Oh my goodness it has been a month and so much has happened. So here is an overview of my adventures...
Summer began at the beginng of July. Yay no more school! I went to Pienza, Italy with the family for the wedding of Phillip's cousin. We laid out by the pool all day, went into town from the Villa where we were staying for some gelato (sorbet for me naturally), and then in the evening wedding activities and watching the soccer games (go Deutschland -Schweinsteiger!!). Very sad to see Germany lose, and the last game between Spain and Holland was crap but at least Germany got third. A couple days after we got back from Italy my love Stephanie came to me!! We spent a couple of days around Frankfurt, went to a party at my friend Stephy's house, had apple wine, went swimming at the giant swimming pool with the kids, read a lot of Harry Potter with Oscar (we finished the 5th one now - on to the sixth when they get back from the states!), made Anzac cookies, coconut ice cream and other yummies, and caught up on what has been going on in our lives since September. Before I flew to Germany we had met up in Chicago where Megan is from and celebrated my birthday and played a lot together. Then on Friday morning I took the family to the airport (they were so slow in the morning that they missed their flight to Seattle. Oh vey.) and then when I got back Andrea's Dad and his lady friend took Steph and I to the train station. That was just a little scary. Not sure how he drove around Italy and Germany came back alive....
4hr train later Steph and I arrived in Munich! We ended up staying at this place called The Tent, just outside of the city. It is literally a giant tent where on one side there are bunk beds and on the other people just camp out on the floor. The place was exceptionally clean though! And none of our stuff got stolen, such as the 900 euros I was carrying around. Or Steph's beautiful camera. So that was an interesting experience but we lived, and actually enjoyed ourselves! We wandered around Munich and saw the sights, got lost, survived a crazy storm, and made it to the airport where we met up with Megan!!! Flew to Athens, had an amazing view of the Acropolis from our deck. Wandered around the city, ate yummy Greek Salad. Next day went up to the Acropolis, wandered around, and then took a train to the port (really creepy man on the train saying strange things in Greek to us). Got our ticket, hung out in the McDonalds for hours and then caught our night ferry to SANTORINI!!!! I slept on the train on and off but the other girls didn't so much. Highlights of the Islands now bc otherwise this would be ten hours long filled with the amazing adventures and beautiful things we saw...
Santorini:
- Stelio and his family were the best hosts. We stayed at Stelio's Place - an amazing and adorable place to stay at Perissa Beach. Family run. We loved it.
- Black sand beach - Perissa beach - only a two minute walk from where we slept. Laid out, umbrellas, sea.
- Santo Wines - we went wine tasting here one of our days. Talk about where to get married! Crazy views and great wines Vinsanto is soooo yummy.. why didn't I buy any!? Must look online.. on ebay!?
- Greek salads, sundried tomatoes, tomato balls, free shots after every meal, delcious delicious food.
- Dance party which we started one night at one of the bars. So much fun. "Don't speak no Americano."
- Red beach- we walked there one of the days and claimed our mermaid rock out in the water where we laid and jumped (ok more like slid) into the water and were in heave.
- Day tour on a Pirate ship - hiked up the Volcano, swam in hot springs, and watched the sunset in Oia with a thousand other people. Think white buildings with blue shutters/roofs and cute little cobblestone roads.
- Being with eachother again and having amazing conversations and enjoying each others company. Love my turkeys.
Naxos:
- we rented a quad one day and drove all throughout Naxos. Megan wants to bottle the amazing Naxos country smell.
-GEORGE! - made friends with an old man in a cute town while quading where he paid for our coffees, then said goodbye and then as we are leaving we see he is literally at the next restaurant where he calls us over and buys us raki shots (specialty drink of Naxos), and then after that takes us to his house where we meet his wife, two of his ten grandchildren, a cousin, and a friend. When we left he gave us two bags full of cucumbers, tomatoes, and grapes from his garden which I carted around all day because of the heat. Oy. Loved loved loved George.
- Lived in a cute place, also run by an amazing family who gave us food and drinks everyday such as greek salad, wine, cake, and the Dad's homemade Raki. Next to an excavation sight where they found a baby in an Urn, a huge pottery pot, and more graves all a thousand years old or something. It was pretty wild.
- Climbing Mt. Zeus to crawl into a cave. So sketchy. No signs, no warnings, nothing. Warning from a man coming down the mountain - "caves 200m ahead (how far is that people!?). Have fun and take care." It was pretty hilarious. On the climb down the rocks we definitely kept repeating "think like a turtle" so we wouldn't go tumbling down the cliff.
- falling (or flying?) goat signs
- learning Greek! Efharisto! Parakalo! Yasus!
- eating Mexican food (twice!). It was so delcious. I miss Mexican SO much.
- yummy tapas restaurant in Chora called Mesedonia or something like that. Rice filled Tomato and Pepper, Babaganousch like something, cheese, potatoes, 1L white wine. yumm yumm yumm.
Paros:
- Niko - our french receptionist man who was stressing over everything at the campsite where we stayed
- white chapstick sunscreen which Megs and I put on without knowing our lips would literally be turned white
- everyone thinking we were Greek (must be the dark skin, or the fact that there aren't too many tourists there?)
- Antiparos cave - 100m deep and filled with dates from people all the way back to the 1700s.
- Gelato/sorbet. Ntella/pistacio and strawberry/mango
- Punda Beach - loved it so much we went back.
- AMAZING freshly made hot donut holes covered in melted chocolate and cookie crumbs. HEAVEN.
- Cates and kitty cats. ALL over the Greek Islands we saw really.
- Cancun in Greece - so many highschoolers.
- Naoussa - favorite city that we saw.
- Antonio! - well that is what we named our campsite chauffeur who looked like Antonio Banderas and would drive 21+ people packed into a van that should hold only 10 people multiple times a day.
- Delcious food every night. Plus, for me, Sesame bars every day. Spoiled. We are so spoiled.
- Clear sandy blue-green beaches everywhere (yay no sharks!!!!!) I spent so much time in the water. LOVE.
- getting lost every night in the streets in Naoussa.
- Everyone honks. Not sure why, but there is a constant honking going on. Hello? Good bye? Get out of the street? Move? Who knows.
All in all the Greek Islands we visited were amazing. The only sad part was not having Stephanie along for the whole time (she left after Santorini) and then of course leaving the islands and each other. I love those girls so much, they are such fabulous and inspiring people and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I am so excited for our next adventure!
Now I am in Eichstätt, my German home in Bavaria visiting my wonderful German family and celebrating Johanna's birthday (yesterday) and Ben's (Thursday) and then back I go to Frankfurt where the family gets back on the 10th from the States. I think that was enough for today! Phew! Photos to come soon.
