#in greek we say the same thing but use ���scooter” instead

[nnobodoodles]

Huh.

So I randomly remembered Croc is pretty much Italian.

[uas-852]

free

[unhingedwomandiaries]

I was meant to be doing actual work, but instead I'm doom-scrolling through some clickbait about "Things That Make Europeans Think Americans Are Mental." Because apparently I needed more reasons to question reality today.

First up: Those massive yellow buses that look like they were designed by a Twinkie with architectural aspirations. Europeans are proper baffled by these mobile sweat boxes where we all learned valuable life lessons about social hierarchy and creative swearing. Meanwhile, their kids are skipping to school like they're in some sort of Dickensian fairy tale.

Then there's dating. Oh, you mean how I didn't spend years of my life waiting for various bellends to realize I was actually worth something? Spoiler alert: They didn't. Could've written a bloody dissertation on "The Art of Waiting for Someone Who Couldn't Give Less of a Shit."

And prom! Love how they think it's just a beauty pageant for popular kids. My date was a gay homeschooled mate who probably thought he was walking into some sort of teen movie fantasy. Instead, we got whatever the hell that was. Can't even remember who won king and queen.

The pajama pants thing is brilliant though, isn't it? Heaven forbid we prioritize comfort over looking like we're attending a board meeting at age 15. Might as well go full dystopia and issue everyone mandatory onesies with built-in nappy changes. And those school daycares! Because apparently "just say no" wasn't quite the foolproof teen pregnancy prevention strategy they thought it would be.

Don't even get me started on those mandatory pep rallies. Nothing says "healthy democracy" quite like forcing hundreds of hormonal teenagers to perform synchronized patriotism while the football team gets worshipped like Greek gods. Then we give these same teenagers driving licenses and wonder why every suburban street looks like a Grand Theft Auto training ground.

And our diets! Christ on a mobility scooter, we're basically pickling ourselves in corn syrup. Free refills on drinks that could strip paint? Go on then, might as well commit to the diabetes speedrun. Who needs universal healthcare when you've got unlimited access to liquid tooth decay?

The pledge of allegiance though - that's peak America right there. Nothing weird about making kids swear undying loyalty to a bit of fabric every morning. Totally normal. Definitely not cult-like at all. At least we could use our books during tests, because nothing says "education" quite like memorizing facts long enough to regurgitate them onto a paper while high on White-Out fumes and ranch dressing.

But you know what? Those Europeans can judge all they want. We've transcended normal societal dysfunction and turned it into performance art. We're not just embracing the chaos - we're giving it a bloody standing ovation.

USA! USA! (Now excuse me while I go order a bucket of soda and cry into my freedom fries.)

[percabethfeelsfandom]

Writing Prompt AU: Childhood Best Friends to Lover

PART 3: Age 12

Percy waves until the car and truck disappear into the intersection. There’s no way that Luke can still see him and his friends, but the four of them continue waving until all that is left of him is their memories from the past couple of years. They all live within the same neighbourhood, so they’re heading the same way, but it’s quiet without Luke’s loud presence.

“I can’t believe he actually moved,” Annabeth says in class the next day when their group of five becomes a group of four.

“Me too,” Thalia echoes with a frown, her eyes are glassy and Annabeth wraps her arm around her comfortingly. Percy wants to reach out too, but Annabeth slightly shakes her head, telling him no and he backs down.

At this point, the two of them can communicate better with actions and their facial expressions than they can with words.

Percy doesn’t like seeing his friends sad, so he spends the day cracking jokes, and forcing a smile on his face as they play games in the playground and attempt to ignore the obvious space that Luke used to occupy.

“We can always visit him on special days,” Percy tries, as they all lay on the ground later at the park after school, staring up at the clouds. He’s wedged between Grover and Annabeth so he feels when Annabeth stiffens by his side.

“Connecticut is pretty far from New York Perce, you know our parents won’t let us visit him all the time.��� She says. Percy sits up and sighs, resting his arms against his knees as he looks down at Annabeth who is still laying down.

“It doesn’t need to be all the time, it can just be some of the time. We don’t have to be so sad about it.”

“I’m not sad,” Thalia snaps and stands up abruptly, grabbing her bag from the tree where they’ve thrown all their stuff.

“Thalia,” he calls, but she ignores him and starts to walk to where they’ve stashed their bikes.

Thalia is breathing heavily and roughly handling her bike when Percy catches up to her. She shoulders her bag and sits down not looking at him as he stands in front of the bike to stop her from leaving.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says softly and places his hands on the handle of her bike to steady her when she tries to get away again.

“I’m not upset Percy. Just leave me alone.”

Despite this, Percy can see how her eyes have grown brighter, and her pale cheeks and nose are dusted with pink from rubbing them.

“Thalia-”

“No Percy. You don’t get it. He wasn’t your best friend, he was mine. You have Grover and Annabeth.”

She pushes his hands off the bike and turns it away from him, pedalling away like her life depends on it.

He stares off after her with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He doesn’t like seeing his friends sad.

“Hey.”

Percy turns around and sees Annabeth giving him a small smile.

“Hey.”

“She’s not angry at you, I swear,” she says and tugs on his arm so that they can go back to where Grover.

As they’re about to lie down, he sits up, glancing at his watch.

“I should probably go too, my Mum said to come home early, I’ll see you at school?”

They both wave goodbye to him, and Percy holds out a fist for Grover to bump against. Moments later, Grover is grabbing his scooter and riding it to the exit.

Annabeth lays down and pulls him down with her so that they can look up at the clouds again.

Percy doesn’t answer, choosing instead to try and find shapes and patterns in the bright sky.

“That one looks like a trident,” he says pointing up. Annabeth follows his line of vision and nods when she sees it.

“Remember that one time we were in the school performance and you were” she starts.

“Poseidon? Yeah, that was cool.” Percy grins and closes his eyes remembering the night they performed. He hadn’t needed to do much, just sit on his blue throne and hold a trident while other students were famous greek heroes with actual lines. “Who were you again? Aphrodite?”

“Athena,” Annabeth corrects, “Goddess of Wisdom.”

“Because you’re so wise?” He says with a laugh.

“Why is that funny?” She asks, but her lips are tilted up in a half-smile.

“Aren’t wise people old?” He answers, holding back another laugh. Annabeth scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Per-cyyyy.”

“I think Athena fits. You’re so wise, like if you were a superhero or something you’d be Wise Girl, and your superhero weapon would be like a pen.” The joke isn’t even that funny, but Percy is gasping for breath and rolling in the grass. Annabeth is staring at him like he’s grown three heads, but she’s biting down on her lip, holding back a laugh. He rolls onto his stomach so he can face her and starts playing with blades of grass, pulling them and throwing them at her.

“It’s not that funny.”

“It’s kinda funny, Wise Girl.” She finally gives in and smiles, but Percy pokes her leg, trying to get her to laugh.

“Shut up.”

“Nope.” He throws a handful of grass at her and giggles when she sputters, trying to get it out of her face and hair.

“You’re so dumb, Seaweed Brain.”

“Then we match. I’m dumb and you’re wise.” This time she lets out a small laugh and Percy finally lies back, satisfied.

They fall into a comfortable silence and Percy almost feels himself falling asleep when he feels Annabeth shift a bit closer to him, pressing their arms together. All his attention goes straight to her familiar warmth and he almost doesn’t catch her next words.

“Do you think Luke will forget about us?”

“W-What?”

“Luke. Do you think he’ll forget about us when he makes new friends at his school? He said he’s always been good at making friends. What if he forgets about us and never visits.”

Percy turns and looks Annabeth straight in the eye.

“I think we’re pretty unforgettable.”

Annabeth blinks, and then her cheeks slowly turn pink.

“Do you think that’s what Luke thinks?”

Percy swallows and slowly nods, realising that their faces are quite close.

“I think Luke would be dumb to forget us. We’re awesome friends, and even if he doesn’t visit. You don’t have to see people every day to be their friends. You don’t live with your cousin but he’s still one of your best friends, right?”

“Luke’s not dumb,” Annabeth says quickly, “But yeah you’re right. I only see Magnus a couple of times a year but it always feels like we never spent any time apart.”

“See, maybe I’m the wise one,” he says smugly. Annabeth rolls her eyes and elbows him in the side.

“Hey Annabeth, Thalia said something to me and I wanted to ask-”

“She was just a bit upset, don’t take what she says seriously. My Dad always says mean things when he’s upset, but he never means it, not truly.” Annabeth says a matter-of-factly.

“No it didn’t upset me, but she said that Luke wasn’t my best friend, that he was her best friend…”

“Well, she’s kinda right. Luke is mine and Thalia’s best friend.” Percy feels a weight drop into his stomach and has to sit up again to relieve some of the pressure. Annabeth mirrors his actions and casually ties up her hair.

“I thought I was your best friend.” He doesn’t try to hide the hurt in his voice, and Annabeth doesn’t even hear it.

“You are. So is Thalia and Luke.” She says it like it’s obvious but it’s news to Percy and he gives her a blank stare, trying to understand what she’s saying.

“What about Grover?”

“He’s more your best friend than he is mine.” She answers with a shrug.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does to me.” The weight feels like it’s growing in size and it pins him to the ground, disabling all his efforts of moving.

“So you have three best friends?”

“Mhmm.”

“Well, who’s you’re number one best friend?” Percy is kind of scared of what her answer will be, but he needs to know. For some reason, he really needs to know.

“I can’t answer that. That’s not fair.” Annabeth says frowning and folds her arms across her chest.

“But you tell me everything.”

“Not this.” Then she mimes locking her lips and then throwing away the key, signalling that the conversation is over.

“Annabeth-”

“No, I’m not saying. Come on Percy, let’s go home, the sun is going to set soon. I don’t want you to get in trouble with Smelly Gabe.”

She pulls herself up and then grabs his outstretched hand, hauling him to his feet. He’s unsteady when he stands, still feeling the weight in his stomach like someone is pushing him into the ground.

Almost blindly, he follows Annabeth to where her bike is parked and grabs his skateboard and backpack.

She starts talking about something they learnt about in class but he’s only half-listening, still thinking about their conversation from the park.

“Percy?”

“Hmm oh sorry, what did you say?”

Annabeth lets out a huff and blows a piece of hair from her face.

“Don’t worry. Were you listening to anything I said, at all?”

Percy stutters over an answer.

“Something about architecture?”

“I talk about other things than architecture Percy. I was saying maybe we could do a group call with Luke this weekend. Do you think your Mum and Gabe would let you use the phone?”

He thinks about it for a moment, mentally counting how many extra chores he’d have to do so that Gabe would allow him an hour of phone time.

“I could figure it out.” He says after a moment of silence and ignores Annabeth’s worried look.

“If it’s too much don’t worry, we can-” She says in a hurry.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Her face breaks into a smile and she throws her arms around him for a hug before walking up the steps to her family’s apartment. She gives him a wave before closing the door behind her.

He lives a couple of minutes away from Annabeth, but he’s the furthest from everyone because they don’t live in the expensive part of the city. The beautiful brownstone apartments turn to crumbly apartments until Percy rolls to a stop in front of his crumbly apartment and winces as he picks up his skateboard.

Gabe isn’t home (thankfully), so he’s able to get the TV to himself for a few precious minutes before he hears the keys jingling in the door.

He leaps off the couch and hurries to clean the small mess he’s made and jumps into bed grabbing a comic book from the floor and opening it to a random page.

“Percy honey can you help me please?”

Percy’s chest lightens at the sound of his Mom’s voice and he races to the front door, smiling widely.

“Hey Mom, you’re home early.”

She smiles and nods, handing him a bag, and presses a kiss on top of his head.

“Yeah, my boss said he didn’t need me to stay back too late today. Wanna help me cook tonight? I’m making Gabe’s favourite.”

Percy scrunches his nose. They only make Gabe’s favourite when something important has happened.

“Yeah sure.” He says slowly. His Mom hears his uncertainty and leads them into the kitchen, beginning to unpack the groceries she’s bought.

“Nothing to worry about sweetie, I just need Gabe to be in a good mood tonight.”

Percy’s jaw tightens.

“Mom.”

“It’s nothing Percy. Don’t worry about me. Tell me about your day.”

He still has a sick sneaking suspicion that his Mom isn’t telling him the whole truth but he recounts her day. Every little detail, from the moment he skateboarded through the school gates, to the moment he said goodbye to Annabeth. His Mom is the easiest person in his life to talk to (Annabeth and Grover are equal seconds) and he feels lighter once he finishes.

They’re more than halfway done with dinner so Sally leans against the kitchen counter and eyes Percy who has set the table and is sitting down, fiddling with the cutlery, trying to keep his hands busy.

“Can you have multiple number one best friend’s Mom?” He asks, looking down at the fork he’s playing with.

“Of course, I think when you have a big heart it means that you have a lot of love to share, which means that you can care about as many people as you want, as much as you want.” Slowly she approaches him and takes the fork from his hand, setting it down.

“Who do you think is my number one best friend?” He asks.

“Well I can’t answer that question, Percy, that’s one for you.”

“What if I’m not my number one’s, number one?”

His Mom sighs and runs a hand through his dark hair, before cupping his face.

“That doesn’t mean they love you any less Perce.” She answers, “But they are missing out.”

“I don’t think I’m Annabeth’s number one.” He finally says and frowns when he feels his stomach do an uncomfortable flip. “Does this mean I have to change my number one?”

Sally smiles sadly at him and gives him a squeeze.

“You can’t know for sure unless you ask. You can do whatever you want with your heart Percy, the best advice I can give you is that you trust it.”

PART 1

PART 2

[bcpreneur-summit-blog]

FEATURED ENTREPRENEUR FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

“I find nothing wrong with striving for the impossible. But I find alot wrong with giving up” - Scooter Braun   

Scooter Braun (born June 18, 1981 as Scott Samuel Braun in New York, New York) is an American talent manager. Scooter found early success in Atlanta’s hip-hop scene, hosting major parties for celebrities like Britney Spears and Ludacris, and the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, all while still enrolled at Emory University. He scored his first big talent find in 2008, when he saw a young Canadian teen singer on YouTube. That young performer was Justin Bieber, who Scooter and R&B star Usher signed to their label Raymond-Braun Media Group. Scooter’s career skyrocketed from there, signing new talent Asher Roth, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Wanted and Cody Simpson to Scooter Braun Projects. Scooter’s accomplishments are unparalleled, accomplishing more than most entrepreneurs twice his age.

Best Known For:

Discovering Justin Bieber

Entrepreneurship: 

Scooter Braun is also a savvy investor and made early stage investments in Uber, Pinterest, and Spotify. Scooter always wants to know one thing before he enters a new situation: Did you burn the ships?That's what he asked his friend Tom McLeod, a serial entrepreneur and chief of storage concierge startup Omni, who came to Braun recently with an investment opportunity. Braun quickly declined, and McLeod asked him why. The ancient Greeks, Braun explained, used to burn their own ships upon arriving on enemy shores.

“You are a serial entrepreneur,” he told McLeod. “If we are going to do this, I need to know you’re going to burn the ships. There is no turning back, there is no, ‘Hey, it’s getting tough now. It’s not really working out. I’m going to fold and try something else.’ If this is you're [going to] burn the ships, that’s a different story.”

Braun has stuck to that philosophy throughout his career, and it has served him well. After guiding a teenaged Bieber to superstar status, Braun didn't retreat as his young charge's career unraveled while the world watched; instead, he stuck with the singer and helped Bieber re-establish himself as one of the foremost names in the world of pop music.

"He just wants to make sure I’m on my toes," Bieber explained, understatedly, in an interview for the FORBES Celebrity 100 cover story four years ago.

Even back then, Braun was diversifying his roster, adding acts like the Wanted and Asher Roth--while getting his start as a venture capitalist and helping Bieber do the same.

Braun has since expanded much more than his list of clients, adding entire categories to his budding SB Projects empire. Among them: motion picture arm SB Films, the entity behind the record-setting documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never; Silent Labs, which houses Braun's investments in companies like Uber and Spotify; music label Schoolboy Records, home to the likes of Psy and Carly Rae Jepsen; and a host of philanthropic endeavors.

"I was given the opportunity to music and I was trying to do that to the best of my ability," he told FORBES during a recent video interview at his Los Angeles headquarters. "But I always had this entrepreneurial spirit that wanted to wake up and do cool shit, and never want to be limited by anything."

In Braun's eyes, the same skills apply to all his areas of operation. His experience packaging and producing Bieber biopics helped him score a hit with the CBS CBS -3.49%show Scorpion; in the tech field, he looks for companies that already churn out meaningful revenues, just as he often decides to manage acts who already have their own audiences--frequently beyond the U.S.--like K-Pop sensation CL, Dutch DJ Martin Garrix and Swedish star Steve Angello.

To be sure, Braun hasn't been able to replicate the Bieber magic with all his acts. The Wanted never caught up to One Direction, and Asher Roth didn't become Eminem. But in his interview with FORBES, Braun seemed to confirm his biggest addition since Bieber: Kanye West.

The rapper-producer-designer, who would likely appreciate Braun's ship-burning philosophy, recently made his new album The Life Of Pablo available across all major streaming services after releasing it only via Jay Z's Tidal at first. That seems a first step in a direction of which Braun would approve.

Perhaps Braun will be able to help West soar into the upper reaches of hip-hop's top earners--the manager is certainly persuasive, as the resolution of his interaction with McLeod shows. The entrepreneur called Braun a day after their discussion. “I’m going to burn the f---ing ships,” he said calmly. What did Braun do?

"I invested," he recalls. "I felt his passion, and I think it’s that mentality of, 'I will not take no for an answer' that you look for in people to find the things that are going to be successful."

Personal Life:

Scooter grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut to parents, Ervin and Susan, both dentists. His paternal grandparents were Hungarian Jews and both survivors of the Holocaust. In high school, Scooter produced a documentary, “The Hungarian Conflict,” inspired by their experience. The film now plays at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He studied at Emory University in Atlanta, and became a self-named “power player” in the city’s hip-hop scene. For all his success, Scooter is committed to giving back and serves on the Advisory Board for Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization founded by his brother Adam.

[alexllove-blog]

Our experiences exploring Athens on two wheels with Athens By Bike. How to see Athens the fun way by bicycle, on a half day sightseeing ride.

A Bike Tour of Athens

I've always felt that a bike tour is the perfect way to orientate yourself in a new city you plan to spend time in. It gives you a chance to get your bearings, spot places you want to return to later, and get some inside knowledge from a local guide.

So, although I've been living in Athens for several years, I jumped at the chance when asked by Athens by Bike to try one of their tours.

It would give me the opportunity to write about the experience so you can see if an Athens bike tour is good for you. It would also be a chance to persuade Vanessa to get on a bicycle in Athens.

** Click Here to book an Athens By Bike Tour **

Cycling in Athens

Vanessa, you see, like most Athenians is allergic to bicycles. This is partly due to the lack of cycling culture in Athens, and partly due to the chaotic and often dangerous driving conditions.

As a result, she'd also only cycled a couple of times in the last 15 years, one of those being during our trip through Asia on the quiet island of Koh Jum.

She would be the perfect person to say if the bike tour of Athens was suitable for people of all abilities. So perfect in fact, that the rest of the article is written by her!

Vanessa’s point of view

Like many Greeks I know, I used to cycle a lot when I was a child. In fact, this was mostly during our three-month-long summer school holidays – Greek kids are very spoilt!

During the summers, we were based on the coast close to Athens. It was easy and safe to cycle around, as there were very few cars in the area.

How about cycling around Athens though? No way – most Athenians would say it’s crazy, even though half of them may ride scooters or motorcycles.

Bike Athens – Is it really viable?

I have to confess that, in my head, cycling in Athens is pure madness. I absolutely love walking around my city, but I was not convinced that an Athens bike tour is a smart idea.

And then, Dave announced that we had been invited to join one of the “Athens by bike” tours, organized by a company specializing in, well, guided bicycle tours in Athens. Whoops!

Although I was more than happy to cycle around Koh Jum in Thailand and Inle Lake in Myanmar during our recent trip to Asia, I realized that an Athens bike tour felt, well, a little outside my comfort zone.

At the same time, I was really, really curious to check it out, and see if it’s really feasible to cycle around central Athens and feel safe at the same time.

** Click Here to book an Athens By Bike Tour **

Athens cycle – “Athens by bike” tour

We arrived at the meeting point at 9.10, and were greeted by Manos, the mastermind behind “Athens by bike”. He said that there were 24 people signed up for a cycling tour of Athens that day, and so there would be 3 different groups.

Our group for the Athens bike tour had eight more people – two couples, and a mother with three young children. I felt a lot better – if a kid can do it, I can do it! So yes, the biking tour in Athens is family friendly as well.

Meet the Tour Leader

Dimitris, our tour leader for the duration of our half-day bike tour, stood out immediately – not only because of his unusual hair which he was quick to point out, but also because of his charming and funny personality. We also briefly met two other guides, who were going to take around two more groups.

First things first, and Dimitris gave us a thorough briefing on safety. He explained how to fit the cycling helmets on, and showed us how to use the brakes and change gears on the bike.

He also told us a little bit about the route and the logistics of the day. The total route was going to be around 9 kms and cover much of central Athens, while there was also going to be a break for ice cream.

We were then assigned our bicycles, each named after someone from ancient Greek mythology. My Athens bike for the day was Demetra, the goddess of agriculture, harvest and grains, while Dave got Achilles. Depending on your gender, you could ask for a bike named Pythagoras, Echo, or even Agape!

Getting around Athens on a bike

And off we went! Our itinerary took us around much of central Athens, passing by most of the important sites and landmarks of Athens, as well as some places often overlooked by tourists.

And even better, most of the route was traffic free. This came as a pleasant surprise and made the Athens by bike tour so much more relaxing for me.

During the first part of our Athens bike tour, we passed by the National Observatory hill (great views of the Acropolis!), the Kerameikos Ancient Greek cemetery, the Ancient Greek Agora, the Roman Agora, and also the grand Cathedral in Athens named Metropolis.

Changing of the Guard

After a short ice cream break, the tour continued through the famous Plaka area into the shaded National Gardens, once limited to Royalty and nowadays one of the few parks in central Athens. I used to go there as a kid, but never with my bike, so that was a first!

Moving on from the Gardens, we stopped across the street from the Presidential Mansion, to watch a Changing of the Guards which is less popular than the one in front of the Parliament.

We then proceeded to visit the Panathenaic Stadium, the birthplace of the Modern Olympics in 1896, and Zappeio Megaro, a beautiful neoclassical building which served as the first “Olympic Village” of the times.

Our tour ended in front of the temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens, where we took a final photo of Hadrian's Arch with the Acropolis in the background.

  ** Click Here to book an Athens By Bike Tour **

Athens by bike – Our opinion and conclusion

We will start with the chosen route – I am sure that A LOT of work went into it, as Athens is not only a city dominated by cars, but also a rather hilly place.

Somehow though, most of the route seemed to be fairly flat. Apart from a couple of spots, it was a really easy Athens bike ride, and I was impressed by how it has been designed to avoid both the traffic and the pedestrians with very few exceptions.

By now it’s obvious that I’m no seasoned cyclist. My bicycle was absolutely perfect for me, as opposed to other bicycles I’ve used in the past few years.

I actually asked “Athens by bike” a few questions about their bicycles, and found that they replace them every 2-3 years, and sell the used ones. Hmmm…! For anyone interested, it was an Ideal with a step-through frame.

Perfect introduction to Athens

For the duration of our “Athens by bike” tour, our guide Dimitris was very informative and made the whole discussion interesting for everyone, including the children.

He was also very helpful with taking photos, and clearly enthusiastic about the bike tours and all things outdoors. Tip – ask him for the best island to visit in Greece and see what he says!

Matter of Safety

Although it was clear that the tour is very well designed, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about logistics and safety just out of my own curiosity.

They seem to have taken everything into account. This probably reflects in the great reviews they are receiving, and the fact that they often have more than one tour per day.

In my opinion as a non-cyclist, this is a great tour if you want to see a lot of central Athens in just a few hours.

As an Athenian, I was happy to learn a couple of new things about my city, and excited to find out that cycling in Athens is actually possible.

As a last note, for people who feel they may be unfit for this tour, Athens by bike can also provide an e bike instead.

Bike Rental Athens Greece

I was so happy with the bike that I thought about renting it out for a day or two. I am not sure if Athens bike rental is popular in general, but “Athens by bike” rent bikes for a day or longer.

Prices start from 10 euros a day and there are discounts for longer periods of time. They also rent helmets, kids’ seats, and even panniers, for anyone interested in bike touring Greece.

If you want to rent a bike in Athens, click here.

Athens Bike tour – Rent a bike Athens

We hope this article has inspired you to do some cycling in Athens, even if you haven’t been on a bicycle for ages. If you're still unsure about booking an Athens bike tour , check out their Tripadvisor Reviews. They speak for themselves!

Pin this Athens blog post for later

Save this to one of your Pinterest boards. That way, you'll be able to come back andread this guide to Athens by bicycle for later.

  The post Athens by Bike – Exploring Athens by bicycle appeared first on Dave& Travel Pages.

[worldtravelerhd-blog]

How to Make your Santorini Trip Affordable (and awesome)

Santorini-The  picture-perfect island in the Greek Cyclades is a bucket list destination for every Basic Bitch that ever lived, laughed, or loved. Santorini is the ultimate example of a popular vacation spot that would seem to be expensive.  In reality, if you change your perspective from "tourist" to "traveler" you can make this iconic trip become reality for much less than you would expect.

STAY

There are many towns and villages on the Island of Santorini.  The three most popular destinations (with the most accommodation options) are:

Oia

This is "the picture" you've seen.  The white church with the blue roof on a cliff into the Mediterranean. Oia houses the most expensive accommodations and restaurants.  If money is no thought, go ahead and book the $700USD/night properties.  They look absolutely incredible. Don't ever leave.  

You'll be surrounded by shops, tourists (local and cruise day-trips) and Chinese brides in their wedding dresses taking selfies, despite the fact their wedding was 5 months ago.  Although you'll be in the "heart of the action" stop and think if that's actually what you're looking for in your trip.  Oia is a small village that can be "done" in a day unless you are a massive shopaholic.  Is that a good day trip for you from another town or where you want to "live".. that's up to you.

Fira/Thira

WTF is this place called?  Either way - this is the town in the center of the island.  

The most important thing to know about this town is that its the cruise port. It is a constant barrage of loud, obnoxious tourists crowding the small alleyways. This would be a tragedy if the alleyways weren't already lined with charmless stores hawking souvenirs that even the most optimistic of tourists wouldn't give to grandma when they return home.

We were surprised, after we visited, that so many travel blogs suggest staying here in this town because it is centrally located on the island. While that is geographically true, it is little reason to set up camp there. Fira is a little more affordable than Oia but definitely not worth the influx of 20,000 new neighbors every morning at 10am. Think that number is an exaggeration? 3-5 large cruise ships come into this port daily. Stay away. 

Perissa

Stay in Perissa.  I don't know how else to say it.  If you're in Santorini for more than 3 days stay in Perissa. You'll find great food, beaches and lower priced digs. We stayed at Margarenia Studios in Perissa at a discounted October rate. Amenities included pool, beautiful flowers everywhere, a friendly and helpful owner/manager, clean rooms with daily fresh linens, and a 10 minute walk to the beach. $27 USD/night twenty seven US Dollars a night.  You'll need a method of transportation if you're staying in Perissa.  (You'll probably want one wherever you are, but parking is not really a feasible option if you're staying in Oia and Fira.. and that will resort you to having to book site seeing tours instead of exploring the extremely easy-to-get-around island on your own time.)

GO IN LOW SEASON

Travel during the low/shoulder season to save some money.  May and October you'll save the most, Early June and September you'll be safer with weather.  In the low season you'll find less tourists, less crowded beaches, and less expensive rates on tours, accommodations, and rentals.

Of course, low season and low prices come with a few concessions. Weather was a huge concern in planning our early-October stay.  Several google searches yielded voices of other concerned travelers.  In our stay the first week of October, 2015, for example, the hotel pool wasn't warm enough to swim in during the day. However, the ocean was still very warm (Chicago standards...). Night time brings sweatshirt weather as the temp dips into the high 60's. No matter how many times you search "October weather averages Santorini" it's hard to tell what 68 degrees will feel like when you're in a different climate from your home.  68 at night in Santorini meant that Allison had on leggings, a sweatshirt and a puffy vest because the strong wind coming off the open ocean was enough that we weren't comfortable having a drink outside on our porch when the sun went down. 

Despite the slightly colder temperatures, our pictures serve as proof that October is still plenty warm enough to enjoy Santorini to its full potential.

DO

CLIFF JUMPING, AMOUDI BAY | $0 USD

Best activity we did in Santorini and possibly one of the most iconic for the island. Apparently made even more famous through YaYa sisters or something, Amoudi Bay offers your typically overpriced, tourist focused restaurants. If you make your way through them however, you'll find a path along the water that leads to the REAL Amoudi Bay.

After crawling over some rocks, you'll will find a slightly hidden beach. Brave a short swim out to the nearby island and be rewarded with one of the most epic and beautiful locations for cliff diving in the world.

The island is not named according to Google maps, so lets just agree to call it Diemer's Island. The Ekklisia Agios Nikolaos church is located on it already, but its barely more than a door, some bells, and a stone walkway (EXTREMELY uncomfortable for bare feet).

Past the little church is a diving platform. Make sure to clear the rocks and ancient iron chain to the left of the diving platform-aim straight out or to the right of the platform and you should be fine!

VISIT AKROTIRI LIGHTHOUSE | $0 USD

View of the sea from the lighthouse is amazing, but, continue walking southwest past the entrance for this property towards the tip of the peninsula and you'll be rewarded with a landscape looking back towards the lighthouse and the island that you can take your perfect selfie on. Also a great place for sunset, but bring a flashlight to navigate the rocks on your way out. 

DRIVE TO THE TOP OF PROFITIS ILIAS | $0 USD

Preferably on your first day, make the short and memorable drive to the top of this mountain. Centrally located on the island, the panorama you take in will give you a birds eye view of the entirety of Santorini. Also a great place to take in a sunset- bring a bottle of wine or snacks with you. Plenty of great (unofficial) places to post up and picnic.

"Vacation Day" at Perissa Beach | $0 USD

Perissa Beach. Beautiful LONG stretch of sand dotted with restaurants hosting beach chairs and shops sporting (not-so-hot) deals on suits, sunnies and $3 bracelets you can take home to your little sister.

Great beach and plenty of places to rent chairs and umbrellas during high season. Get these same chairs and umbrellas for free during the low season. (The farther you walk away from the church and center of town the more likely you'll find a free chair at a restaruant that just wants you to buy a $2 beer.)  Steep drop off in the water that makes swimming pretty nice in the crystal clear water.  Did I mention the black volcanic sand?  That's the thing to "see" here. 

HIKE TO ANCIENT THIRA | $2 USD

Starting at the base of the mountain in Perissa, there is a scenic hike that takes about an hour to ancient Thira. On the way make sure to stop by Ekklisia Panagia Katefiani, a small church about 200 meters up built into the cliff side. At the top of the hike, discover as we did, that you could have simply drove up paved road from Kamari.

Regardless if you hike or drive, visit ancient Thira for 2 Euro. If you go on Monday however, ancient Thira is closed, which explains why there the picture shown is simply us hiking...not the ruins.

VOLCANO & HOT SPRINGS TOUR | $18 USD +UP

Very popular tour package in Santorini. Having done it, we're not quite sure why. Hesitant to put this tour on the list of things to do, but Allison and I agreed on this fact- If we hadn't done the tour, we would have felt like we missed out.  You don't know what you don't know.

Our tour left out of the port of Fira.  That meant we had to fight all the cruise passengers that also needed to get to the bottom of the mountain.  We didn't account for the much needed (but not advertised) 30 minutes to make that happen and missed our scheduled time. The dormant-for-hundreds-of-years volcano is an island of black ash rock in the ocean.  That's cool, but you're not taking selfies in front of lava flows if that's what you're expecting.

There is a glimmer of hope in going to the hot springs afterward, only to realize the hot springs are only hot in name. In truth, the brown water is only slightly warmer than the ambient ocean water. Didn't matter though as the horn on our cattle-rangling ferry boat called us back only as we had just arrived.  For perspective, the most memorable thing about the hot springs visit was seeing some goats on rock. Also, a German Shepard came out into the water to bark at us. I also have a stain on my suit from the mud to remember this by.  Maybe don't do this tour unless you're really bored [or are staying on Santorini Island for a week or more] or you have massive FOMO, but, get over it.  Nothing missed here. 

MOVE

Local buses- Didn't use.  Inconvenient & sparse schedules.  Just rent a scooter.

Taxi- Prearranged rates between most places on the island. Make sure you agree to that rate before you hop in a cab. Drivers were passionate about their jobs and willing to risk their lives and yours to make sure you got to your location as fast as possible.

Scooter or 4x4: Rent a scooter.

We rented a two person scooter from Mikes Scooters for $10 USD/Day. That's only a few bucks more than taking the bus everywhere – except we didn't have to wait around for 30 minutes in the hot sun and could explore the hidden beaches and mountain tops the buses do not travel to.

Free yourself from the cage of a car-feel the sun, taste the salt in the air, and guarantee that you'll find easy parking. You know better than I if you have any business on two wheels. If you choose a scooter or motorcycle, wear a helmet and shoes like a responsible adult.  Also: That Mercedes Taxi behind you does actually want to run you over. Pull over occasionally to let traffic past you if you're causing a backup.

*Tip: YOU NEED AN INTERNATIONAL LICENSE TO GET A GOOD DEAL. SOME RENTAL PLACES REFUSE TO RENT TO THOSE WITHOUT PROPER ENDORSEMENT OR LICENSE. (In USA you can get them at AAA locations even if you are not a member.)

Car Rental & 4x4: If you must there are plenty of car rental places, 4x4 rentals (a very popular option for travelers without a motorcycle license) and the Chinese tourists must have a lock on the Smart Car rentals.  We never saw a location to rent a Smart Car, but every third car on the road was a Chinese tourist in a Smart Car. 

EAT

Can't say enough about how much your travel budget will shrink if you eat like you do at home. Buy groceries where the locals do, cook what is local and inexpensive, and leave the dining-out three-meals-a-day to people who only want to travel once a year.

The caveat to this however is eating street food. Find the right restaurant and you can eat prepared food for less than it costs to buy an equivalent meals worth of groceries.

OUR FAVORITES

Santa Irini Bakery (Perissa) - Friendly owners and employees, inexpensive food, and open 24 hours- all reasons why you'll never see a Taco Bell pop up in Perissa. Santa Irini bakery throws cheese, meat, and fresh cooked bread together into 7 different arrangements that are all incredible and each cost 2 Euro. They also have sugar crusted donuts that will bring you to your knees. 2 Euros

Pitogyros (Oia) - Pitogyros, not Pitagyros (that knock off place down the street). Pitogyros makes, what else, gyros. Whats the big deal? This is the best food I've had to eat since the trip started. Pitogyros slathers tzatziki sauce on a lightly toasted pita, then adds a generous helping of pork gyro meat, onions and freshly cooked french fries. Top it off with some fresh off the vine tomato slices, slap the whole thing on the ass and send it out the door. All for the low cost of 2.50 Euro.

Santo Grill (Perissa Beach)- Everything I said about Pitogyros, just turn the 11 down to about 8. Beef gyros were still really good but nothing to found a new religion over. 2.20 Euro

*Tip: A "Greek" Gyro in the USA consists of lamb meet cooked on a skewer.  Lamb meet cooked this style is actually Turkish Kebab (they eat Lamb in Turkey, and the name, Kebab, refers to how it is cooked.; it's not the American Kebab on a stick).  Greeks eat either beef or chicken gyros.  Those will be your choices so don't ask for Lamb, they don't have it.

*Tip: Stay away from sit down places in Fira and Oia. You're going to be paying $20-$30 USD/person for truly mediocre food. After all, restaurants in these towns don't have incentive to serve great food- they are catering to Cruise tourists who likely will eat at their establishment just one time. Better to just buy a few drinks to “pay the rent” while you enjoy the million dollar view that most of these restaurants offer up.  Really want that view? Check out Santo Wines, listed below under "Drink".

DRINK

BEER- Pils Hella- Drink like a local. Pils Hella is likely the equivalent of drinking Busch Light in Greece. Tasted great when paired with a gyro. Tasted great on the beach. Tasted great all the time. €0,54 Euro in grocery store.

WINE- Local Santorini wines are available everywhere. If you want to keep it classy, fill your own 1.5L plastic bottle with local white wine (no brand) at the Super Discount Market (Perissa). Sleep off the hangover at the beach the next day. 2.50 Euro for the bottle.

*Tip: It's not a "budget" location but definitely make time to visit Santo Wines (pictured) to sit down to their wine sampler that comes with cheese, olives and spreads.  Take in the best view on the island during sunset but if you're there during high season make sure you call ahead (not sure if they take reservations...we were fine walking in in October but this place is built to be swamped, you can tell).  Plan accordingly.

ENJOY

Enjoy your time on the island.  There is so much to do and see beyond Oia, beyond the beach and even beyond what was listed here.  You would not be bored with 7 days, and with these money-saving tips, your smart choices will give you a few extra days for the same cost.