Have you ever had a hotel to yourself?
George is sick so we decided to get out of Athens. We looked at some islands close by and headed to Aegina. Aegina has the Temple of Aphaia on it. It is 60 years older then the Parthenon.
Yesterday we arrived in Aegina after taking an hour ferry. We took the bus across the island to Aegina Marina where we had booked a dorm room. We were greeted by a fellow Canadian who runs the hotel. (Not sure if he is the new owner or not). Anyway it turns out that due to the bad weather, the town decided to shut down early. The shops have mostly closed, all the bars except two are closed and only 2 restraunts remain open. It is a ghost town. I haven't decided whether I feel like I am in the movie "The Shinning" or "28 Days Later". Both are scary movies, so perhaps it is time to move on and find some more people...
The Temple was interesting. There hardly was anyone there and it is overcast, so it is a good photo day. George will be jealous once he is over his cold.
The walk to the Temple is another story in itself. I was told to go to the end of the road and follow the dirt path. I couldn't miss it. So I followed a dirt path that I found at the end of the road. I ended up hiking up the hill and into the not really dense brush. It was a good view of the city, but I didn't think I was getting near to the Temple. Then the path brought me to a church.
I figured if there was a church then there must be a road. There was no road on the other side of the church, just another path. So I followed the path. Then the path disappeared. I climbed up a hill to get my bearings, and then found a fork in a dirt road. I decided to take the road that looked like tire tracks had been made recently. I rounded a curve and had a good view of the temple.
I wasn't close, but at least I knew where I was suppose to go. Eventually the dirt road lead to a paved road and there was the sign for the "Short Cut" that I should have taken. I did have a nice walk through the woods though, but I am glad the island is a small one.
I ended up taking the short cut back and it was no where near the road that I was originally pointed up. Live and learn and take the bus when you are one your own.
Tomorrow we will catch a ferry back to Athens and then find another island to explore.
Yesterday we arrived in Aegina after taking an hour ferry. We took the bus across the island to Aegina Marina where we had booked a dorm room. We were greeted by a fellow Canadian who runs the hotel. (Not sure if he is the new owner or not). Anyway it turns out that due to the bad weather, the town decided to shut down early. The shops have mostly closed, all the bars except two are closed and only 2 restraunts remain open. It is a ghost town. I haven't decided whether I feel like I am in the movie "The Shinning" or "28 Days Later". Both are scary movies, so perhaps it is time to move on and find some more people...
The Temple was interesting. There hardly was anyone there and it is overcast, so it is a good photo day. George will be jealous once he is over his cold.
The walk to the Temple is another story in itself. I was told to go to the end of the road and follow the dirt path. I couldn't miss it. So I followed a dirt path that I found at the end of the road. I ended up hiking up the hill and into the not really dense brush. It was a good view of the city, but I didn't think I was getting near to the Temple. Then the path brought me to a church.
I figured if there was a church then there must be a road. There was no road on the other side of the church, just another path. So I followed the path. Then the path disappeared. I climbed up a hill to get my bearings, and then found a fork in a dirt road. I decided to take the road that looked like tire tracks had been made recently. I rounded a curve and had a good view of the temple.
I wasn't close, but at least I knew where I was suppose to go. Eventually the dirt road lead to a paved road and there was the sign for the "Short Cut" that I should have taken. I did have a nice walk through the woods though, but I am glad the island is a small one.
I ended up taking the short cut back and it was no where near the road that I was originally pointed up. Live and learn and take the bus when you are one your own.
Tomorrow we will catch a ferry back to Athens and then find another island to explore.
posted by Carolyn at 7:44:00 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Carolyn,
all those years you spent with the Girl Guides have come in handy, eh? Good for you that you did not seem to panic.
For where to go next - why not Peloponnese - Mycenae, Olympia, Sparta - hoping the buses run in between the towns, so you don't have to keep coming back to Athens. Or go to Crete, that should be a tad warmer, and before they suspend the ferry service for the winter. Just kidding, I don't know that they do that.
Post a Comment
<< Home