Sam Bell
At this very moment, I'm extremely red-skinned. "The sun isn't as penetrating in Europe" they said. Evidently they were wrong. Other than my vivid tan lines, the trip so far has been everything I had envisioned and more.
On the plane ride I had the pleasure of sitting with Charlie, Derek and Josh, all great blokes. Very soon I realised I was underprepared for the long haul flight, with all 3 boys quickly pulling out their neck pillows and fidget spinners to keep them comfortable and entertained - while I on the other hand was quite bored, and only got 3 hours sleep on the 18 hour flight.
The Airport at Dubai was extravagant to say the least. Filled with shops and cafes, the over-the-top nature of the airport became apparent when I saw 3 Porsches being given away raffle-style in the main lobby (as opposed to the Suzuki's/Kia's we have back in New Zealand). The airport's main redeeming feature was a rainbow light-up waterfall that could be seen from the elevators. After a 10 minute bus ride to the plane we all stepped out into the sweltering Dubai heat, and I came to realise that long black pants and a black top were a poor choice of outfit.
Speedy flight to Athens and we were away.
We were straight into scouting out landmarks, being able to watch the changing of the guard outside Government House, as well as a quick visit to Syntagma Square before we eventually found our Hotel. After finding our bearings at the hotel we went out to visit the Orthodox Greek Basilica, which was absolutely stunning to look at, however I couldn't help but feel bad as the group entered the Church only to be intruding on a wedding ceremony. After a quick walk to Monastariki Square to find dinner, we ventured up Mt. Lykevittos to find some great views overlooking Athens. Physically and mentally exhausted, my head hit the pillow like a brick and I slept brilliantly.
My initial impressions of Athens being beautiful, though disgustingly vandalised, were boosted as we walked through the main roads towards the National Archaeological Museum, which had some absolutely amazing artefacts (personal highlights included the giant sculpture of Zeus & and the statue of Augustus, which I had only seen in Mr Moore's slideshows the year before). Quick train ride to the Acropolis, and we are presented with Athens' main attraction. While the walk up the mountain was scenic (filled with ancient theatres), it isn't until we reach the top and walk through the Propylaia that the historical significance and scale of the Acropolis really hits the group. While the Parthenon was a picture of what could have been (surrounded by scaffolding/reconstruction), I think this was the first time on tour where the entire group was gobsmacked with awe. After a quick visit to the Agora and new Acropolis Museum, we were all let loose to find dinner and spend our money how we pleased - this led to my first major purchase of the tour: a plate that was a satire of old greek vases and had instead some "mature" images on it (will be interesting to see Mum's reaction, I thought it was pretty funny).
NB: Greek Yoghurt surprisingly tastes better in NZ than it does in Greece.
A Day trip to Delphi and a chance to catch up on some lost sleep. Highlight of the bus ride has to be the picturesque little ski village in the mountains before Delphi - definitely somewhere to return to in my later travels. Delphi itself had some amazing views, characterised by the 'mystical' blue haze that is in the backdrop of many of the group's pictures. After returning from Delphi and having a bit of time to find dinner, I gave in to peer pressure and bought a fidget spinner - 2 days in and it seems like a good purchase so far. On our night walk we see the many old ruins/landmarks, however the Temple of Zeus with it's towering columns & the Olympic Stadium were personal highlights of mine.
Early wake up to pack up and head south.
The Corinth Canal was pretty incredible, and a source of amusement for many of the boys (myself included) who spat from the bridge to see whose spit would reach the ground first. Oscar Zambuto seems to have the heaviest/densest spit of the entire group. After speeding through Corinth we headed off to the ancient palace in Mycenae. Very large, very picturesque, very very hot. Last leg of the bus trip to our ferry terminal in Patras - grave disappointment at the news that the ferry is delayed by a few hours - long wait ensues, eased by the amusement at watching the 6th formers swarm around the first English-speaking girl they'd met on tour thus far.
Given the opportunity, don't take an overnight ferry that has 10^2m rooms for 4 boys.
Sleep in on the Ferry was welcomed, as well as having enough time for a thorough shower. Sun is bright, and after many hours sun-bathing, unfortunately so am I. Ouch. Arrive in Ancona at approximately 9pm and have a long wait at the train station to catch a 3:50am train.
On the plane ride I had the pleasure of sitting with Charlie, Derek and Josh, all great blokes. Very soon I realised I was underprepared for the long haul flight, with all 3 boys quickly pulling out their neck pillows and fidget spinners to keep them comfortable and entertained - while I on the other hand was quite bored, and only got 3 hours sleep on the 18 hour flight.
The Airport at Dubai was extravagant to say the least. Filled with shops and cafes, the over-the-top nature of the airport became apparent when I saw 3 Porsches being given away raffle-style in the main lobby (as opposed to the Suzuki's/Kia's we have back in New Zealand). The airport's main redeeming feature was a rainbow light-up waterfall that could be seen from the elevators. After a 10 minute bus ride to the plane we all stepped out into the sweltering Dubai heat, and I came to realise that long black pants and a black top were a poor choice of outfit.
Speedy flight to Athens and we were away.
We were straight into scouting out landmarks, being able to watch the changing of the guard outside Government House, as well as a quick visit to Syntagma Square before we eventually found our Hotel. After finding our bearings at the hotel we went out to visit the Orthodox Greek Basilica, which was absolutely stunning to look at, however I couldn't help but feel bad as the group entered the Church only to be intruding on a wedding ceremony. After a quick walk to Monastariki Square to find dinner, we ventured up Mt. Lykevittos to find some great views overlooking Athens. Physically and mentally exhausted, my head hit the pillow like a brick and I slept brilliantly.
My initial impressions of Athens being beautiful, though disgustingly vandalised, were boosted as we walked through the main roads towards the National Archaeological Museum, which had some absolutely amazing artefacts (personal highlights included the giant sculpture of Zeus & and the statue of Augustus, which I had only seen in Mr Moore's slideshows the year before). Quick train ride to the Acropolis, and we are presented with Athens' main attraction. While the walk up the mountain was scenic (filled with ancient theatres), it isn't until we reach the top and walk through the Propylaia that the historical significance and scale of the Acropolis really hits the group. While the Parthenon was a picture of what could have been (surrounded by scaffolding/reconstruction), I think this was the first time on tour where the entire group was gobsmacked with awe. After a quick visit to the Agora and new Acropolis Museum, we were all let loose to find dinner and spend our money how we pleased - this led to my first major purchase of the tour: a plate that was a satire of old greek vases and had instead some "mature" images on it (will be interesting to see Mum's reaction, I thought it was pretty funny).
NB: Greek Yoghurt surprisingly tastes better in NZ than it does in Greece.
A Day trip to Delphi and a chance to catch up on some lost sleep. Highlight of the bus ride has to be the picturesque little ski village in the mountains before Delphi - definitely somewhere to return to in my later travels. Delphi itself had some amazing views, characterised by the 'mystical' blue haze that is in the backdrop of many of the group's pictures. After returning from Delphi and having a bit of time to find dinner, I gave in to peer pressure and bought a fidget spinner - 2 days in and it seems like a good purchase so far. On our night walk we see the many old ruins/landmarks, however the Temple of Zeus with it's towering columns & the Olympic Stadium were personal highlights of mine.
Early wake up to pack up and head south.
The Corinth Canal was pretty incredible, and a source of amusement for many of the boys (myself included) who spat from the bridge to see whose spit would reach the ground first. Oscar Zambuto seems to have the heaviest/densest spit of the entire group. After speeding through Corinth we headed off to the ancient palace in Mycenae. Very large, very picturesque, very very hot. Last leg of the bus trip to our ferry terminal in Patras - grave disappointment at the news that the ferry is delayed by a few hours - long wait ensues, eased by the amusement at watching the 6th formers swarm around the first English-speaking girl they'd met on tour thus far.
Given the opportunity, don't take an overnight ferry that has 10^2m rooms for 4 boys.
Sleep in on the Ferry was welcomed, as well as having enough time for a thorough shower. Sun is bright, and after many hours sun-bathing, unfortunately so am I. Ouch. Arrive in Ancona at approximately 9pm and have a long wait at the train station to catch a 3:50am train.