Mykonos
Known as Mediterranean party central around the world, only to
compete with Ibiza. After a month of
traveling and long days at the beach though, our energy was not sufficient
enough for the head-pumping ear-deafening party scene that lasted until
8am. So we took the time to relax on the
beach and I started studying my review guides for med school! We went into
town, filled with white houses and countless nameless tiny streets that wind
their way through. We had a meal on the
water and watched the sun go down.
Brittany and I have basically been on a honeymoon while in Greece, so if
you need any advice for you and your newlywed, give us a shout. We’ll fill your trip with a a view of shooting stars on the beach, the best sunsets in the world, beautiful colored beaches and
grottos, and an umbrella for two.
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| View from our camping site in Mykonos |
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| The typical windmills |
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| Med school things on the beach (in Santorini) |
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| Gorgeous sunsets everywhere |
Santorini
We got in late, but were greeted with a welcome drink on the
beach. We walked up and down the
boardwalk peeking into shops that stay open late for us tourists. Walking past restaurant after restaurant it definitely
beats Knoxville in amount of dining places per square kilometer. Guess who has finally eaten enough vegetables
to make up for only pizza and pasta and Italy? Yep, that’s me. Greek salad, Greek sandwiches, and Greek omelets,
not to mention spinach pie. I got my
greenery for the month! Counteracted with the meat moussaka and fried cheese topped with honey of course. The next
day, US’s independence day, was one of my favorite days in Europe so far. Sleeping in slightly, we barely made it in time for breakfast, but considering it was free, this certain meal was top priority. It trumped brushing hair and almost trumped
changing out of our pajamas. We ran and
were successful.
I used to dislike the beach, unable to relax
when small grains of sand were getting everywhere and I was sweating like none other. I needed to be doing something and
felt like I was wasting time. The small pebble beaches in Europe allow you to be
only salty when exiting the beach, not sandy also. Plus, I have come to appreciate lying on the
beach reading a book. The water was
more salty than normal, making it easier to float and do handstands and other fun childish
things. Later that day we rented ATVs because
Santorini is the perfect size and has plenty to see around the island. I was slightly nervous, having never driven
one before but Brittany was a great teacher.
Let me just say ATVs may be my new favorite motorized vehicle. We drove along the coast, down long stretches
of roads connecting the small towns.
Reaching the red beach first, we took the compulsory tourist picture, made our way to the white beach, then stopped by the ancient city of Akrotiri. One of us drove while the other navigated and was the manual radio. Driver got to pick the song, change the
station, and the backseater would need to come up with an entertaining ditty. Let me just say Grease, Wicked,
Country, ACDC, Bryan Adams, and Whitney Houston made the list. So we’re coasting along the beautiful
Santorini, waving at other ATVers, wind in our hair, and life couldn’t get any
better. When we asked our hotel
receptionist what we should do that day, he advised us to find some boys and
watch the prettiest sunsets in the world. Brittany and I were good enough
company (there wasn’t room enough on the ATV anyway) so we stopped at a
restaurant in Oia and could literally see the sun moving down behind the
horizon, with only ocean in the foreground.
Oia is known for the best sunsets in the world and I can’t wait to share
that with whoever will accompany me next time I'm in Oia. We ended our night with some live music at
the hotel, a sparkler in our drink (perfect for the 4th) and some
wine on the beach. Oh yeah, and the sky
was so clear we could see shooting stars.
A perfect day in paradise.
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| Brittany happy as ever on the ATV |
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| Red Beach |
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| Akrotiri, a 1500 BC town preserved by volcanic ash |
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| People getting in place to watch the sunset in Oia |
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| Oia |
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| I can't tell you how difficult it was to take this picture. We were racing the clock trying to get a good picture before the sun went down and our photographer had had a few too many drinks. |
After a month of traveling, Brittany and I have come to
realize that you can’t completely pack your days because by the end, you’ll be
sick from lack of sleep, exhausted and not enjoy it. She has been the perfect travel mate. We love seeing the history but know when
enough museums/ruins/walking tours are enough.
We like to go out at night but the MTV spring break party is not our
scene. We know when we need to get our
butts out of bed to go explore but also know when our bodies need the sleep. Both of us have our love for food and will
spend a few extra euros on some good cuisine but will save money on street
pizza every now and then. I would love
to travel with her again and hope I get another chance.
Crete
After hours of traveling we arrived in Crete, the largest of
the Grecian islands. We planned to hike
the Samarian Gorge the next day so without planning, we woke up attempting to impulsively do a full day hike.
We missed the bus and looked at our options. Turns out that was a beneficial mistake we made because we ended up paying for an excursion with a guide for the following day. After figuring all that stuff out, we googled
some info about Chania (the city in Crete) and did our own self guided walking
tour. As we walked out onto a large
piece of land connecting one of the oldest lighthouses in Crete to the main
part of the island, we started hearing loud chanting. We sat on the land strip watching from a
quarter kilometer away as what looked like a group of a thousand protestors marching along
the boardwalk. Thoughts went through our
minds as to what it could be. We considered
something with Egypt but realizing that Morsi had just been forced out of power 2
days before, a protest this large would need more planning. We ultimately decided it had to do with the
economic crisis in Greece. We noted the
banners in Greek so we could translate and research it more when we got back to
our hostel. Turns out it was a communist
group protesting the US military base that is in the port we were planning on
departing from the next day. The banner we saw translated to no land, no water for the murderers, close the
Sudabase. This port is helpful for the US because it is close to the north part
of Africa, the EU, as well as the Middle East.
Needless to say, the rest of the trip we were tourists from Canada,
eh. There are quite a few
protests/strikes in Europe and contrary to what the media says, as long as you
stay in the right parts of town and are smart about the situation, many are
peaceful.
We woke up at 530am to catch our 6am bus to the Samaria
Gorge. Created by a small river that ran between the White Mountains, Samaria Gorge has since dried and is a National Park. You are driven to the top at a height of 1200 meters above the base and make your way down. The entire trail in 16km long, including the 3km walk after the gorge to reach the beach. After some much needed orange juice and relaxing your feet in the shallow waves, you take a ferry back to the other side of the island. It was a perfect way to end our trip because
it brought us back to our hiking days in the Smokies with some notable
differences. 1. It was all downhill. 2.
It ended at a gorgeous almost deserted beach. 3. Instead of the sonic slushy
that is tradition post Smokey Mountain hiking trips, we got icecream frappes
and OJ.
Final Thoughts:
This trip has been incredible, one I will never forget. I feel as if I have grown as a person in a
way that is hard to describe in words.
While being abroad for a long period of time, you must adapt to the way
of life and embrace the differences. I
have met some great people along the way who I have enjoyed sharing stories and
experiences with. Living in Catalonia
and traveling through Europe has really changed my perspective and of what I
can’t even tell you. I’ll miss Europe
and having such a diversity of people surrounding me but I’m ready for my next
adventure. I graduated college, got
experience working full time, traveled Europe as a tourist and an au pair
granting me the title “local foreigner,” and now will return to head straight
into medical school. There is almost nothing I would change about this trip
(except maybe bring some better shoes) because I truly learned from every
experience, as trite as that sounds. The
mistakes I made as a previously directionally impaired individual simply led me to better
understand metro maps and public transportation in general. I talked to my family almost every single day
while abroad so I know home will be home as it always will be. I’m not sure what to expect with the culture
and what type of things I’ll notice. I
have changed in noticeable ways. Little
things that have resulted from talking half Spanish half English during most of
my time in Europe including talking much more with my hands and using odd
vocabulary in English that better translates in Spanish. Anyway, I’m finishing this last section
11,000 meters in the air above Canada on a plane with an hour and 45 minutes
until I step onto US soil again. Hope
you’ve enjoyed the blog and if you have any questions or want advice on your
next trip to Europe I would love to help.
Faith.Lindsay90@icloud.com. Hasta próxima!
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