Italy and Greece

 I’m currently writing this in Saranda, Albania sweating absolute bullets at my hostel as we suffer through the Europe heatwave (Heatwave Cleon). It feels like a lifetime ago I left the USA for Europe, wearing pants and jackets has since left my clothing routine! If there is something I am currently missing about America (and home) it’s how much air con is used and appreciated during hot weather. Europe apparently doesn’t feel the need and BOY am I craving some cooler temperatures. Anyways. My writing hiatus was always temporary as my travels over the last five weeks have been fast paced and not solo, leaving little time for my silly little blog. So, what have I been up to?! So much.

My first stop; Rome, Itay. After 14 or so hours in transit I was happy to check in, have a quick run, eat some pasta (the first plate of many) and have a good sleep ready to meet Kirsten (my sister) the next day. We started a Contiki Tour around 36 hours after Kirsten arrived, if you have never done a Contiki Tour then you can just take my word for it that we were cooked chooks 15 days later. Our tour took as around Italy, finishing back in Rome. My personal highlights:

Cinque Terre – technically five places, but coastal towns signified with colourful buildings and stunning coastlines. It was here I had the best gelati of my life to date (and I have sampled a lot over the last month or so); a coconut scoop from an unassuming café at the train station. Bellissimo!

Amalfi Coast – We took in Capri, Amalfi and Positano and it was spectacular. Did I spend the money to lay on a front row lounger at Positano? You bet I did. Did I get an Aperol? Surely. Did I have the limonchello from the lemon farm? Uh huh! Do I love limonchello now? Absolutely not. Turns out that stuff is strong and it burns. But their lemonade was delicious!

Tuscany Region – We visited a few towns and cities in the region. Florence was lovely, I had a beautiful run along the river and purchased an Italian leather belt. We also drank a fair bit of wine and every drop was excellent. We also got to see the Statue of David (very cool). I need to pass on this public service announcement for anyone wanting to see it also; tickets will sell out a few weeks in advance AND and I cannot stress this next part enough; make sure you spend the extra money for ‘Skip the Line’ tickets. We did, we still waited in the searing hot sun for around 45 minutes which paled in comparison to the regular ticket holders. I would estimate a three hour wait. The same can be said for Vatican City. Do buy skip the line, it is 1000% worth whatever the extra fee is.

Rome – I’ve heard people don’t really enjoy Rome but I thought it was a beautiful city with so much to see. We barely got around all the main sites. The history is incredible, its fascinating to hear Italians refer to their ‘new’ buildings which are far older than Australia (as we know it post colonisation). Rome at night is stunning and I really enjoyed my time there. I also got to celebrate my birthday in Rome (21 again! Woo!) and had a great day and night with Kirsten and our Contiki group. If I’m still overseas for my next birthday I think I might book another Contiki to celebrate it! There are some lovely runs around the city, I got a few in here before the tour and the weather really kicked up.

Venice – For whatever reason, I had imagined that Venice wouldn’t be all that nice. I thought it was just the novelty of the canals and gondolas. I was wrong! Venice is stunning. We spent most of our time wandering the streets, looking for bridges and eating. Our Contiki took us over to Burano Island too, this was a gorgeous town with colourful buildings and a vibrant town center.

Lake Como – we didn’t spend long here (not that we could have afforded to!) but this area is spectacular. I would love to go back and spend a day or two. With someone else’s credit card.

Other things; the pasta is different, fresh pasta is chewier. I liked it. The wine is not particularly comparable to back home as they grow completely different grapes. Gelati is always a good idea. Margherita pizzas in Naples are delicious but Naples is not the nicest or safest sort of place to go (I wouldn’t go back). Pompeii was super interesting as were the Roman Catacombs. The ocean off the Amalfi Coast is so salty that I can *almost* float there (I cannot usually) which was a novelty for about 8 seconds before I started to sink again. Going to Italy means seeing a lot of marble dicks. Like so many. The Tuscany countryside is gorgeous.

Downside of Italy – it is extremely busy with tourists. Crazy busy. Everywhere you go. Which is understandable as the country is so beautiful and interesting but the tourist crowds can become a lot. Which, I know, is a very hypocritical thing to say as I was one of them but still worth mentioning. If I ever go back I would go either before of after peak season. Milder weather would also be good thing.

After leaving Rome (tired, disheveled and a little hungover following my birthday celebrations I don’t know about you but I’m feeling thirty twoooooo literally every day of it that morning) we arrived in Athens, Greece. We had three days here and Kisten and I were both sick for virtually the entire time. Probably with Covid. Kirsten had it worse than me but neither of us moved far for a few days. We dragged ourselves into the scorching heat to see the Acropolis (because we had already paid for tickets) and despite sweating profusely we were glad we went. I had my first Greek coffee here too, better than America’s dirty water but not as strong as espresso. It’s an earthier flavour but less bitter, I didn’t mind it.

We left Athens ridiculously early to board an early ferry out to the islands, first stop Mykonos. We also visited Paros, Ios, Santorini, Crete and after saying goodbye to Kirsten I also went on to Corfu. Every island was good, I don’t think you could have a bad time on a Greek island! Whilst similar, they are all unique with their own vibe. I think Paros was a favourite for both Kirsten and I – it was far less crowded, and the food scene was excellent. The sunsets were also beautiful here and extremely accessible compared to Santorini not to mention for a fraction of the price! N.B Santorini is unbelievably beautiful and worth the exorbitant price though. You can also get some pretty stunning photo’s to make your friends jealous. The downside of Greek islands (for me), the running is no good. There are very few areas to run, the roads are very narrow with no shoulder or footpaths and intense traffic. They are also very hilly. And the beaches are usually full of loungers and umbrellas so no room for exercise. Whilst I got a few short jogs in I didn’t do a whole lot of running in Greece. By the time I got to Corfu, Cleon (stupid Cleon) was in full swing so a few morning jogs is all that is on the agenda until either the heatwave ends or I acclimatise. So, probably no long runs until August when I get to the UK!

We only almost missed one ferry. It was a very stressful three minutes or so that involved us running is unsuitable footwear with our baggage in extremely hot weather. We were sweaty, but we made it. Transport in the Mediterranean is total chaos.

Perhaps one of the best Greek experiences we had was our first night on Crete, which was Kirsten and I's last island together. We got in fairly late and went straight out to get dinner. There was somewhere close by that had a really high rating (4.7 I think) and when we got there it was a small and very greek looking place. We figured why not. The food and service here was incredible. It was an older couple who ran the whole place and it really did feel like a homemade dinner with your grandparents (ahem sorry your Yiayia and Papou). We only spent two nights on Crete or we'd have been back there no question. The food was incredible, they gave us extra bread when they noticed we still 'had some sauce left' and unbeknownst to us there was a small fruit platter and local alcohol for shots included! I think Raki. We loved it. Definitely a 5 star rating in my eyes.

Overall, I really loved Italy and Greece. Stunning countries with just fabulous food – so many carbs. It was great having Kirsten around for the last month or so but the solo quest now continues! I’m in Albania for the next week or so before I start moving north, next stop Tirana before leaving Albania for Slovenia!