Greece ... amazing and yet underwhelming

It was with much excitement that I boarded my flight to Athens. Not only I was headed to the Greek islands, I was spending this time with fabulous friends.

The first island on our adventure was Paros. What a place, it is just postcard perfect. And not overrun with tourists. We took the small shuttled boat into town and wandered the cobbled streets with locals.

We swam in the crystal clear ocean and we might have had a cocktail or two on our hotel verandah, once or twice.

After days of relaxing in paradise we boarded a ferry for the much photographed island of Santorini. Our home for the next few days was the beachside town of Kamari. We lounged on the beach, dined beachside and soaked up all that an island paradise has to offer.

Santorini is famed for its sunsets. This I wanted to see. We boarded the local bus and headed for Ioa ... just like everyone else on the island it seemed.

We nabbed ourselves a good spot, just near a cafe serving very cold beer, and settled in. And we weren't disappointed. Watching the golden sun set over the crystal clear waters, sitting with friends and sipping a beer or two was just perfect. Oh, and we had a load of laughs as well.

Our ferry trips so far had been fun. Great big boats with comfy seats showing crazy greek dramas, loads of outside areas to walk around and many food options. Our trip back to Athens was a different story. The so called fast ferry was late, was very small and very stuffy. We all crowded in like sardines for what would be quite an horrendous 7.5 hours. Yes thats right, the five hour trip took so much ltook due to the huge swells. We were surrounded by people vomitting in a small cabin with no airflow, and to top it off we had a very smelly priest. Could things get any worse? Well it seems they could. Due to the delayed arrival my friend missed her flight back to London. But there is an upside ... she got to spend a night with us in Athens drinking cocktails with us with a view of the Acropolis.

The next day we headed out to see what the city had to offer. On first glance all was good. We saw the major sites and wandered the streets of the Plaka area.... but when I started to dig into the city a bit deeper, I was very underwhelmed.

Unlike any other city I have explored, Athens left me wanting so much more. I'm not sure whether I had unrealistic expectations, but I thought a city with such a deep and rich history would amaze and delight me. It didn't. It underwhelmed me.

I visited sites, I wandered the tourist areas and off the beaten track but couldn't find that something that filled me with excitement.

Was it the graffiti lined streets, the Parthenon & Acropolis, the animals in the pet stores, the demonstration I wandered across? Nope, it was none of these. Maybe the last six years of recession has ripped the heart and soul out of this city? Or maybe I was missing something. Either way, Athens just didn't do it for me.

Could I be bothered with Barcelona?

I had been very excited about visiting Barcelona ... a funky euro city with so much to offer. I lobbed in to town after a scenic train ride along the coast from Valencia, checked into my hostel then sat there. And sat there. I really didnt think i could be bothered with Barcelona.

I thought it may have been that I had fallen in love with Valencia and had packed so much into my two days there. Then I realised the problem ... Spain was my fourth country in just under two months. I was worn down. I had been on the move for too long, packing too many cultures and too many sights into too little time.

I settled in to my private room (big yay) and decided I needed an early night.

The next morning, fueled by strong coffee (thank you hostel for the coffee machine) I decided to go for a wander. And am I pleased I did.

Barcelona is amazing. From the great architecture to funky bars and so much art, the city has so much to offer.

After meandering through the cobbled streets of the Gothic Quarter I hit the Cathedral. I sat outside for a bit being entertained by a busker playing tunes on water filled jars then decided to venture inside this gothic masterpiece.


The catheral is enormous with small chapels off the main nave and there's even a courtyard with geese.

The main nave has an ornate central choir stall and underneath there is a crypt which contains an alabaster tomb of a local patron saint who apparently was tortured at the hands of the romans.

I headed up the tower to check out the view from the roof. I was more than happy to pay €2 for the lift!

After viewing Barcelona from on high I decided it was time for a bevvie, so headed to Boadas to see what my friend Peter had been talking about.

Behind a very simple brown door is a perfect bar. I felt like I had walked into a 1950s movie set. Watching the bow-tied barman make my martini was pure art. And it tasted so very, very good (read that as awfully strong).


Barcelona has a plethora of artists on show ... some crazy displays in random places that I stumbled upon. Others I went out to find.

I spent ages in the Dahli museum. Not only is place packed with his work, there is an amazing display of photographs of the crazy man himself.

I also took a peek inside Barcelona's most visited museum, Museu Picasso. Now while no photos were allowed, trust me the man was a marvel. I loved the Blue Period the best, but some of the quirky cubism works are pretty cool.

But Barcelona is Gaudi's city. Everywhere you look he has left his mark. Casablanca Batulo and La Pedrera were two of my favorites, quirky buildings that make you wonder if the man was a genius or a nutter or a bit of both.

But the biggest stamp from Gaudi on this city is most definitely La Sagrada Familia.

Now I'm not a fan of queues, never have been, but I happily jumped in the line that weaved it's way around the block to get a look inside this building that has been in construction for over 1000 years ... and is still not finished.

This building with soaring towers takes your breath away. The more you look, the more you see. I spent so long here that my next was sore from looking up.

Sorry that all the pics are at the bottom but I've had a world of challenges on the technology front .... it's a miracle my iPad hasn't been thrown out the window!

This link should take you to all my photos of Barcelona....

Spain part 3 - Barcelona