I really should get to talking about some of the activities enjoy last month before I go on and forget them.
I tried discussing some of the events of the last month with Mom yesterday, and caught myself slipping with the names of some of the locations (they were ports, so can you blame me? I don't really give a shit about water... so... kind of normal for me to forget).
Just so I DON'T forget, the Friday before I left, as in, the day after Christmas, we all packed up our shit and headed out on a day cruise to three little islands: Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. I think I have difficulty with the latter two because they were spelled so differently. There was the English spelling, the Greek spelling, and the Greek-phonetically-speaking-to-an-English-speaker-which-turned-out-to-sound-like-Mexican-Spanish spelling. I never knew what to go with... mostly anything other than English, because English was always wrong.
Anyway, Hydra was memorable because that's where Jackie O lived post-JFK. There were so many filthy cats and stinky donkeys... I wasn't overly joyed to be there. One thing I will say, however, was that once we left the touristy areas it was quite gorgeous... with tiny streets (no roads/cars, which was sweet because cars are quite the nuisance in the hands of some Europeans...) and steep, gorgeous hills. It was cluttered, but in a nice way, if that makes sense. Cluttered cutesy stuff.
Just that thing where you have to watch out for cat shit... and constantly staring at some dirty cat who will stare you down if you have a trace of food on you... that was the negative. Goddamn cats.
Hydra was the first stop after a couple of hours at sea on this ferry. I quickly learned I fucking hate ferries. I hated the rocking motion. I hated the fact that I had to just sit there. I WAS glad, however, that at no point was I left to stare at open seas. There was always a little island or rock formation for me to stare at... so I wouldn't have that overwhelming sense of anxiety with staring at just... ocean.
Anyway, thanks to being stuck on this ferry for so long (there was this large group of Spanish tourists who quickly grew on everyone's nerves... they just wouldn't shut the fuck up. They were the loudest, giggliest group of elitists I've met in a minute. Sure, they had some good moments, but god forbid anyone try to JOIN their jovial party-- they'd be stared down like a bunch of lepers), we eagerly stepped off the ferry and mingled with what Hydra had to offer (frustrated locals who trashtalked the tourists who dared venture off the touristic area-- my brother translated).
A group of boys tried flirting with my sister at the cafe we walked into. Sister had no interest in what the boys had to say, mainly because she really needed to go to the bathroom. I stood there somewhat uncomfortable, because I'm sure they automatically thought I too was a bitch (which, sure, because I too really had to take a piss, and all I really knew how to say in Greek was "sorry" and "thank you").
Anyway, we eventually settled outside the establishment to stare at the water/boats... and fight the urge to barf at the sight of nasty street cats eating the fur off themselves (I swear I fucking despise cats after this trip. I used to be apathetic to cats... now I straight up hate them. Keep those fucking cats away from me... dirty motherfuckers). It was an interesting scene... sipping on some delicious coffee, eating some sort of delectable honey-covered Greek pastry, laughing with the funny conversation of my group, smelling the wet donkeys nearby... and those fucking cats... jesus, those fucking cats.
We checked out Hydra for about an hour, then headed back into the boat to scope out Poros.
Poros was an hour and a half away (I think?), but I wouldn't know how long it took, because this was the part of the trip where we were fed the buffet-styled lunch.
Poros was pleasant. We were given an hour and a half to discover the sights. I think this might have been the place we roamed around the most. The buildings were the most memorable... so much white, gold, blue, and terracotta roof tops. We stepped inside a few bakeries... and ate some more baked goods, duh! I think about the baklava and still drool.
The next stop was Aegina. This place was fun. What do I remember most? PISTACHIOS. We checked out some ruins... then grabbed some pistachio ice cream (absolutely delicious), and stared at some more ruins... and Athens in the distance. We also checked out a very pretty church... St. Athanasia? Anyway, we then checked out the city a bit more, and wound up purchasing kilos-worth of pistachios... and honey.
The trip was ok... I'd say wonderful had I not acquired a mild case of sea-legs. I was fighting the urge to puke at dinner later that day (back in Athens). The mood was also a bit somber, because Clemson and Pacemaker were leaving in the morning... so we were basically having our outing together.
Will I ever go on a boat ride again? I can't say I plan on it any time soon... that shit just isn't for me. However, I'm glad I saw what I did on this trip... and tasted what I did... because they will be sights, smells and tastes I'll constantly return to (in my mind) on my bad days (well, you know, I could have done without the smell of wet donkey and dirty, nasty cats).
NAMES... I can't forget NAMES!
I tried discussing some of the events of the last month with Mom yesterday, and caught myself slipping with the names of some of the locations (they were ports, so can you blame me? I don't really give a shit about water... so... kind of normal for me to forget).
Just so I DON'T forget, the Friday before I left, as in, the day after Christmas, we all packed up our shit and headed out on a day cruise to three little islands: Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. I think I have difficulty with the latter two because they were spelled so differently. There was the English spelling, the Greek spelling, and the Greek-phonetically-speaking-to-an-English-speaker-which-turned-out-to-sound-like-Mexican-Spanish spelling. I never knew what to go with... mostly anything other than English, because English was always wrong.
Anyway, Hydra was memorable because that's where Jackie O lived post-JFK. There were so many filthy cats and stinky donkeys... I wasn't overly joyed to be there. One thing I will say, however, was that once we left the touristy areas it was quite gorgeous... with tiny streets (no roads/cars, which was sweet because cars are quite the nuisance in the hands of some Europeans...) and steep, gorgeous hills. It was cluttered, but in a nice way, if that makes sense. Cluttered cutesy stuff.
Just that thing where you have to watch out for cat shit... and constantly staring at some dirty cat who will stare you down if you have a trace of food on you... that was the negative. Goddamn cats.
Hydra was the first stop after a couple of hours at sea on this ferry. I quickly learned I fucking hate ferries. I hated the rocking motion. I hated the fact that I had to just sit there. I WAS glad, however, that at no point was I left to stare at open seas. There was always a little island or rock formation for me to stare at... so I wouldn't have that overwhelming sense of anxiety with staring at just... ocean.
Anyway, thanks to being stuck on this ferry for so long (there was this large group of Spanish tourists who quickly grew on everyone's nerves... they just wouldn't shut the fuck up. They were the loudest, giggliest group of elitists I've met in a minute. Sure, they had some good moments, but god forbid anyone try to JOIN their jovial party-- they'd be stared down like a bunch of lepers), we eagerly stepped off the ferry and mingled with what Hydra had to offer (frustrated locals who trashtalked the tourists who dared venture off the touristic area-- my brother translated).
A group of boys tried flirting with my sister at the cafe we walked into. Sister had no interest in what the boys had to say, mainly because she really needed to go to the bathroom. I stood there somewhat uncomfortable, because I'm sure they automatically thought I too was a bitch (which, sure, because I too really had to take a piss, and all I really knew how to say in Greek was "sorry" and "thank you").
Anyway, we eventually settled outside the establishment to stare at the water/boats... and fight the urge to barf at the sight of nasty street cats eating the fur off themselves (I swear I fucking despise cats after this trip. I used to be apathetic to cats... now I straight up hate them. Keep those fucking cats away from me... dirty motherfuckers). It was an interesting scene... sipping on some delicious coffee, eating some sort of delectable honey-covered Greek pastry, laughing with the funny conversation of my group, smelling the wet donkeys nearby... and those fucking cats... jesus, those fucking cats.
We checked out Hydra for about an hour, then headed back into the boat to scope out Poros.
Poros was an hour and a half away (I think?), but I wouldn't know how long it took, because this was the part of the trip where we were fed the buffet-styled lunch.
Poros was pleasant. We were given an hour and a half to discover the sights. I think this might have been the place we roamed around the most. The buildings were the most memorable... so much white, gold, blue, and terracotta roof tops. We stepped inside a few bakeries... and ate some more baked goods, duh! I think about the baklava and still drool.
The next stop was Aegina. This place was fun. What do I remember most? PISTACHIOS. We checked out some ruins... then grabbed some pistachio ice cream (absolutely delicious), and stared at some more ruins... and Athens in the distance. We also checked out a very pretty church... St. Athanasia? Anyway, we then checked out the city a bit more, and wound up purchasing kilos-worth of pistachios... and honey.
The trip was ok... I'd say wonderful had I not acquired a mild case of sea-legs. I was fighting the urge to puke at dinner later that day (back in Athens). The mood was also a bit somber, because Clemson and Pacemaker were leaving in the morning... so we were basically having our outing together.
Will I ever go on a boat ride again? I can't say I plan on it any time soon... that shit just isn't for me. However, I'm glad I saw what I did on this trip... and tasted what I did... because they will be sights, smells and tastes I'll constantly return to (in my mind) on my bad days (well, you know, I could have done without the smell of wet donkey and dirty, nasty cats).
NAMES... I can't forget NAMES!
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