Our visit to Greece started in a wee town called Kastoria not far inside the border. Once famous for its fur industry, it’s now a quiet place with about the same size population as Wanaka.
When we arrived we had a wee wander along the lakefront into town and had a quick look around before picking up some lunch and going to hide in the air conditioning – the whole trip has been hot, but another heatwave was starting, with temperatures over 40°C, so it made being out and about a bit challenging. I spent my afternoon catching up with some journaling and then later, when it was cooling down, out on the balcony of my room looking out over the lake. While out there, a wasp (bee? wasp?) ate a hole in my little toe! It was so strange. I didn’t realise at first what was happening, I thought it had just landed on my and I didn’t want to anger it so I was just waiting for it to fly off. After a bit, when I felt something sharp, I tried to flick it away and saw that it had cut through my skin and drawn a little blood. Very weird.
The next morning we took a walk along the edge of the lake, around the peninsula, while the day was still cool (well, below 30°C…). During our wanders we passed a cave that had been used as a shelter during the war, a monastery and church, and a “dragon’s cave” that we didn’t go into, so I can’t explain that one any further! Once back in town we all went our separate ways to have a better look around, and before long it was super hot again so we just blobbed over a coffee before it was time to get back on the road.
Our second Greek destination was another little town, this one called Litochoro, situated at the base of Mt Olympus. The plan had been to go for a wee hike on the mountain, but with the high temperatures and the elevated fire risk, access to the mountain was restricted and we couldn’t go. While this was a little disappointing (What?? Emily disappointed at not going for a walk???), we spent the day instead visiting a nearby beach, which seemed an acceptable compromise. It was a bit crowded, but the water was lovely and warm and surprisingly clear. It’s also crazy how little you get burnt here compared to NZ – at home I’d be fried in no time, whereas here we were in the sun for probably 3 hours before I decided it was time to get the sunscreen out, and even then I wasn’t even slightly pink!
Finally, after those few days in the north of the country, we hopped on the train down to Athens. It was around 40°C in the afternoon when we arrived, so while we did go for a wee wander, we spent most of the next few hours hiding inside in the air conditioning before heading out later for our final dinner of the trip.
The next morning I went for a wee walk to see what I could stumble across, while mum and dad went shopping, Raewyn and David headed out to the airport, and the others went for a ride on the hop-on-hop-off bus. It was nice to just wander through the streets, getting mildly lost and just seeing where I ended up, even if it was crazy hot. When the heat became too much I returned to the hotel for some air con while waiting for the worst of it to pass, and then in the late afternoon I emerged again into the heat (38°C) to go and visit the Acropolis.
Walking up the hill to the entrance, I felt like I was breathing air straight out of a heater. It was actually impressive. Despite the heat, it was very crowded – due to the heat, all outdoor sites such as the Acropolis have been shut between midday and 5pm for safety reasons, so I guess it’s understandable that the evening would be pretty crowded with people wanting to visit, but it was a little hectic at some points!
The actual site was very impressive. I mean… how did they do all of that? It would be a challenge using today’s technology, but 2500 years ago? Crazy.
My final excursion of the day was an evening walking/food tour around the city. It seemed a bit weird to be going sightseeing at night, but it really is just unbearably hot during those afternoon hours. We met in front of the Greek parliament and wandered through the central neighbourhoods of the city, spotting churches and ruins and various other places of importance along the way. We also made stops for souvlaki, mezze, ice cream, and drinks along the way. The other people on the tour were lovely too, and I quite enjoyed it!
The following morning, mum, dad, and the remaining aunts and uncles headed out to the airport early, off to France for their next adventure, while I had a sleep in – my first in quite a while!! When I did get up, I went for another walk, this time venturing further out of the touristy central part of the city, and wandering around other neighbourhoods for a while. When it got too hot to continue, I continued on the metro, getting off every now and then and popping up into the heat to see what was around, then heading back underground again. A different way to experience the city, I guess?
Anyways, overall I enjoyed seeing a bit of Greece. Just like everywhere else, I only had a wee taste of it, and I’m sure there’s a lot more to see, but surely that’s just a good excuse to return some day.
emilyonearth 
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