WE MADE IT HOME!
Kelsey and I made it home safely on Oct. 22nd and have been adjusting back to real life and desperately missing Europe!
We didn't get a chance to post much about our two weeks in Greece, mostly because we didn't have much internet access and partly because we were having so much fun! Greece is AMAZING! Exactly what you see in pictures: White buildings, blue roofs and surrounded by water! So beautiful!
We caught our flight from Rome to Athens (not without dumping a ton of liquids and sleeping in the airport) and took a bus from the Athens airport to the port town of Piraeus. We had some GREAT fish and chips by the water in Piraeus and left for the Port early the next morning. We took the Blue Star Ferry, Naxos to Paros Island, part of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. Upon arrival, we were met by Rafael, the son of the owner of our hotel! He was SO cute, nice and VERY helpful!
We spent our time in Paros enjoying the beautiful scenery, the warm sun and the sandy beach. We ate lots of traditional (and delicious) Greek food including souvlaki, tzatziki, fried zucchini and, of course, GYROS! All in all, our trip to Paros was very serene and relaxing. We were ready to move on and see what Santorini had to offer.
Kelsey and I were both looking forward to Santorini the whole trip and boy did it not disappoint! Santorini is AMAZING! Beautiful rolling hills, beautiful houses and a breathtaking view! Due to the inability to rent scooters (rainy day and no scooter license :-/), we decided to rent a car and discover all the island had to offer. We saw the Black Sand beach of Kamari, the red rocks in Akrotiri and the 360 degree view of Santorini from the top of the mountain of Prophet Elias.
We met more amazing people, ate more delicious food, and spent even more time relaxing! Gyros became our food of choice in Santorini for three reasons; they were easy, delicious and CHEAP (2 Euro each!). We seriously ate at least one a day, usually two!
Leaving Santorini became difficult and even at sometimes, impossible. Strikes and protests continue to occur weekly in Greece, halting ferries, airlines and trash pickup everywhere. We were literally stranded on an island with nothing to do but wait (given, there are definitely worse places to be stranded! :-)) We were scheduled to leave on a Tuesday and didn't end up leaving until Thursday, catching a ferry from Santorini to Athens, sleeping in the Athens airport, and catching a new flight from Athens to Frankfurt, Germany (with a brief layover in HUNGARY!). In the end, we were able to catch our international flight back to the US on Saturday, but not before visiting 5 different countries in 48 hours. Needless to say, we were exhausted and relieved to be home, safe and sound.
Kelsey's parents, Jon and Lisa, met us at the airport with lots of smiles and hugs! It was SO nice to see some familiar faces we both love so much! The last 2.5 weeks have been spent adjusting back to life in the real world, catching up with our families, celebrating birthdays, going back to work, and talking about planning our next trip! :-) Jamie, Kelsey and I were able to get together for dinner this week, exchange pictures and reminisce about all our AMAZING memories! It is hard to believe that the trip we have been planning for so long has come and gone but I am so thankful to Kelsey and Jamie for sharing in this experience with me: I cannot think of two people I would have rather shared it with!
Kelsey and Jamie, I love you both so much and will forever cherish the moments we spent, laughing, crying, frustrated, overjoyed, scared, and amazed! You two are the epitome of what it means to be best friends and I cant wait to see where life takes us next! :-)
Thank you to all of those who shared in our successes and failures and were praying for our safety. We had the time of our lives, some of which we owe to YOU!
Until next time, Ciao Bella!
Emily
