People always tell me that Athens is ugly or that it has no beaches worth visiting and that I really should go to the islands if I want to see a nice beach. While I agree that Greek islands are unreal (see my blog circa 2009), the area around Athens still offers great beaches—if you know where to go.
Well, there is nothing like having great Greek friends, who are locals and know this place inside-out. After sleeping in on this warm Sunday, we met up with Thanasis, who picked us up in his car. The plan was to hit up at least two different beaches, and off we went.
The first place we arrived at has crowds at the popular beach, but Thanasis knew of a "secret" beach that required some tricky terrain navigation on foot. When he asked if we were up for it, Brandon and I did not even hesitate in saying yes. No one likes crowds at the beach.
The mini trek reminded me slightly of walking through rural Guatemala, when our Task Force in 2010 visited a plantation and had to navigate some interesting landscape. But we made it no problem, and the water looked so refreshing!
'Twas.
I brought my underwater/waterproof camera, so into the water we went with the camera. Since Brandon had his goggles and could also swim better, I passed the camera off to him, and he went looking for cool fish and other things to take pictures of. Sure enough, he found a few schools of fish and an octopus, which unfortunately escaped being photographed.
At some point, I looked up and saw a guy rowing by on his surfboard with a puppy on board. It looked hilarious to see a dog running up and down a surfboard. Since I was in the water, it looked like he was running on water.
The weather around 4 PM was quite warm, so we got quite a bit of sun (don't worry, I had plenty of sunscreen). We also brought some ice cold beers, and Brandon and I shotgunned a beer each. I should've known not to race him. He downed that thing so quickly!
Thanasis thought it was so strange that we did these things, and he told the staring couple next to us that we were Americans. Haha. Yep. Thanasis wanted to learn though, so Brandon showed him the steps.
Back in the water, Brandon found other cool stuff, including these really brightly colored fish and lots of sea urchins. The sea urchins are actually quite painful, and he accidentally stepped on one. As we found out, he was supposed to pee on it, so he went off in the bushes to take care of his wound. Apparently, it doesn't only work for jellyfish stings.
We decided to head to the next beach, but not before stopping to pick up some food. I was actually really hungry, but the other guys were okay. So Thanasis brought us to a really great bakery, and we had these awesome sausage in a bun type things. They were delicious.
We also picked up a few more cold beers for the next beach, where Thanasis decided to try shotgunning a beer too. He did it beautifully. Haha.
Then we decided to wade into the water. Sadly, we discovered quite quickly and to our horror that the water was actually pretty dirty. It was the dirtiest water any of us had ever seen in Greece, so we left soon after. Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but there was just a lot of crap in it. The beach area itself looked quite nice though.
From there, we decided to just head to a third and last beach, even though it was already 7 PM. We figured we'd go out there, eat dinner at a seaside taverna, and go for a night swim—all under the Temple of Poseidon on the hill. Brilliant.
It was a bit of a journey though as it's about 65 kilometers or about 40 miles from Athens. No matter. The ride was beautiful since the sun was starting to set. Seriously, there is no place like Greece in the summer. There's a reason why this is the third consecutive summer I have returned...
The Temple of Poseidon was closed by the time we got there (it was nearly 9 PM), but we got pictures anyway. Looked pretty neat.
We were starving though, so we went to dinner at the taverna. We knew going in that it'd be somewhat spendy, but seeing as how we've been eating very frugally, we decided to splurge a bit on this night. Thanasis was also so nice that he said he would cover the fish, so Brandon and I decided to cover the rest.
You can eat cheaply in Athens, but if you start ordering fresh fish, you're talking about much higher prices. And the fish we ate was very fresh. In fact, Thanasis and Brandon handpicked it themselves.
They weigh it and price it before they even start cooking it. So we knew what kind of value we were expecting before eating it. When the food came out though, it was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had in Greece. I had delicious food eating with Taso during our program, but I have always also enjoyed going out with Thanasis or my other Athenian friends since they always know the best spots around.
We were in paradise with all that food, and Brandon was enjoying it all too. I made sure to stay away from the stuff I'm allergic to too, so there were no health problems. :)
After we wolfed down all the small plates, we waited for our fish. When it finally arrived, it did not disappoint. Thanasis skillfully handled the fish (much like another Athenian buddy, Tasos, did last year), and it tasted soooooooo delicious.
Brandon literally ate every part, which was not at all surprising coming from him. This picture still cracks me up though. (No, he didn't eat the tail...but he did eat the eyes, the tongue, and some other parts of the fish that I would've not touched. Haha.).
After a hearty dinner and hefty bill, we decided to move down the beach to chill in the water. It was already 11 PM, but it's warm enough outside that you can swim comfortably (though at first the water is a bit cold). We got a picture of the three of us in the water with the Temple of Poseidon in the far background. Brandon did a great job capturing it all after I failed twice.
I floated on my back in the water for a while and just stared up at the stars. With few lights out and fairly shallow water, it was quite relaxing to see so many stars. I only recognized the Big Dipper, but otherwise it was really relaxing. So much so, I almost fell asleep floating. Oops.
After an exciting day and truly a lot of fun, we made it home at nearly 1:40 AM. Poor Thanasis. He has to open his store tomorrow morning too, so Brandon and I are bringing him coffee and bougatsa, which are pastries from Northern Greece.
It has been an absolute blast hanging out with Thanasis, and I am so grateful to him for spending the time with us. He had wanted to go hiking or something with me last summer, but we never had the time, either because he was working or I had to do research. This summer, with me being in Greece solely for vacation, we found the chance to make it happen, and I'm glad Brandon could come along as well. We're having way too much fun.
Tomorrow, we'll meet Taso's group at the Acropolis after our morning pit stop at Thanasis's store. After a few days here, Brandon will finally do a real touristy Athenian thing. We'll tour the Acropolis and then go to lunch with Nancy, Taso, and friends. Then in the evening, we're having dinner at Thanasis's house, and he's already guaranteed the best food we'll have. Can't wait!
Still much to do and yet so little time left. Perhaps I will have to apply for a Fulbright to Greece sometime in the future. :)
Finally, just a special shout out to my father on this Father's Day. I wouldn't be who I am without you, and I hope someday to be even half as amazing as you are. Thanks for always loving and supporting me. See you in a few more months!
Sam
Well, there is nothing like having great Greek friends, who are locals and know this place inside-out. After sleeping in on this warm Sunday, we met up with Thanasis, who picked us up in his car. The plan was to hit up at least two different beaches, and off we went.
The first place we arrived at has crowds at the popular beach, but Thanasis knew of a "secret" beach that required some tricky terrain navigation on foot. When he asked if we were up for it, Brandon and I did not even hesitate in saying yes. No one likes crowds at the beach.
The mini trek reminded me slightly of walking through rural Guatemala, when our Task Force in 2010 visited a plantation and had to navigate some interesting landscape. But we made it no problem, and the water looked so refreshing!
'Twas.
I brought my underwater/waterproof camera, so into the water we went with the camera. Since Brandon had his goggles and could also swim better, I passed the camera off to him, and he went looking for cool fish and other things to take pictures of. Sure enough, he found a few schools of fish and an octopus, which unfortunately escaped being photographed.
At some point, I looked up and saw a guy rowing by on his surfboard with a puppy on board. It looked hilarious to see a dog running up and down a surfboard. Since I was in the water, it looked like he was running on water.
The weather around 4 PM was quite warm, so we got quite a bit of sun (don't worry, I had plenty of sunscreen). We also brought some ice cold beers, and Brandon and I shotgunned a beer each. I should've known not to race him. He downed that thing so quickly!
Thanasis thought it was so strange that we did these things, and he told the staring couple next to us that we were Americans. Haha. Yep. Thanasis wanted to learn though, so Brandon showed him the steps.
Back in the water, Brandon found other cool stuff, including these really brightly colored fish and lots of sea urchins. The sea urchins are actually quite painful, and he accidentally stepped on one. As we found out, he was supposed to pee on it, so he went off in the bushes to take care of his wound. Apparently, it doesn't only work for jellyfish stings.
We decided to head to the next beach, but not before stopping to pick up some food. I was actually really hungry, but the other guys were okay. So Thanasis brought us to a really great bakery, and we had these awesome sausage in a bun type things. They were delicious.
We also picked up a few more cold beers for the next beach, where Thanasis decided to try shotgunning a beer too. He did it beautifully. Haha.
Then we decided to wade into the water. Sadly, we discovered quite quickly and to our horror that the water was actually pretty dirty. It was the dirtiest water any of us had ever seen in Greece, so we left soon after. Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but there was just a lot of crap in it. The beach area itself looked quite nice though.
From there, we decided to just head to a third and last beach, even though it was already 7 PM. We figured we'd go out there, eat dinner at a seaside taverna, and go for a night swim—all under the Temple of Poseidon on the hill. Brilliant.
It was a bit of a journey though as it's about 65 kilometers or about 40 miles from Athens. No matter. The ride was beautiful since the sun was starting to set. Seriously, there is no place like Greece in the summer. There's a reason why this is the third consecutive summer I have returned...
The Temple of Poseidon was closed by the time we got there (it was nearly 9 PM), but we got pictures anyway. Looked pretty neat.
We were starving though, so we went to dinner at the taverna. We knew going in that it'd be somewhat spendy, but seeing as how we've been eating very frugally, we decided to splurge a bit on this night. Thanasis was also so nice that he said he would cover the fish, so Brandon and I decided to cover the rest.
You can eat cheaply in Athens, but if you start ordering fresh fish, you're talking about much higher prices. And the fish we ate was very fresh. In fact, Thanasis and Brandon handpicked it themselves.
They weigh it and price it before they even start cooking it. So we knew what kind of value we were expecting before eating it. When the food came out though, it was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had in Greece. I had delicious food eating with Taso during our program, but I have always also enjoyed going out with Thanasis or my other Athenian friends since they always know the best spots around.
We were in paradise with all that food, and Brandon was enjoying it all too. I made sure to stay away from the stuff I'm allergic to too, so there were no health problems. :)
After we wolfed down all the small plates, we waited for our fish. When it finally arrived, it did not disappoint. Thanasis skillfully handled the fish (much like another Athenian buddy, Tasos, did last year), and it tasted soooooooo delicious.
Brandon literally ate every part, which was not at all surprising coming from him. This picture still cracks me up though. (No, he didn't eat the tail...but he did eat the eyes, the tongue, and some other parts of the fish that I would've not touched. Haha.).
After a hearty dinner and hefty bill, we decided to move down the beach to chill in the water. It was already 11 PM, but it's warm enough outside that you can swim comfortably (though at first the water is a bit cold). We got a picture of the three of us in the water with the Temple of Poseidon in the far background. Brandon did a great job capturing it all after I failed twice.
I floated on my back in the water for a while and just stared up at the stars. With few lights out and fairly shallow water, it was quite relaxing to see so many stars. I only recognized the Big Dipper, but otherwise it was really relaxing. So much so, I almost fell asleep floating. Oops.
After an exciting day and truly a lot of fun, we made it home at nearly 1:40 AM. Poor Thanasis. He has to open his store tomorrow morning too, so Brandon and I are bringing him coffee and bougatsa, which are pastries from Northern Greece.
It has been an absolute blast hanging out with Thanasis, and I am so grateful to him for spending the time with us. He had wanted to go hiking or something with me last summer, but we never had the time, either because he was working or I had to do research. This summer, with me being in Greece solely for vacation, we found the chance to make it happen, and I'm glad Brandon could come along as well. We're having way too much fun.
Tomorrow, we'll meet Taso's group at the Acropolis after our morning pit stop at Thanasis's store. After a few days here, Brandon will finally do a real touristy Athenian thing. We'll tour the Acropolis and then go to lunch with Nancy, Taso, and friends. Then in the evening, we're having dinner at Thanasis's house, and he's already guaranteed the best food we'll have. Can't wait!
Still much to do and yet so little time left. Perhaps I will have to apply for a Fulbright to Greece sometime in the future. :)
Finally, just a special shout out to my father on this Father's Day. I wouldn't be who I am without you, and I hope someday to be even half as amazing as you are. Thanks for always loving and supporting me. See you in a few more months!
Sam
1 comment:
I guess I should give Athens another shot, seeing I guess it has been what 6 years since I have been there. When I go back I will have to ask for your advice on where to go. I am sorry for the lack of comments lately - things are still crazy here trying to adjust. But Goodluck in your last month - Live it up cuz when you come back you will for sure miss it- oh and how about Paris? lol
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