Wednesday in Salerno

Pictures: 1) Salerno's coast, 2) a fountain in the Villa Communale, 3) the Duomo di San Matteo, 4) looking down on Vietri from the train station, 5) at the shorline of Vietri

Today I woke up at 9:15 and had a breakfast of milk and cookies (no, I'm not kidding) with Anna (the French Anna). These people really aren't into healthy breakfasts!! She had to leave for class at 10:30, so I went left with her then took the map she'd given me and started off.
I walked all around the old city and along the coastline. It was (thankfully) a beautiful day. I went to see this old church calld the Duomo di San Matteo built in 1076 after the Norman occupation. I also saw a garden called the Villa Comunale which was very beautiful. For lunch I stopped in a little pizzeria type place and had a pizza-shaped tuna, lettuce, and tomato sandwich (the bread was like pizza crust on top and bottom). Of course after that I had to have gelato, and I accidentally ordered banana and amaretto flavor (ick!) - I thought of dad though - he would have liked it a lot!

After walking around Salerno for quite some time, I caught the 2:07 train to Vietri which is on the Amalfi coast. It is famous for it's ceramics and almost every shop seemed to be a ceramics shop. I bought something small (but it may be a gift, so I won't say what it is!), but there were so many beautiful painted tiles and wall hangings. Mom would have loved to get one, and they were very reasonably priced - I'm bummed I can fit so little in my luggage. As it is, I may have to mail a few things home (since I still have 2 months of collecting knick knacks!).

I walked around Vietri for such a long time trying to find out how to get down to the beach. Finally, I went into a patisserie and got a cookie and asked the guy "how can I walk" (making walking motions with my fingers) "to la playa?" And he pointed out the way, which I'm not sure how I missed the first 10 times I'd gone past it. haha The beach wasn't too exciting, but the water was very beautiful. I plan to go to Amalfi (the town) on Friday which is supposed to be really extraordinary.

Anyway, I got back to Anna's flat right at 5 when she said she'd be home. I was planning on leaving for Rome on Friday, but Anna told me that there is a HUGE free concert in Rome for May day (May 1st) which is Friday and practically everyone it Italy is going to Rome. This explained why no couch surfers had responded to my request and the hostels I'd looked up were all full. However, I can't stay with Anna Friday night because she and her friends are taking a bus into Rome and back (it will probably be very late). Thus, Anna walked with me down to a hostel in Salerno and I booked a bed there for 17.5o Euros. It looks like a nice place and they said I could drop my luggage off at the crack of dawn that day (since we have to leave Anna's flat at 7 am). I'm going to be so tired Friday...

I am starting to get a little bit homesick. Having left the Anna in Greece and her warm, welcoming family, it has made me miss that kind of homey environment and my friends/family back in the states. It doesn't help to learn that two of my best friends, Ashley and Tiffany will both be living in Asheville starting this summer. :'( Selfishly, I want them to stay in Charlotte.

Well, I will update again tomorrow.

Oh Italia!

Pictures: 1) with Mysterio (Anna's cat) before leaving, 2) on the ferry in the Patra port, 3) outside the train station in Bari, 4) dancing with Anna's castionettes (sp?), 5) people at the cultural dancing

What a busy couple days! On Monday Anna and I woke up, ate breakfast, then I packed and got ready to go while we chatted. I caught a cab to the bus station and took the 2 pm bus back to Patra. From there I took a “Superfast Ferry” which left at 6 pm toward Bari, Italy. The ferry was not to arrive in Bari until 9:30 am. I paid for an upgrade from ‘deck passage’ which comes free with the Euro Rail to ‘air seat’ which is like a nicer airplane seat. The upgrade was 18 euros, which it turns out I didn’t need to pay because there were so few people who wanted air seats I could have just gone in the room - no one checked to see if you had a ticket or not.

The ferry had a cafeteria area, a bar, 2 lounges, a reception desk, a couple outdoor decks and the ‘air seat’ room. This room looked a bit like a movie theatre and was kept fairly dark. It was arranged like this: 3 seats, aisle, 5 seats, aisle, 2 seats. I met some girls in there from California and we started talking. They were from a small town outside Lake Tahoe and had never even been on a plane before this trip! (They were 19, 19, and 22). They had just come from Santorini where they also stayed in Perissa, but they never left the town to see Fira or Oia and they were there for 5 days! It seemed like they were just very sheltered and scared to try things (especially the 2 sisters - the other one had really wanted to go do things). But as the 22 year old told me - “It was just so many firsts - first flight, first ferry, first train…we were just worn out and wanted to rest. It’s sort of overwhelming.” I guess. When they found out I was traveling alone they were like “whoa, you’re brave.” haha

Anyway, I talked to them a bit, then used the internet (which was SO slow on the ship), then I wrote a letter to Anna’s family (if you are reading this Anna pretend it’s a surprise when you get your mail!), and I tried to go to sleep at 11. I decided to lay down on the ground at the foot of one of the 5 seat aisles (wrapped in a sheet I’d packed). I figured this way I wouldn’t have seat gaps to lay across. This was relatively fine, except all night I was freezing - I actually woke up at one point and put on another pair of socks and a sweat shirt, but I wished I’d had a hat! Around 4 am I moved to the row of seats…it was a rather fitful night.

While we were supposed to arrive at 9:30, we actually arrived at 8:30, so at 7:30 the announcements started up. Breakfast was closed by the time I made it to the dining hall, so I had a chocolate chip muffin - that’s what you call a healthy breakfast.

The CA girls and I split a cab to the train station (they were going to Rome), and then we paid to leave our luggage there while we went to find lunch and check out the city. Around lunch time I started feeling pretty bad, and by the time we finished our pizza and got gelato (my favorite part of Italy) I felt very faint and sick. It was probably in part due to the unhealthy/sugary breakfast combined with gelato and pizza for lunch. Anyway, I didn’t feel up to walking into the city, which is a shame, so one of the girls (Kayla) and I went back to the train station while the two sisters went to some vintage shop.

We had to buy reservations (15 euros each) for the train we took because it was a high speed train. They were taking it all the way to Rome, and I was switching part way. The train was quite crowded, but it was a good, smooth train which I liked. I didn’t get to sit with the girls because of our reservations, so I didn’t see them again.

After I got off I immediately boarded a train for Naples, then from there a train to Salerno where Anna (another Anna) met me at the train station. She is hosting me Tues/Wed/Thurs nights. She walked with me back to her flat, which is very nice (I have my own double room!) and made me spaghetti with tuna and garlic (very yummy) while I put on my dance clothes. After dinner, she took me to her dance class which was (get this!) a class of cultural dances from southern Italy! How completely fortuitous!! I learned so many amazing, fun dances, and the teachers were very excited to have me there and the whole atmosphere of the class was like a big family (it reminded me of tango/salsa back home). Half way through they brought out all this food - traditional cakes, breads and cookies, wine, soda, and water. I had too much cake! Lol I also learned the Tarantula (which is one of the dances that was in my original proposal for the Phillip’s Scholarship). It was such an amazing experience, and it was free!

I’m back now, showered and exhausted, but they don’t know the code for the wi fi, so I won’t be able to post until tomorrow. Anna has class tomorrow (she’s here studying from France where she’s from), so I’ll explore Salerno on my own and check out the Amalfi coast if it’s a nice day.

Sunday in Agrinio

Anna and I slept until 10:30 today and after we got up and had breakfast, we watched “Bride Wars” and I painted her nails. She showed everyone all day, saying how talented I am, which made me laugh since it was only plain red - not even a French manicure or anything. We wanted to go hiking, but the day was overcast and we didn’t have much time anyway since lunch was at 2 and she had to be at work at 4:30.

I went to work with her to Fairytale Land where I read some of my book then talked with Anna as she manned the cash register (I sat at the bar in front of her). I also walked around the facility. All the moon bounces were inflated today and they looked like a lot of fun. They also have some cool animals that I looked at - llamas, swans, rams, deer, and ostrich. The ostrich (ostriches?) were the coolest - their feet look like dinosaur feet and they walk like the way dinos in movies walk. It was pretty neat. Anna said if they kick you their legs are so strong they can kill you (like kangaroos I guess).

Later when there were less kids around, I went and jumped on one of the trampolines and this 7 year old girl got on with me and we jumped together. She enjoyed copying everything I did. We moved from moon bounce to trampoline for an hour and a half before I was thoroughly exhausted and went back to the café area and hung out with Anna and her friends for an hour before coming home. Anna wanted to go to a club with her cousin, so I told her to go (I am too tired to have gone).

Tomorrow I leave for Patra on the bus at 2 pm, then I take a ferry at 6 pm for Bari, Italy, arriving at about 8:30 am. Long ride! From there I’ll take the train to Salerno, Italy where I’ll couch surf with another girl named Anna. Small world. Anyway, may not update in a while - but will as soon as I can!

Friday and Saturday in Agrinio

Pictures: 1) Anna's balcony, 2) Anna in the park, 3) me on the swing

On Friday Anna and I got up around 10, ate a leisurely breakfast of toast, jam, cookies, milk and oranges, and then went for coffee with her boyfriend Chris at a pub. I taught them how to play gin (but I think they have a similar game here because they got it right away and beat me four times). lol

After that Anna and I came back to her house and had lunch with her mom and step-dad. They made an amazing meal of meat patties with salad and potatoes and bread. It was really good - Harry (her step-dad) promised he'd give the recipe to Anna to translate it for me (for the meat).

After that Anna and I watched Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Supernatural online. We sat around talking until Chris came to pick us up again and we went out to the same pub where we sat around talking and met her best friend and her boyfriend. We didn't get back until almost 1 am, and I was so tired I went straight to sleep.

Today I didn't wake up until 11:15 and after breakfast we walked into the city centre and did some window shopping. I didn't find anything, but it was nice to walk around and see everything. On the way home we went through a park that was really nice and swung on some swings. lol We came back to the hosue for a lunch of fish, salad, bread, and potatoes. Anna had to go to Fairytale Land (the name of the playground thing) for work, but her mom or Harry will take me there in a couple hours to join her (otherwise I'd get bored waiting around for 5 hours).

Now I'm watching "The Reader" on Anna's laptop while I type this on mine.

In Agrinio

Pictures: 1) Anna on the phone in her living room, 2) with Anna at a Greek bar - having my first full drink (white wine and sprite), 3) Anna and her boyfriend Chris, 4) my bed (in blue) in her room

After finishing my paper last night I went to a metro station called Victoria (in Athens) where I met Olga. She is 33 but looks younger and agreed to host me at the last minute. I immediately liked her - such a kind, sweet, talented person. We walked from the station to her house and she insisted that she help me with my luggage because we had to walk uphill to reach her apartment. She took my quite heavy backpack from me and would not give it back until we got there. Lol
Her apartment was very tiny, with a tiny entry way that serves as a dining room (holding a small kitchen table for 2), a miniscule kitchen, bathroom and one bedroom. It was probably only a little bigger than my dorm room, but, it was clean and cozy and just perfect. She had a fold away bed set up in her room for me that had a memory foam mattress on top. As I got settled she made me dinner - Greek salad (with tomatoes, cucumber, feta and hard bruchetta bread on the side with excellent olive oil). She loves to cook and I promised to send her some recipes from home (maybe my mom’s famous cream cheese cookies or potato soup).

After that we walked about 10 minutes to a bar where other couch surfers were having a meeting. There were at least 30 CSers there and I met/talked with many nice people from all over the world. I talked to two French guys who were traveling the world and I told them if they made it to NC then they had a place to stay. I have been quite impressed with the French people I’ve met - all have been very nice and non-creepy. Lol I also met a girl from Alaska, a girl from Oregon, other Greeks of course, Italians, and probably more.

We left there about 11:15, and I got ice cream on the way home (I can’t help it - is is so good here! I got chocolate orange flavor…mmm). Olga gave me a towel and let me use her soap and shampoo and even offered me slippers if I wanted them. We chatted about boys and jobs and life. She has three jobs: secretary at a hospital, translator/editor for medical texts, and singer. I wish we’d had the time so I could go see her sing somewhere. I got up at 7:45 as she had to leave for work at 8:30 and when I got up she had cereal, milk, bread and butter sitting out for me. I was sad to leave so soon and she said she also wished I could have stayed longer. What a great first couch surfing experience!

This morning I stopped by an internet café quickly to get Anna’s phone number (the girl I’m staying with tonight in Agrinio). Now I’m on a train to Patra and from there will take a bus to Agrinio. On the train I have been talking to a retired couple who live on their sail boat where they split their time between Greece and Turkey, but they go back to NY for a few months each year. The man, Tony, is Greek but speaks 5 languages fluently, and the woman, Maryann, is from Brooklyn. They told me about many of the places they had seen and suggestions of where I should go. They were happy I had the guts to travel Europe alone. Maryann said her brother won’t even let his daughter (who is 20) go to Greece with a friend to visit them! Talk about over-protective! They said they think this is wonderful for me to do as so many Americans know very little about other places and cultures.

I very much enjoyed talking to them and not worrying about speaking too fast. Haha They said it was a shame I’m leaving Greece soon because I could have couch surfed with them on their sailboat.

Well, I think I’m almost to Patra, so I will try to write more later from Anna’s house.
I’m at Anna’s house now - it is so big! They have an amazing balcony and a large living/dining room and several bedrooms etc. It feels like a real home and I’m so happy to be here. Anna is actually not Irish (I thought she was) - she just loves Ireland and wants to move there eventually. However she doesn’t look as Greek as many Greeks do - she has hazel eyes and long medium brown hair. She is the only one who speaks English though, which will be a bit frustrating for her parents and boyfriend when we gab on in English. Tonight we are going to watch one of the movie I bought in the market the other day (I got Revolutionary Road, The Reader, and Bride Wars for 9 euros).

I really like Anna and I look forward to spending a few days with her!

Tues Night/Wed in Athens

Pictures: 1) view from the restaurant where I had lunch with Lucky on Tues, 2) Paul, Mickael, and Jerome being silly at dinner, 3) again, 4) the acropolis by night

Last night after finishing reading the Bleak House spark notes (which took about three hours) and figuring out my paper topic, the roomies returned. Paul came in quite distraught - his wallet had been pick-pocketed from his bag. He lost 50 euros, his license, and one credit card. I commiserated with him, but reminded him it could have been worse (like when I lost mine with 100 pounds, 2 cards, student card, and tube pass). OH, by the way, the hostel found my retainers so I have them back now!! I was SO excited - after only a week of not wearing them they were already tight - so glad I didn’t have to go three months without wearing them - my teeth would look terrible when I returned!

For a while we sat around talking, until we decided to go get dinner about 10:30 (normal Greek time). We found a place where (surprise, surprise) I got a pork gyro. Lol Afterward I got some amazing ice cream and the total of both was 6 euros.

When we got back to the hostel about 11:30 we talked some more until about 1. We talked about movies and songs, and it was funny trying to figure out if a movie I spoke of was one they’d seen but with a different name in France. I then showed them my blog with the pictures from the night before and I was reading it out loud (slowly) and Paul was reading over my shoulder and when he saw that I was calling Chris “Sheeps” he said “No, no, not sheeps. Sheeps.” And then he made a motion like he was eating chips. Apparently this whole time they had been calling him “Chips” but pronouncing it “Sheeps” because they are French. I started laughing so hard I was crying. We were all in fits of laughter. Afterward we practiced saying “chips” with the ‘ch’ sound instead of the ‘sh’ sound. Then we looked up this tv series on IMDB and found out that it was from 1977 and it is called Chips (and all the cops in the show wear huge glasses). Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop calling Chris “Sheeps” in my head. Lol

They went out at 1 am since it was their last night, and I called home then went to bed. Today we all checked out and left our stuff at reception while we went shopping. I finally found a pair of Greek sandals I wanted for 18 euros. They are real leather and I think they are pretty cool looking.

The rest of the day I’m going to work on my paper and then meet Olga (a couch surfer girl) at 8:30 - we’ll drop my stuff at her place, make dinner, then meet up with some other couch surfers for a get-together (and maybe see some dancing). Tomorrow morning I leave for that other city in Greece where Anna from Ireland will host me. She works at a children’s play center with animals and trampolines and swing sets and such, so she said if I want I can go to work with her a little bit (her father owns it so she works there part time). That sounds like

Monday and Tuesday in Athens

Pictures: 1) my Greek salad for lunch (and the stuff I picked out on the left), 2) Sarah, Chris (Sheeps), Mickael, Jerome, Paul (center) me in club, 3) all of us with the waiter in front at the dancing club, 4) dancing with Paul

After meeting up with the waiter, Lucky, for a coffee (well, he had coffee, I had water) I took a nap. After I woke up my roommates in the hostel returned - they are three French guys. Paul (24), Mickael (27), and Jerome (25). Paul is getting what I think is a masters in history so he can teach, Mickael works in computer science, and Jerome works at a water treatment plant. They came here because Paul wanted to see the history in Athens. They are all very nice and try very hard to understand my “very fast” English. Lol I try to speak more slowly, and we have interesting conversations trying to figure out what each other mean. I went to dinner at Lucky’s restaurant where it was again “on the house” and came back so full I could barely walk. I sat around with the guys chatting until we decided to join Chris and Sarah (who work in the hostel) at a club nearby. Chris has very big glasses and the French guys all call him “Sheeps” after some American cop show from the 80s or something.

At the club we sat around talking, and it was very interesting because Chris (Sheeps) is from Sweden, Sarah is from Finland, the guys are French and I’m American. It was a good time (minus the smoke in the place). Sheeps, Paul and I really wanted to dance, so we went to a different bar that had good dance music. Sheeps, being gay, was quite the dance enthusiast, and Paul was very good as well. Sarah, Sheeps, Paul and I danced for at least an hour before I got very tired. They were going to go to yet another club (at 1:30 am) but they walked me back to the hostel first.

It struck me as cool that the French guys, though not gay, were cool with hanging out with such a flagrantly gay guy like Sheeps. I think he amused them (and all of us) to no end.
I went to bed after doing things online around 2:30 am, but they didn’t get back until about 5 am!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay in the hostel again tonight, but I decided I would and Wednesday night I’m going to stay with a couch surfing host. Thursday morning I’ll take a train to Patras, Greece, then a train to Agrinion where an Irish girl who lives there now will host me for a few days before I head for Italy. Her house is close to the forest and the beach, which will be nice.

Today I went to the port with Lucky where we had lunch by the water which was nice (he said we had to go there because it was his favorite). I had penne pasta with chicken and veggies. It was nice to have something other than a gyro for once.

Now I’m back in the hostel sitting on my top bunk listening to Paul play “Oh Susanna” on his harmonica while the other 2 hum along. I just enlightening them to the fact that the song actually has words and I will look them up in a second (since I can only remember the chorus). Haha, now he’s playing Davy Crocket (this is making me laugh).

After this I’m going to finish reading the Bleak House spark notes (I don’t have time to finish the book) then start thinking about my paper. Around 8 the guys and I will probably go to dinner.
Don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow - probably more paper writing.

Sunday and Monday

Sunday was my last day in Santorini. I woke up very late and went down to the beach where I laid in the sand for a while. It was overcast so only the sand was very warm. Then I snuck into a nearby hostel to use their free wi-fi since the one at my hotel was closed for easter. There were lamb roasts all along the beach because of Easter and firecrackers being exploded all day long. Later I went to dinner with Alana (a girl from New Zealand who was staying in my hostel) and we walked along the beach seeing what all was open. She's going to stay and work in Santorini until September so is looking for a job and a place to stay. I took her by Tony's to show her an example of an apt she could look into and to meet him and Vanessa and Andrew who live next door. I said good-bye to Tony, Vanessa, and Andrew and went to bed fairly early since I had to get up at 5 am to go to the airport.

I arrived in Athens around 8 am, and returned to the hostel I stayed in last time. I booked one night here, still hoping to find someone to couchsurf with for Tues and Wed night. I then met up with Lucky (the waiter from before) and we walked around the city a bit. He doesn't speak a lot of English so it was frustrating for me to talk with him, but he is a nice guy and it was a pleasant morning. I then took a nap. lol Don't know what I'm going to do tonight - hopefully I'll meet some people at the hostel to hang out with.

Friday Night/Saturday

Pictures: 1) in Fira with Lucy and Secilia, 2) Lucy and Gabriel hanging out by the pool, 3) Vanessa and Andrew, 4) Tony and me (Tony is trying to tell Andrew he has his finger in front of the lense...), 5) the moon

Last night turned out a lot more eventful than I predicted. By the pool in my hostel a group of people had gathered including the Brazilian and Columbian girls who moved into the room next to me, and some people from the ground floor who were Canadian, Argentinean, and New Zealander. We all sat around until 11:45 talking (mostly about all the countries in the world where we’d been). Gabriel, the guy from Canada, reminded me a lot of my cousin Michael and it was nice to talk to him and pretend it was my family. Lol At quarter to 12 we walked down to the beach and along the strip toward the church. When we got there the service was just letting out and everyone was holding a candle and lighting VERY loud fire cracker things in the streets. There were also some fireworks. It was quite a spectacle. We also went into the church which was very ornate and watched the line of people waiting to kiss the bible. Very strange.

Gabriel and I lost the others but ran into Zak (this 18 year old kid who works in the internet place attached to my hotel). Zak turned 18 yesterday and I’d taught him some salsa lessons earlier in the day so he and his buddies came with us to beach bar where the dancing scene was supposed to be. He would say “teacher, we dance teacher.” He was quite inebriated but it was pretty funny. He would show all the girls in the bar the moves he’d learned.
At beach bar I ran into Tony, Vanessa and Andrew per usual, but it was Vanessa’s 21st b-day so she wasn’t working. Instead, she was incredibly drunk, but I think it made her a bit more friendly which was good. Earlier in the day she’d bitten my head off about something very trivial, and last night she was all: “I really like you - you’re a really cool girl - and I’m not a girl person, I’m a guy person because I always played sports.”

Gabriel ended up going elsewhere to find the others from before and I stayed with the three of them. Half way through the night a girl noticed that I was missing an earring (one of my new Greek ones) and I was so upset. Everyone started searching the floor for me and even touching the really gross, wet, dirty floor looking for it. About an hour later one of the bar managers found it and gave it to Zak to give to me. It was only a little bent out of shape and I fixed it - thank goodness! I’m sick of losing stuff.

By 3 am, Tony, Vanessa, Andrew and I were the only people still dancing (though Tony was furious because the DJ was pretty terrible). I was really tired so Tony was going to walk me home, but some rather sketchy characters came into the bar and were talking to Vanessa, and Tony didn’t want to leave without knowing that Andrew was okay to get her home. Finally, we all left together at 3:30, with Vanessa in her 4 inch heels swaying dangerously down the street as Andrew held onto her and Tony and I were on guard to catch her if she fell. On the way we passed a very dark stretch of beach and I noticed the moon - it was Halloween orange and a crescent shape, hovering right over the water an casting an orangey glow all the way to the shore. The stars too were so brilliant it was breathtaking. I missed stars and the moon in London. Tony says the moon is like that but full and HUGE in August - looking like a planet from the Star Wars movies that is so close you feel like you can reach out and pluck it from the sky. Wish I could see that moon!

After showering and everything I ended up not getting in bed until after 4, so I slept today until 12:30. Lol Katerina (the wife of John - I.e. the partial owner of the hotel) said she’d do my laundry today for 5 euro, so I got up just long enough to bring it to her at 10 am.
Now I think I’m going to go down to the beach and read. It’s overcast today so it’s too cold for swimming, but laying around shouldn’t be too bad. I found wireless at this youth hostel by the beach and I'm sitting in their lobby pretending I'm staying here. lol Will write more later if anything exciting happens.

Saturday in Santorini

Today was pretty good. I took the bus into Fira, walked around, found a shirt I wanted, and talked to the owner of a jewelry shop for about 2 hours. His name was Thanos and we had a nice talk - he'd lived in the US previously and other places around the world. We had a really nice chat and I think I may hang out with him and his friends tomorrow for the festivals in Fira.

Tonight there will be lots of parties on the beach at midnight when church gets out so I will probably be going to those for a little bit. Not too much to report today...hopefully tomorrow.

I wanted to rent an ATV to go see the sunset in Akrotiri, but I realized I didn't have my license and mom still hadn't emailed it to me so I'm stuck here and I can't get one tomorrow b/c everything is closed for Easter. (Including internet).

Well, I'm tired so I think I'll take a nap.

Santorini on Friday

Today was a lazy day. I was going to go with Tony to Akrotiri to see the light house, but he wasn’t feeling too well. I took my book down to the beach where I ran into Vanessa and Andrew and we all laid around for several hours (she was applying loads of baby oil to her already super-olive skin, and I was pasting on the sun block lol). Tony joined us after a while and we all talked/read/listened to our ipods. I finally got the guts to go into the water (which is SO cold). However, once I was out there a little bit, it got a bit better and the water is so salty that you float easily. I was also amazed at how clear it was - I really wished I had a snorkel mask because about 10 feet out the rock ledge drops off and it gets deeper and the bottom is sandy white with lovely rock formations. If there were no waves I could have seen it clearly just by looking downward. It was nice to be able to see what was around me in the ocean. I have definitely never swum in water that clear.

I left the beach after a while to come back, shower, and use the internet. I also got some bad news. When I was in Athens I left the hostel in the middle of the night while another girl was sleeping, so I had to pack in the dark. I thought I’d gotten everything, but I realized a day and a half later that I’d left my box with my retainers in it on the ledge below the window behind the curtains. I called the hostel right away and the girl said the maid hadn’t mentioned anything and that she’d check in the morning, but I just got an email saying they have been looking everywhere and haven’t found them. I don’t know why anyone would steal them, so maybe someone just threw them away? I don’t know, but I do know that I’m very distressed. Not only are they $200 to replace, but by the time I get back, my teeth will have shifted (especially since my last wisdom tooth is coming in). I’m going to stop by the hostel when I return to Athens on Monday, but if they still haven’t been found, I don’t know what I will do. I’m very upset. (Everyone who knows me knows how careful I am about my teeth). It is going to be so hard to keep up with all my things going from one place to the next…I suppose everything I lose will make me more careful the next time. *sighs*

Tonight I might just go down to the beach to see the stars - they are very beautiful here since there are no clouds. That's about it. Tomorrow I think I'll go to Akrotiri.

Thusday in Santorini

Photos: the mountain I climbed, on top of the mountain, with the ancient church in Ancient Fira, looking down on Perissa, Chris-Jason-Tony-Andrew

Maria-Fernanda and her mother left Thursday morning for Mikinos (another island). I was so sad to see them go, but we had breakfast together and we promised to keep in touch. Maria is living in Dublin but is hoping to travel again starting mid or late May, so she may join me somewhere. She goes back to Brazil in August and she said I have to come visit her - which I fully intend on doing! She said that (though she didn’t appreciate it when she was there) Brazil is beautiful and I would love it. Eventually she will come to the states too. I can’t wait to see her again - we had a lot in common and she was a lovely girl!

At 11 am Tony and I left to climb to the top of the mountain in Perissa. It was a bit of a hike, but the day was truly beautiful and with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. I’m glad I didn’t do it alone because it was a bit rough in spots and if you fell it may be hard to get back alone. At the top of the mountain was ancient Fira. It is 3,000 years old!! They are mostly ruins, but the church up there is still in pretty good shape (considering). The view from the top was out of this world. You could see all of Perissa and on the other side of the mountain was the town of Kamari. The water looked so inviting from up there!!

The wind was very strong, so we were careful not to get too close to the edges, but it was great.
On the way down we saw this cool rock that was flat on top so we climbed up to it and sat there for a rest break and I ate the banana and some cookies I’d brought along. I felt like I was on top of the world and I kept thinking “this is what life is about.”

After we got to the bottom Tony went to talk to a friend at the Blues Bar who he is helping with advertising and I came back to the hotel to put my bathing suit on. I grabbed my book and headed down to the beach but ended up running into Tony again who had done the same thing after he talked to the bar manager. Lol So, we ended up “taking the sun” as Maria-Fernanda would say (I.e. sunbathing) and chatting. (The water was still too cold to swim and the wind was a bit chilly). After about an hour I grabbed a gyro from the same place I went the other night and then came back here to use the internet.

I went to the Blues Bar tonight because it was "ladies night" and they were handing out flowers and Tony had been advertising for it so I felt like I should make an apperance, but it wasn't very popular so I left and on the walk back passed another bar called Atlas where I ran into Chris and Jason (who are from Hilton Head and are staying at the Katerina and John Hotel as well). They both work on the island. I stopped by there and talked to them for a while, then I got to drive Chris's RTV down to Beach Bar where we ran into Vanessa, Andew (from canada) and Tony who'd left Blues. The music was good there and I danced for a long time. I didn't get back to my room utnil 2 am, but it was so nice to dance again (even if I was more or less the only one dancing per usual).

Sadly, Lieselotte (who was supposed to meet me in Munich on May 13th) is not going to make it until the end of May where she’ll arrive in Holland. Thus, I have more time to sort of tweak my schedule to what I want until then. I fly back to Athens Monday and I think I’ll stay there at least 2 more days and then maybe go somewhere else in Greece. I’ve heard from a lot of people that Italians aren’t as welcoming, friendly, or as willing/able to speak English as Greeks (not to mention that Italy is more expensive), so I might spend a bit less time there and a bit more here. I now fully understand why people get here and don’t want to leave. Lol
I’m so happy. I love England, I love the country, but I wasn’t as happy as I am here (probably because I didn’t really have any friends/people to hang out with).

Wednesday in Santorini

Photos: 1) Maria and I walking down to Fira's port, 2) Me on the path, 3) on my donkey, 4) with Maria in Oia for the sunset

Today was lovely. Maria-Fernanda, Denise and I went to the black beach of Perissa first and took some photos, then we took the car to Fira again, walking around and shopping some more. I bought Greek earrings, ring, and bracelet as well as some post cards and souvenirs for friends/family. We were thinking about taking the three hour trip to the volcano island in the middle of the caldera, but it is 18 euros, plus you have to pay to get down to the port and back up (unless you walk the 600 steps). We decided against it, since you can't see actual lava anyway, and instead Maria and I walked down to the port (her mom was tired and took a nap in the car). At the port we sunbathed and enjoyed the beautiful weather and water. We took the donkeys back up for 5 euros which was quite fun.

From there we drove to the port at Oia again and had a late lunch. We just had bread and salad because the fish was very expensive, but the view and the weather in Aramoodi (that's how it's pronounced not spelled - it's Oia's port) were lovely. After that we took Denise back to the hotel and put on warmer clothes to go see the sunset from Oia. The sunset was a bit better tonight, but there were still some low-laying clouds; however, we had the best seat in the place - sitting on this white wall that overlooked the city and the sunset and a beautiful Greek flag. We got some great photos.

Now, Maria and her mom are at dinner, but I'm just going to make a sandwich - the internet cafe closes soon so I needed more time. I'm going to wait to put up photos until I get the ones off Maria's camera as well.

I'm so sad they are leaving tomorrow :'( However, I'm going to climb the nearby mountain up to ancient Fira with Tony and maybe some others tomorrow morning. Then I think I'll hit the beach (it's supposed to be warmer) and read. I thought I'd have so much time to just chill here and get my work done, but alas, I'm busy as ever! lol

Monday night and Tuesday in Santorini

Pictures: 1) view from Fira down to the port, 2) Oia, 3) Denise, Maria-Fernanda, Me in Fira, 4) Maria-Fernanda and me in Oia port, 5) Sisterhood port!, 6) Maria and me on the red beach, 7) Maria, me and Lauren from Duke in Oia

Monday night I walked down the beach to this gyro place and ordered a pork gyro (pita with pork, lettuce, tomato, tzaiki) for 2 euros - can’t beat that. There were two American girls in front of me and I asked where they were from - one was from around Las Vegas and the other from Connecticut but both were studying in England (one at Oxford one at Essex). I ended up eating by the beach with Alex and Kristi (their names) and they told me about a great restaurant to try sometime and that their hostel had free wi-fi (in case I decide to try it out lol). Hopefully I’ll see them again before we leave.

Tuesday morning I ran into the people living in the room next to mine in the hotel. They are a mother (Denise) and daughter (Maria Fernanda - age 20) from Brazil. They told me they were thinking about renting a car to go around the island and did I want to join? I said definitely! We got a car for 24 hours for 20 euros (because I told the people I’d heard it was 20 elsewhere - which I had). First we drove to the red beaches of Akrotiri which were so beautiful. They are red because of the phase of burning they received from the volcanic eruption.

Next we drove to Fira, stopping periodically to take pictures on the way. The whole island is so beautiful it is hard to believe your eyes. In Fira we walked around and looked in many shops (it is the capital so there are the most there). I bought a bathing suit for 15 euros (the cheapest I could find since they aren’t in season yet) and a sterling silver toe ring (with an ancient stair step design) for 5 euros. We had more gyros for lunch (I got chicken this time) and then we drove to Oia’s small port.

At the port in Oia we got out of the car and I knew immediately that this was it - the place from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie where so much of the action takes place. I saw where Lena jumps off the dock into the water, where the fishing boats were, the rock where the girls sat to watch the sunset - I was beyond ecstatic and I was SO wishing my girls from Chapel Hill, my inspiration for my own young adult novel, were there with me to experience it. However, Maria Fernanda and I had a great time. The water was perfectly clear and a mix of greens and blues. The waves were again, large, which made sense since the wind was blow-you-over strong. It was okay in the sun, but by the evening we were quite cold.

After exploring the port we decided to drive up to the town (it’s on the top of the cliffs and you can take a donkey up or walk, but it would take a while). We took the long way, exploring more countryside. When we got there we parked and started walking along the little winding footpaths between the houses and shops. And then, when we got to the main area that overlooked the Caldera and the port, WOW. It is the town on all the postcards, and it looks just as beautiful. So many lovely white buildings with blue roofs. Little paths of steps twisting between everyone’s home and business and a view of the sunset that is famous all over the island. I wish I were staying in Oia now. Lol

We picked a nice wall with a great view to sit on to watch the sunset, and even though we were freezing as the sun went down, it was beautiful - however, because there were a few clouds, it was not the best it could have been so we plan to go back. While sitting there we also met a girl from Duke (named Lauren) who we talked with for a while. She is living in Madrid on some sort of graduate program and said I am welcome to stay with here when I’m there. Sweet!
I am meeting so many amazing people - it makes you wonder how many people in this life we are missing out on meeting by living in one place.

After sunset we drove back to Perissa and used the internet (but they were closing in 45 min so I didn’t have time to write my blog) and then we showered, changed, and went to dinner (at 11 pm!). That is a normal dinner time around here. We went to the restaurant the girls on the beach had told me about and I had spaghetti (being a bit tired of gyros) and steamed veggies all for 8 euros (no tipping in Greece anywhere - it is already added in). I was STUFFED. The man and wife who own the restaurant are wonderful people (the woman is from Illinois and the man is from here). They used to live in Chicago, but he missed his home so much and was so sick of the concrete they moved back here. I am amazed to hear her speak Greek - she said she is learning more everyday and that her son and daughter (pre-school and 5th grade) help her. Lol

It is now Wed morning and I think we may go see the volcano today. Update later!

First Day in Santorini

Pictures: 1) the caldera pre-dawn, 2) my hotel, 3) on the black sand beach, 4) the beach

I arrived in Santorini at 6:30 am. The flight was SO short - about 25 minutes in the air. I was nearly passing out from exhaustion when we arrived and was thankful that the hostel owner, John, was there on time to pick me up. (If you buy a private room they pick you up/drop you off at the hostel). The name of it is Katerina and John’s Hotel in Perissa (the far side of the island). Half way through the drive John pulled over so I could see the view of the caldera, he pointed out Oia (pronounced Ia where people watch the sunset) and Fira (the capital) and the volcano and the ferry port. It was SO beautiful, even though it was shrouded in mist that was just starting to lift. The moon was still in the sky, and as we drove away the sun was rising in the other direction like a great orange ball. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t help but gaze around in awe.

We got to the hostel/hotel and he showed me to my room. I booked a double hoping someone would come with me, but it was the same price as a single (16 euros a night). Thus I have 2 beds and more room to move around (not to mention an extra pillow). I have my own bathroom and there are 3 windows (one in the bathroom, one in the door, and one by my bed) which offers a great cross-breeze. There is even a TV, though I probably won’t be watching it since I have to finish reading Bleak House while I’m here and write a paper on it. Lol

I went straight to sleep and woke up around 1 pm. I unpacked, dressed, and took my computer to the attached internet café so I could write mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/Tommy and let them know I was safe. Then I walked across the street to the 24 hour bakery where I got a pizza for 2 euros and a pastry filled with apples for 1.70. I took my lunch down to the black sand beach (a 5 minute walk) and sat on the pleasantly warm sand eating and watching a couple trying to brave the cold, huge waves. The water is unbelievable. It is aqua and turquoise. The sands are black from the volcanic eruption thousands of years ago and this makes a nice contrast with the white capped waves. If you look down the beach a huge mountain rises up that apparently you can hike. I’ll do that in the next few days.

When I finished my lunch the 2 people in the water waved over someone down the beach a bit and he came over. I walked up and asked them where they were all from. The couple Vanessa (and I can’t remember his name) were from Canada and the other guy, Tony, was from Detroit and Atlanta, but actually lived in Charlotte for a while opening up about 6 Panera Bread restaurants. He’s somehow involved in the restaurant industry (a consultant of some kind) and he also has real estate all over. Seems like he’s quite accomplished for 30. He apparently came here about 8 months ago and loved it so much he decided to stay a while. The Canadian couple did the same thing. They all stayed at the Katerina and John Hotel when they first arrived, and come here often for internet use and to rent 4 wheelers and vespas.

Vanessa works in a bar nearby which apparently has good music and some dancing so I’m going to go down there tonight to see everyone. Tony said he was going to climb the mountain in the next day or 2, so I think we all might go together and make a group of it. I’m excited - I bet the view from there is amazing!
The waves on the beach were HUGE and Tony said he’d never seen them like that…maybe an effect from the earthquake in Italy? Hmm.

Will write more tonight!