course, there would be a repeat of this sumptuous meal the following day so that we could taste more plates, such as fried cheese. After our first taste of food on Syros, we headed back to Ermoupoli to pick up our friend who was arriving from Athens. Funnily enough, we at first thought that she had not gotten off the ferry and began talking to the officials at the port to try and locate her; we soon realized that it was a different ship that had unloaded passengers.

The following day shone brightly as we finished up breakfast, and headed towards the beach where we climbed the rocks overlooking the water, and then jumping into the water and laying on the sand. The afternoon concluded upon itself with a late lunch/early dinner, in which we were treated to a free bottle of honey brandy and yogurt-type dessert by the owners. Notably, on this trip, it seems that we had earned a knack for earning free alcohol/treats; in Mykonos, our meals were completed with a round of sweet digestif shots. In the evening, we headed to the port in Ermoupoli to catch our ferry to Naxos, where we were greeted with Easter celebrations.

Hotel Benois in Galissas

The restaurant where we found ourselves dining for the two nights we stayed in Syros

And so the menu warns you that fried appetizers are fattening

Stuffed tomatoes and peppers (gemista)

Sam diving right into the food

So it seems that they also want to be artistic with the plating

Carrying in the lamb for roasting later on

Ermoupoli, the main port city of Syros

Streets of Ermoupoli

Pre-Easter ceremony (?) marching through the streets of Ermoupoli

View of Galissas

Hanging in the café at Hotel Benois

We were treated to a free bottle of honey brandy and dessert by the restaurant in Galissas; the Greeks are quite friendly with us, I didn't mention it in the previous post, but we were also treated with digestif shots in Mykonos

April 9, 2011

Spring Break 2009: Athens, Mykonos and Delos

In the Acropolis area, we thought we'd mode the 'Creation of Adam.' Don't worry, we know that the Sistine Chapel isn't here

So we’re about to soon come full circle in this academic year abroad, and perhaps the biggest marker of it all is that NYU in France has just started spring break. For a lot of schools, spring break doesn’t hold any particular meaning, but for us here at NYU in France, it signifies an end of a semester. After all, our spring break happens in early April, leaving us only to resume school the week before May begins. My travel plans aren’t as elaborate this year as are those of my peers; I’m spending the week in Paris with perhaps a day trip to another region, and then heading off to Rome and Corsica.

Since I only started this blog last year, I thought I would take the opportunity to share my spring break travels from two years ago when I had studied abroad in Paris as a freshman. I went with several friends to Greece, mostly island hopping amongst the Cyclades island group. At first, I thought I would be able to pack all ten or so days of travel into one entry, but with the many pictures, I decided that it would be better to separate the posts by islands, with the exception of this one in which I cover our shortened (one night) stay in Athens and day trip to Delos (during our stay on Mykonos).

All the preparations for our trip, including hostel stays and ferry tickets had been made prior to our departure. If I do recall correctly, I do believe I used this particular website to book the ferries. With that said, you’ll have to head to an agency once you reach Greece in order to pick up your ferry tickets. You may opt to pick them up all at once or one at a time with each location you visit. You simply need the proof of purchase that is emailed to you to retrieve the tickets. I wound up booking for the most part with Blue Star Ferries, so it may also have been possible that I booked with them directly and used the other website to check for prices (my memory is a bit foggy about this).

My friends and I flew over to Athens from Paris’ main airport, Charles de Gaulle, via Olympic Air, landing in the late afternoon. Since we were only staying in Athens for the evening, we hastily headed on over to our hotel, Argo Anita Hotels, so as to drop off our bags and briefly explore the city.

After checking in, we hopped onto the Athens metro and headed on over to the Acropolis area. By the time we reached the historic area, however, we weren’t able to walk up the hill to view the Parthenon since it was “closing time.” There were still much to explore in the area in spite of being unable to see the monuments, along with a lovely walk descending upon the main streets of the city. The cliché of Greeks pouring into the streets in the late spring evening amidst the cafés was certainly true, as everywhere we looked, people were chatting and not caring about the time.

We, however, had to worry about the clock since we had to awaken early the next morning to catch our ferry to Mykonos. I had been expecting a ferry, much like the ones that you see crossing between Toronto and Center Island. So you can only imagine the look of astonishment when I realized how big our ferry actually was.

It wasn't exactly peachy weather when we arrived, but it certainly did perk up!

I’ve been told that Mykonos is perhaps one of the best islands if you want to party. Well, in April, that isn’t really the case, mostly because it just isn’t warm enough and barely the beginning of tourist season. Many of the stores were busy renovating during our time there; with that said, the locals certainly did frequent the bars. In comparison with the other islands visited, Mykonos is certainly one of the more expensive ones.

Accommodations wise, expect to pay at least 20€ during low season and more during busier seasons. All right, if you travel plenty, you’re probably thinking that this isn’t a lot of money, but when you take a look at the other islands, you’ll realize the difference soon enough. Also note that much of the time, you can arrange for pick-up from the ferry port to your hostel, which is exactly what we did with many of our hostels/hotels. During our three/four-day vacation on the island, we stayed at Mamas Pension, which is located 2 km from the Mykonos centre and is a family run hostel whose owner, Christina, speaks several languages and incredibly helpful and friendly.

You’ll soon realize, as we did, that you’re better off renting a car or ATV if you want to explore the island. Since we were a group of three (with others joining us along the way later on), and I was the only one with a driver’s license, we opted to rent a car. And perhaps the second realization you’ll come across is that getting from point A and point B isn’t as easy as it looks on the map. The roads are often winding, so as to co-operate with the islands’ landscapes, and sometimes, you’ll come across live stock – I wound up herding a pack of sheep at one point with my car.

Welcome to Delos, otherwise known as one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece

If you’re looking to discover ancient Greece, you can do so with a day trip to the near by island of Delos. The short ferry ride, which should not cost more than 20€ (if memory serves me correctly) round-trip, transports you back thousands of years to the ruins of ancient Greek temples and residences. Even if you’re not a history buff, it is a great walk, especially when you climb up the noticeably grand hill, which offers a beautiful view of the island.

That’s the re-cap of our first real big stop in Greece; scroll down for pictures and I’ll post about the other islands soon.