Greece, Montenegro & Croatia

After Madison finished school on Friday, I picked her up and drove us to the airport (trying to save on that ridiculous Seattle $60 airport Uber). We ended up arriving less than two hours before the departure. (I will not sugarcoat it; I was stressed as hell as Sam had arrived earlier and mentioned the extremely long lines.)

I managed to join Sam in the check in line for Turkish airlines to get my boarding pass before waiting the hour to get through security (International = no TSA Precheck) as we discussed what we would do if the flight left without us.

Fortunately, we got through security just in time to join the boarding line (along with a few other people who were clearly scrambling to be on time) and soon enough were on the plane and headed to Athens through Istanbul!

The flights were long but tolerable, and minus a small layover where we enjoyed the Istanbul lounge, the trip was relatively uneventful. And as always, Turkish airlines had some great food!

Upon arriving I found a spot to grab some cash at the ATM, accidentally charged myself way too expensive of a fee, and then called us an Uber into the city. Jetlagged and hungry we made our way to the front desk, checked in, and headed up to our room, admiring the slight view of the Acropolis from our window.

Not wanting to lose one of our few nights in the city, we headed to the downtown drinking area. We got a bit lost and ended up at the monument to the unknown soldier before continuing to the 7 Jokers Cocktail bar, a highly rated bar in the city where we managed to squeeze ourselves into the tiniest corner to stand and grab a couple of drinks. The place was absolutely packed, but at least had some snacky chips for us to stimy our appetite.

Eventually it was time to go looking for real food and after a loop around the area and being rejected from our first choice ended up settling on a burger joint that had massive portions and surprisingly good food. Filled up and exhausted, we walked the mile back to our hotel and crashed hard.

The next morning started at 9:30 AM, a huge success against jetlag as we set out into the city to explore as much as possible… stopping for some caffeine and breakfast at a nearby café first.

Then the real exploration began as we tried to hit as many historical stops as possible, starting with the most famous: The Acropolis. Memories of my 2015 visit hit (fortunately it wasn’t 110 degrees this time) as we climbed up the incredible Attica Plateau that holds some of the most impressive Greek artifacts. I was in awe.

Sam and I wandered around through the crowds at the top admiring the Parthenon, Erechtheion, and the nearby Odeon of Herodes Atticus, taking pictures all the while.

After soaking it all in as best we could, we descended the other side through the Theater of Dionysus, down the south slope and finally to the Acropolis Museum. The museum holds the remaining pieces of marble and other incredible relics from the Acropolis, culminating on the top floor with a life-size reconstruction of the legendary frieze around the Parthenon. (It also discussed the controversy of the Elgin Marbles, stolen Parthenon’s Frieze tiles by Britain’s Lord Elgin.)

Having spent the last 4 hours on our feet, we grabbed a bite at the museum restaurant before continuing on to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which although under construction still showed the incredible pillars of the 6^th century B.C.E temple.

Next up on the epic day of exploration was the Roman forum and Hadrian’s Library, which I would recommend visiting before the Acropolis for anyone in the future. Nearly everything was rubble or foundations with the occasional column or wall still standing. Impressive, but hard to truly appreciate after the other ruins we had seen.

The Ancient forum on the other hand had the Stoa of Attalos, a temple rebuilt in the 1950s to look like the original Greek design, along with the Temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved temple in all of Athens. Sam and I explored both of these areas, although didn’t take in as much of the rest of the forum as the heat and fatigue were definitely starting to wear us down.

Our final stop on the walking tour was the Kerameikos archaeological site. After going nearly all the way around the site to get to the entrance (I was entirely to blame) we got to see the historical graveyard and the famous entrance road to Athens.

At this point Sam and I were both exhausted. We had walked 9 miles and explored more ruins than we could have processed, so we slowly made our way back to the hotel. We encountered some sketchy roads along the way, but soon enough were back at the hotel cleaned up and resting.

With the next day involving a trip to the islands, we picked out a restaurant in town with a cat theme. The food was great, although the service did take a little long, but the most memorable part of the night was the little olive oil bottle that we got that I kept in my bag for the rest of the trip (and eventually consumed back in Seattle) The night culminated back in the lively area we had explored the night before with a stop at the loudest speakeasy I’d ever been to. We survived the music for one drink before calling it for our last night in Athens before heading out to the islands.

And a flashback from my first trip to Greece 7 years ago!

5:30 AM hit hard as we packed up in the hotel and got our stuff together. We called for a taxi and made our way to the port at Piraeus. After a little bit of confusion finding our ferry (things were not well labeled), we got on, stowed our bags, and began one of the most gnarly rides of our life. Sam and I managed to keep our stomachs under control as people consistently ran to the bathroom, seasick to all hell as we took nearly six hours to make it to Santorini. The only silver lining was the incredible sunrise along the way.

The drop off at Santorini was a bit sketch and we scrambled to find a shuttle service to bring us to our hotel, eventually spending way too much money on a crowded bus to get off the dock. Luckily the ride itself worked out and we were dropped at our first hotel, a beautiful white and blue spot with an incredible pool. Greece islands in the off season are an absolute deal.

After grabbing an ok but satisfying bite to eat on the beach near our hotel, we napped for a bit mentally recovering from the chaos of the past couple of days and just enjoying our hotel location.

Honestly the rest of the day was relatively tame. We hung out at the hotel and planned a little bit for the next day, swam in the pool, had dessert nearby (I got a reasonably sliced chocolate cake, Sam got the largest crepe I had ever seen), and then dipped our feet in the water under the moonlight. It was exactly what we needed after the hectic first 72 hours in Greece.

It was finally time for us to explore Santorini! Dressed in white and blue to match Santorini, we walked a few blocks north of our hotel to the nearest bus stop, with the plan to head to the central city of Fira. Honestly catching the bus was the hardest part with the incorrect schedules, rude people cutting in line, and general confusion causing us to sit in the heat for 45 minutes before finally hopping on the bus.

Upon arrival, we found sunscreen and water at a nearby supermarket before beginning our trek. The picturesque white and blue buildings of Santorini provided the backdrop as we walked up through Fira’s neighborhoods before making it to the first point of interest: Skaros Rock.

Sam and I made our way up the trail and around the rock where we were met with a large line of people waiting for the bottleneck climb to the top. Ever impatient, I decided to climb next to the safer route, making it up to the top successfully but losing a handhold at one point with rocks tumbling down… not my best idea.

Sam elected the more reasonable path and soon enough we were taking pictures at the top with views of both Fira and Oia in the distance.

We climbed down another unique way (not as bad) before continuing the 7-mile trek. Conversations about work, life, and other things carried in the air as we tried to forget about the brutal heat beating down on us… especially for the final couple miles of descent into Oia… but finally we had arrived.

In town we found a local pasta place with delicious food, but more importantly had an ice-cold glass of Coca Cola. Refreshing is the only word to describe that glass and I basically chugged it after the four hours spent walking in the beating sun.

Re-energized, we explored around the city, seeing the famous blue domes and scenic water overlooks before heading down to the “secret” Armonia Beach.

I immediately jumped in the water and swam out to the cliff jumping spot on the nearby island while Sam explored the cliffs on the Santorini side. After a couple jumps, I eventually convinced Sam to jump in as well and celebrated as he took the plunge into the cool Mediterranean water.

After drying off back on shore we headed back up the massive steps to the city. (They were brutal, steep steps, and we both were feeling it when we got to the top.) We explored a bit more, taking pictures at the famous overlooks before catching a bus back to Fira for dinner.  

The highlight of the dinner was Sam and I both running down to the water to watch the sunset while the other held down the fort, eventually ending with a cup of the local gelato before catching the bus back to our hotel.

The rest of the night was spent with me doing my first interview for the end of the gap year, then heading to bed after a long day.

It was time for Mykonos! Sam and I called a mini-bus to head back down to the ferry station, grabbed a cup of overpriced, mediocre coffee, and boarded onto another vomit inducing (luckily not for us) 3-hour ferry ride.

Upon arrival, our hotel had a pick-up waiting (saving us from the miserable experience of scrambling and being ripped off like in Santorini) and we made our way to the town of Psarrou. Our driver dropped us off and as we climbed the steps up to check-in were greeted by one of the most stunning hotels I’d ever been to. The place was amazing. Incredible white marble and stone made up the hotel itself, and the main floor had an amazing outdoor pool deck with panoramic views of the nearby hills and sea. The only negative was the consistent billowing wind and just below comfortable temperatures.

We rested in the room and chilled down by the pool deck ordering drinks and generally relaxing for the next few hours. Eventually as hunger hit, we took a recommendation from the hotel and headed to a nearby beach themed restaurant for dinner. The meal had massive portions of pasta served out of giant seashells and culminated with the waiter doing a shot (or two) with us.

We made our way back up to the hotel, relaxed a bit more, and then called it a night.

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast at our hotel before packing up towels, goggles, and our books to make our way down to the local beach, Platis Gialos. After getting turned around a bit on the way down, we found the entrance through a hotel and snagged a couple of chairs by the water. With the wind and slightly low temperatures, it was almost warm enough to enjoy as we sat and read by the water.

Eventually restlessness and cold got the best of me and I decided to jump in, swimming a half mile back and forth along the shore with fish sightings at both turn-around points. After drying off, Sam and I made our way back up to our hotel, getting on google street view as we walked! (https://maps.app.goo.gl/HT1jWAusjh11mPNG6)

Feeling stressed about my 2^nd round interview that night, I decided to call for a massage while Sam relaxed out on the pool deck with some drinks. The massage itself was sub-par. The masseuse arrived late, overcharged me, and gave a pretty mediocre massage.

Not letting the experience ruin the day, Sam and I took a cab into the main city on Mykonos, also named Mykonos, for dinner. As we arrived the sun had just started to set behind the famed windmills, and Sam and I took the opportunity to take quite a few photos.

As the sun set and our focus changed to food we were met with large lines and poorly rated places around every corner. Eventually, we found a small Mediterranean restaurant with delicious kebabs for dinner, ordering a second round after annihilating our first plates. For dessert, we grabbed gelato at a nearby shop which had a chocolate fountain they used to drizzle on syrup to each order.

The rest of our time in the city was spent exploring around (with some stops for Sam to pet the local cats and back at the gelato shop for napkins) before heading back to our hotel just in time for my interview…. Which I bombed.

Well with hindsight it all worked out for the best, but I was definitely bummed in the moment.

On our final day in Mykonos, we slept in until 10 AM before packing up and heading to the one brewery on the island. What was originally just a plan to burn time before our ferry turned into one of our favorite stops of the trip. The owner came over and chatted with us as we made our way through a massive beer flight. Each beer was crisp and delicious, and Sam and I had virtually the whole place to ourselves as it was one of the last weeks, they were open before the end of the season. A 10/10 experience.

Then it was time for a long 3 miles walk to our ferry, with all of our gear on our backs (or turtle life, one on back one on front, for me).

We stopped about a mile in for lunch at a small Pita restaurant where we encountered a couple of passengers from a local cruise ship escaping the chaos. The four of us talked about travels, life, and how fortunate Sam and I both were to be taking a trip like this so young. We finished by giving them some advice on how to travel without a tour before saying goodbye and making the final 40-minute jaunt down to our last ferry of the trip.

Once again, the ferry was long, bumpy, and miserable and we were quite happy to arrive back in Athens at 7PM. Intent on avoiding the rush (and raised prices) for cabs, we found a local hotel restaurant for dinner before making our way back into the city to the same hotel we had stayed at earlier in the week.

Our last morning in Greece we headed to the final sight we wanted to see before saying antio to Athens: The famed Panathenaic Stadium.

Sam and I made the long two mile walk from our hotel, grabbing some mediocre pastries at a café nearby along the way. Finding a shortcut, we navigated through the beautiful National Garden and arrived at the entrance of the first modern Olympic stadium. (And the home to the Panathenaic Games back in the golden age of historical Greece)

Feeling fit I decided to see how fast I could run around the track, somehow setting my personal record for a quarter mile at 1:23 seconds, while Sam elected to walk and chill in the ridiculously steep stone stands.

The two of us climbed all the way up to the top of the stadium and admired the view of the city, before heading into one of the tunnels and visiting the Olympic Museum. While small, it had nearly every Olympic torch that had been used since 1896 and tons of historical posters that made our time there worthwhile! On the way out we took some classical pictures posing on the podium at the head of the track (with comparisons to the same photos I had taken 7 years earlier)

We grabbed a quick bite of lunch at a café (which had disappointing hot chocolate) before walking back to our hotel, grabbing our bags, and hailing a cab to the airport.

Sam and I spent some time chilling in the entrance but were unfortunately departing from separate terminals. We said our goodbyes, Sam returned to the states, and I left on the relatively unplanned remainder of my trip. Next stop: Montenegro.

My first flight was relatively uneventful, other than unfortunately having a women’s small bag fall out of the overhead (she shoved in like 5 things) as I tried to remove my suitcase and hit her on her nose. She proceeded to shout at me for a bit and act like she had been shot… not the best moment I’ve had while traveling.

The next flight had only a one-hour layover so after quickly jumping through security I made it through, got on the plane and arrived in Podgorica.

Outside another unique event happened as I was haggling with a cab driver; a random lady told me I was getting scammed and convinced me to share a cab that she had pre-ordered. Against my better judgement I acquiesced and joined her. After a very inexpensive cab ride, my two kidneys and I made it to my hotel for the night intact.

The next morning, I woke up and headed into town on an electric scooter (I did not want to walk the three long miles with all my bags) intent on finding a bus into Kotor.

After a bumpy and heavy ride, I managed to navigate to the bus depot and was told the next bus left in 15 minutes… looks like I wasn’t going to get a chance to explore Podgorica.

The two-hour bus ride was beautiful, taking us down along the coast with jaw-dropping views of the resort town of Budva before climbing back over the mountains and arriving in Kotor. (I may have asked the bus driver more than a reasonable number of times if we were stopping in Kotor as the route was quite circuitous and I’m a bit paranoid.)

I made my way to the old town, checked into the hostel, and grabbed lunch at an amazing pasta spot a brief walk away. I spent the next few hours alternating between exploring town, lazing around the lobby and pool, and walking along the stunning waterfront as I tried to determine what my plans for the rest of the trip were going to be.

(The only decision I made was that the four-bed hostel room with an awkward bathroom at the top of the stairs was not ideal and I booked a private room at the same hostel for the remainder of the stay.)

After an early dinner at a lakefront restaurant, I spent a bit more time at the hostel before taking a crisp evening stroll around Kotor City Walls. The fortress on the hill overlooking the city was lit up from below creating an incredible scene for quiet thinking as I meandered around the fortifications.

That night was as rough as a 4-person hostel room can be: snoring, cold, and a 2AM call from Madison needing help in our apartment. Not the best night’s sleep.

The next two days were rather forgettable. I moved to the new room, went on a run, ate good food (including overindulging at the steak house in town) and met a few cool people (and a one-eyed cat) at the hostel playing games at night. Mostly though I rested, debated what I wanted to do for the remainder of the trip as my dream outing, hiking in the Durmitor mountains, had to be cancelled due to the Montenegro bus system ending service for the season.

(It was also at this point that I truly started to feel like I didn’t fit in with the “backpacking” mindset I had embraced as part of my personality for so long. The “spend the least amount of money possible, leave everything behind, life revolves around traveling and counting places you’ve been” lifestyle just wasn’t what I strived for in life anymore. While it was sad to see that part of me go, I must be honest and say I traded it in for better. Friends who I was excited to see back in Seattle between every trip, a partner who I loved waiting for me with open arms, and an apartment where I felt at home. It’s weird coming to terms with being ready for the next stage of life, and it didn’t happen in a moment, but Kotor was certainly the culmination of a gap years’ worth of feelings around this.)

Anyways enough introspection…  after the two forgettable days it was time to stop being lazy and start making the most out of my time in Montenegro, with step one being finally conquering the Old Kotor Fort Trail.

After an easy morning and a nice Italian lunch in town I couldn’t procrastinate any more. I bought some water and made my way to the start of the Ladder of Kotor, a 3-mile switchback trail gaining nearly 2000 ft of elevation… It was time for a Strava kick.

I booked my way up the trail, stopping only to say hello to a group from my hostel and take pictures as I enjoyed the increasingly expansive views of the city. After reaching the end of the ladder I continued on the trail for a bit with an idea of exploring the next mountain before choosing to double back in order to spend more time around the fortress. (The comments hostel mates had made about snakes didn’t help.)

Retracing my steps, I climbed halfway down the hillside before taking an offshoot trail to head to the fortress itself… with the need to climb through an ancient stone window to get there. (Forgot to take a picture but Google as always is clutch.)

The fortress itself was quite small and while beautiful this certainly fell into the category of the journey over destination. I walked/ran back down the trail, rather recklessly for the stone steps along the way and made it back into old town just in time for dinner at a local pizza shop that was quite good followed by even better gelato.

That night I met up with some guys from the hostel for drinks at a local bar and we eventually ended up back at the hostel for some games (after picking up another round at a local grocery store).

The following morning one of those guys (Dan) and I met up early with the goal of biking down to the nearby town of Perast, around 10 miles away. We walked to the nearby bike rental shop, picked up some janky and heavy bikes, and began the grind of a ride. The roads were narrow and there was not much room for passing cars, but we slowly and surely made progress on the scenic ride. The final push was tough (7% on heavy as hell bikes) but we made it up, took a breather and flew down the other side of the hill into town….

Or at least halfway down the hill before my hat flew off and we had to brake hard, pull over, and Dan quickly grabbed it from the road before it blew away.

Perast was beautiful, all the incredible waterfront views of Kotor with like 10% of the tourists. We strolled along the main road (which we didn’t even need to bike up the hill to get to) for a while before finding a quiet spot on the water for breakfast.

At the end of the town, we stumbled across its “beach” (a stone slab with a dock) and decided to jump in the frigid Mediterranean water. We had the place all to ourselves and spent an hour swimming and drying off before continuing our journey back. We grabbed lunch at a beautiful lakefront café at the halfway point, distractedly eating as nearby a flock of birds attacked a stale loaf of bread in a docked boat.

Dan and I made our way back to Kotor and returned the bikes before both heading back to our respective rooms for much needed naps. A few hours later, refreshed and renewed, I made my way out to have a really nice solo dinner (No one else wanted to pay more than 5 euros for a meal): Calamari, Carbonara and a delicious chocolate cake. As night fell it was the perfect end to my time in the lovely city of Kotor.

The next morning it was time for my final long bus ride of the trip! I woke up, packed my things and checked out of the hostel. I made my way to the bus stop, slightly disillusioned by the quick turnaround time in Podgorica, and was told it would be a three and a half hour wait for the next bus to Dubrovnik. I bought my ticket, made my way back to the hostel, and chilled in the lobby for the next few hours enjoying some much-needed mind numbing phone time.

Three hours later I made my way back to the bus station, waited an hour for the delayed bus, and after borrowing a couple euro to pay the unspoken “bag fee” was on my way to Croatia.

Other than stepping off the bus for a quick border crossing, the two-hour drive down to Croatia was scenic and relaxing. The 45-minute walk with all my stuff to get to the hostel as darkness quickly approached… less relaxing. Finding out I was not in the main hostel but a weird 4 bed offshoot all the way across old town leading to another 10 minutes of walking with my stuff… Not the best start I’ve ever had in a city.

Hungry as hell, I grabbed a massive burger at a fast-food place near the room before heading to the hostel for the nightly activity – a drawing challenge and game night. Unfortunately, I was late for the challenge, but I still met some cool people (and one guy who got way too hung up on my “Does free will exist?” question). The group of us ended up going into a club and after initially electing to head to bed, I pulled a 180 and rejoined them in the club. The music was loud, I was sober, yet still I had a good time. At 2 AM I made my way back to my sketch bunk bed in the hostel for some sleep.

Not very happy with the sleeping arrangement and having only booked for one night, I arranged a private room in the city to stay in for my remaining three nights. I spent most of the next morning relaxing at the hostel and enjoying the rooftop balcony and the company of some of the friends from the night before.

I eventually took to exploring the city, checking out the local cathedral, eating a quick lunch of Croatian food, and partaking in some gelato. At three, it was finally time to check into my new room and it was amazing! Private, great shower, massive bed, a plush robe, even a candle!! (I guess I really am too old for hostels) Other than the four flights of stairs to get up to it, it was perfect, and I immediately spent the rest of the afternoon just taking advantage of having a comfortable space to call my own.

I elected to skip dinner and instead made my way to the hostel’s sangria night where I met a few fun people from the hostel. At this point though I was much more excited about the idea of a quiet night in my new spot than socializing, so I left relatively early and got a much needed deep sleep.

The next morning started out lazy before heading to meet Jani (a friend I had made in Kotor) at the Mount Srd Trailhead around noon. The two of us hiked up the trail as quickly as we could, eventually making it to the Homeland War Museum at the top. Unfortunately, they didn’t take card; but the cashier was willing to let enter for all the cash we had, well below the fee.  

Jani and I took some pictures of the view of Dubrovnik and briefly looked at the exhibit before making our way back to town as he had made plans for that afternoon. I, having not eaten for nearly a day, made my way to a nearby restaurant (Zuzori), where I treated myself to a massive and delicious two hour, three course meal with beef tartar, lamb, and an incredible chocolate cake dessert. I swear this food was good and not only because I was utterly starving.

The rest of the evening was relatively low key as I wasn’t feeling particularly well and after a long call with Madison, I called it an early night.

Still not feeling great the next morning, I started the day off slowly and grabbed a smoothie before doing an activity I had dreamed about since my first time in Croatia seven years before: renting a kayak and paddling around King’s landing!

After waiting a bit for a rental to open up, I hopped in my kayak and did my best to explore as much of the waterfront as I could in 60 minutes. (The rental rates for each additional hour were ridiculous). I paddled out to the nearby Dance beach before doubling back to explore the city walls.  After making my way around as much of the old town as I could, I crossed to the coast of Otok Lokrum, a nearby island. I spent the next few minutes taking one too many pictures (I was feeling pretty photogenic) before making my way back to shore and returning the kayak in just under the hour time limit.  

Looking for a great final dinner in town I checked out Taj Mahal old town, a restaurant some people at the hostel were raving about. And with good reason. I had an incredible cheese plate and a typical Bosnian entrée, enjoying every single bite. I have to say, the quality of the food in Dubrovnik was one of the biggest surprises of my time there.

After eating, I made my way out to the city wall, through a small doorway for a local bar, and across the jagged rocks along the water. The perfect backdrop for a sunset. The next hour was relaxing as I stared out at the slowly setting sun and contemplated the trip and life in general. It was a surreal experience and a perfect culmination of this European leg of my adventure.

The next morning, I woke up, checked out right at 10 AM and dropped my bags off at the hostel before grabbing a good burger and better mocktail at a restaurant in the center of old town. Then it was time for me to go find the Dubrovnik airport shuttle. After a brief scare that I had missed it/ was in the wrong spot, it arrived, I got onboard, and made it to the airport in time for my flight to Athens.

(A good lesson learned here, while booking round trip can save money, the hassle of having to get back to a spot earlier in the trip and the extra flights, taxis, hotels, and stress involved in that process, make my now recommend two one-way flights whenever possible)

The flight to Athens was easy and upon arrival I was greeted by the driver for my stay that night. After leaving the airport, he drove us down this completely deserted dirt road to the country house in the pitch black of night and I’ll be honest, I was getting horror movie vibes. Fortunately, the house itself was wonderful and after a shower and a brief sleep, I was heading back to the airport for my flight home to Seattle!