AEGINNAAAA, a top experience on this trip. This day was a bit of an earlier time but so worth it. I had mentioned to some of the group about ATV so that was pretty much a set plan. We took the public transport to the port of Piraeus and looked around for our dock. I found the Ferry to be quite lavish- there was a big TV and air conditioning, the best part is that the seats could recline. I took a quick snooze on the way to Aegina. We deboarded the boat and right in front of us not one, not two but three pistachio shops (just with a quick glance), we ended up hanging out there for sone time and that was also the first photo we got for our scavenger hunt. While everyone was trying to figure out our plans for the day, I saw it… the ATVs. After spending some debating, we rented them, and got a bit lost, but sound a beach to go to. There were some hiccups on the way, such as, I thought my vehicle was out of gas (it was just a glitch), I flew past an intersection which led to a dead end (I missed a turn), some people were not too happy about that. There was also a miscommunication about the destination, but all worked out in the end.
We ended up at a beach, Agia Marina Beach. Coming from Jamaica, I have quite high standards of what beaches are supposed to be, this one was alright. However, the fact that it is a different country and town, it was still beautiful, rocky but beautiful. We spent a couple hours here just taking in the sun, swimming, and relaxing. Eventually, the time came for us to finish the scavenger hunt, so we packed up and walked to where we had parked the vehicles. Got on, one of them refused to start, so we spent about twenty minutes trying to figure it out. We then headed towards the port side but stopped at the following in order to complete the scavenger hunt:
- Temple of Afaia
- The theatre
- Saint Nikolaos the maritime
- The tower of Markellos
- The pistachio deli
- The Kyverneio
- Site of Kolona
During the process of moving around these places, I discovered that the greeks can drive rough, so I matched their vibe. I think the ATVs were a good choice as we did not take forever to get around and we got to see almost all of the island. We went for lunch, most of them ordered seafood, but being allergic, I ordered an orzo dish full of vegetables, it was delicious. I am not sure what the name of the restaurant was, but it was right on the water right by where we jumped off the ledge into the sea.
After lunch, we returned our ATVs and the helmets (we did use safety) and headed back to the pistachio cafes where I bought two big bags of pistachios and the world’s best pistachio ice cream topped with the silkiest pistachio butter, that ice cream continues to appear in my dreams, I do not think I could go back to regular pistachio ice cream. I also purchased an unsweetened pistachio butter to take back home to Jamaica.
We got back on the boat, where I dropped my water bottle, BY ACCIDENT, and it got confiscated by Nicole. Upon arrival to Athens, couple of us took the public transportation back to the hotel. After this, Bella and I went for a walk to find a money exchange and some other things. We walked around the area and it took us one hour just to exchange the money, there was no one in the line, their security was intense and they needed a lot of details, but it was the only place open. Hence, we missed dinner with some of the group, however on the way back we found a place called SNOB, I ordered a chicken burger, it was alright but I really enjoyed the service and the vibe of the place. I really did not feel like going back to the hotel after so we went walking around and met up with two of the other people at a rum bar which looked like had a deal with Havana club. The walk back from the bar was interesting, lonely and creepy but we made it back okay.