Adventures of Chris & Bre

Well I'm a bit behind on the blog, but I will do my best to recap!

Today we left Mykonos midday to catch the ferry to Ios. The owner of our accommodation took us to the ferry and dropped us off. Already our accommodation in Greece has been very helpful - picking us up when we arrive and dropping us off when we depart. Obviously whoever said that the people weren't friendly in Greece, must have been referring to Athens!

In Ios, we are greeted by the owner of our accommodation in Ios. Once again, the hotel is amazing (if not, very empty) and we have our own room in a private area behind the pool. I guess the good thing about coming to Greece in low season is that you're able to get amazing accommodation for very cheap. Apparently the price for the room we were in went up x 4 in the high season!

We get a scooter right away, as we decided in Mykonos that it's a great way to get around the island. The night we head to the port to a traditional Greek restaurant recommended by the hotel owner - Sousanna's. I have the best chicken souvlaki (I can say that now that I'm writing this in the future - it really was the best of our trip!) and Chris gets mousakka (famous, even the people from Athens agree ;-) After dinner we head into town. A quick walk around and we realise that all the bars/pubs/clubs are closed - most of them had their closing parties two days prior. Unbelievable! There are a few places open and we end up at the Fun Pub, a bit out of town, as there are at least a few people there. Th bartender advises us that two Contiki tours will be meeting there the next night, so to come back then. We think that sounds like a good idea!

Our first taste of Mykonos is definitely a good one as our accommodation is not only beautiful, but has nothing short of 5 star service! We're not sure if it's due to the fact that we're now in 'off season', but there are definitely less crowds than we expected (and a bit chillier than expected). Navigating all the winding alleys of the town is fun and challenging, but I can only imagine how busy it would be in peak season!

We decide to hire a scooter for a couple days, so we're able to check out all the beaches around the island. We pick out a beauty (named Terry the Typhone) and we are soon on our way. After all our scooter experiences, I'm not sure why I still close my eyes when Chris goes around tight corners, but nevertheless, I think I ended the day with a few grey hairs. I'm absolutely sure I was a lovely passenger though who never made any comments about speeding. We do find it funny that helmets are 'optional' for tourists and only required for 'locals' though. Hmmm...

Anyways, once we get out of Mykonos it almost seems as if we're in the desert - everything is dry and dead, apart from the white stone houses every so often. We decide we'll come back to Super Paradise beach the next day, as that seemed to be our favourite beach. (more about THAT later).

That night we grab a quick bite for dinner and then decide to go on for drinks. We start at a piano bar overlooking the water, where an American guy and girl serenade us. We leave and wander by Bar Down Under, where we are lured in the door with the promise of free shots (obviously an Australian bar). Packed to the rafters with Australians, we stay here for most of the night dancing until we decide to follow a few of the young kids around town to see where the other good places are. We end up at another bar, packed as well, but this time quite the mix of people. The music alternates between Rhianna to some Greek music we don't recognise. Very entertaining.

The next day we take the scooter around to check out the rest of the island and end up at Super Paradise beach, where we spend most of the day sunbathing. We have a quiet dinner that night (no Bar Down Under for us tonight) and pack up for Ios tomorrow!

Today we wake up to more rain, which makes it a bit (okay, a lot!) easier to say goodbye to Cinque Terre. We get in Milan late in the afternoon and find our accommodation. Let's just say we're happy we're only staying there for a night! That being said, it's still better than the place we stayed in London :-)

We catch the bus and then tube into Milan to have a look around. Really our goal in Milan is to find a few more books (English) for the rest of our trip. Mission accomplished! I've been to Milan briefly before and wasn't that impressed, so I'm not expecting much from this trip either. We really just needed to stay a night as we're leaving in the AM for Greece. It served it's purpose and the next morning we arrive in Mykonos!

It's a bit overcast here, but it still doesn't take away from the striking beauty. Greece is definitely unlike any place we have seen before. The blue sea and rolling hills set off the white-washed stone buildings perfectly. I think I have fallen in love again!

We finally wake up to a beautiful, sunshiney day! Yay!

We immediately start on the first leg of our hike - Monterosso to Vernazza, the one meant to be the most challenging. I'm not sure it was incredibly challenging, but it was by far the best hike I have ever been on. Weaving in and out of the rocky coastline, the path crossed waterfalls, and offered the most amazing views. This hike would have almost made the entire trip worth it - it was that unbelievable. It only took us around an hour and 15 minutes and we arrived to Vernazza. We then caught the train down to Riogiommare, where we had a wander around and did the next walk to Manarola.

In Manarola, the next hike to the town of Cornignlia was closed (not sure why), but we noticed a few people who were still on the path somehow. We figured out they must have climbed across the gate closing the path. It looked pretty easy, so we figured what the heck! Though we did have to navigate down a few rocks since the path was closed, the rest of it was a breeze and I still can't quite figure out why it was closed. I'm glad we decided to take the closing as more of a 'guideline' than a rule though ;-)

Next up was the hike from Cornigilia to Vernazza. We had already done the hike from Vernazza to Cornigilia and it was quite challenging, so we figured the opposite way would be a bit easier. It was, but we still arrived pretty exhausted! We managed to hike between all the towns in one day, so we accommplished our goal for Cinque Terre. It was too bad it rained 3 out of the 5 days we were there - I'd still definitely recommend Cinque Terre, though maybe in a different season.

Tomorrow we head off to Milan for one night before flying to Greece. I can't wait!

Today we wake up to rain again! :-( We decide to postpone the walks another day and take a day trip to Portofino and St Margherita instead. We catch a train to Monterosso, our stop for the next two nights and drop off our bags. We have a massive apartment, so Chris is happy (he is the one who picked this place after all), but on closer inspection it is very old and rundown, making me not quite so happy. But it does have a kitchen, so at least we'll be able to cook a few meals. I can say that I'm happily enjoying my fill of pesto here! As Cinque Terre is home of pesto, I will most likely need to be rolled home from Europe (especially after all the pizza and pasta), but I have been in heaven!

It only takes about 40 minutes to get to St Margherita and we arrive to warm weather and sunshine! St Margerita is a small, lovely town on the Italian Riveria. From afar, it looks like the buildings all have exquisitely painted balconies, window sills, etc, but on closer inspection we find out they are all actually painted onto the buildings. Cheeky! We catch a bus to Portofino and as the bus navigates the windy roads we try to guess which houses Dolce and Gabanna might live in. Lined with the likes of Louis Vutton, Chanel, Pucci, Gucci and much more, you can definitely tell that Portofino is the playground of the rich and famous (in case the yahts didn't give it away!). We have a lovely day wandering around and are quite happy that we decided to do a day trip, as we arrive back to more rain in Monterosso. Fingers crossed it goes away so we can at least do the walks, which were the reason for coming!