Back to Athens... again!

I'm killing time before getting shuttled out to the local bus station, to catch a bus from Sinarades to Corfu Town, so I can catch the overnight bus to Athens. It'll be another long night, as I did the same trek last Wednesday and I know just how exhausting it is, and I'm already regretting the four cups of black tea I downed at breakfast, as they're sure to keep me up all night. It's been an interesting few days, but nothing worth writing tonnes about. (Cliff's notes: lots of drinking.)

The Pink Palace has been an utter disappointment. I knew this would be a slower time of year than the summer, but I didn't think that when I checked in that I'd be the only guest in the entire hotel. They have beds for over 800, and in the summer it gets full. Athens had been quiet up until the last week, as spring breaks have begun to kick in, and the US students doing their years abroad in Italy have come to Greece for a week.

Few guests is fine, but there is basically nothing to do here. It's too cold to swim or tan (that didn't stop us from trying anyway though!), and none of the activities (quad safaris, cliff jumping, booze cruise, toga parties, island bus tours, etc) are running. They've even closed the Jacuzzi down for the winter, which is utter bullshit. If you're going to advertise it on Hostelworld, then leave it open all year round. Especially in the winter, when the only warm place to be is indoors.

Oh, and said Jacuzzi? Opens TOMORROW. Not impressed.

We made the best of it though, and for two nights the six of us still had a good time. V (short for Visilika), Sam and Meg from the US but studying in Florence were here for their vacation. They were trying to get to Albania, but crappy weather and a government strike kept them here an extra two nights. While it thwarted their vacation plans, it worked in my favour. There was also Meghan and Melissa, studying in Florence and Dublin respectively, and the six of us were a perfect match for the six stools at the bar.

And then, when the girls finally got to Albania, there were three. Half the hotel's guests gone, in just one ferry departure.

Megan and Melissa and I ventured into Corfu Town and explored one of two two fortresses (or fortri, as we deemed them), and again made the most of an otherwise less-than-stellar situation.

I've been here five nights now though, and I'm eager to get away from it. While I think that the Palace could be an amazing time in the summer, when they're rocking a full house, it's a waste of time in the winter. And what's worse is that the staff and owners don't seem to care that the guests are bored out of their minds.

I'll probably never be back to the Pink Palace, as I doubt I'll be returning to Greece anytime soon, and by the time I do I'll have outgrown the raucous partying phase of my life (that I can already feel myself growing out of).

I feel like this is my last chance to really be irresponsible, to blame my youth for my indiscretions, to get drunk and dance on a table and yell Woooo!! without having others (or myself) think that I'm too old for it. It's sad, because it was one of the things I was most looking forward to this trip, or at least in Greece anyway. And Greece in general has been a bit of a disappointment, primarily because of my timing, and I was hoping this would be a slice of redemption.

I'm going home to a daunting list of tasks: looking for employment, (finally) moving out of mom and dad's, and starting to think about scary long-term things, like figuring out where I want to live and buying a house there. I turn 25 in only a few months, and 25 seems so... adult. Halfway to thirty means I actually have to get my shit together. I was hoping the Palace would act as a farewell of sorts to the youthful freedom that I have to reluctantly say goodbye to too soon.

I still have a few good memories coming out of here though, so it's not a complete bust, but it's not at all what I expected. I guess I just need to lower my expectations here on out!