Wednesday 12 October 2016

Travel series #1 - Greece Part 3

Finally it's time for another travel post about Greece. Sadly, this is the last one about this amazing place. However, in two weeks time Series #2 will start so stay tuned to see where the new series will be taking us!

If you missed the previous posts about Greece here they are: Part 1 and Part 2.

Starting off this post with one of the busiest places in Athens - Syntagma Square. The Greek House of Parliament, many public buildings, big luxury hotels and Syntagma Square itself compose the space where the heart of Athens beats. The area of Syntagma Square is the centre of the political life of the whole of Greece.

At the House of Parliament one can find the monument of the Unknown Soldier. This commemorates those who died during the war. Every hour there is the changing of the guards which takes about 10mins in total.

Close to Syntagma Square one can find the National Garden which occupies an area of 16 hectares. It became a public park to all in 1923 and has been a favourite place for Athenians to stroll and relax since then. The garden has many lofty trees and countless plants, duck ponds, a children's playground, a small zoo and a small botanical museum.


Now, let's jump onto the most exciting part of my whole holiday in Greece - a day cruise which took us to 3 Greek Islands ; Hydra, Poros and Aegina! We bought our tickets directly from our hotel and they offered us a good deal of transport to and from the port, the cruise itself and with food included. This was the company we went with and overall we were quite satisfied, the only complaint if you can classify it as a complaint, was that we had limited amount of time on each island and it wasn't really enough to capture each island's character and uniqueness. This of course is not ultimately the company's fault as it is just a one-day cruise so the time in itself is limited, however in my opinion they could have split up the time better or maybe make it a bit longer in terms of time - for example we arrived at about 7pm back to main land, this could've been shifted to 8pm so that we would have gained an extra hour. 

I forgot in which order we visited them so I'm just going to discuss them randomly, starting from Aegina. It is the largest island of the 3 and in my opinion the least favourite. The cruise company was offering excursions at an extra fee but we opted to explore the islands on our own. On Aegina however, we had a problem on exploring it on our own accord as it is quite vast and not manageable by foot. So we just went around the pier and explored a few streets there and then stopped and enjoyed a cup of tea while taking in the sea view. There still is an old feel to the island such as the coffee shop shown below but compared to the other islands it is the most advanced - maybe even the fact that there are cars affected my perception while comparing it to the other islands. 


Next on the list is Poros. It has one of the most beautiful ports that I have ever seen. While entering with the cruise ship you see these beautiful white washed houses with terracotta roofs and blue doors and windows surrounding the playa and it just captured my heart! Its charm is seen in its narrow streets, numerous restaurants and breathtaking views. We went around the closest part of the harbour by foot - as we only had about 40mins to explore it we couldn't go far so we kept as close as possible to the harbour. However it has such a unique feeling to it that it made me want to revisit as soon as possible and not just for a short time but for a whole month as least! 


Saving the best for last - Hydra! I cannot explain in words the love I have for this unique island which capture my heart in just an hour's time. You will see more donkeys than people - that is always a plus. They do not have cars and still use donkeys to travel and transport things from one place to another, if that does not amaze you, I don't know what will. The same white-washed houses and streets as Poros exist here. And the blue detail just makes things everything better. I wished I was born there so I could experience everyday life on this magnificent island and I cannot wait to get back for a visit! I'm going to leave a couple of photos below as they surely capture it's beauty more than my words ever will. 








With these spectacular views and photos I will end the first Travel Series. I feel sad that it's ending here and it has been a great experience sharing with you all my adventures and opinions on the breathtaking country of Athens! I do hope that you enjoyed reading it and if you are thinking about visiting Athens , I hope you found these articles useful. If you have questions or need to know something particular about Athens please feel free to send me an email on distortedpriorities@gmail.com ! I will send my best advice to you on Athens and travelling as a whole. Thank you again for sharing this first Travel Series journey with me! Stay tuned for in two weeks time a new Travel Series will begin. 

With love,
DP XXX

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24 comments :

  1. Sounds like a great trip. The images of Hydra are beautiful. Greece is definitely somewhere id love to visit.

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    1. It was! Do visit, you will surely not be disappointed.

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  2. I've been to Greece a few times and loved it - you've just reminded me why that is! Lovely post and I'm been reminiscing.....thank you!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed our post! Thank you for your lovely feedback.

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  3. Greece is still on my list of places I really really want to visit and your post sparked this even more! Will head over to part 1 and 2 too (and then probably book a next holiday)

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    1. You will surely not be disappointed! If you need further help please feel free to send us an email. And if you do visit enjoy it as much as possible!

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  4. The blue colors of the water looks just so refreshing and inviting! Santorini and Greece have been in my bucket list for so long. its amazing you were able to visit! thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Santorini is still on my bucket list, however I'm very grateful I got to visit Greece as it is such an amazing country! You're welcome, and thank you for your feedback.

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  5. I simply can't stop staring at the colour of water. This blue is amazing. Now I know where to look for the info if I plan a trip to Greece! Thank you :)

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    1. Thank you for such positive feedback! I hope that when you visit you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

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  6. The water is so gorgeous! I would love to visit! It is SO BLUE. I like can't believe it haha

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  7. I have travel envy! I went to Greece this year and we went to Santorini, but I regret out decision when there are so many great Islands out there. It's funny before I even finished your post I knew Hydra was going to be my favorite too if I went! I must go back!

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    1. I'd love to visit Santorini! However Hydra is spectacular and a must see for everyone too. Thank you for your feedback.

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  8. These Greek islands sounds like a dream! Hydra was my favourite too, can`t wait to go and see it with my own eyes! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. You're welcome! If you do visit spend a few days there, I recommend it!

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  9. Wow, these photos look amazing - and just make me want to visit Greece even more! ;) As a girl who loves the sea, Hydra and Poros both look amazing!!! The water is so blue!

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    1. Thank you! You'll love both islands then. Also this is just a side note - if you love the sea you might as well visit Malta, we have beautiful beaches here;)

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  10. I would love to visit those islands. I've only been to some of the larger ones! They look so beautiful!

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  11. Amazing photography! 40 minutes was definitely too short on Poros! I lived in Greece for 10 years and that still wasn't long enough!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, it was a very short visit unfortunately:( Will be back to visit them for longer for sure!

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  12. My friends and I are interested in visiting Greece next summer so this was a really great post to read! Greece is such a beautiful place :)

    Sarah | What Sarah Writes

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    1. Thank you! It is a very beautiful place and if you visit make sure to make the most of it. If you need any help or have any other questions please do ask me , I'll try to give you my best advice :)

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