And I Am Home

And so the May Seminar to Greece comes to a close. This is my first full day being back in Fargo, since I got back after midnight yesterday. My sleeping schedule is completely crazy (like waking up at 1:30am this morning crazy). I'm sure that will be back to normal in no time though. I also had a mild panic attack last night when I took a nap. Clearly I hadn't fully gotten back to the fact that I was home and when I woke up I was really confused about where I was and I started to freak out in my mind a lot. That was when I had to call it quits yesterday. My mind was not functioning, so it needed to take a break.

My goal for today is to make it until 10:00pm. I will probably take a nap sometime this afternoon if I need to, but for now I have some coffee (thank God for triple shot espressos over ice). I cannot wait to make it back to Greece.

I will be doing one more post after this one, but not until later in the day. I will be posting some pictures that I took in Athens. They aren't fantastic, since many of them were just taken as we were walking, but it gives you an idea of what another part of Greece is like.

My Highlights

1. Athens (it was nice to actually see Athens and not just pass through to catch connecting flights)

2. Santorini

3. Renting ATVs

4.Watching the sunset and then picnicking under the stars with friends at a lighthouse

5. Hiking from Fira to Oia

6. Cliff Jumping

7. Seeing ancient cities

8. Speaking Greek with the Greeks

9. Finding local food stops to eat at

10. Seeing the Acropolis at night

11. Getting lost in Athens (on the way here, we were awkward)

12. Getting lost in Athens (on the way home, but being able to ask directions in Greek)

13. Having the bus system in Santorini down like clockwork

14. Being able to walk everywhere

15. Being able to call this country my home (if only for a month)

Chilling in the Athens Airport

Greetings from Athens everybody! Sorry, we had to pay for WiFi at the hotel, so none of us did it. The trip to Athens was off to a rough start. When I picked up my suitcase at the Santorini airport the fabric of my suitcase tore. So that was great. Then when I lifted my suitcase to be weighed it ripped even more. Well this was concerning. Nothing was falling out of my bag…yet. The flight was very fast (only 25 minutes). I watched all the islands passing underneath the plane and Santorini disappear into the distance.

By the time we got to Athens my bag was even more torn and a pair of my jeans was starting to spill out of the side of my bag. Well that was concerning. Buying a new suitcase was on top of my priorities list (I got a hard case this time). I was actually able to fit everything into my suitcase this time.

Our first day in Athens was short, since it was only a half-day. We had a mini scavenger hunt to find some of the bigger ancient sites of Athens, like the Acropolis, Agora, etc. We also found an awesome local joint to get some food too. We weren’t crazy hungry, but we kind of went a little insane on what we ate. We all had pita gyros; we also had some chips and dip, a tomato and mozzarella, and so much more. We also went there today to grab a bite. We got our food in under a minute; it was awesome!

Today we went to a museum. It was the Archeological Museum, so we also saw some of the frescos that come from Santorini. We also saw some huge statues and even the death mask of Agamemnon. We caught the metro back to Monastiraki, and we got some lunch and I grabbed my suitcase. We then headed up to the Pynx, an ancient assembly for the democracy to learn some things about the Acropolis. We then hiked up to the Acropolis and got to see all the great sites. After the real Acropolis we then went to the Acropolis Museum. This was one of the sweetest museums I have ever been in. There are parts where the floor is glass and you can see an ancient city underneath you. When they dug into the earth for the building they found an ancient city (pretty hard NOT to do when people have been living in this area since about 5000 years before Christ). Well they preserved the city and now you can see the excavations while you are in the museum.

We also got to wander the city a little bit. We found the most awesome yogurt bar called Fresko. You select one of three yogurts (I got the Rich and Creamy Greek Yogurt) and then you can put on topping. These ranged from jam like preserves, to fresh fruits, 4 types of honey, and assortments of nuts. We also did some souvenir shopping in the Monastiraki area. I was finally able to locate the big Greek flag that I wanted.

As I am typing this it is currently 6:17 am in Athens. I won’t be able to post this until the Athens airport when I can get free WiFi. So today will be our 32 hour day, roughly. We will be chasing the sun, and the sun will win. This time in Greece will not be forgotten and I  can’t wait to come back in the future. 

So Glad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ggzxInyzVE&ob=av3n

I woke up this morning and this song was just in my mind to be played. It seemed so fitting for our last day here. Hope you all enjoy. 

Only For Now

Well it is our last day. We will be leaving Santorini in approximately 6 hours. So here are sunset pictures from when we went out to a lighthouse this past weekend and watched the sunset. As our time sets in Santorini we were all reflecting about how beautiful it was. A once in a lifetime moment. 

Sweet Sigh of Relief

Well I was able to zip up the suitcase. Thank God. It is very tight, and there are some things that almost didn't make it home. As of now it is two towels I brought from home, but they were destined to be left behind from the beginning. I also used clothing for packing cushions (I have no choice but to be resourceful). I also packed my bag in such a way that I won't have to open my checked bag in Athens. The last thing I want to do is pack that bag again.

It is hard to let go after being here for a month, but packing everything up is putting things into perspective. I am excited to come home. It is great to be around family and friends. In all honesty I am most excited to work. Being abroad just gives me wanderlust, but I must have money to do so. Also, I need to save up for Israel. So much to do this summer. I took a round of pictures, but I won't be posting them until we are in Athens (sorry for the teaser, but just so you know).

As much as I love Greece I do miss home. Growing up in the plains I just love flat land. Mountains are beautiful, don't get me wrong. There is just something about being around the terrain of your home, it gives you a different kind of energy. There is very little flat land here, so there were a few times where I was just longing for a straight, flat road rather than a winding mountain path. Santorini has been my home for a month and it is crazy, because we are having to tell people that they won't be seeing us walk along the boardwalk anymore. We have gotten to know some of the locals very well, and it is sad to say goodbye to them.

Will I come back to Greece? Most definitely. When? That is to be determined. Will I come to Santorini again? Yes. But I will also want to spend time on the mainland. It would be fun to just live in Athens for a month. It would be a completely different vibe than the island life on Santorini. For now I will revel in the last few hours on Santorini. 

The Last Days

Well it is Sunday here. 12:11pm to be exact. We will be leaving the island of Santorini in approximately 24 hours. We will be in Athens for 3 days, but I'm not sure if our accommodations will have internet. So if they don't I am sorry.

Santorini has been a wonderful experience. Today, while we were tanning on the beach, we talked about how we expected to get comfortable here and whatnot, but we never expected it to feel like home after only being here for one month. This makes me excited for Israel, because I will be there for about 6 months (and there will be a blog about that too, maybe not everyday). It feels great to be able to walk down the boardwalk and have conversations with people along the way, because we know each other.

Last night was our Fira clubbing night. It was ridiculously fun, especially with all the tourists. I'm not a person to be big on tourists, but tourists in clubs help make them awesome. We had some great times just staying out until 3:30am and then trying to find a place that has some food (miraculously a market was still open). We then slept and then woke up for the beach today. This weekend has been the perfect way to end our time here in Santorini. Between renting ATVs, exploring the island on our own, clubbing in Fira, and just spending down time we have found a great niche here and it will be sad to leave it.