Choosing my favourite destination in Europe is a difficult choice, but if I hade to say one country it would definitely be Greece! I think being an Aussie made it more enchanting; walking through the deserted streets of the tiny fishing town Kardamyli the locals would call out "you Afstrali"? and proceed to lure my friend and I into their shops-where they would give us free stuff for our heritage! I always tried to give them money for the gifts but the reply was 'no no, you Afstrali, you take". Either the town didn't rely heavily on the money from tourism to survive-or they just wanted us to leave with good memories. Kardamyli was gorgeous, we arrived a week after the 2004 Olympic closing ceremony by ferry from Bari (Italy) -and thanks to our Railplus passes the overnight trip was only 6 euros! The ferry trip was definitely an, erm, experience... there was a room dedicated to pass-holders, which was full of backpackers trying to sleep on dodgy seats while crossing the rough seas... but it was still great fun! After the rough ride we decided to chill out in Kardamyli on the Peloponnese (the somewhat over-looked southern mainland of the country) for 3 nights, which was a luxury after having spent the last 6 weeks with only 1 or 2 nights in each location throughout Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia. Despite the beautiful weather and stunning cliff-side location, surrounded by hills covered in ancient ruins and olive trees, Sienna (my travel-buddy) and I were the only tourists in the whole town! We stayed in a big room in a local homestead for just 9 euros each per night, getting by on only 20-30 euros per day throughout the country meant more to spend in Italy! The weather was perfect until our final day, even though it was mid September. We went exploring in the 'old town', a surreal gypsy style area surrounded by tall limestone walls and full of stray cats... and children, but we were greeted by big (often toothless) smiles by all. I didn't feel remotely unsafe but still decided to leave my camera packed away, this was how they lived and I had the feeling they didn't want me documenting it. A stray kitten followed us upwards into the hills where there were ancient pillars strewn everywhere, along with an abandoned church which had been left to slowly disintegrate. Just as the church came into view over the hill big black clouds rolled in-but they only accentuated the sad demise of what was once a thriving village. After Kardamili we made our way to Nafplio, Athens, and then Santorini, too much to say about Nafplio! The only downside of our 22 euro per night apartment there was that the guide book didn't mention it a 173 step climb, and not reachable by public transport! Lugging our packs up there was an accomplishment, but well worth the view over the sea-side city. Santorini was just like the postcards, and I took loads of amazing photos. I also enjoyed our stay in Athens, unfortunately though as we had heard so many negative comments about the capitol we only booked one night, though there would have been enough to occupy us for a week. I will definitely be going back to Greece in the future, and next time I intend to spend at least a month indulging in the overwhelming amount of history, culture and hospitality throughout the country, plus I miss the original Gyros!