Athens to Methana - I'm on a Boat!
Here we go flying into Athens in the dead of night and then sailing from Athens to the other side of Greece called Methana! I'm (finally) on a boat!
[divider class="" ]To Athens
Unfortunately, certain people had to work on Friday unlike certain people in our group (cough, cough Kathryn) so my day was quite hectic. Since my current job is in south central London, I had to take a train back to MK in time for our scheduled taxi. Safe to say, I was late, but it was fine since everyone else was late!
As mentioned previously, I do enjoy going to LHR Terminal 5 as it isn’t as busy as the other ones and is much nicer than Luton! Our taxi ended up running late due to unforeseen traffic problems, but we did leave during rush hour…
We immediately found the lounge and were actually disappointed this time. The drinks were poor and the bartender clearly showed favorites and the food was saltless. I don’t know, it wasn’t a very good time but it was more peaceful than our gate.
Since we were flying British Airways, we figured we would have a decent flight. We did not anticipate the jolting and bumpness as we approached Greece. As Kathryn later described, the lightning bolts were vertical and appeared to be coming straight to the plane! In addition, the flight is much longer than our usual puddle jumpers (as I describe our usual planes!) so we were just really bored.
Once we landed, customs is quite easy at 3am! I believe we were one of the only flights that landed at that time! Outside of the terminal, the place was a bit crazy and very crowded which surprised all of us. We hopped in a cab and made our way to the city.
The Tour
Usually, I do not enjoy staying up until the wee hours of the morning especially when we arrive in a new city. Our cab driver was really excited to show us Athens while we were in town so he began an impromptu tour at 4am… We saw the highlights, including the US embassy, the marathon man statue, acropolis, and the Olympic stadium! Somehow we all acted very happy despite our weariness.
Our taxi from the airport late at night cost 70 euros, which is quite steep, but I also believe we had to pay for the tour as the driver “got lost” or something. To make matters worse, he dropped us off at the wrong hostel! We were not happy campers… On the other hand, we learned that Athens is still buzzing at 4am!!
Our Hostel
Since we would be using our hostel for about 6 hours, I did not care to go for the fanciest place, but definitely needed three beds and our own shower. Thankfully, I booked a private ensuite triple bed room at Athen’s #1 hostel - Athens Backpackers. Too bad we didn’t get to experience the amenities…
In our room, we had okay single beds in a furnace for a room. That is my only complaint as we could tell the windows hadn’t been opened since the morning so it was stuffy and very hot! Good thing we all were exhausted so we immediately fell asleep!
[divider class="" ]I'm on a Boat!
Brunchin
We woke up either really late or really early depending on your view. Surprisingly, arriving at 3-4am makes one very tired! We slept in until the minute after we were suppose to check out. Since we kinda missed dinner, we decided to do a late brunch and explore Athens.
After strolling up and down the main Acropolis street, we finally decided on an outdoor seating brunch spot. It was really nice to relax in the shade and sun, but our spot felt really touristy. Plus, the brunch was mediocre (hence no pictures) and didn’t get me fired up about Athens. I should have done more research!
Exploring Athens
Since Mary Frances had a few things to take care of, Kathryn and I decided to start at noon to explore Athens. Word of advice: never start exploring at noon in Greece. It is boiling hot and there is no protection from the sun. However, we pressed on and saw the main sites.
First, we started at the Paratheon and walked around the mountainside. We debated going in, but it was too hot and Sarah was landing in a few minutes. In hindsight, that was the right call as we may have melted! Second, we walked to Hadrian’s Gate. It was built in the 100s AD and still stands! It use to be the outer wall and now is just a cool relic of the past. Third, we saw the tourist area of Acropolis. To be honest, we weren’t impressed with that mini tour. The area just felt a little dirty and wasn’t as pretty as other ancient cities (I.e. Rome, Florence, etc.).
Squad Up
At last, the fourth member of our squad arrived fresh from the USA. Sarah flew in around 1:30-2pm. Of course, this was after Karthryn and I stopped walking in the heat! We decided to eat and drink in the shade before heading to the marina. This decision also allowed MF to complete some vital tasks...
The Marina
To say we weren’t excited would be an understatement. For me, this was the culmination of nerves, excitement, stress, and pure adrenaline! Despite the lack of sleep, I was wide awake and ready to go!
When we were walking to DMS, it was so exciting! Except we couldn’t find our boat! Obviously it was only hidden from us, but it was so exciting!!
Most of our time at the marina was spent waiting for the boat to be ready, waiting for the paperwork and payment to be finalised, and waiting for Nick. By the end, we spent a ton of money! We also met our skipper for the first time who seems really chill and nice! He appears to be a seasoned veteran of the Aegean Sea with salty hair and just a really relaxed attitude! His name is Apo, but we liked to call him Captain, El Captaine, or skipper.
Our Boat
When we recieved the okay to board, we jumped for joy and raced to the boat. Our boat, named the Inspiration, looked exactly like the online pictures! The boat felt extremely spacious, minus the rooms, but definitely better than I was expecting.
The Inspiration has 5 cabins and 3.5 baths with a large living room and loads of outdoor deck space for laying out and sitting. Everything was really clean and well decorated. In the living room, DMS provides the basics such as multiple towels, sheets, and all cooking utensils. They even already packed away our pre-ordered provisions!
After we took a million pictures of our boat, the skipper was quite keen on setting off before it got too late. By this time, it was around 5pm so it was a very valid concern. I think our trip would have been very different had we arrived earlier in the day to pay and settle the paperwork.
Our First Cruise
As we sailed out of the harbour, we were thrilled. It felt amazing! We all were extremely excited and ready for this trip. We poured ourselves some wine, sat on the deck, and enjoyed our sunset cruise.
After much debate, I thought we were going to Kea, a famous jumping point into the Cyclades islands. However, I could not be more wrong! We ended up sailing to Methana. The seaside village was really quaint and cute as we were one of 5 boats!
Methana
At our captains recommendation, we ate at B&B Cafe. The restaurant overlooked the bay and apparently had really good food. The skipper also acts as a tour guide, translator, and general friend so it was handy to have him select some of our meal!
The owners personally served us and the cafe was really cool and fun. We also loved the prices! Everything was dirt cheap! I think a litre of wine was €3 euros!
I honestly don’t remember our meal (another reason to take pictures!) but it was really cheap and we ordered everything! The best part was we received free dessert in the form of cherries, watermelon, and honeymelon. After our feast, we collapsed on our boat from exhaustion. A great day!
