Day 279: Athens: Island Cruise

November 21, 2016

Today I went on a tour of 3 of the closest islands to the greek mainland - Hydra, Poros and Aegina.

I would have loved to have been to Santorini or Ios, but this was an amazing second option for a lower budget and just one day. They were all amazing!

We started off on Hydra, which was probably the most beautiful of the three, where I hiked to the top of the closest hill to get a view of the city. There is only one car on the island - a garbage truck, and the rest is done with donkeys!

The second island was Poros. We only had about 50 minutes on this island, so it was a little rushed, but there was another hill for me to climb, and you could see the next island over from there, as well as all of the beautiful white houses.

The final island was Aegina. This is a quite large island, so we actually took a bus across it to the Monastery and an ancient Temple of Aphaea. It was built just a few years before, and was the inspiration for the Parthenon, and is much better preserved than the Athens icon. It just doesn't have the same scale of being on top of a cliff, so is lesser known! I loved it though.

Even the boat time itself was awesome as I made friends with a tour group from the US who all really took me in. Sometimes meeting new people is hard though, because you end up having to say goodbye just too soon.

Tomorrow, my last day in Athens xx

Day 278: Athens: Acropolis and Parthenon

November 20, 2016

Today I got to see another of the bucket list items, the Parthenon inside the Acropolis.

Up on a rocky outcrop, which you have to walk up, is the ancient walled complex of the Acropolis. It was genuinely amazing. It is over 2500 years old, some buildings dating back over 4000years, and the view was almost as great! I spent about 2 hours in the small area.

One benefit of traveling in the "off season" is that not only is it less busy, but you also get cheap tickets too - only 10euro rather than 30!

I spent the afternoon finding a bus to my next destination, and planning my trip to the islands tomorrow, as well as being lost and eating more souvlakis.

Tomorrow, island hopping xx

Day 277:Athens: Mountain Views and Souvlakis

November 19, 2016

Today I arrived in Athens. Last night's lack of sleep from the airport floor didn't exactly put me in the best mood for exploring, but I did it anyway!

I headed up Mount Lycabettus, more of a tall hill, with a chapel on top. Luckily, it was an amazing view from up there! 360degrees across the whole city, to the harbour.

After the surprisingly strenuous walk, I treated myself with a good ol' Souvlaki. They are almost as good here in Greece as they are at the local fish and chip shop!

Tomorrow, ancient history xx

Day 276: Amsterdam: No Museum, and Organising Flights

November 18, 2016

Today ended up being a bit of a writeoff. I had big plans, but none really worked out.

I had planned on going to a museum in the city, the Rijksmuseum, but I got there too early, and then too late to get in!

Instead, I tried to sort out my next month and a bit of travelling, because I think it's going to be significantly harder than it has been so far, as I am heading to Eastern Europe.

Last night though however was a very strange night. They had their annual "Turn on the Lights" for Christmas in the square, and it was so European. There were people hanging from a crane, a live metal-esque band, a scene that I could only interpret as a sausage demon trying to take over the square, and then a woman dressed as Elsa from Frozen for the finale. I was there, and even I don't get it. No wonder they decriminalised drugs here! This was a family event!!

Tomorrow, Athens xx

Day 275: Amsterdam: Cheese, Clogs and Windmills

November 17, 2016

Today I had a quintessentially "Dutch" day out in Zaanse Schans.

It is a small, mostly industrial area just out of Amsterdam itself, which still looks like a traditional dutch town. I loved it so so much!

There were windmills, and cheese tastings, and clog demonstrations, and the best part was that most of the windmills are used for milling cocoa beans, so the whole place smelt like chocolate!

There were a lot of tourists as the day got later though, so I headed off in search for some food.

Tomorrow, museums xx

Day 274: Amsterdam: Canals and Anne Frank

November 16, 2016

Today I started my day with a walking tour of the city to get my bearings. I was one of only 3 people who turned up, and the others had limited knowledge of the English language, so I was pretty much one on one for a free tour!

The city centre is really beautiful, and I can see why there has been a city here for hundreds of years, despite the flooding and poor weather. The Canals alone are incredible, My hostel is on the other side of the "North Sea" so I have to take a 30 second free ferry to get to the main city area, and it is great.

After the tour, I headed to the house where Anne Frank hid during the second world war. I was expecting it to be an intense experience, but it was much sadder than I had expected. They had photos of them in the house, and excerpts from her diary up on the walls, and a whole museum leading up to it.

Tomorrow, maybe a daytrip xx

Day 273: Brussels: Food and Drinks

November 15, 2016

Today I did the thing Belgium is probably most well known for: delicious food and drinks!

I started off with waffles, had fries and chocolates, and even a selection of beers. It was a good day.

I have now arrived in Amsterdam, and am officially up to date on my blogs, so if you look back now, you should see some actual photos! Lack of internet can really mess these up pretty easily.

Tomorrow, exploring Amsterdam xx

Day 272: Brussels: History and Naps

November 14, 2016

Today was a fairly chilled out day. The weather wasn't great, but I braved it, as I only have 2 days in Brussels.

I started off with a walking tour which covered most of the city. I didn't realise how much money was historically in the town, and just how big the European Union is within the city. More than 10% of people who live in Brussels work for the EU, whose headquarters are in the city.

They also have the strangest mascot, a little boy who pees drinking water. In the spirit of equality, they later put in a little girl too.

I spent the afternoon napping, as I again, the overnight bus had a ferry portion, which really ruins an otherwise good night's sleep!

Tomorrow, food and drinks of Belgium xx

Day 271: London: Ally Pally and Harry

November 13, 2016

Today I got to catch up with a relatively new friend I met in Portugal, who showed me some of the lesser known tourist attractions.

We started off with a trip to Buckingham Palace as there were rumours the Queen might be out and about. She was not, but we did see Prince Harry attending a Remembrance Day Parade, so that pretty much completed my English experience right there - a Royal sighting!

From there, we headed to Alexandra Palace - Ally Pally for a view over the city of London. For some reason, 21 Pilots were playing there that night, and we caught a glimpse of the band shrouded in a throng of screaming girls.

We ended the day with a walk through Hyde Park, but sadly the Winter Wonderland Christmas market wasn't open yet, so we checked out the front of Harrods and some of the Museums, all lit up, before I left for the night bus.

I ended my time in London driving down Old Kent Road, and got to go on a P&O ferry.