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Greece 2025

Short video

Photos

Type: solo traveling 
Duration (at destination): 1 week
Main purpose: archeological sites and museums 
Getting around: walking + public transport 

Top 3 highlights:
1. Athens National Archeological Museum
2. Parthenon 
3. Meteora monasteries 

Trip details + top 3 highlights

I used Revolut throughout whole trip, worked perfectly. But you should have around 100 EUR in cash, as some locations don't take cards + for tips.

0.5l water bottle is price capped at 50-60 cents throughout Greece, including airport. If someone asks more, they are scamming you. This price cap is only for 0.5l bottle, other volumes don't have a max and seller choses how much to charge.

Use metro instead of a bus, as traffic can get very bad in the city and weather very hot. Metro gets you to places fast. Public transport doesn't really adhere to schedules but is consistent enough to get around. Don't rent a car if you plan staying only in Athens.

You can use your bank card as a public transport ticket. Just beep it and go anywhere, no tickets necessary. Important – when you beep it, you get a notification, that it has been validated, but no money has been taken. It's because standard tickets are valid for 90 minutes and money is taken next day. 

Useful tips

My main goal for this vacation was to see (in real life), what I learned in elementary school. Playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey before this trip was also a very good idea, as I basically reminded myself on plenty different topics and locations. 

I got lucky on Sunday, as it was International Museum Day, so entrance to museums was free. I did use this opportunity to visit as much museums as I could, without loosing quality. Main highlights would be Parthenon and Athens National Archeological Museum (which even had some Egyptian exhibition). 

I rented a flat close to the city center, so that everything would be walking distance. As I was travelling solo, I didn't want to rent a car, as that would be expensive and a nightmare within Athens. So for locations outside Athens I used day trip tours. www.meteora.com for Meteora and www.ammonexpress.gr for Delphi and Mycenae. All 3 trips were perfect and reasonably priced, and as we started early, we were basically first at all locations.

My thoughts (1/2)

At National Archeological Museum I got to see the mask of Agamemnon (one I remember from elementary school history books), but apparently it isn't his, as it was made 300 years before. Also Troy war might not have happened at all. I was positively surprised that museum had also small Egyptian theme related exhibition.

Didn't know that octopus can taste so different, depending on the restaurant. Also got to try Dubai chocolate dessert and I can see why people are crazy about it. Couldn't see it when trying chocolate in Latvia, as it was expensive, but not even close to actual thing.

Greece is 80% mountains, but vegetation feels to me somewhere between dry Tenerife and lush Azores. Meteora is an exception world wide, as due to there being lake long time ago, rock composition is different, which allows vegetation to grow there and everything is green everywhere.

Watch sunset on Lycabettus Hill and see city lightning up. One of a kind view, as you can see the whole city all around you. 

My thoughts (2/2)

Malta 2024

Type: with a friend (2 people total)
Duration (at destination): 1 week
Main purpose: cheap destination, small country size
Getting around: walking + public transport + bicycle + taxi

Top 3 highlights:
1. Malta Classic Car Collection 
2. Limestone Heritage Park
3. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu

Public transport within cities is good, but outside is rare and unreliable (bus might not even come at all). 

Wanted to go to Malta because price wise it is rather cheap destination, but wamr. And the country can be explored whole due to it's small size. So I ended up doing exactly that. Getting around cities was fine, including public transport. Getting around outside cities we rented bicycles for a few days. Cycling ended up being a bit annoying due to constant terrain change and high inclines. We did cycle all the way from North to South though. 

Was able to visit both nearby islands also, so ended up exploring whole country, as I wanted.

My thoughts

Morocco 2024

Instagram video by Kārlis Bergs

Type: with a group
Duration (at destination): 1 week
Main purpose: climbing a mountain + traveling outside Europe
Getting around: walking + car

Top 3 highlights:
1. Being on the top of mountain Toubkal (4167m)
2. Visiting local bathhouse 
3. Marrakech market at evening 

You can't climb mountain Toubkal without a licensed guide (since tourist killing incident).

If you plan going outside Marrakesh, go with a group or a tour.

Don't walk around Marrakesh at night solo, but with a group, as there are interesting locals roaming at night. 

I wanted to experience climbing a proper mountain. I decided to go with a local hiking tour company. Mountain itself it beginner friendly and there wasn't even snow on top (which was pure luck), so it ended up being rather easy hike. Still took some time, but wasn't technically difficult, just a bit tiresome of 3 days of walking. For me it does get boring, just walking for hours on end, so I'm not sure I would want to do trips where you just walk for 2 weeks straight. Did almost roll down the mountain as on the way back as I misjudged one rock and started rolling down with it. 

Got to experience local bathhouse. By local I mean actually local, not local that is meant for tourists. Was warned about high temperature, but compared to Latvian saunas it was lukewarm. Whole experience was when someone came and bathe you, broke you (basically gave hardcore massage after mountain climbing) and put against the wall when showering with cold water. Felt like prison.

Marrakesh market at evening/night was one of a kind experience. Full of life and everyone trying to get your attention (and money). Anything is sold there, including actual human teeth. 

Had superb coffee drinking experience at Bacha Coffee. Never knew that coffee can taste and smell like dark bread.

Azores 2023

Long video by ivomarks

Type: with friends (5 people total)
Duration (at destination): 1 week
Main purpose: nature 
Getting around: car 

Top 3 highlights:
1. Abandoned hotel
2. Tea plantation 
3. Pineapple plantation 

Public transport is rather non existent, so rent a car. But drive carefully, as roads are narrow and sometimes, due to fog, you can barely see ahead.

Use weather map and cameras to plan visiting locations, as they might have fog.

After somewhat dry Tenerife I wanted to experience green and lush island. Found about Azores by accident, when friend showed his friends traveling map and one location was in the ocean in the middle of nowhere. Azores are also called European Hawaii. Not many tourists go there yet, so it was nice experience without many people. Perhaps slightly underdeveloped because of that, but that might change in near future.

There are other islands nearby, but to explore those you need at least 2 weeks. 1 week was enough only for main island.

Iceland 2022

Type: with 4 friends (5 people total)
Duration (at destination): 1 week
Main purpose: nature
Getting around: car

Top 3 highlights:
1. Volcano
2. Gulfoss waterfall
3. Secret Lagoon


Iceland is very expensive, so plan your budget accordingly and then some more.
You won't be able to get around Iceland with public transport, so either you go with a tour or rent a car.

Car rent price is insane (due to limited amount of cars there), so it is adviced to have 4-5 people sharing that price, which might go up to 2 thousand EUR. Also take max insurance that you can, but be aware of few things it still won't cover, like wind damage (at one point wind almost tear door from my hand and bent it in opposite direction).

Iceland has the best nature I have seen so far. It has a little bit of everything. Distances between locations are rather far, but manageable. 

Best of all trip for me was being able to see active volcano up close. It basically activated 1 week before the flight and stopped 1 week after. Seeing it up close, hearing it roar and feeling the heat up close was something else.

Tenerife 2022

Type: solo
Duration (at destination): 3 weeks
Main purpose: burnout at work
Getting around: walking + public transport 

Top 3 highlights:
1. Masca
2. Teide National Park
3. Taking long hike down the top of the island, making slightly wrong turn in the middle of the nowhere and exiting in different village than originally planned (Las Vueltas hike on the map).

Public transport is good there, just get local bus card and top it up occasionally. At more secluded locations bus goes only few times a day, so plan accordingly. But schedule is very trustworthy.

This trip was unplanned. Boss basically told me to get lost for a month, (burnout at work), so I reluctantly did. On such a short notice had to look for a destination I could spend a lot of time exploring and not getting bored. Chose Tenerife and changes sleeping locations every week, as I wanted to see as much as possible. Wanted to island hop, but it was covid time and you had to provide fresh covid test (made on spot) before you are allowed to get on board. Which was around 100 EUR every time. I decided not to do it.

I wanted to get on top of Teide peak, but didn't have gear or clothing for it. Wanted to use cable car to get on top but couldn't as might before it was cold and ice had formed on the cable. Nevertheless I got to walk back to my sleeping location across whole park. It was interesting feeling to see, how massive everything is.

As the trip wasn't planned, I just choose every evening to which location I want to go to next day. His way I explored whole main island.

@kostja86