Dedication

For My Dear Friend Stephanie who has enthusiasm for Greece like no one else

GREECE

Athens (Day One)

We arrived in Athens at around 7:00 AM and planned to get off the ship as early as we could. We made plans to see the city with two people, my friend, MK, and my roommate, Alex. We met them at 9:15 AM and left for Athens.

Upon leaving the port I started to notice a common theme: stray dogs everywhere. They were in the port building and outside by the taxi line. I did notice they were in good condition and found out the taxi drivers take care of them by feeding them on a daily basis. We got in a taxi and headed for what I believe is called the temple of Zeus, although I could be wrong. When we got there we bought tickets for six or seven different things in Athens. The temple was very interesting, but looked as all ruins do. My mom would have said, “seen one seen em all” (jokingly, kind of). After this we walked to the parliament building where the formal changing of the guards would occur at 11 AM because it was Sunday.

This changing of the guards is different from the hourly one that occurs daily because it includes a large procession and is considered formal. This also meant that the attire of the guards would be different. We watched the two guards currently guarding march around, and also got to see two military Greek men wipe the sweat from their faces because they are not allowed to move. A few minutes later we heard music, and a stray dog that had been camped out in front of the parliament ran towards the road. I soon found out why he did this; the procession was starting and for some reason when the stray heard the music he ran for the procession and walked with them. The procession was really awesome, which included many guards and policemen. The guards were dressed in formal attire, adorned with white outfits and puffy traditional shoes. Eventually three guards marched to where the two guards working were. They switched out two for two and marched back into line. Once the music started for the guards to leave, the stray again ran out and joined in front of the march. This was a remarkable experience and very fascinating considering it was parallel to protesters signs across the street that have been rioting in Greece for sometime against the poor economy. In fact, things are so bad they are considering breaking from the Euro, which would be an enormous step backwards.

After this we headed to a main square for some lunch. We strolled past little store alongside the streets and knew we would be back there later. We stumbled upon a place that still had breakfast because some of us wanted breakfast. It was a great traditional Greek meal. Sam and I shared a Greek platter for two, which included beef, sagnaki (fried cheese), sausage, and much more.

We then went back to the shops we had seen earlier. We all bought various trinkets, my favorite being my purchase of a small bronze handcrafted chess set. I bought my mom something beautiful, which I obviously cannot post here. After shopping we decided to brave the trek up to the Acropolis where we could see the Parthenon.

We stopped for some large bottles and began the hike up in the scorching hot part of the day. It was near or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the only benefit of this was that it was less crowded. One agonizing walk later we arrived at the steps of the Parthenon. It was definitely worth the trek. I feel so fortunate just to have been there. It was really remarkable to see the Parthenon and the rigorous reconstruction it has been undergoing for what seems like forever. The view of Athens was like nothing else; the whole city was beneath us. I see now why they call Athens the “high city.” We made friends with a couple of beautiful yellow butterflies and then retreated back down to the city.

The Acropolis Museum was at the bottom and we were going to stop in, but opted out feeling like we had seen our fare share of ruins for the day. Personally seeing such great things is like tasting great wine or seeing great art; you can really only truly enjoy/appreciate the first few glasses or the first few pieces of masterful art. So, we then headed to the Hard Rock Café for MK because she had been getting a shot at each Hard Rock and keeping the shot glass from said location.

The walk there was not as direct as we had thought it would be. I saw an amazing little patisserie and could not refuse walking in to feast on something sweet. I had this amazing version of chocolate mousse with some sort of pastry at the bottom and MK had Cookie flavored ice cream. So yummy! Upon leaving we saw some SWAT Team getting out of their armored car adorned with shields, tear gas, and lots more protective gear. I thought for a minute I would take a picture of them, but it was if they read my mind. They must have seen my large camera, because they turned to me and shook their fingers in a NO manner.

After one shot at the Hard Rock we headed for the Athens Flea Market. It was a disappointment to say the least. Not what we would consider a flea market, and it was mainly full of junk versus flea markets full of junk with stuff you want. At the end of the Flea Market I did see an old man with just a table full of different trinkets. I saw a couple of old film cameras and bartered with him until I got one for 20 Euros. Not a bad price at all considering I looked it up later, and it was a rarer Russian 35MM camera going for over $100 on eBay.

Now it was time to go bar hopping! We first went to a bar in a quiet section of Athens where we each had one drink with the exception of Alex, who does not drink. We also had two shots, one of which was free thanks to the waitress who took a shot with us. We asked about a section of town where a string of bars were that the locals hung out at. It was Sunday, so most bars were closed and we had no choice but to go to this one far out area where local Greeks go. We found out where it was and started walking.

To get there we had to walk through some pretty strange areas, such as factories and other industrial places. I must admit I was nervous of where we were going to end up, but it was still daylight so I felt fine. Finally, we arrived at what at first only seemed like a few restaurants and bars, but we would soon find out was actually a large amount of different bars of all different types. Looking for the first bar I encountered this black dog who reminded me so much of my dog, Esprit. Just like her, he had allergies; he rolled on his back, paws in the air waiting for belly rubs, and even followed us when we went to leave. Ughh he truly broke my heart.

I saw a bar called “Why Sleep?” and thought what could be more appropriate for a first, well actually second bar. So we decided to have a drink and listen to some good music. The scene was great, except virtually no one spoke English because we were in a truly local area. After each having a drink and no shots because this bar was a little pricey we had to make a trip to the ATM. Also, Alex took a taxi back to the ship.

Now we were in search of bar number three. We decided on a bar called “Tramp” because of its stellar looks and rooftop terrace. They definitely had the best drinks and best atmosphere of the night, so overall my favorite bar in Athens. Samantha and MK started off with a drink entitled, Porn Star, which was a thicker cocktail yet amazing! I had a fig-based cocktail, which was out of this world! Then we had ordered a shot that bartender recommended; it was a strawberry vodka shot. It tasted great, but that was not was most amazing. The color of this shot was beautiful; it was a translucent purple color that shined bright neon. After our first drink we headed to the terrace for one more. The terrace overlooked a square that separated the bars, which was chock full of locals and stray dogs. MK and Samantha had the same drink for their second and I had a drink with Makers Mark that was really incredible considering the ingredients. We had another shot, which was like an Apple Martini in shot form. After those drinks we decided to depart this bar.

We decided one more bar and one more drink would be appropriate, which is why we ended up at the “Pink Elephant.” The scene here was really great; it was now nighttime and full of locals paired with some great music. The cocktails were also very good and we had a shaker full of shots. You pay 15 Euros and get an entire shaker full of a shot of your choice and can continue to do shots until the shaker runs out. We had the Kamikaze shaker. What made this bar so good was the wonderful appetizer for-two platter, which we all split. It was perfect drinking food, which included a wonderful mix of different fried foods. We left the bar in debate about what to do next. Somehow we decided one more drink before a taxi back to the ship.

We hit up the ATM again (well I did not because of lack of funds), and headed for the last bar. When we got there I decided a beer was a good idea at this point, and Samantha and MK stuck with cocktails. A great little bar to cap the night probably because of all the great throwback music they played. A little while later we left and returned to ship only a little after midnight. Mind you, this may appear to be a heavy night of drinking, but it was really rather spaced out, considering we went to the first bar somewhere around 6:00 PM.

MYKONOS (Day Two)

We woke up on the ship at 5:00 AM and began to pack for the next three nights. At 6:00 AM we met in the Union to depart with a Semester at Sea trip to Mykonos. We all assembled onto the bus for a short ride to the ferry that would transport us to Mykonos. We quickly encountered an obstacle: all of the taxis in Athens decided to go on strike! Because of this the road the bus was taking to the ferry was blocked. Thus we had to all exit the bus and boogy down to the other side of the port where the boat to Mykonos was located. We made it on in time and I was very surprised by how nice the accommodations were. It was so much nicer than airplane seating. After on and off napping we arrived in Mykonos around four hours later.

We got to the hotel around 12:00 PM and were ready to start exploring Mykonos. But wait there was another obstacle about to get in our way. We could not check into our room until 12:45 PM and this hotel was situated a few kilometers outside of the town, and walking was not a possibility. We were then told we could just leave our bags in a room of the lobby because check-in would not happen until 2:00 PM. Samantha and I planned on getting a taxi into town with a couple of our friends, Kristin and Cat, but another obstacle was ahead of us. The hotel was far out and taxis were always in demand in Mykonos, so we were virtually stuck until 2:00 PM when the shuttle bus by the hotel would take hotel guests into town. I got my room early and although the hotel was really beautiful my room was not. Two twin beds inches apart and that was about it. Oh and a shower that I would find out later was absolutely ridiculous! Finally the shuttle bus came at 2:00 PM, and we missed it because it got full so fast! Luckily it came back in about 15 minutes, so we were finally off for Mykonos. Finally!

We strolled down the white covered streets of Mykonos in search of a bite to eat. Samantha and I had been up since 5 AM, been at drinking the night before, and had not had dinner that night either, so we were starving. I quickly learned the stray population in Mykonos was primarily cats rather than dogs. This was fine with me because I love any animal. After making a few cat friends we stopped in a local Greek Taverna for some local fare. Lunch was so good and I had Sagnaki (again because it is my favorite) and a lamb dish cooked in a form of mustard sauce. Samantha had Moussaca (I don’t know how to spell that) and Gyros. Kristin also had the gyros and Cat did not eat. During lunch I saw a tiny kitten that I picked up and cradled. The owner informed me they feed him and the momma cat as well. After lunch Cat left for the hotel because she was feeling ill, and Sam, Kristin, and I started a search for the bus to Paradise (known as one of the best beaches in Mykonos).

The directions we received from the restaurant were not incorrect, but were misleading. Let me elaborate; we soon found out in many parts of Greece when someone tells you left they mean right and vice versa. Luckily for us when we made the first left, which was supposed to be a left we ran into a local middle aged man wearing a bathing suit. I suppose we looked very confused and he asked us where we were going, so we told him “Paradise.” He informed us we were going the wrong way, and that he was heading for the bus to paradise also so we could just walk with him. Normally, I would have questioned walking with him but I knew the general way, it was daylight, and he was obviously a local. He was very nice, but probably just what I would describe as a horny old man. He told us he goes to Paradise everyday to meet some of his guy friends and also to see his “lady” who is a dancer. He was funny and also very helpful, though sort of stereotypical. We told him what we had for lunch and he told us the Greek Diet was great because you would always be capable of sex, even at a very old age. Anyway, he did lead us to the bus station and show us where to get tickets. We got on the bus about ten minutes later and headed off for paradise.

When we got to paradise Samantha and I did a shot next to the bus station called Northern, and I have no idea what was in it, but it was good. We walked onto the beach of paradise and boy it was something else. People were everywhere, loud music playing from the DJ, women dancers shaking their stuff on tables, and a very clubby feel. We liked paradise, though it was not really any of our scenes. There was barely a spot to lie down on the beach, and it was already around 5:00 PM. I saw a sign saying that boats ran to Super Paradise (another beach known for having a large gay and nude people) for five Euros and found out it would be less crowded there. Despite its reputation we headed to Super Paradise via boat in search of somewhere less crowded.

Around a few cliffs we arrived to the smaller, less crowded Super Paradise. This was much better because there was a lot more room, and though there was the loud DJ with dancers it was located off to the right and not blaring in your ear. Also, the beach was not strewn with nudists as its reputation would have you believe, in fact the only nudity I saw was one topless woman. Finally situated and settled in we began to soak up the rays or what was left of them (luckily the sun sets much later in Greece). I got a cocktail from the bar with blue Curacao, and Sam had a Zombie, which is a common European drink that is very strong and somewhat similar to a long island iced tea. The scene at the bar was crazy! There were people dancing everywhere, people spraying 90 Euro minimum champagne bottles, and people of all different types grinding on each other. The music was actually nice back where we were lounging because they played a lot of good music. The funniest/most annoying/cool thing the DJ did was shout into virtually every song, many times, the word “MYKONOS,” which he would sound out so that it had a dramatic effect. A couple hours later we left Super Paradise for Paradise for a bus back to town.

A little past 7:00 PM we decided to go to a couple bars before dinner. At the first bar Samantha and I both had different varietals of a strawberry cocktail and both were wonderful. We sat right next to water and watched the sun go down while sipping our strawberry flavored cocktails. After the sunset we decided to have another cocktail at one more bar.

We ended up at a bar called Katerina’s, which overlooked the water and we sat on the terrace. Sam had the surprise cocktail which had more fruit that I can remember and I had some extremely tart Gin Fizz full of lemon. Both cocktails were very good and the view was amazing here. Directly in front of us was the beautiful water and off to the left the famous windmills built in 1790 that were lit up by giant spotlights. Then, all of the sudden, the whole city of Mykonos went dark. It was really kind of eerie to be in a foreign place with absolutely no light. We figured out the power outage was probably due to large number of tourist currently on the island and how much electric usage was being utilized. We left the dark bar and wondered down the dark streets in search of a restaurant still functioning in the outage.

Samantha and I were trying to read a menu when Kristin called us over to her. I thought it was going to be a cat because we had searched and found them all day as kind of a scavenger hunt. It was not a cat, but rather a Great White Pelican perched at my eye level on a small step. He was tagged on his foot and everybody was taking a picture with this massive creature. And although I also got a picture with him I felt bad for him that he could not be left alone. A local informed me that he is always roaming the streets and the locals take good care of him because he really does not or cannot fly.

Just around the corner we found a place for dinner. The dinner was really good (as usual). Also, the power came back on during dinner. We had sagnaki, spinach pie, baked calamari, lobster pasta, and I had a whole fish. We also had some wine from Santorini called Santo Wine, which was an amazing dry white. As I said earlier cats were everywhere and they all appeared healthy and well taken care of, and in addition were loved by the locals and tourists alike. So, when I saw a kitten perched atop a stoop above where the diners sat I approached him and gave him a little of my leftover fish. When I sat down these two women who were sitting closest to where the kitten was shot me a look of death. I must have had a “What?!?” look on my face because they quickly started bitching at me. They were British tourist and started to say things like “we do not want some stray near us when we eat”, “that is disgusting”, and my favorite, “what? Do you want to switch tables with us?” I just ignored them, but became more offended when one of them stood up to swat at the innocent kitten. They were really rude.

After dinner we were ready to return to the hotel, but knew getting a taxi would be hard. After stopping in a patisserie for some chocolate cake we found the taxi line. We were grateful and though phew thank goodness we found this. We were not lucky, we waited nearly two hours for a taxi. There were only two benefits to this. One: I met sparkles, twinkles, oscarlaretta, and feisty (all cats, many of which I held). Two: We met a nice Australian man named Steve whom we chatted with and shared a taxi with back to the hotel because he was also staying there. In addition, he also paid for our taxi. Bonus.

We got out of the cab exhausted and ready for bed. When heading to the room we ran into a friend, Coco, who informed us she was supposed to go to Paradise Club, but the people she was going with had fallen asleep. At that club that night they were expecting over 3,000 people because the DJ from the song “Hello” was going to be there. We decided to hang out with Coco for a while and had a lot of fun. We capped the night with a late night swim in the pool, which was a semi-bad decision. Because they had just put chlorine in the pool our skin burned when we got out. Thus we bolted back to showers. My shower was ridiculous; one could not shower without spraying the entire bathroom. Sam slept in my room because my roommate for this trip had told us she should because he probably would be out all night.

MYKONOS/SANTORINI (Day Three)

At 12 PM we woke up to a please check out phone call from the front desk. We quickly realized my roommate still was not back. We told the Dean he was not back yet, and I helped her move his stuff into the lobby. Our ferry was leaving at 2:55 PM for Santorini and since cabs were impossible to get we decided to just wait at the hotel until 2 and catch the shuttle in order to get to the ferry.

When we arrived at the port where the ferry was going to be, I still had to pick up our tickets. The kiosk I had been told of was nowhere in site at the port. I ended up having to run about ¾ of a mile to the ferry office to pick up our tickets. And then, of course, the ferry was late. When it did arrive we boarded and were fortunate on this boat. We had to business class because they were sold out of economy. That meant we got to go to the second floor to sit and have even larger chairs. It was really nice. Sure beats first class on American Flights.

Our arrival into Santorini was scheduled for somewhere a little after six. I had never had Internet like I thought I would, thus we did not get the free pick up at the port from the owner of our villa. Furthermore, our villa was off by itself in a small town, with an ambiguous name (Stone House Villa), and had no address listed. Despite this we got into a cab and told him Stone House Villa in Megalohori (the town in Santorini) and he obliged, but obviously only had a roundabout idea of where it was. He dropped us off at some other villa. We walked into the front desk and told them of our ordeal. They tried the phone, but like us got no answer. Then, a strike of luck! The receptionist knew something I had forgotten, that the owner of our villa also owned a restaurant called, Raki, which would be near our villa. We got typical Greek directions and were off by foot to Raki.

Once on the main road we made a wrong turn and Sam got a large thorn embedded in her hand. I realized or thought rather we were going the wrong way and suggested we turn around. We did and knew we had to turn right at some bakery. Unbeknownst to us what I thought was the bakery was not. I asked the woman inside which way to Raki, but she spoke no English, though I though she recognized Raki and pointed in the direction we should head. Down the dirt road we went with our entire luggage until we encountered a split in the road, which no one told me about. We went left, why, I do not know. We ran into a small family owned winery. I asked the two older women where to Raki, and they just pointed down. I looked and saw some stairs, so down we went. A few flights later we were on a new street, and to my surprise on the right was Raki! So, we had taken some completely convoluted route, but who cares because it got us there. I know we were looking pretty haggard at this point and some man at Raki (I am assuming the manager) asked what we were looking for. I told him we were staying in said villa and trying to get a hold of the owner, Petros. He tried the number and again no answer, but luckily he had Petros’ cell phone number. Petros was obviously confused and told him that we had never let him know of when our arrival would be. Both of them were astonished in some way that we had found Raki. Petros told him he would be there very soon with the keys. While we waited at Raki, they GAVE us some water, which if you have ever been to Europe you know you are never given water. We also made friends with a dog we named Ralph, who we thought was a stray but later found he had a home, but like many pets in the small village, he roamed freely as he pleased. Fifteen or so minutes later Petros arrived and began to walk us to our villa.

It was pretty funny; Ralph followed us to our villa, which was not far but still funny. As soon as Petros opened the gate to our courtyard with our own pool I knew the trek was worth it. The villa was beautiful. When you walked through the white wooden doors you were in the courtyard, which had two lounge chairs, a table for four, and a pool. To get in the villa you could through another set of wooden doors that opened up to a room with a bed, kitchen, and past that on the left was the bathroom. The bathroom had an awesome Moroccan style shower with pebble flooring, and the stone walls in the bathroom were a burnt red color. Now around 7:40 PM we decided to just relax and then have dinner around the corner at Raki.

We went to dinner at nine and loved everything about it. The atmosphere is amazing; the restaurant is outside underneath huge bougainvilleas in a little square of Megalohori. In addition, on that night they had live music, which really made it a wonderful experience. The food was very good and not anywhere near expensive. The wine was so cheap and amazing. You cannot get a bottle of wine at Raki, because they get all their wine from the winery around the corner. You can order half a carafe (about half a bottle of wine) for four Euros or a whole carafe (about a full bottle of wine) for eight Euros. And the wine is so good, and obviously local! Ralph was there for dinner along with some other dogs scoping out possible scraps from diners. We obliged and gave Ralph a few different scraps, which he appreciated.

After dinner we wanted to go back to our villa and go swimming before going to bed. We had white wine at dinner and really wanted to have red when we got back to our villa So, I asked if we could take back a carafe with us and told them I would bring it back in the morning and of course that was fine with me. They were the nicest people in this small village. Samantha and I went swimming, drank our wine, and then went to bed after a very long day.

Santorini (Day Four)

We got up ready for a whole day of adventures in Santorini. We headed to Raki around 12:00 PM to see if they could get us a taxi. And not surprisingly the taxis were all busy, but the manager told us about a bus we could get on near the infamous bakery we had not gone to the day before. We found our way to the bakery and asked about the bus and taxis. And while I was getting a Frappe (iced coffee) I heard Sam yelling my name. I ran out with my Frappe and was so happy to see she had managed to hail us a taxi. It appeared our transportation luck was changing.

First stop: Santo Wines Winery, Megalohori, Santorini. A short drive away we arrived at Santo Wines winery. We walked into the tasting area, which was much different than I had pictured and much different than wineries in California (I think). We ordered the tasting of 12 different wines accompanied by bread, cheese, and a tomato dip. The price? Only 19 Euros for all of that! The wine was so exceptional. Seven white wines, three red wines, and two desert wines. I had to let Samantha drink most of the desert wines as I was already feeling it at just around 1:00 PM. Afterwards we bought some trinkets from the gift shop and got them to call us a cab.

Oddly enough, we got the same taxi driver from earlier. We told him to just take us to the main square in Thira Town, Santorini (one of the main touristy areas). We shopped around for a little bit and then stopped in at a little restaurant for some much needed food. This was a really pretty outside restaurant. We started out with some Sagnaki and Fava Bean Dip, a Santorini specialty. In addition to that they had an extensive beer list. Samantha got the Kwak, which was awesome and served in a crazy glass that you have to drink that beer in. I ordered some heavy, strong beer that to my surprise came with another beer in a huge mug to accompany the heavy beer. I was going to have the ostrich or quail for my meal, but they had already sold out of both. So I got the whole snapper instead. The fish was of course exceptional!

The next adventure was the cable car ride down the mountain towards the water. After waiting in line for a while we took the cable car down to the bottom. Once there we made our way to another activity and by far my favorite: A Donkey Ride up the mountain/hill. I picked out a rather large white donkey and Samantha got a brown one. The whole ride up was really cool. I loved it. Sam and I got a pair of stubborn donkeys that would just stop and not move. It did not bother me though because I felt bad enough making them trek me up the hill. As soon as they saw the man coming with the stick they would kick it into high gear. Samantha’s donkey got to close to mine and my donkey kicked its feet some, which ended up kicking Sam in the legs. Hehehe. It was not a hard kick though so she has minimal bruising from this incident. We made up to the top a little later and were on our next adventure of the day.

Oia has the most beautiful sunsets in Santorini and is the iconic white city everybody sees when they see pictures of Santorini. This was our next stop and we just needed to get a cab. We found one relatively quickly and began the 20-minute or so drive there, which ended up making both Sam and I car sick. Oia was really wonderful once I got to see the all white buildings cascading down the cliff towards the ocean. We made reservations at two restaurants because we ended up seeing one better after the first. We watched the sunset over Santorini as sipped on Sangria and Kir Royal. Then I checked my bank account and realized neither dinner reservation would come true. After sunset we were walking back to where the taxis were supposed to be and Samantha surprised me and took me to one of the restaurants we made reservations at. When we got to the terrace at this restaurant the sky was completely pink/purple and was most magnificent at that time. We had a delicious dinner: Sagnaki (of course), Bruschetta with mushrooms, a seafood pasta to split, and of course a couple glasses of white wine.

CURRENTLY UNFINISHED

GREECE

GREECE

Athens (Day One)

We arrived in Athens at around 7:00 AM and planned to get off the ship as early as we could. We made plans to see the city with two people, my friend, MK, and my roommate, Alex. We met them at 9:15 AM and left for Athens.

Upon leaving the port I started to notice a common theme: stray dogs everywhere. They were in the port building and outside by the taxi line. I did notice they were in good condition and found out the taxi drivers take care of them by feeding them on a daily basis. We got in a taxi and headed for what I believe is called the temple of Zeus, although I could be wrong. When we got there we bought tickets for six or seven different things in Athens. The temple was very interesting, but looked as all ruins do. My mom would have said, “seen one seen em all” (jokingly, kind of). After this we walked to the parliament building where the formal changing of the guards would occur at 11 AM because it was Sunday.

This changing of the guards is different from the hourly one that occurs daily because it includes a large procession and is considered formal. This also meant that the attire of the guards would be different. We watched the two guards currently guarding march around, and also got to see two military Greek men wipe the sweat from their faces because they are not allowed to move. A few minutes later we heard music, and a stray dog that had been camped out in front of the parliament ran towards the road. I soon found out why he did this; the procession was starting and for some reason when the stray heard the music he ran for the procession and walked with them. The procession was really awesome, which included many guards and policemen. The guards were dressed in formal attire, adorned with white outfits and puffy traditional shoes. Eventually three guards marched to where the two guards working were. They switched out two for two and marched back into line. Once the music started for the guards to leave, the stray again ran out and joined in front of the march. This was a remarkable experience and very fascinating considering it was parallel to protesters signs across the street that have been rioting in Greece for sometime against the poor economy. In fact, things are so bad they are considering breaking from the Euro, which would be an enormous step backwards.

After this we headed to a main square for some lunch. We strolled past little store alongside the streets and knew we would be back there later. We stumbled upon a place that still had breakfast because some of us wanted breakfast. It was a great traditional Greek meal. Sam and I shared a Greek platter for two, which included beef, sagnaki (fried cheese), sausage, and much more.

We then went back to the shops we had seen earlier. We all bought various trinkets, my favorite being my purchase of a small bronze handcrafted chess set. I bought my mom something beautiful, which I obviously cannot post here. After shopping we decided to brave the trek up to the Acropolis where we could see the Parthenon.

We stopped for some large bottles and began the hike up in the scorching hot part of the day. It was near or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the only benefit of this was that it was less crowded. One agonizing walk later we arrived at the steps of the Parthenon. It was definitely worth the trek. I feel so fortunate just to have been there. It was really remarkable to see the Parthenon and the rigorous reconstruction it has been undergoing for what seems like forever. The view of Athens was like nothing else; the whole city was beneath us. I see now why they call Athens the “high city.” We made friends with a couple of beautiful yellow butterflies and then retreated back down to the city.

The Acropolis Museum was at the bottom and we were going to stop in, but opted out feeling like we had seen our fare share of ruins for the day. Personally seeing such great things is like tasting great wine or seeing great art; you can really only truly enjoy/appreciate the first few glasses or the first few pieces of masterful art. So, we then headed to the Hard Rock Café for MK because she had been getting a shot at each Hard Rock and keeping the shot glass from said location.

The walk there was not as direct as we had thought it would be. I saw an amazing little patisserie and could not refuse walking in to feast on something sweet. I had this amazing version of chocolate mousse with some sort of pastry at the bottom and MK had Cookie flavored ice cream. So yummy! Upon leaving we saw some SWAT Team getting out of their armored car adorned with shields, tear gas, and lots more protective gear. I thought for a minute I would take a picture of them, but it was if they read my mind. They must have seen my large camera, because they turned to me and shook their fingers in a NO manner.

After one shot at the Hard Rock we headed for the Athens Flea Market. It was a disappointment to say the least. Not what we would consider a flea market, and it was mainly full of junk versus flea markets full of junk with stuff you want. At the end of the Flea Market I did see an old man with just a table full of different trinkets. I saw a couple of old film cameras and bartered with him until I got one for 20 Euros. Not a bad price at all considering I looked it up later, and it was a rarer Russian 35MM camera going for over $100 on eBay.

Now it was time to go bar hopping! We first went to a bar in a quiet section of Athens where we each had one drink with the exception of Alex, who does not drink. We also had two shots, one of which was free thanks to the waitress who took a shot with us. We asked about a section of town where a string of bars were that the locals hung out at. It was Sunday, so most bars were closed and we had no choice but to go to this one far out area where local Greeks go. We found out where it was and started walking.

To get there we had to walk through some pretty strange areas, such as factories and other industrial places. I must admit I was nervous of where we were going to end up, but it was still daylight so I felt fine. Finally, we arrived at what at first only seemed like a few restaurants and bars, but we would soon find out was actually a large amount of different bars of all different types. Looking for the first bar I encountered this black dog who reminded me so much of my dog, Esprit. Just like her, he had allergies; he rolled on his back, paws in the air waiting for belly rubs, and even followed us when we went to leave. Ughh he truly broke my heart.

I saw a bar called “Why Sleep?” and thought what could be more appropriate for a first, well actually second bar. So we decided to have a drink and listen to some good music. The scene was great, except virtually no one spoke English because we were in a truly local area. After each having a drink and no shots because this bar was a little pricey we had to make a trip to the ATM. Also, Alex took a taxi back to the ship.

Now we were in search of bar number three. We decided on a bar called “Tramp” because of its stellar looks and rooftop terrace. They definitely had the best drinks and best atmosphere of the night, so overall my favorite bar in Athens. Samantha and MK started off with a drink entitled, Porn Star, which was a thicker cocktail yet amazing! I had a fig-based cocktail, which was out of this world! Then we had ordered a shot that bartender recommended; it was a strawberry vodka shot. It tasted great, but that was not was most amazing. The color of this shot was beautiful; it was a translucent purple color that shined bright neon. After our first drink we headed to the terrace for one more. The terrace overlooked a square that separated the bars, which was chock full of locals and stray dogs. MK and Samantha had the same drink for their second and I had a drink with Makers Mark that was really incredible considering the ingredients. We had another shot, which was like an Apple Martini in shot form. After those drinks we decided to depart this bar.

We decided one more bar and one more drink would be appropriate, which is why we ended up at the “Pink Elephant.” The scene here was really great; it was now nighttime and full of locals paired with some great music. The cocktails were also very good and we had a shaker full of shots. You pay 15 Euros and get an entire shaker full of a shot of your choice and can continue to do shots until the shaker runs out. We had the Kamikaze shaker. What made this bar so good was the wonderful appetizer for-two platter, which we all split. It was perfect drinking food, which included a wonderful mix of different fried foods. We left the bar in debate about what to do next. Somehow we decided one more drink before a taxi back to the ship.

We hit up the ATM again (well I did not because of lack of funds), and headed for the last bar. When we got there I decided a beer was a good idea at this point, and Samantha and MK stuck with cocktails. A great little bar to cap the night probably because of all the great throwback music they played. A little while later we left and returned to ship only a little after midnight. Mind you, this may appear to be a heavy night of drinking, but it was really rather spaced out, considering we went to the first bar somewhere around 6:00 PM.

MYKONOS (Day Two)

We woke up on the ship at 5:00 AM and began to pack for the next three nights. At 6:00 AM we met in the Union to depart with a Semester at Sea trip to Mykonos. We all assembled onto the bus for a short ride to the ferry that would transport us to Mykonos. We quickly encountered an obstacle: all of the taxis in Athens decided to go on strike! Because of this the road the bus was taking to the ferry was blocked. Thus we had to all exit the bus and boogy down to the other side of the port where the boat to Mykonos was located. We made it on in time and I was very surprised by how nice the accommodations were. It was so much nicer than airplane seating. After on and off napping we arrived in Mykonos around four hours later.

We got to the hotel around 12:00 PM and were ready to start exploring Mykonos. But wait there was another obstacle about to get in our way. We could not check into our room until 12:45 PM and this hotel was situated a few kilometers outside of the town, and walking was not a possibility. We were then told we could just leave our bags in a room of the lobby because check-in would not happen until 2:00 PM. Samantha and I planned on getting a taxi into town with a couple of our friends, Kristin and Cat, but another obstacle was ahead of us. The hotel was far out and taxis were always in demand in Mykonos, so we were virtually stuck until 2:00 PM when the shuttle bus by the hotel would take hotel guests into town. I got my room early and although the hotel was really beautiful my room was not. Two twin beds inches apart and that was about it. Oh and a shower that I would find out later was absolutely ridiculous! Finally the shuttle bus came at 2:00 PM, and we missed it because it got full so fast! Luckily it came back in about 15 minutes, so we were finally off for Mykonos. Finally!

We strolled down the white covered streets of Mykonos in search of a bite to eat. Samantha and I had been up since 5 AM, been at drinking the night before, and had not had dinner that night either, so we were starving. I quickly learned the stray population in Mykonos was primarily cats rather than dogs. This was fine with me because I love any animal. After making a few cat friends we stopped in a local Greek Taverna for some local fare. Lunch was so good and I had Sagnaki (again because it is my favorite) and a lamb dish cooked in a form of mustard sauce. Samantha had Moussaca (I don’t know how to spell that) and Gyros. Kristin also had the gyros and Cat did not eat. During lunch I saw a tiny kitten that I picked up and cradled. The owner informed me they feed him and the momma cat as well. After lunch Cat left for the hotel because she was feeling ill, and Sam, Kristin, and I started a search for the bus to Paradise (known as one of the best beaches in Mykonos).

The directions we received from the restaurant were not incorrect, but were misleading. Let me elaborate; we soon found out in many parts of Greece when someone tells you left they mean right and vice versa. Luckily for us when we made the first left, which was supposed to be a left we ran into a local middle aged man wearing a bathing suit. I suppose we looked very confused and he asked us where we were going, so we told him “Paradise.” He informed us we were going the wrong way, and that he was heading for the bus to paradise also so we could just walk with him. Normally, I would have questioned walking with him but I knew the general way, it was daylight, and he was obviously a local. He was very nice, but probably just what I would describe as a horny old man. He told us he goes to Paradise everyday to meet some of his guy friends and also to see his “lady” who is a dancer. He was funny and also very helpful, though sort of stereotypical. We told him what we had for lunch and he told us the Greek Diet was great because you would always be capable of sex, even at a very old age. Anyway, he did lead us to the bus station and show us where to get tickets. We got on the bus about ten minutes later and headed off for paradise.

When we got to paradise Samantha and I did a shot next to the bus station called Northern, and I have no idea what was in it, but it was good. We walked onto the beach of paradise and boy it was something else. People were everywhere, loud music playing from the DJ, women dancers shaking their stuff on tables, and a very clubby feel. We liked paradise, though it was not really any of our scenes. There was barely a spot to lie down on the beach, and it was already around 5:00 PM. I saw a sign saying that boats ran to Super Paradise (another beach known for having a large gay and nude people) for five Euros and found out it would be less crowded there. Despite its reputation we headed to Super Paradise via boat in search of somewhere less crowded.

Around a few cliffs we arrived to the smaller, less crowded Super Paradise. This was much better because there was a lot more room, and though there was the loud DJ with dancers it was located off to the right and not blaring in your ear. Also, the beach was not strewn with nudists as its reputation would have you believe, in fact the only nudity I saw was one topless woman. Finally situated and settled in we began to soak up the rays or what was left of them (luckily the sun sets much later in Greece). I got a cocktail from the bar with blue Curacao, and Sam had a Zombie, which is a common European drink that is very strong and somewhat similar to a long island iced tea. The scene at the bar was crazy! There were people dancing everywhere, people spraying 90 Euro minimum champagne bottles, and people of all different types grinding on each other. The music was actually nice back where we were lounging because they played a lot of good music. The funniest/most annoying/cool thing the DJ did was shout into virtually every song, many times, the word “MYKONOS,” which he would sound out so that it had a dramatic effect. A couple hours later we left Super Paradise for Paradise for a bus back to town.

A little past 7:00 PM we decided to go to a couple bars before dinner. At the first bar Samantha and I both had different varietals of a strawberry cocktail and both were wonderful. We sat right next to water and watched the sun go down while sipping our strawberry flavored cocktails. After the sunset we decided to have another cocktail at one more bar.

We ended up at a bar called Katerina’s, which overlooked the water and we sat on the terrace. Sam had the surprise cocktail which had more fruit that I can remember and I had some extremely tart Gin Fizz full of lemon. Both cocktails were very good and the view was amazing here. Directly in front of us was the beautiful water and off to the left the famous windmills built in 1790 that were lit up by giant spotlights. Then, all of the sudden, the whole city of Mykonos went dark. It was really kind of eerie to be in a foreign place with absolutely no light. We figured out the power outage was probably due to large number of tourist currently on the island and how much electric usage was being utilized. We left the dark bar and wondered down the dark streets in search of a restaurant still functioning in the outage.

Samantha and I were trying to read a menu when Kristin called us over to her. I thought it was going to be a cat because we had searched and found them all day as kind of a scavenger hunt. It was not a cat, but rather a Great White Pelican perched at my eye level on a small step. He was tagged on his foot and everybody was taking a picture with this massive creature. And although I also got a picture with him I felt bad for him that he could not be left alone. A local informed me that he is always roaming the streets and the locals take good care of him because he really does not or cannot fly.

Just around the corner we found a place for dinner. The dinner was really good (as usual). Also, the power came back on during dinner. We had sagnaki, spinach pie, baked calamari, lobster pasta, and I had a whole fish. We also had some wine from Santorini called Santo Wine, which was an amazing dry white. As I said earlier cats were everywhere and they all appeared healthy and well taken care of, and in addition were loved by the locals and tourists alike. So, when I saw a kitten perched atop a stoop above where the diners sat I approached him and gave him a little of my leftover fish. When I sat down these two women who were sitting closest to where the kitten was shot me a look of death. I must have had a “What?!?” look on my face because they quickly started bitching at me. They were British tourist and started to say things like “we do not want some stray near us when we eat”, “that is disgusting”, and my favorite, “what? Do you want to switch tables with us?” I just ignored them, but became more offended when one of them stood up to swat at the innocent kitten. They were really rude.

After dinner we were ready to return to the hotel, but knew getting a taxi would be hard. After stopping in a patisserie for some chocolate cake we found the taxi line. We were grateful and though phew thank goodness we found this. We were not lucky, we waited nearly two hours for a taxi. There were only two benefits to this. One: I met sparkles, twinkles, oscarlaretta, and feisty (all cats, many of which I held). Two: We met a nice Australian man named Steve whom we chatted with and shared a taxi with back to the hotel because he was also staying there. In addition, he also paid for our taxi. Bonus.

We got out of the cab exhausted and ready for bed. When heading to the room we ran into a friend, Coco, who informed us she was supposed to go to Paradise Club, but the people she was going with had fallen asleep. At that club that night they were expecting over 3,000 people because the DJ from the song “Hello” was going to be there. We decided to hang out with Coco for a while and had a lot of fun. We capped the night with a late night swim in the pool, which was a semi-bad decision. Because they had just put chlorine in the pool our skin burned when we got out. Thus we bolted back to showers. My shower was ridiculous; one could not shower without spraying the entire bathroom. Sam slept in my room because my roommate for this trip had told us she should because he probably would be out all night.

MYKONOS/SANTORINI (Day Three)

At 12 PM we woke up to a please check out phone call from the front desk. We quickly realized my roommate still was not back. We told the Dean he was not back yet, and I helped her move his stuff into the lobby. Our ferry was leaving at 2:55 PM for Santorini and since cabs were impossible to get we decided to just wait at the hotel until 2 and catch the shuttle in order to get to the ferry.

When we arrived at the port where the ferry was going to be, I still had to pick up our tickets. The kiosk I had been told of was nowhere in site at the port. I ended up having to run about ¾ of a mile to the ferry office to pick up our tickets. And then, of course, the ferry was late. When it did arrive we boarded and were fortunate on this boat. We had to business class because they were sold out of economy. That meant we got to go to the second floor to sit and have even larger chairs. It was really nice. Sure beats first class on American Flights.

Our arrival into Santorini was scheduled for somewhere a little after six. I had never had Internet like I thought I would, thus we did not get the free pick up at the port from the owner of our villa. Furthermore, our villa was off by itself in a small town, with an ambiguous name (Stone House Villa), and had no address listed. Despite this we got into a cab and told him Stone House Villa in Megalohori (the town in Santorini) and he obliged, but obviously only had a roundabout idea of where it was. He dropped us off at some other villa. We walked into the front desk and told them of our ordeal. They tried the phone, but like us got no answer. Then, a strike of luck! The receptionist knew something I had forgotten, that the owner of our villa also owned a restaurant called, Raki, which would be near our villa. We got typical Greek directions and were off by foot to Raki.

Once on the main road we made a wrong turn and Sam got a large thorn embedded in her hand. I realized or thought rather we were going the wrong way and suggested we turn around. We did and knew we had to turn right at some bakery. Unbeknownst to us what I thought was the bakery was not. I asked the woman inside which way to Raki, but she spoke no English, though I though she recognized Raki and pointed in the direction we should head. Down the dirt road we went with our entire luggage until we encountered a split in the road, which no one told me about. We went left, why, I do not know. We ran into a small family owned winery. I asked the two older women where to Raki, and they just pointed down. I looked and saw some stairs, so down we went. A few flights later we were on a new street, and to my surprise on the right was Raki! So, we had taken some completely convoluted route, but who cares because it got us there. I know we were looking pretty haggard at this point and some man at Raki (I am assuming the manager) asked what we were looking for. I told him we were staying in said villa and trying to get a hold of the owner, Petros. He tried the number and again no answer, but luckily he had Petros’ cell phone number. Petros was obviously confused and told him that we had never let him know of when our arrival would be. Both of them were astonished in some way that we had found Raki. Petros told him he would be there very soon with the keys. While we waited at Raki, they GAVE us some water, which if you have ever been to Europe you know you are never given water. We also made friends with a dog we named Ralph, who we thought was a stray but later found he had a home, but like many pets in the small village, he roamed freely as he pleased. Fifteen or so minutes later Petros arrived and began to walk us to our villa.

It was pretty funny; Ralph followed us to our villa, which was not far but still funny. As soon as Petros opened the gate to our courtyard with our own pool I knew the trek was worth it. The villa was beautiful. When you walked through the white wooden doors you were in the courtyard, which had two lounge chairs, a table for four, and a pool. To get in the villa you could through another set of wooden doors that opened up to a room with a bed, kitchen, and past that on the left was the bathroom. The bathroom had an awesome Moroccan style shower with pebble flooring, and the stone walls in the bathroom were a burnt red color. Now around 7:40 PM we decided to just relax and then have dinner around the corner at Raki.

We went to dinner at nine and loved everything about it. The atmosphere is amazing; the restaurant is outside underneath huge bougainvilleas in a little square of Megalohori. In addition, on that night they had live music, which really made it a wonderful experience. The food was very good and not anywhere near expensive. The wine was so cheap and amazing. You cannot get a bottle of wine at Raki, because they get all their wine from the winery around the corner. You can order half a carafe (about half a bottle of wine) for four Euros or a whole carafe (about a full bottle of wine) for eight Euros. And the wine is so good, and obviously local! Ralph was there for dinner along with some other dogs scoping out possible scraps from diners. We obliged and gave Ralph a few different scraps, which he appreciated.

After dinner we wanted to go back to our villa and go swimming before going to bed. We had white wine at dinner and really wanted to have red when we got back to our villa So, I asked if we could take back a carafe with us and told them I would bring it back in the morning and of course that was fine with me. They were the nicest people in this small village. Samantha and I went swimming, drank our wine, and then went to bed after a very long day.

Santorini (Day Four)

We got up ready for a whole day of adventures in Santorini. We headed to Raki around 12:00 PM to see if they could get us a taxi. And not surprisingly the taxis were all busy, but the manager told us about a bus we could get on near the infamous bakery we had not gone to the day before. We found our way to the bakery and asked about the bus and taxis. And while I was getting a Frappe (iced coffee) I heard Sam yelling my name. I ran out with my Frappe and was so happy to see she had managed to hail us a taxi. It appeared our transportation luck was changing.

First stop: Santo Wines Winery, Megalohori, Santorini. A short drive away we arrived at Santo Wines winery. We walked into the tasting area, which was much different than I had pictured and much different than wineries in California (I think). We ordered the tasting of 12 different wines accompanied by bread, cheese, and a tomato dip. The price? Only 19 Euros for all of that! The wine was so exceptional. Seven white wines, three red wines, and two desert wines. I had to let Samantha drink most of the desert wines as I was already feeling it at just around 1:00 PM. Afterwards we bought some trinkets from the gift shop and got them to call us a cab.

Oddly enough, we got the same taxi driver from earlier. We told him to just take us to the main square in Thira Town, Santorini (one of the main touristy areas). We shopped around for a little bit and then stopped in at a little restaurant for some much needed food. This was a really pretty outside restaurant. We started out with some Sagnaki and Fava Bean Dip, a Santorini specialty. In addition to that they had an extensive beer list. Samantha got the Kwak, which was awesome and served in a crazy glass that you have to drink that beer in. I ordered some heavy, strong beer that to my surprise came with another beer in a huge mug to accompany the heavy beer. I was going to have the ostrich or quail for my meal, but they had already sold out of both. So I got the whole snapper instead. The fish was of course exceptional!

The next adventure was the cable car ride down the mountain towards the water. After waiting in line for a while we took the cable car down to the bottom. Once there we made our way to another activity and by far my favorite: A Donkey Ride up the mountain/hill. I picked out a rather large white donkey and Samantha got a brown one. The whole ride up was really cool. I loved it. Sam and I got a pair of stubborn donkeys that would just stop and not move. It did not bother me though because I felt bad enough making them trek me up the hill. As soon as they saw the man coming with the stick they would kick it into high gear. Samantha’s donkey got to close to mine and my donkey kicked its feet some, which ended up kicking Sam in the legs. Hehehe. It was not a hard kick though so she has minimal bruising from this incident. We made up to the top a little later and were on our next adventure of the day.

Oia has the most beautiful sunsets in Santorini and is the iconic white city everybody sees when they see pictures of Santorini. This was our next stop and we just needed to get a cab. We found one relatively quickly and began the 20-minute or so drive there, which ended up making both Sam and I car sick. Oia was really wonderful once I got to see the all white buildings cascading down the cliff towards the ocean. We made reservations at two restaurants because we ended up seeing one better after the first. We watched the sunset over Santorini as sipped on Sangria and Kir Royal. Then I checked my bank account and realized neither dinner reservation would come true. After sunset we were walking back to where the taxis were supposed to be and Samantha surprised me and took me to one of the restaurants we made reservations at. When we got to the terrace at this restaurant the sky was completely pink/purple and was most magnificent at that time. We had a delicious dinner: Sagnaki (of course), Bruschetta with mushrooms, a seafood pasta to split, and of course a couple glasses of white wine.

CURRENTLY UNFINISHED

CROATIA

CROATIA

Split (Day 1)

The MV Explorer docked in Dubrovnik, Croatia around 8 AM, and by 9:30 AM Samantha and I were off the ship en route to the bus station only a two-minute walk away. Of course nothing can go super smoothly for us, and the customs agent would not let us go through the normal line to exit because of our large suitcase. So, we had to walk all the way around, making the bus station about 15 minutes away versus the two we had thought it would take. The next bus departed for Split at 10:00 AM and we really wanted to make this one because it was at least a four and a half hour bus ride to Split. Of course the ticket line was long and we soon realized making the 10:00 bus was not going to happen. Then Sam and I thought maybe it was possible to by the tickets on the bus, so Sam checked which platform the bus would be. After figuring that out it was now 9:58 AM, and I ran up to the bus and asked the driver if we could get tickets on the bus, to which he said yes. I misunderstood his Croatian English mixture and yelled at Sam to leave the ticket line and head to me at the bus. He was actually saying I COULD have bought tickets but the bus was leaving and we were too late. As Sam was running towards me with the large suitcase the driver and I exchanged several hand gestures through his bus in window. These mainly included me closing my hands together saying please, and him pointing at his watch and the clock at the bus station. As Sam staggered over we ran to the bus store with our best puppy dogface and the driver just looked at me completely stone faced, but after a few seconds opened the door and said we are supposed to be leaving. He grabbed our bag and threw it the luggage storage and then we were off to Split!

This ended up being by far the craziest bus drive of my life. Talk about uncomfortable, in addition to the lack of air resulting in extreme heat on the bus; the bus driver drove absolutely insane! I was honestly fearful and thought a wreck was nearly inevitable. To reach Split one stays virtually on the same road, a road that wraps around the cliffsides of Croatia and cuts through Bosnia. The driver of this huge bus would take the sharp curves fast and even pass cars on the curves, yes a bus did this. Once when we were passing someone we nearly had a head on collision because he had decided to pass on a turn, and we ended up less than 20 – 25 feet from hitting some little sedan coming down the lane we were passing in.

There was such a change as we passed through Bosnia. The buildings changed as well as the overall feeling. Hotels were scarce and the ones that did exist, looked like an abandoned hospital. They were large white and looked virtually empty. I do not know a whole lot about Bosnia, so I cannot give much more than my basic observations.

After falling asleep on the bus I was awoken in the most pleasant way; to the bus driver slamming on the breaks and me rolling off the bus chairs onto the bus floor. Sam died laughing and I don’t think I have ever jumped up so fast. Oh well, a couple hours later and we arrived in Split.

As soon as we stepped off the bus Croats were all in our face saying “Apartment” “Stay with us” to which I shook my finger and said, “No, no”. We got a cab and were off to our hotel, Le Meridian LAV, which ended up being amazing! It was not what I expected, in a good way. The hotel had a casino, infinity pool, several restaurants, champagne bar, spa, and much more. When we walked up to the check-in I had to ask if they had any upgrades available, and I got lucky again. They upgraded us to a sea view for free; versus our classic room probably viewing a dumpster or something!

The room was beautiful. When you walked in the big bathroom was on the left, through the hallway was a king size bed with a desk to the right, and also in the room was a large sitting area with a sofa and flat screen TV. The balcony overlooked the Marina full of yachts that sail the Adriatic Sea. We quickly got into our bathing suits and headed for the restaurant.

So good. So good was the restaurant over looking the Adriatic Sea. We had some great appetizers; some of the best calamari I have ever had, French fries, and some chicken thing. The drinks were great and hard to choose because of the vast number they had available. After lunch we headed for the pool overlooking the sea. There was nothing better than laying out by an infinity pool over looking the Adriatic Sea in Split listening to songs like Umbrella, Another Day in Paradise, and Ring of Fire on the hotel surround sound and drinking an Adriatic breeze (vodka, apple, peach liquor, and blue Curacao). Exhausted from the journey, the drinks, and the sun we headed back to the room a few hours before sunset (sunset is MUCH later there than in Florida currently).

A little later Sam hopped in the shower to get ready for dinner and I went back out with my Camera to get some photographs of the sun setting and other subjects. I took photographs of the local Croat children jumping from the marina dock into the ocean, though I later found out this was probably illegal. Apparently, it is illegal to photograph children under the age of 18 in Croatia. Oh well, too late now! On my way back to the room I stopped in the Champagne bar for a Kir Royal. I watched the sun go down some and brought the rest of the drink back to the room for Sam.

After we were both ready we headed to the Champagne Bar for a few drinks before dinner. I do not remember the drink I had, and Samantha had a really good apple martini, made differently than those here in the USA. It was much more dry and less sweet, so better tasting. We also had a shot of my choosing, mint and vodka shot. It was like drinking mouthwash, but in a good way. Kind of hard to explain, but if one likes mint, one would like it.

We had decided to just eat dinner in the hotel because we thought it would be cheaper than the alternative. The alternative was one of the restaurants by the marina below our room. I thought this would be a cheaper option and checked it out on my earlier walk. I was wrong! Lobster was 650 Kuna, which is over $125. And taking a cab into town would have been too expensive on top of dinner. The restaurant at the hotel had a buffet option for 200 something Kuna (around $40 something dollars), but we decided to do A La Carte because the main course was any pasta of your choosing. Just coming from Italy we certainly did not want pasta and being in Croatia we really wanted to sample all of the fresh seafood. This was a good choice on our part, a very good choice. We sat outside on the balcony overlooking the Sea. It was a beautiful night and was so romantic. Our waiter was so friendly and we chatted about Croatian life throughout the meal. We ordered everything all at once; to start Samantha ordered the grilled octopus and I ordered the Foie Gras Pate, and for dinner she had the Monkfish and I had the Amberjack. We also asked the waiter for a bottle of dry Croatian white wine with our price range (below 200 Kuna). He obliged and the wine was perfect, Croatian wine is spectacular. Not only was the wine amazing, the food was out of this world! I was expecting your typical hotel restaurant food and in return got food worthy of at least one Michelin Star or a high Zagat rating. The Foie Gras was rich and succulent, the octopus crunchy and loaded with flavor, the monkfish was succulent and complex, and the amberjack was simplistic and modern. The meal really was award winning, at least a 27 out of 30 in my opinion. Sadly, desert was not an option for my overly full belly. The check came and I do not remember the exact amount, but I know excluding wine the bill came to less than $100. Though I really am not in the position the be dining at such places, the meal would have been twice as much in American and probably three times the amount where the Euro is used.

Split (Day 2)

The next morning we got up and went back to bed. After re-awakening around 10:45 AM we checked out of the hotel and had breakfast there why waiting for the shuttle to town, which was considerably cheaper than the cab ride previously taken. Breakfast was the best kind of breakfast, a slice of cake with a hot cup of cappuccino.

Once in town we headed to Diocletian’s Palace, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, with our giant orange suitcase in tow. Going up and down the ancient cobble stone streets and various staircases was more than a challenge with a suitcase. The black Sphinx taken from Egypt when Diocletian ruled could not currently be viewed, most likely for some sort of restoration. The woman at the tourist information center told me, “come back next year, it will be done then,” just wonderful! After getting lost in the labyrinth of the palace we found the main entrance where I met two friends. I do not remember there names, but there were so playful, cute, and furry. They were dogs of course. I will put their pictures on Facebook when I upload the Croatia photographs.

We then accidently went to a café that we though served food and actually only had drinks. Since we had already ordered water, we shared one cocktail. Then we went across the street to the actual café and had some lunch. Sam had an extraordinary risotto with shrimp and I had the strangest but best pizza topped with hot dog, onion, bacon, chili peppers, and egg! We made a friend there too, his name was Alfy Romeo. He was a black and white stray cat with a cut on his back. He was very skinny and seemed to know we were animal lovers as he just nuzzled us and meowed. So, of course we fed him so shrimp and other left overs under the table until he got his full and left contently.

The bus ride back to Dubrovnik was so long because our bus driver felt the need to make three break stops of 15 minutes each versus the normal one stop. We finally arrived in Dubrovnik around 7:45 PM. We then met up with Lauren, Sam’s roomate and took a cab to our apartment in the old city if Dubrovnik.

Once again, our giant suitcase became a problem. To tell you how heavy it was, the driver of the taxi asked me if I had a body in there. He recommended a restaurant to us called proto. Once we got the street our apartment was on, we had to climb three flights of very steep stairs. This was definitely a challenge for me with that giant suitcase. I breathed a sigh of release when we got to our apartment door. Only to be disappointed when I saw three more flights of stairs ahead of me to get to our room. Finally, we made it to our quaint little apartment at the top of the building.

After settling in we were starving and headed to Proto for dinner. The dinner was very good. We had a bottle of Croatian white wine and Sam and I split a stuffed lobster tail au gratin. For desert we had the tastiest crepes filled with brown sugar. After dinner we decided to search for Buza, a bar literally on a cliff overlooking the sea. After wondering around I saw this small niche in the wall like I read that would lead to Buza. I was sure this was it because on the wall in cave leading to the cliff I saw the sign, “No tourist, No nudist” which I had read was the entrance. Upon coming out of the small cave my jaw dropped. An amazing little bar lay out in front of me with fewer than twenty tables that overlooked the vast ocean and the port of the old city. To my disappointment they were not serving cocktails that night because they had run out ice and some other weird circumstance. But, we wanted to take in the atmosphere so we each had a glass of wine and enjoyed the marvelous views.

My thirst for cocktails not yet quenched, we head to another bar we had heard of in a square nearby. On the way we ran into many friends, all stray cats, there is an abundance of them in Dubrovnik’s Old City. We got to the bar and ordered an XXL Specialty, which was there special drink in a huge glass meant for three to six people. The drink was wonderful, and we also had some Kamikazes before capping the night. We returned our quaint apartment and hit the bed hard!

Dubrovnik (Day 3)

After cold showers and getting ready we sat out for lunch. Starving we wondered the streets of the old city in search of a place that did not have pictures of food outside their restaurant, as those are never any good and usually tourist traps. We found a little place that happened to be shaded from umbrellas and knew it was the one. We started out with some local mussels that proved to be very good. For lunch Sam was going to have Spaghetti and me some sort of small fish entrée. But, the waiter was a little pushy (in a good way) and persuaded us otherwise. He asked if we wanted to see the fresh fish to which I said sure. He brought our three whole fishes, a sea bass, a sea brim, and a fish from Ston, Croatia. He informed the ston fish was the best and would be enough for Sam and I to share. They weighed the fish and we negotiated a price, and that was that. Whole fish was on the way for Sam and I. When they brought it out it was not filleted or anything and I began to get a little nervous, as my experience with this is virtually none. Luckily, the waiter asked if we would like him to do it for us, which was an obvious yes. Needless to say it was some of the freshest fish I have ever tasted and it was spectacular. Really out of this world good. That was a perfect lunch.

Now, full, we decided to explore the Old City and all it had to offer. Mind you, the city is very very small and can easily be viewed in a day or half a day. We saw churches, the old port, and awesome fountains. Not soon before long we were dying from the heat and in need of some form of shade. We went back to Buza, the Cliffside bar, and decided to go for a dip. The cliff at this bar is not really a cliff at all and you can virtually just climb into the sea. It was so refreshing and freezing at the same time. Definitely the saltiest water I have ever swam in. We then returned to the room and watched Big Brother for a little bit and relaxed for a couple of hours.

A few hours away from sunset we decided to leave the apartment and brave the city walls. The entire city is surrounded by huge walls that protected it years ago, and you can walk these walls for a small price. We had waited until later in the day to do this because of how long it would take and because of the heat. It ended up being the most hot excursion ever! It was long and beautiful, but so hot.

After that we had an amazing dinner at Gills. This included pork belly and suckling pig for me. Amazing.

Dubrovnik (Day 4)

This day we were up early and back at the ship around 8:00 AM for a service visit to an orphanage and children’s hospital. This was clearly an error because the orphanage was actually what we in American would consider where social services would put children, and the children’s hospital was actually a pediatric wing in a hospital. Although, both were great experiences.

Highlight of the visit: Niko. When taking a tour of the orphanage there were two babies, a 5 month old and a 2 month old. The five month old was named Niko. I asked if I could hold him and was allowed to do so. I must have held him for 30 minutes. He was chunky, which was good, but also had a bald spot on the back of his head from where he had been left in the crib so often in his previous home. The little guy loved me, seriously. He nuzzled me and canoodled under my neck, as he laid there, Sam went to hold his hand and he grabbed her finger and held on the whole time. It was so hard to put him down and say goodbye. This was something I will never forget and an experience that changed my outlook on babies and children alike.

Once coming back we departed for Greece!

ITALY

ITALY

This is a blog entry but there is someone I wish to dedicate this entry to:

Dedication:

To my dear friend Andrea who shares a sacred passion for Italy with her father

NAPLES

All I have to say is Yuck or Gross! Naples is disgusting, sorry to say it, but I do not want to return. Currently, they are having some severe problems, such as a huge trash strike in which no one wants to clean it up, so there is trash everywhere. In addition, the people I encountered there were not my favorite to say the least.

Sam and I had some time to kill before catching our train to Florence, so we decided to explore a little bit. We saw this castle there by the port. It was nice, but sad because of how run down it was. The outside was surrounded by trash and what was once a moat was now was a dirty dust bowl filled with debris. There were some nice frescoes housed inside, but most were unprotected from the air, and many people smoked around them, which obviously deteriorates their condition. I found this extremely sad. The most interesting thing there was this very old courtroom where trials were held when the castle was active.

We left the castle in search for some good Napoli Pizza. On our way there I was horrified by the sight of a giant Seagull in a grassy square chowing down on the carcass of a pigeon! As we proceeded around the square we saw a cute stray cat that was also enjoying the remains of a pigeon it had most likely killed.

With my appetite now suppressed from the sight of cannibalism and grotesque eating habits we decided to get some famous Napoli Pizza. At least the pizza was amazing, I had some form of sausage pizza, and Samantha had the famous Margarita pizza. We then returned to ship for a short nap before departing by train to Florence.

Last interesting thing in Naples was the Train Station. Not so much the actual station, but the people inside of it. Such as the man I saw walking with a great, big, beautiful white dog, and also a large white duck or goose in his hands (alive). I ran after him to take his picture, but of course like the rest of people I encountered in Napoli he snapped at me and informed not to attempt to take a photograph of him and his entourage.

GREVE

Yeah, I know where is Venice right? Well it ended up being too much money for Sam and I to go to Venice, so we decided on a night in the small town of Greve in Chianti, Tuscany. To say it was amazing would be an understatement. We had a series of luck as we headed towards our destination. Considering how spontaneous this trip was we were very fortunate. The night before we arrived in Italy we happened to check out the last book on Italy which was one of the only ones to have a section on the wine country their, which is how we found out about Greve. We happened to get the last train to Florence from Naples, and then proceeded to get the last bus from Florence to Greve. All spur of the moment I might add, and quite a challenge too (when you have know idea where the bus station is). Our hotel we booked happened to be in the center square of the small non-touristy area of Greve. And the hotel was quaint with only 15 rooms or so, and a restaurant in the family owned hotel just a minute walk from our room. Our room happened to be one of the only three rooms with a terrace that opened out to a wonderful rooftop view of Greve. One of my favorite things was on the way to Greve I saw the most peculiar and coolest looking porcupine I have ever seen; it was huge! Unfortunately, Harry (the porcupine) was very camera shy and proceeded to run when he became aware of my camera.

We checked in around 9:00 PM and after our long travels we were starving. We went to the tiny little family owned restaurant situated on the terrace of the hotel (inn). The bread in Italy we soon found out is much different, rather than hot salty loaves of bread, one gets cold, bland, and hard bread (this was everywhere in Italy). Although, this little hotel also served these amazing hot fried dough things with their bland bread. We started off with a local bottle of Chianti Classico Reserva, which we would continue to try many different versions throughout our tour of Italy. For dinner Samantha had some of the best veal ever, and I had the most amazing fried rabbit. We could not resist the urge for another bottle of Chianti (although we could not afford another reserva) and settled with a standard classico. After dinner, we took the remainder of our bottle to the room and finished it on our terrace. Now, it was time for bed in our non-air-conditioned hotel, which normally would be a problem for me. But, in Greve things were different; by this time the temperature had dropped to a cool 60 something degrees Fahrenheit and I was able to leave our terrace doors opened just enough to keep our room cool all night.

Like something out of a storybook I awoke the next morning to birds chirping outside my room (just a little too loud and early for me), so I shut my terrace and went back to sleep for a little while. Fast forward a couple of hours and Samantha and I got up and got ready for our day in Greve. We checked out of the hotel and left our bags for the day with the hotel. Our hotel was situated in the center square, thus the tourist information center was located just a two minute walk from our hotel. We visited the center and asked what wineries we should see, and soon found out it would be a little bit of a trek to see some wineries, because it was Sunday, and we had not planned ahead of time. This was no problem though because Greve in Chianti had Enoteca’s, sort of a wine library, so that became our plan.

After the tourist office we went to a small café in the square and enjoyed some strong Italian coffee, and a delicious chocolate croissant. We browsed the shops and the square and picked up a few trinkets and souvenirs. I met one of the most adorable dogs, a large Great Dane, owned by an Italian speaking man. After asking if I could pet the dog, I leaned in apprehensively because of his size, and to my astonishment he was scared of me, no terrified! He scooted backwards as my hand reached down to pet him, and he looked at me like I was the giant. He warmed up to me pretty quick and posed lovely for a picture I took of him.

Now (11:30ish) it was time to get our wine on and visit the enoteca in Greve. A short ten-minute walk down the local streets and we were there ready to taste. This enoteca had over 150 wines from the Chianti region. The process to taste was very simple; one buys a card preloaded with Euros and then uses it to buy a sample of wine from circular tables that automatically dispense wine when your card is in the machine. The wines not only range in taste, but also in price, from around 20 cents up to the most expensive at 6.00 for a taste (which I of course had to try). The visit was extraordinary, and I tried probably over 15 wines, sticking mostly to the “Super Tuscans” those wines, which were more full bodied, and dry. The 6.00 wine was truly my favorite, but just by a smidgen, and it was not worth the 140 Euro price tag for a bottle. In addition to wine you could also sample cheese, snacks, and olive oil with your preloaded card. We started off saying we would buy just six bottles of wine to ship back to the United States, which would cost 70 Euros for shipping (not too bad). But, as the day continued in the Enoteca I quickly decided three bottles for me was just not enough of this lovely Tuscan wine. Thus, I talked Sam into 12 bottles, seven for me and five for her, and although the shipping would now be 120 Euros, we would receive a 16.5% discount from the total cost. After paying for all our wine, we headed back to our hotel to retrieve our bags and set off for the bus station to Florence.

FLORENCE (DAY 1)

A 45 minute bus ride to Florence and we arrived. We made our way to our hotel, The Grand Villa Medici and checked in. When we got to the reception desk I asked if they had any upgrades available to the terrace rooms. The woman told me those were penthouses and they did have some available, but first they would upgrade us to a deluxe suite for FREE, and if we were unhappy we could switch to a penthouse (yeah right, like I had that money) but I lead her on like money was not an object for us, although it very much was, and I should not have ever even check into that hotel because of the cost. Oh well, after being escorted to our suite (to make sure we were ok with that room) I realized why this hotel has been around for 50 years and been awarded five stars, leading hotel of the world membership, and many other awards. The room was beautiful and huge at that; 15 to 18 foot ceilings, humungous oversized bed, beautiful plush chairs, walls encased in fabric, antique wooden furniture, floor to ceiling curtains, and a table with a platter full of delicious sweets just calling my name. The bathroom another work of art in it of itself, was adorned with white marble everywhere and soft oversized linens. I informed the woman this room would be just fine with us, and it was obviously more than fine. I actually noticed on the back side of our front door the cost of the room during the high season, or what is called the rack rate, meaning the highest they charge for the room per night. My mouth dropped as I saw this price, whatever you are thinking I am going to say guess again! The highest price they charge for this room per night? 1050 Euros per night! Per night! This is roughly $1680.00 a night. I can assure we paid nowhere near this price; though the hotel was pricey it was nowhere near that price range.

Now settled in, we decided to call Michelle Thompson, one of my brother’s (Cameron) best friends with whom he graduated, and also a friend of mine. She is currently in Florence working as an intern for a gallery. When she got to our hotel I gave her a little tour of our room, the lobby, and the courtyard. Our hotel is one of the few in Florence to have a pool (ours was located in the courtyard), and was a spectacle. Walking out from the right of the lobby one finds themselves in the presence of a lush green courtyard with a small, but beautiful pool towards the back along the wall that surrounds the courtyard. Also, in the courtyard are tables where one can eat and enjoy the beauty.

Starving, I asked Michelle where was good to get a bite to eat. She informed me that if I could wait until six or so we could have Apertivo, something Italians do similar to cocktail hour. This is where one can go and have a drink for say 6-10 Euros and then feast on the lovely spread they put out for free, so essentially the one just pays for the drink. This was obviously fine with me after just spending a nice chunk of my Euros on Tuscan wine. We strolled down past the river and through the Ponte Vecchio, and arrived at the restaurant where we hoped to have Apertivo. Michelle walked inside the bar to inquire what time it started, because it can vary from place to place, and to her surprise the woman inside was less than friendly and led her to believe Apertivo would not start until 7:30 PM, rather late for Apertivo, which usually starts around six.

We decided to wait for Apertivo but find somewhere else to go because of the woman’s attitude at that establishment. We went across the square and plopped down at a small café for a bottle of wine to hold us over. In addition to the white wine we shared between the three of us, I also had a delicious appetizer, a large portion of mouth-watering prosciutto. We caught up on what was new in each other’s lives and headed off for the next adventure.

Walking back past the Ponte Vecchio we found O Bar, which had Apertivo starting in 20 minutes. To kill time we just wondered around and went into a supermarket where Michelle purchased a bottle of red wine for us to consume late at the Michelangelo Gardens.

I entered O Bar excited about my first try of Italian Apertivo. The waiter of course asked what we wanted to drink, and being a typical American, I replied what do you have that is strong? Also, I specified not fruity please! He suggested this drink with Aperol, Gin, and something else I do not remember. I said that would be perfect, and Sam and Michelle followed suit and ordered the same thing. Holy Moly was this drink strong, so strong when you breathed on it steam arose, although this could have been from the temperature, yet I would like to think otherwise. I loved it because of the taste, but it was too dry for Sam and Michelle, plus they thought it tasted like rubbing alcohol. Food at this Apertivo was more than good, the large spread included many different things including my favorites, a meat filled pastry and a Portobello mushroom with a crusty cracker alongside.

Now almost sunset we decided to hike up to Michelangelo Gardens and boy was it a hike! It was definitely worth it, because we got to watch the sunset fall over all of Florence while sipping the Chianti Classico purchased from the supermarket. An hour or so later, we headed back to Michelle’s apartment so she could grab a few things before we went out for a couple more drinks.

We ended up at this bar called The Old Stove situated very close to the Baptistery and The Great Duomo. We were supposed to drink lightly and just have a couple drinks, but somehow that did not quite happen. Three or Four drinks later and at least three shots later we decided 1:30 AM was early enough to call it a night. Oh I must mention something I almost forgot! While sipping our drink I noticed this English couple next to me probably in there 30’s or early 40’s. Considering the current conditions in Italy (a corrupt government largely controlled by a dishonorable President supposed to be governing a democracy, but actually forming signs of a dictatorship) I decided to strike up a conversation with them about this matter. Though they did not know much about Italy they decided to converse with me about their country, England. I loved what they had to say. Here is some of what they told me:

“Diana will always be England’s “Lady” Queen”

“Prince Charles is sort of a douche”

“The Queen does not like spaghetti, so she is a bitch”

They have private healthcare, but love the option of free healthcare England has

“George W. Bush Fu**** the United States over”

“The United States Healthcare sucks”

William and Kate our good for England

And perhaps my favorite comment, when I asked who their prime minister was now, they told me “Gordon Ramsay.” They were very intriguing and great fun to talk with.

FLORENCE (Day 2)

We woke up a little later than intended and headed off to meet Michelle for lunch at Trattoria Mario, a little local eatery that comes highly recommended from Food and Wine, and only serves lunch. After a small wait we were ushered in to a place where one shares tables and gives off an Italian Carnegie Deli feel (in the sense of fast dining and sharing tables). The place was slammed so we ordered quickly, Michelle got the Caprese Salad and the Pasta with Marinara, Sam ordered the Tomato bread soup and pasta with meat sauce (goose), and to their dismay I ordered the rabbit in addition to the soup. The best rabbit I have ever had, it was truly amazing.

Michelle took us to the leather market after lunch. I bought an umbrella with the duomo pictured on it, and also bartered a very nice leather bag for myself. I talked them down 60 Euros from what they wanted for it.

Some amazing gelato awaited us, a variety of some 20 plus flavors were available. I settled with the traditional pistachio, which was of course incredible. I suggested we make a trip to Orsanmichele, a building from the 16^th century commissioned by the Medici family. When we went to get tickets we found out we were very lucky for two reasons, one it was free, and two it was only open on Monday (that day was Monday). In addition, we got reservation tickets for The Uffizi Gallery, and Academia Gallery. Orsanmichele was everything I’d hoped it would be. A beautiful Madonna and Child Altarpiece in the ground floor, and outstanding sculptures masters of the Florentine Arts. Tired from the day we headed back to our hotel and planned on meeting up with Michelle for Apertivo that evening.

At the hotel we just relaxed with some cheese and a bottle of wine in the courtyard. A bottle of wine we purchased for cheap previously, considering we could not afford the wine at hotel.

Apertivo that night was not as good as the first, the spread was smaller and the food was cheaper. Although, it was filling enough. This night was going to be an interesting one, which at the time I was not aware of. You see, we had decided no shots tonight for sure and we would be home by 11:30, which later turned into 3:00 AM!

Here is how that happened:

The bartender at Apertivo quickly made friends with us, specifically Michelle, as the two continued to flirt, joke, and badger each other in a way. He gave us a free Scooby snack, some delicious shot he makes, and we had a couple of drinks. There were not many other people in the bar, and only one man was there the whole time we were (some old strange looking guy). We left this bar after a few drinks for another in pursuit of Dragoon Beer, a stronger beer with an excellent taste. That beer turned into a couple of beers and about three shots. Already midnight we decided to head back to the other bar to hang out and talk with the bartender again. Things are sort of fuzzy from this point on…I know the night involved many more Scooby snacks, a couple more beers, and the strangest story I have ever heard from the old guy that had been at the bar the whole time. I asked him for a cigarette in my stupor to which he replied, Can you do it? He handed me some rolling paper and tobacco. I proceeded to make a fool of myself and fail miserably. After laughing at me, he threw mine down and took back out his tobacco case. The coolest little contraption ever! He said you do it like this: he laid some tobacco at the pocket in the case, put a tiny filter at the end, laid the paper on top, closed the contraption, and VOI LA a little cigarette popped out! I was truly amazed, said thanks and went on my way. The story gets better though, much better. After a while I decided Sam had to see this and talk with this guy. I went back and asked if I could have another so he could show her. This time he was really out there though. Talking like Mercutio from modern Romeo and Juliet when he is giving ecstasy to Romeo (if you remember that scene). I cannot sum this conversation up as well as I would like too. But, here it is to the best of my ability: He held up something in the contraption and said things like, “this is from a thousand virgins, the foreskin of a…, and this tiny filter is the tampon of rat.” No lie, this stuff really happened to me of course! Apprehensive about smoking his cigarette after his couple of minute rant would be a grand statement, but in my stupor I did not really think twice about it. Luckily I had no adverse affects from the crazy man’s smoke! The other two really funny situations from that night also arose from my smoking. I had run out so had to be a moocher/beggar, which I hate and only do when I am drinking or desperate, and I am trying to quit, seriously Chantix awaits my arrival in the USA (not bullshit as Samantha says, you will all see!). The first story happened in the middle of this night when I stumbled upon some folks my age smoking (five or six of em). I asked politely may I have a cigarette, to which they replied NO, we do not have any, which was obviously untrue. I accepted the answer though, and began to walk away. One of said hey as I turned away and asked me what is your favorite color, not knowing why he would ask this, I answered, Red?.? And he said okay ok well we still do not have any cigarettes, so I walked away again. Then the same guy said wait wait what is your favorite animal, perplexed I answer a panda?!? Then he said okay that is good, you can have a cigarette now. I still do not understand what was the purpose of all that. The last story casts a negative light over me for sure, but I am sure you all will enjoy it. Way late in the night, in dire need of a cigarette, or so I thought, I went outside the bar and began to mooch, but no one was willing to share with me. This upset me very much and I just plopped my intoxicated self down on the curb and put my hands on my face in a very Oh NO manner. To my surprise, within a couple of minutes some man walked over to me, lit a cigarette, and handed it to me and said here you go. He must have been watching as I asked and asked people and felt bad. What is really funny though is that he lit it for me; he must have thought I was incapable at this point to light a cigarette.

The night capped around 3 AM and Sam and I made our way back to our hotel, slowly. Samantha has cracks in the heels of her feet and because of all the walking, on rough roads, and no supportive shoes, the cracks began to expand and bleed. We finally made it back though nearly 30 – 40 minutes later.

FLORENCE (Day 3)

We awoke around 11 and were supposed to meet Michelle around 11:15 for lunch, but decided that would not happen. She was fine with this, but did text me back, “Btw, I hate you.” This was probably due to the fact of how much she drank the night before and how I was probably at fault for a large amount of it. Oh well, at least we all had a blast.

We woke back up a little later than intended and had to boogy to our reservation at the Uffizi Gallery. We were so dehydrated and exhausted from the night before that we got in the gallery, we rushed to the back of it to get some water and food in our bellies. After getting our fill and feeling a little better we made our way through the entire gallery. My absolute favorite would be almost impossible to decide, considering the gallery mainly houses Italian works of art from around the Renaissance, which are my favorite pieces. If I had to choose I would say my favorites were: Pontormo’s Madonna with the Long Neck, The Venus of Urbino, The works by Botticelli, The works by Leonardo Da Vinci, and probably my absolute favorite the Madonna and Child Altarpieces by Duccio, Cimabue, and Giotto. Those altarpieces nearly moved me to tears.

After the gallery we met Michelle for some much needed lunch in a square near the Duomo. This lunch was great because I had Ossobuco with delicious bone marrow. Then we got Sam a prescription cream for her cracked feet along with some gauze. After this I visited the largest Dolce and Gabanna store I have ever laid eyes on. What was the best about this store was some Italian woman who came in with an adorable toy poodle. This brown prim and proper pup was named “Charley Brown”, and boy he loved the camera. We went back to the hotel to relax before dinner. We watched the verdict be read on the Casey Anthony trial, which would have not been a shock to me because I always thought it would be not guilty, until the jurors only took ten hours to deliberate, which led me to believe a guilty verdict was inevitable. I will not use this blog to share my opinions on this case, but I will say I understand both sides. That is I understand why the jurors chose the verdict they did, but also why many people are upset about the verdict.

We met Michelle for dinner around 9:30 at a restaurant she recommended to us. It was a great dinner where I tried some five different types of pasta, and had a delicious steak prepared in an unusual blueberry sauce. Side note, in Europe if you like your steak even Medium Rare I would suggest you order it Medium, because we order medium to medium rare and received a steak that was blood red and cold in the center, although the blueberry sauce compensated for this small setback.

After dinner we had for sure decided we could not go out because of how much we had been drinking and because we had no money (Michelle already had to buy the wine at dinner, thanks again for that Michelle). But we decided to go to one bar for one drink because of the description by Michelle. The bar had a Beatles cover band that night, so we decided to go, and I am so glad we did. They were really great, and the drink was great too, which was also treated by Michelle.

Though we were only a 20-minute walk away, a wrong turn and Samantha’s foot detriment caused the walk home to be nearly an hour of painful walking for the both of us.

FLORENCE (Day 4)

We had an 8:30 AM reservation this day for the Academia, but of course we slept through it. When we got out of the hotel we went to my favorite church so far, Santa Maria Novella, which houses some amazing works of art. My favorite, the perspective innovation painting Trinity by Massacio. It was absolutely breathtaking. In addition the fresco scenes detailing the life of Saint John the Baptist was striking.

For lunch we had to eat cheap, very cheap. We settled on a small café where we decided on non-Italian food. I had a spectacular cheeseburger with an egg on top, and Sam had enchiladas also delicious. We also had two varieties of Spritz, one with Aperol and the other with Campari (Aperol is better).

Next, the Duomo, where Sam was turned down due to the length of her shorts. I went in for a quick visit and though it was impressive, not the best I had seen. The dome by Brunelleschi is Piece de Resistance of this Cathedral.

Off to the Academia with our 8:30 AM reservation, keeping in mind it was now 3:15 PM. We were freaking out we would have to buy a new ticket (15 Euros each), or even worse wait in the general admission line where the wait was over an hour. I came up with the idea to just go in the reservation line and when asked about our tickets say that they printed the wrong time on our ticket. The man came by checking tickets in the line, and I told him of our dilemma with the wrong time printed. He did not say anything, but follow me. Nervous I was being taken to the ticket office or worse, the general admission line, I was happily surprised we got escorted right in to the Academia! Not only did we not have to wait one minute, we got to skip even the reservation line. I was thrilled and very proud of myself for coming up with such a great idea.

Inside we got to see what we came to the Academia for, The David by Michelangelo. It was the most amazing sculpture I have ever seen, and I snapped a picture before getting yelled at for doing so. The Florentines really admire this sculpture because for them it is more than a work of art; it is a symbol with numerous meanings. They monitor the David with technology that measures the pressure so that they can determine and cracks that may happen. After the David we viewed some other works of art and headed back to our hotel to get our bags and head to the train station for Rome.

Broke, we realized we were in a pickle to say the least. We had no money to get the train from Florence to Rome. My family was out as an option to fund our 45 Euro each train ride. Samantha could not get money from her Dad until much later in the day. Her grandfather was unavailable, and her Mother was also unable to help. After trying to figure what we could for over an hour, Samantha’s Dad informed us his girlfriend would pay for our train to Rome. A little later and we were on our way to Roma…

ROME (Day 1)

After an almost two hour train ride we arrived in Rome in the evening. Still broke we did not have the option of taking a cab to our hotel, which was a detriment considering I had my huge suitcase, my small suitcase, my new leather duffel from Florence, Sam’s purse, and a gift. A 40-minute walk to the hotel was not an option with that amount of luggage and Sam’s feet in the condition they were at. We felt lucky when we noticed a metro at the train station with a stop where we thought was near our hotel. We were misinformed, but I will get to that later. I put my last Euros in the metro machine to get our tickets, but it would not make change for my 20 Euros. So I went back up the numerous stairs I had just dragged my luggage down and left Sam down there with the luggage surrounded by these boys (Bambinis) begging for money. Getting someone to make change for a 20 has never been such a challenge. Three places later and I finally found a store that would make change; why the others would not, I do not know.

After an endless amount of stairs later with scarce escalators we boarded the metro en route to our stop. When we go out of the metro, now almost sunset, we decided to walk to our hotel, which we thought was close by. Definitely misinformed. The worst trek I have ever had in a city occurred after getting off the metro. The walk started off bad because the metro put us in a bad area filled with of course cobble stone streets. As we made our way down the graffiti adorned streets filled with sketchy people, for example a woman popping some guy’s pimples on the side of the street, we got more and more exhausted. Sweating profusely, tired, exhausted, and in physical pain we wondered if we would ever make it. After the sketchy neighborhood came a series of steep hills and windy roads, which finally led to one very steep cobble stone road at which our hotel sat at the top of. We walked ever so sluggishly into our fairytale hotel, Lord Byron Hotel, situated around trees and beautiful apartments of the locals. The room was obviously smaller than that of the Medici, but it was so elegant. The room had beautiful sleek white nightstands, a wonderful Television, a balcony with an electronically controlled shutter, and best of all free Wi-Fi and minibar, which in Europe seem impossible to come by. The best part of the room was definitely the bathroom, which was adorned from floor to ceiling with beautiful black and white tiles everywhere.

Thoroughly exhausted from the entire day (especially the trek), we decided to ask the concierge if there was somewhere small we good grab a bite nearby. He informed us of a local restaurant only five minutes walking, which could not have been more up our alley. Upon arriving there, we were very aware how residential the area in which we were was, because no one in the entire outside restaurant was a tourist. The nearly all-speaking Italian waiter was helpful. We order a 14 Euro bottle of Chianti Classico and two pastas, one with mushrooms and meat sauce, and the other a risotto with champagne and cheese. The best pasta we had in Italy, hands down. This dinner was amazing and inexpensive and capped by the best tiramisu we have ever had. The desert was homemade, succulent, and made me drool.

Exhausted we hit the bed hard!

ROME (Day 2)

Only staying two nights in Rome, and having to get Civitavecchia on the third day to catch the ship, we had to do basically all of Rome in one day. We got up early and enjoyed the free breakfast provided by the hotel that came along with our room. Delicious chocolate croissant to start my day off right.

First, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The museums were sadly less than pleasurable for me, perhaps due to the immense crowd and shuffling nature throughout. Though, that is not what I went there for, I had come for the Sistine Chapel. After finally finishing the long museum that leads to the small chapel, we arrived. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Minus the guards who constantly SHHH you, when in actuality they are making the most noise. But, if I forget about them, the chapel becomes what it is meant to be. I could literally spend a week in just that room. Breathtaking is an understatement. How could someone who did not even desire to paint this do such an amazing job? How could Michelangelo paint something over 500 years ago that can evoke such emotion deep within my core? The answers to these question I do not think I will ever no the answers to. I am okay with that because of the way it did make me feel. Seeing the Last Judgment, one of the single largest frescoes ever, was what I would call one of the most significant times of my life. I cannot express the way it made feel, other than to say I have never felt the way I did when viewing that piece of art. In addition, a work by Perugino in the Chapel entitled Christ giving the keys to the kingdom was also beyond moving. My appreciation for art grows every day, and those works made my appreciation grow immensely.

We were going to see Saint Peters Basilica the same day, but because we came out near the metro, we figured we would return the next morning for that. Plans changed again when I realized I could not do the day in the attire I was currently wearing. I was sweating profusely and the crowds everywhere did not help. So back to the hotel we went where I changed into gym shorts. Upon leaving the hotel we noticed something going on outside. It was a photo shoot, and legit one at that. A striking model with blonde hair posed motionless for picture after picture. It was so interesting to see how little she can move, they do everything for her; take off clothes, put them on, hold an umbrella over her. It was like she was a porcelain doll that they positioned and dressed for photographs.

Second, we arrived at the Coliseum. I am not going to lie here, my first impression once inside was a letdown from what I had expected. There is a “but” here though. But, we signed up for a tour of the dungeons and the top of the Coliseum, which changed my opinion. I should note here that no more English tours were available, only Italian, but that did not stop us from signing up. The tour was amazing and the guide was so nice, always trying to tell Samantha and I some in English, and we could pick up on some Italian. Learning about the Coliseum and getting to see it from the bottom up made me appreciate it more than I thought possible. It is truly remarkable and its history is beyond fascinating.

Then we went to the Pantheon, an astonishing piece of architecture with a 30-foot oculus (hole) in the center of the top of the building. It is unfeasible for one to think how anyone could build such an amazing structure, let alone how long ago they completed the structure.

Following that we visited the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. I do not know much on the history of these two works, but I know I loved seeing them. The Trevi Fountain will take anyone’s breath away. After this we had some pizza at a small café, and then returned for the night to the hotel. We ended up going back to the local café for some of the best drinks I have ever tasted: Vodka and Aperol Martini, Moscow Mule, Blackberry Cocktail, Strawberry Martini, Vodka Melon Mojito Martini! They were spectacular.

ROME (Day 3)

Broke again. We awoke later than we wanted and decided to forgo Saint Peters until next time due to money, the long line that awaited, and for the sake of time. We checked out of our amazing hotel and gladly took a cab back to the train station. The train ride from Rome to Civitavecchia was something else! Tiny train where some had to stand. Keep in mind the baggage I told of earlier that I had with me and imagine my ordeal on this train. Sadly in the hustle and bustle of boarding this train a little detachable piece of my lens hood came off and disappeared. Although, it could have been worse for sure, and to replace this will only cost me $20. After a very annoying train ride we made it to Civitavecchia and boarded the ship. Now we are on route to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Farewell until then my friends

IN CROATIA NOW WAHOOO POST ABOUT IT LATER!!! SO SORRY THERE WERE NO PICS WITH THIS, THERE WERE BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT WORK CHECK FACEBOOK FOR THE PICS THAT CORRESPOND WITH THIS!!