Ios

After a 45 minute ferry ride we arrived at the port where once again there was a man waiting to pick us up. For those of you that don't know, Ios is one of the biggest party islands in Europe, not quite the same way as Ibiza in Spain is but similar. So we arrived expecting quite a party scene but also knowing the season was just starting up. We checked in to once again a phenomenal room at the Far Out Beach Club where we were only paying 12 euro a night. Even nicer than the place we stayed at in Santorini this place was literally a beach resort filled with people under 25 all of which were (of course) from Canada, the U.S. or Australia. That afternoon was mostly spent hanging out by the pool and enjoying the patio and yard we had behind our room.
That night at 10:15 the last bus into town left from the far out beach club. The beach was only a 20 minute walk from town but it was up hill and the bus was much easier. More of a party bus than a city bus it was a great place to talk to some people to find out where to go in town. So we started off at the Fun Pub where we met up with some girls from Calgary that we talked to earlier. From there it was all over the place.
The way the bar scene works in Ios is there are a bunch of small clubs/bars in the center of the old town connected by stairs and alleys. As the night goes on you just hop from place to place and end up where ever the party is. Being in Greece drinks are fairly cheap, but because Ios is so competitive, bars will do things like have happy hour until 2am or give a free t shirt after having 7 shots. They will also do things like make two drinks marginally more expensive than one.
That night while Scott was distracted by a British girl Joel walked the wrong way home. Ios only has one paved road that starts at the port and ends at the Far Out Beach Club with the town in the centre, so it is pretty hard to get lost but you can walk the wrong direction. And when it is dark it all looks the same. After walking by the hospital (which is 100 meters from the port) Joel realized he went the wrong way. Two hours after leaving the club Joel made it back the the hotel right as light was coming over the hills.
The next day we found a baker that made great sandwiches and enjoyed the sun by the pool. That night we went into town and met some girls from Oregon and hung out with them for a while.
The next day we pretty much did the same but it was a little more windy. That night we once again hung out with the girls from Calgary and also found a friend from Baltimore. Scott was feeling a little tired so he went back a little earlier.
The next day we checked out and took a 9 hour ferry back to Athens which of course was late.

Santorini

After our 8 hour ferry ride we arrived at beautiful Santorini. We already had our hotel (I would call it a hostel, but it was actually a hotel at hostel prices) booked and there was a man at the port to pick us up. We arrived at the place we where staying and where blown away at how nice it was. Located pretty much on the beach, it had a nice pool, bar and great lounge with a big screen TV. We got a private room with a balcony and kitchenette all for 12 Euro a night. We even got to do laundry for free. That evening we took a walk around the beach town, had some dinner and scoped out the 4 wheelers we wanted to rent the next day.
The next day we rented the 4 wheelers we found. Most of the quads being rented where small 50cc things, very similar to what we rented in Corfu. That day we decided to pay the extra 10 euro and rented a 320cc machine and a 250. Needless to say they where quick and well worth the money to blow by the slow guys. So we hit the road and check ed out the island. After a small stop we decided to get up to the highest point on the island. It ahd a great view/. It was on top of this hill when Joel realized his camera was missing. Not a good feeling. He had just taken pictures with it 20 minutes earlier so we figured it must have somehow fallen out of the bag after the last stop. So we backtracked a little and it was not looking very good. Luckily, after going to the final logical place it could be Scott found the camera, what a relief. As it tuned out Joel must have left the camera in his pocket and after attempting some doughnuts in the parking lot it fell out. The rest of the day was great. We went to the small towns, found some small beaches and just had fun seeing the island. Santorini is supposed to have the best sunset in Greece so that evening we went to a great vantage point on one of the cliffs and had some dinner while the sun set. We had a little more gas to burn so we drove around a little bit and then headed back to the hotel.
The next day was fairly uneventful. We hung out on the beach, put in some computer time and bought our ferry tickets to get to our next destination, Ios. That night we put in some time at the pool bar and then went to a small bar down the road with some people from the hotel.
The next day we had a leisurely check out and hopped on the 1 pm ferry to Ios.

Athens Part 1

After a long overnight bus ride with our friends from the Pink Palace we arrived in Athens at around 9 am. Luckily we where able to check into our room right after we arrived so the four of us went up and took a much needed nap. That afternoon we decided to visit the Acropolis. The ruins where pretty cool to walk around and it gave us a great view of the city. That night we took it easy, had dinner and just hung out at the hostel.
The next day the guys we where staying with checked out and went their separate ways. We still had one more night book so that afternoon we took a walk around the city, did some people watching and just checked out the area. That evening we went on a mission to find a spot to eat. We where hoping for some good Greek food but as it turned out we ended up in a Polish restaurant. That night we hit the sack early because the next day we needed to catch the 7 am ferry to Santorini.

The Pink Palace

The Pink Palace is a small slice of heaven located on the island of Corfu. It is basically a budget resort where backpackers flock to for an amazing party at great prices. The name of the place comes from the fact that all the buildings on the complex are painted pink. Although there where only about 60 people there when we went (the place can hold over 700) the good times will be remembered for a long time.
Written on the back of every staff members t-shirts are the 10 biggest lies of the Pink Palace. As it turned out most of these where very true and some where exactly spot on.

Similar to spring break in Mexico our time mainly consisted of relaxing on the beach, ripping up the island by four wheeler or partying hard every night with mostly fellow Canadians. There where a few Americans and a few Aussies but Canada was by far the largest represented nation. Literally there where people from Vancouver to New Brunswick and even three girls from the North West Territories.
Our favourite daytime activity was exploring the island by motorized vehicle. Our first full day we rented scooters, a slightly cheaper option, but as it turned out not as fun as a four wheeler. In addition, after Joel somehow managed to loose traction of his front wheel in a corner decided they where not their favourite motorized vehicle. Don't worry Joel's quick reflex's and motorcycle training saved him on this one. A little skin on the leg (from the scooter not the road), some rubber from the bottom of his shoe and a small piece of ego where all that where lost. A few days later we decided we wanted to go off roading so we rented 4 wheelers. As it turned out, we hit the road with a former financial planner from Florida. After 10 years in corporate America he quit his job and has been in Europe for the 3 months since, a nice guy. Four wheeling was cool because you could go through the olive groves and climb to the top of the mountains much easier. The last day we rented four wheelers again (this time only 10 euros for the day) with some recent grads from Queens and managed to find some sand dunes to rip up.
The way the Pink Palace works is everyone does their respective day time activities weather it be four wheeling, hanging out on the beach, kyaking or just recovering and then at night everyone sits down for a 3 course dinner (included in the price) at 8:45. Happy hours from from 6-11. After dinner the palladium (the building we have dinner in) turns into a club. There where not enough people when we where there to get this place to crazy so 3 out of the 7 nights they organized a flip cup tournament (ask your children if you are not sure what this game is). Team A as we where called went undefeated in all 3 tournaments. Our team consisted of 3 guys that just graduated from Queens, Scott, Joel and 2 Aussie girls that where traveling. Generally after midnightish they closed down the palladium and everyone walked up the hill to the smaller bar in the main building. This bar never closes. Up there anything can happen. Killer kings (once again ask your kids) was a game often played. Body shots where also something you could see. Having a smaller crowd had its advantages at times. On various occasions Dr.George (the guy running the place who actually worked at Grand River hospital for a few years) would be up at the bar and this generally meant free ouzo. The bar tenders where great and everyone was there for a good time.
Saturday was the day everyone hyped about. We actually extended our stay 2 extra nights just so we could be there for it. The Pink Palace is known for its toga parties and the booze cruise, both of which happened on Saturday. The booze cruise is something that had tried to be organized all week but never exceeded the critical mass of having over 20 people, until Saturday. Having to sign up by 11 am was a little bit difficult.
The cruise started at noon when all 30+ of us piled on an old fishing boat painted pink and basically turned into a bar with a big stereo. Our first stop was cliff diving off a 45 foot cliff in the middle of the sea. Everyone was encouraged to jump and if you did it naked you got some free beers. Luckily (or sadly) everyone kept their clothes on for this event. Next the driver drove the boat into a bat cave where we all jumped in and swam into the darkness. Our last stop was at a small secluded beach where we all enjoyed the sun for an hour or 2. With the stereo pumping, the sun shining and the booze flowing a good time was had by all.
After the booze cruise we decided that at this rate checking out by 9am the next day was not going to happen so we extended our stay by one more night. This also meant we could take the pink bus to Athens.
After some down time its was time for dinner and the toga party. For a 10 Euro deposit we each got a pink toga and a free drink. The toga party consisted of traditional Greek dancing followed by a plate being smashed over your head and some ouzo shots. And of course everyone was in pink togas. This party ended pretty late and the memories of this one are fairly fuzzy, especially for those that where on the booze cruise.
By the time Sunday came around we where ready to leave the Pink Palace. So a whole group of us boarded the overnight pink bus to Athens.

Bari and the voyage to Corfu

After a 4 hour train ride from Naples, we arrived in the port city of Bari at about 9 pm. We booked a hostel in the old town which was located very close to the harbour so that we could easily get on our ferry the next day. Our hostel only had check in until 10 so it was kind of important that we arrive before that time. There where no directions given to get to the hostel from the train station on the hostels web site. We figured this was so that you would use their pickup service. So we just put the address into Google maps and figured that would be good.
As it turned out this was not the case. Walking away from the train station was easy enough because the roads ran in a grid, but once we got into the old town the map had no street names and it was impossible to figure out which direction you where going in. So we ended up on the other side of old town at what we thought was the port. After not being able to find any road name that was on our map we decided to bite the bullet and get in a cab. This was the best decision we made. As it turned out we walked in quite the wrong direction. After a 5-10 minute cab ride the cab driver dropped us off right in front of the place. Another good thing because the hostel was down a small back ally with little signage. We could have been standing 15 feet from the place without realizing it.
At this point it was 10 to 10 and we got to the door and it was locked. Luckily a guy came to the door and let us in.
As it turned out we where kind of lucky. After walking away from the hostel going to get some food we found 3 different groups of travelers in a matter of 5 minutes looking for the place. This presented another issue for these people because the lone guy doing the check spoke very little English and now had to deal with about 10 Japanese people whose English was also not the most stellar. In addition the place ran out of bedding. The guy sleeping below Joel literally had a mattress, no pillow no sheets. Oh ya and the washroom was in the basement which was freezing cold. Needless to say this was probably the worst hostel we had been in on the trip. But we did end up having dinner with a nice Brazilian girl.
The next morning after that experience we headed down to the port to get our tickets and get on the ferry. Our next stop would be Corfu where we had 5 nights booked at the Pink Palace. After getting to the ticket desk the lady selling us the tickets informed us the ferry does not run to Corfu this time of year, we where apparently looking at the summer schedule. Instead it stopped in Igoumenitsa, about an hour ferry ride from Corfu. This would have been fine but our ferry from Bari would get in half an hour after the last ferry to Corfu. We asked the lady if Igoumenitsa was a big city and if we would have a problem finding a place to stay, she figured it would not be a problem.
So we boarded the ferry. Actually quite nice. There where multiple bars and restaurants and even a pool on board. Shortly after leaving port we used the internet on board to see if we could find a place to stay that night. After doing some searchng we founf out there was pretty much nothing close to the port. It was at that point we realized we would be sleeping in the ferry terminal for the night. So we arrived in Igoumenitsa at 11:30, hung out at the bar for a little and then found a nice metal bench for the night. I figure you are not really backpacking until you are forced to sleep in a train station/ferry terminal/airport.
The next day we hopped on the ferry to Corfu, gave the Pink Palace a call when we arrived and their driver came and picked us up. It was a beautiful day and we where able to check in right away wihtout even being charged for the night we missed. After the previous 2 days this small slice of heaven was exactly what we needed. This was the begining of our vacation from our holiday that would be the Greek Islands.

Naples and Pompeii

So we arrived in the Naples train station with our new Canadian travel mates and set off to find our hostel. We had booked 2 beds at the place and they where hoping to stay at our hostel as well. So we took the "subway" 2 stops and got off. Right away it felt like a very different city than any we had been to north of Rome. Hard to describe, but it just felt a little more dodgy. So we found our hostel fairly easily considering the small street it was on and went to check in. The man running the place was busy with some other people, so we were told to wait. Eventually he got to us and checked us in, but not before explaining all the things there are to do in Naples as well as the areas to stay away from and how Naples gets an undeserved bad reputation. In 2006 there where 84 murders in Naples (much less then many other European cities) and 82 of those where mob related, so really it is a safe city for tourists. Luckily the girls where able to get some beds as well. So after we checked in we went and took a walk around the area the hostel was in. We eventually found a street market and ate some food in a park. It was sitting in this park we realized why Naples has a sketchy feel. People where driving their scooters without a helmet on the walking path, rottweilers where free to roam without a leash and there was garbage all over the place. We soon headed back to the hostel and hung out for a while as we waited for our free hostel dinner.
As it worked out the guy running the hostel sat everyone staying there down at a big table to eat some delicious pasta together. It was free and there was wine so where happy. To our surprise, after we where done eating they guy busts out the guitar and gets us to sing some songs. At little different, but why not. Once the sing along was done we went out on the terrace to enjoy the evening. Not too long after he called half the people we where with to the inside. We figured they where on dish duty or something. Then he called Joel in and Scott was outside alone. Joel was sent to the main room where everyone else from the hostel were. After seeing the cake he quickly realized we where going to surprise Scott because it was his birthday (he noticed it was Scott's birthday after looking at his passport upon check in) . Joel figured Scott would catch on, which he did but was still a pretty good sport when we all sang happy birthday and he blew out the candles. A birthday Scott is sure to remember. Later that night we where hanging out outside and came to a consensus that we did not really want to travel with our acquired travel mates. They where nice enough girls, but were a little immature and did not quite travel the way we did.

Luckily, the next mourning we slept in later then them, so they had already left the hostel. We only had one full day in Naples so we basically decided to walk around the city and see what there is to see. The day started off at the place where pizza was first invented. We happened to get there right when it opened. The pizza was amazing and by the time we left the place it was packed with a large group of people outside waiting to get in and waiting for there pizza to go. From there we walked towards the water front through downtown and checked out the peer. After the peer we walked the board walk and saw the fortress. From there we walked through the shopping district and had an espresso. A ritual that was quite enjoyable and we where not sure why it took so long to catch on to. That evening we had some delicious sea food at a restaurant by the port and did not make it back to the hostel until later that night. To our delight the girls where already in bed meaning we would probably never see them again.

The next day we got up and took the half hour train ride by Mount Vesuvius to the ancient city of Pompeii. It was pretty cool to walk the old streets that where so well preserved by the volcano blast. After Pompeii we hopped went back to Naples where we hopped on the high speed train to Bari where we would hop on the ferry to Greece the next day.

Rome

After finishing up with Chinqe Terra we were off to Rome, and deciding to be a little more adventurous had booked a 'camping' style accommodation. When we arrived in Rome and got to 'Roma Camping' it turned out to be more of a trailer park type setting, not what we expected and quite a contrast to the typical Italian accommodation. Either way we thought it might be alright for a few nights and gave it a shot. Our first day in Rome we headed into the city centre and went to check out the Vatican, and being the last Sunday of the month it was also free to enter the Basilica and the Museum. Once we got there the crowds were massive, as the Sunday mass had just ended. So after we made our way in through the madness and walked around for a while we jumped in line to get into the St. Peters Basilica. Once we got in we realized the wait in line was well worth the wait, it was quite an amazing Cathedral, and after seeing so many others around Europe we were still amazed. It had to have been the most impressive once we had been in before. Later we walked around again for a while and explored a little more of Rome on foot and then headed back to our 'trailer'.

On our second day in Rome it was time to switch to a more central hostel, so we made the move first thing that morning to a hostel called Yellow, a move that was well worth the hassle. After checking in we then headed to the Colosseum and the Ancient ruins for the afternoon. Again quite the impressive ruins, but seeing how me and Joel had both been before we really only stayed for two or three hours and then went and walked around the city until we were lost. (not planned, but the best way to get to know your way around the city) That night we met our new roommates and headed down to the hostel bar for a few drinks and then called it an early night.

Day three in Rome we woke up to on again off again rain, and extremely windy conditions. Not the best for trying to get out and see the sights. So after a late start trying to wait out the rain we eventually headed out and went back to the Vatican, this time to get into the Museum and see the Sistine Chapel. After getting a little wet on the way there we were able to get in with out waiting in line, and then spent a few hours exploring the museum. It is really impossible to see every thing there, as apparently it houses the largest art collection in the world, but we did our best and saw all the famous works there. That night we signed up for a pub crawl / night tour at our hostel with three others we met who were in our room. We went out and saw the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain at night while they were lit up, quite a cool time to see them. After this it was on to the pubs, a night which turned out to be quite a memorable one, both of us making lots of new friends.

The next day was a day off, as we had seen most of the main sights and had a bit of a late one the night before. However we still got out and went back to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps to check them out in the day time again and explore the surrounding areas. That night we headed back to the hostel and packed up our things and get ready to head out to Naples.

The following morning when we headed out and got to the train station we ran into two Canadian girls who were trying to decide where to head next from Rome. After talking to us in line they decided they were going to tag along with us to Naples for a few days, so they bought two train tickets and jumped on the train. As it turned out they were only with us for about two days after that, as we were heading onto Greece, but a pretty random turn of events none the less.

Cinque Terre

Before arriving in Cinque Terre we figured we might was well get off the train in Pisa and check out the tower. This is the picture we took.

Cinque Terre is a series of 5 small villages perched on some intense cliffs on the Italian Riviera. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Recommended by many backpackers the main attraction is to hike a path between the towns and to check them all out. Trains and ferries also run between the towns, so it is fairly accessible for non hikers to see the places as well.  

We arrived in the first village called Riomaggiore where we had our hostel booked. As it turned out we forgot to get a copy of the directions to the hostel so we hoped for the best when we got off the train. Luckily a man was able to give us directions to the office where we would check in. We managed to find the place just before the rain started. As it turned out our room had an incredible view of the sea which was very cool. That evening we got some fresh pesto which Chinque Terre is known for and made a delicious pasta. Although there where some clouds on the horizon, the sunset that evening was also pretty amazing. Truly a beautiful place to visit.

The next day we got up at a reasonable hour and started our hike. They say a good hiker can do the trail in roughly 5 hours. So we started out and it was pretty easy going. The first 3 towns are fairly close together and had a well constructed path. This portion was so easy that we where seeing many school groups and old people along the way. The views and scenery on this hiking path where truly incredible. 

After the third town we where getting a little hungry so we stopped for a small break but held off on lunch until after the 4th town. The 4th leg got considerably harder both in steepness and terrain, but it also got us into some even cooler areas. At times the path would be through an olive grove, then on the side of a cliff and then in a vineyard. So we descended into the 4th town of Vernazza where we finally stopped for lunch. It was a fairly warm day and we had only eaten corn flakes earlier so we stopped for some pizza and wine and enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch. During lunch, after looking at the map we realized we had the hardest and longest leg ahead of us. But we where confident it would be fairly straightforward. After filling our faces with pizza the continuous climb for 40 mins was a challenge, but we did it without a problem. In the end we finished that leg 45mins faster then suggested, NBD. That evening we took a walk around the final and biggest town of Montrosso where we searched out a bunch of fresh ingredients to make a great meal. After doing the shopping, we had a beer on the pear and enjoyed watching some guys fishing. A great way to relax after a good day of hiking. After the sunset we hopped on the train back to our hostel where we enjoyed a feast and passed out after a nice bottle on Cinque Terre wine. The next day it would be on to Rome. 

Florence

After our first stay in Venice we had decided that Florence had to be the next logical stop. At this point we felt that we were fully back into travel mode, which obviously we were able to readapt into quite quickly. In Florence we stayed in an excellent hostel, called plus Florence. At the time it was one of, if not the best hostel we had stayed in, fully equipped with a restaurant, bar, pool, and roof top patios. While in Venice we didn't put in a lot of time in Museums and churches, so getting into Florence, a city with loads of famous art and sights to be seen we decided to go and get into as many as possible.

This however proved to be much tougher than expected, as it was art week in Florence, meaning all the museums were free, which was great, however the crowds and lines to get into all note worthy places was unbelievable. We started out by heading to the Uffizi Gallery, an extremely famous museum filled with works from even more famous artist. Unfortionatly we had to wait in line for two hours just to get in, but thankfully it was free. While in line we met a few American girls, who shared our passion for the ski bumb lifestyle, so after finishing up with the Uffizi the four of us ran around town and were able to get into both the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Acadamy gallery as well. The most famous works we were able to see was the David, along with many other works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli that were quite impressive. This probibly wouldnt have been the case if it were just the two of us, but thankfully our new American friends encouraged us to come around with them and see it all. Overall we were pretty satisified that we were able to get all three in in one day, giving us a little more time to explore the city out side of the Museums the next day. That night we went and met up with the girls we had toured the city with that day for a few well deserved pints at an Irish pub near by, and then called it a day.

Our second day in Florence we decided to hike around the city a bit more, going to check out the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge lined with gold smith shops, and the Pitti Palace. After this we had to go do a little bit of shopping, as the weather was starting to warm up and we were both in serious need of some summer clothing for the months to come. That night we hung around at the hostel bar with some people we had met previous nights, and got ready for the day trip to Pisa and heading onto Chinqe Terra!

Venice

After leaving the snow behind in St.Anton we headed south to Venice. We have both visited the city before so we had a pretty go idea of what to expect. We booked a budget hotel located on the island of Ledo, a beach town type island that separates Venice from the sea.

The first day was spent in Venice checking out all the main attractions like Piazza San Marco and St. Marks Basilica in addition to doing some window shopping.

 Most of the day was spent walking around just enjoying the city, trying to get lost and people watching. A highlight of the day was having a great Cafe Americano overlooking the Rialto Bridge. Lunch was also a cool experience. Right by the fish market, a restaurant was serving calamaris with mais in the middle of the square. The guy serving the food was yelling all sorts of things out and drawing quite the crowd. Being in Austria for so long we where craving some good sea food, so the meal really hit the spot. That evening we headed back to our island, chilled out at the rooms for a while and later had some great pizza in a garden patio restaurant. The night ended on the beach with a bottle of wine watching the ships roll by.

The next day we decided to explore the island of Lido. So we rented some bikes and took a ride around the place. It was fairly small so it was not hard to see the whole place in a few hours. With beach on one side and Venice on the other it was a cool thing to do. As well, at times you would have thought you where in the Italian countryside the way the roads and buildings where. That afternoon we hopped on the vaporetti and headed over to Venice once again. There was nothing more we really needed to accomplish in the city, so we bought some cheap silk ties and had a tasty dinner. It started raining that evening, but we took in in stride.

The next day we left the island at a leisurely pace and got on the train to Florence.