Friday, June 20, 2008

Finding my land legs again...

Well, I'm back in Athens for the night and found a little more time to write.

Picking back up, Tuesday night was our "Greek night" on the ship. Everyone on our group wore togas around the ship, much to the amusement of all of the other guests. We were quite the life of the party. Had a great time, drank too much (again), and got up to general shenanigans.

Had all day Wednesday to enjoy the island of Rhodes. Shopped, toured an old palace and most of the old town, then had a fantastic lunch with some of the group. Not Greek food, but there were primarily Greek people in the restaurant, so that counts, right? Was nearly sold into slavery by Australian tour mate (long story) then wandered down to the beach for a few hours. Didn't feel comfortable swimming in the salt water thanks to the open wounds on my legs and feet, but enjoyed a few hours in the sun none the less.

Back on ship for kareoke night. Drank entirely too much to prepare self for kareoke night. Made an ass out of myself anyways. Sobered up after dinner, danced the night away, then stayed up way too late talking. Deep meaningful conversations just seem so much better when had by moonlight on the Aegean Sea!

Thursday... wow. Missed the morning excursion (see above paragraph) but had a nice relaxing afternoon on the ship. Played some more trivia and finally beat the old school teachers we've been challenging all week, largely due to the fact that one of our teammates downloaded the entirety of Wikipedia to his iPhone. I love nerds. Got to the island of Santorini in the afternoon and saw two of the prettiest spots I've ever seen. Like Mykonos but without the drunkenness. Views of the blue sea and adorable village for miles from the top of a volcanic mountain. Was there approaching sunset and absolutely did not want to leave. Rode a donkey down the mountain (!) and then back to the boat for the last night!

Took it easy on board... watched the sunset, had a few more drinks at all of our favorites spots and headed to bed early, since we disembarked at 7:00 AM. I'm back in Athens now and have had a lazy day with a few of the girls, and I miss the boat already. Though there were slight annoyances within the group and the need for a significant detox by the end of the trip, all in all, one of the best weeks of my life. Everything I was able to see was beautiful, romantic, awe-inspiring, etc, and I got to know some pretty amazing people this week. Re-reading this blog I realize it sounds rather boring, but once you see the pictures...wow. It'll be hard to top this experience, but I am definitely in need of some me time. One of my tourmates pointed out to me that just having amazing experiences doesn't make you get in touch with yourself, but that you actually have to work at it... and I think I'm ready for a few days of doing that. Lots to think about.

So I'll be spending tonight in Athens for a little RnR, then off to Meteora in the morning to see some amazing architectural feats, then Thessaloniki in Northen Greece on Sunday. Will write more then...

1 comment:

Beth said...

How did you almost get sold into slavery!!!!! Your trip sounds very exciting and it will be nice to see the pics.