Amanda and Clariece and myself just got back from an island getaway! We spent Friday and Saturday on
the island of Aegina, just 18 km southwest of Athens. The island is basical
ly set up for Athens resisdents looking to get away from the city for a while, so the port town of Aegina is all little shops and tavernas and bakeries. It was way budget-friendly, just 14 Euro each for round-trip ferry tickets, and we split a 35 Euro room in this hostel-type place. The ferry ride was liesurely and relaxing, an
d I got a bit of a sunburn. It was funny, a man came up to us while we were walking onto the dock and asked, “Looking for a place to stay?” which we thought was REALLY sketchy, but
we tentatively said yes and he told us about the room and pointed to a travel agency on the corner and said that was his place. We figured, how could we say no to a 35 Euro room, so we followed his assistant to the hostel. It was only a few blocks from the port and market, and had clean sheets and air conditioning (a necessity), so we said yes. We paid and got the key, and then left to go exploring.
the island of Aegina, just 18 km southwest of Athens. The island is basical
ly set up for Athens resisdents looking to get away from the city for a while, so the port town of Aegina is all little shops and tavernas and bakeries. It was way budget-friendly, just 14 Euro each for round-trip ferry tickets, and we split a 35 Euro room in this hostel-type place. The ferry ride was liesurely and relaxing, an
d I got a bit of a sunburn. It was funny, a man came up to us while we were walking onto the dock and asked, “Looking for a place to stay?” which we thought was REALLY sketchy, but
we tentatively said yes and he told us about the room and pointed to a travel agency on the corner and said that was his place. We figured, how could we say no to a 35 Euro room, so we followed his assistant to the hostel. It was only a few blocks from the port and market, and had clean sheets and air conditioning (a necessity), so we said yes. We paid and got the key, and then left to go exploring.The shops along the main street all had jewelry and bags, and since we’re only human we spent quite a bit of time browsing among them. Along with tourism, Aegina’s main economic spiel was pistachios. There were pistachio carts everywhere. (I was gonna get you some, Dad, but I didn’t know h
ow I would get them to you! Sorry! Maybe in November I’ll go again…) There were also fresh, slimy octopi hanging from every other window, there were so many seafood restaurants and tavernas there. We ate lunch at a taverna (spaghetti, moussaka, bread and cucumber-tomato salad, and apples with cinnamon, mmm) and went swimming at the beach. The water of the Mediterranean Sea was a little bit cool, but just right for the hot cloudless day. There wasn’t a lot of seaweed, and the sand was really soft. On the beach we made friends with an old man named Lukas [sp?], who chatted us up in mixed Greek/English and told us if we wanted seats (you have to pay for chairs on Greek beaches) he could get us a special discount.
ow I would get them to you! Sorry! Maybe in November I’ll go again…) There were also fresh, slimy octopi hanging from every other window, there were so many seafood restaurants and tavernas there. We ate lunch at a taverna (spaghetti, moussaka, bread and cucumber-tomato salad, and apples with cinnamon, mmm) and went swimming at the beach. The water of the Mediterranean Sea was a little bit cool, but just right for the hot cloudless day. There wasn’t a lot of seaweed, and the sand was really soft. On the beach we made friends with an old man named Lukas [sp?], who chatted us up in mixed Greek/English and told us if we wanted seats (you have to pay for chairs on Greek beaches) he could get us a special discount. After we had showered and changed we walked south along the coast, and sat on a bench and watc
hed the gorgeous sunset to the west, behind the mountains of the Peloponnese. At one point a woman walked up behind us and exclaimed, “Magiko! Po po!” (that’s “Magical! Wow!” in English.”) We ate dinner at a seaside taverna (grilled octopus, tomato/cucumber salad, swordfish souvlaki, and my new favorite Greek word: tzatziki, which is a sort of yogurt-based dill dip.) Our waiter was funny; he always had a cigarette in his hand while he was serving or chatting us up, something I’ve never seen in an American restaurant! Afterwards we went out for pistachio ice cream, and opened a bottle of wine I had gotten in Athens and drank it on the beach. We crashed in our hostel and slept in the next morning. We ate breakfast, explored Aegina town a little bit more, and left in the early afternoon.
hed the gorgeous sunset to the west, behind the mountains of the Peloponnese. At one point a woman walked up behind us and exclaimed, “Magiko! Po po!” (that’s “Magical! Wow!” in English.”) We ate dinner at a seaside taverna (grilled octopus, tomato/cucumber salad, swordfish souvlaki, and my new favorite Greek word: tzatziki, which is a sort of yogurt-based dill dip.) Our waiter was funny; he always had a cigarette in his hand while he was serving or chatting us up, something I’ve never seen in an American restaurant! Afterwards we went out for pistachio ice cream, and opened a bottle of wine I had gotten in Athens and drank it on the beach. We crashed in our hostel and slept in the next morning. We ate breakfast, explored Aegina town a little bit more, and left in the early afternoon. It’s so nice, it only takes about an hour and a half to get to the island from the port of Athens. Plus you can take the metro from the hospital stop a few blocks away from our apartment, switch trains just once, and get to the port in about 15 minutes, so the trip back was really short. Amanda and I walked around in Plaka for a while (the inexpensive shopping area right below the Acropolis) and got groceries, and now I’m WAY tired. Maddie’s cooking dinner tonight, so I might go and rest for a while. It’s been a great weekend, and now I’m ready to study all day tomorrow for my Byzantine History midterm on Monday. Cheers!
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