Next Stop: Aegina

After one day and one night in Athens we decided it was time to trek to a new spot! We found inexpensive ferry tickets to a small island only 40 minutes away called Aegina and off we went. About 10 minutes into out ride a man in a sailors uniform came and asked us if we'd like a picture, sure we replied! Then he excitedly inquired if we'd like a picture with the captain, again, we figured, why not? He motioned for us to follow him and up into the cockpit we went! Both the captain and co-captain spoke fairly good English and after chatting for just a few minutes the captain asked Monica if she'd like to drive. She laughed as if they were joking and then he turned to me, again asking, would we like to drive? I too couldn't really tell if he was serious but I was like "sure! Why not?!" and out of his chair he rose. Within seconds I was laughing and sure enough, driving the boat. 

For the next 20 minutes or so, Monica and I took turns driving the ferry and silently thinking "only in Greece, never would this be allowed in the U.S.".

When we finally arrived to the little island we instantly fell in love with its small town charm. There were horse drawn carriages lining the side of the street and almost everyone was driving scooters. Athens had been less than we'd imagined, but this picturesque scene was just like those out of sisterhood of the traveling pants (although the homes are not lost in a sea of white but instead full of vibrant colors). 

We wandered around the adorable cobblestone streets for awhile and eventually retired to a cafe on the Main Street to watch the sun go down. 

Today, our second day on the island, however, was truly memorable as we decided we would try to blend in with the locals and rent scooters! The island is actually much bigger than we had realized and we spend the day scooting around from coast to coast, visiting monasteries, ruins, beaches and enjoying a picnic lunch of fruits and wine! I don't think we fooled anyone though, as our shiny helmets definitely gave us away as tourists (don't worry Mom, we're being safe!).

As we drove from town to town, it began to feel a bit eerie as we realized the severity of Greece's economic state; I think we may have been the only humans out there. We wonder if the deserted homes, unfinished infrastructures and lack of human life is due to the bankruptcy Greece is currently facing, or if this is simply low season, but either way, it was definitely shocking to see, for the side of the island we are staying on is bustling with activity!

Tomorrow we will be sad to leave I think, and hope to some day visit again! And on a slightly different note, Monica will be happy to tell you that I have resisted all urges to play with the many (probably over 700) stray cats that I have seen. I wanted to cuddle them all, but for fear of rabies, I did not. Ta ta for now Greece, until we meet again! 

Day 2: Athens

"This is not exactly what I expected," Monica said as we sat, finally, in the metro leaving the airport towards the city. Yet, how often are our adventures exactly as we envisioned them? Not very. Not only had no one in the train station been able to validate our eurorail passes, but we quickly learned the map we'd snagged in the terminal would soon be our new best friend. 

Thankfully, we [mostly Monica- I'm quite directionally challenged] figured out how to read the map in accordance to the main metro lines to get us in and around the city with little problems! However, that definitely took some practice. As we left the station to find our first hostel, a nice old man came to our rescue when confusion was clearly clouding our faces. He directed us with a few hand signals and a hesitant and questioning "right and left". After about 15 minutes of weaving in and out of small, and unfortunately urine smelling, streets, we stopped to asses our map again. Again, with scrunched eyebrows and puzzled looks a young boy who spoke fairly good English offered his assistance. Turns out we were in the completely wrong area and his persistent warnings that "you must be careful- Athens is no longer safe" informed us that we were in a dangerous neighborhood. I'm fairly certain at some point along our backtracking to our hostel, Monica and I exchanged silent glances that conveyed our disappointment thus far in Athens. The economic crisis is quite evident in the filth that overwhelms much of the city, and just two doors down from our hostel, we actually observed a woman peeing on the sidewalk. 

Fortunately, there was much more to Athens than the area of our hostel promised and we quickly realized that as soon as we made our way to the Acropolis and the Parthenon! One of the best parts about Greece thus far is that we get discounts almost everywhere we go for being students! To visit 6 historical sites it was only 6 euros and to tour the brand new Acropolis museum 3! 

The view from the top of the Acropolis was absolutely stunning, and it is amazing to think about how old the ruins are. 

Just below the ruins of these beautiful historic sites were adorable cobblestone streets filled with budding colorful floral, shops, restaurants and cafes; clearly the heart of tourist attraction. Upon our wandering we came across a spa that had rows of tanks with tiny little fishies inside, fishies that supposedly eat strictly dead skin! We decided to do a 10 minute trial and boy did it tickle! 

We ended our day with a nice glass of sangria and of course, getting completely turned around on our trek back to our hostel once more! 

PS: we found some cool graffiti and thanks to Monica's selfie stick, captured this gem! 

Day 1: The Flight Over

There's no better way to start this post off than with a comical photo of Monica sleeping. 

Before leaving for this adventure, Monica and I both read Rock Steve's travel guide to Europe. In it he suggested we take ambien or some sort of sleeping aid so that we didn't experience jet lag upon arrival and miss a whole day of our travels, so we thought it best to heed his advice, however, he left out the side effects of ambien in his advice. Just as the flight attendants served us our packaged meal, garlic chicken, veggies and potatoes, we figured we'd take the ambien, figuring it would take at least 30 minutes to kick in. About 15 minutes through the meal I looked over at Monica and she just looked lost. I couldn't help but chuckle when she said "can you hear those voices?" For about 10 more minutes she panicked saying she was hearing things and then before my eyes it appeared as if the plane was growing three times its size. That's when I started "hearing" the voices too; I could have swore everyone around me was singing. I'd always heard that if you tried to stay awake when you took Ambien, that you risked some sort of "tripping effect" but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would kick in that quickly. Moral of the story, we both ended up forgoing the remainder of our meals to go to sleep as quickly as possible so we could escape the voices. No more ambien for us.

On the plus side, we both had the deepest sleep and experienced little to no jet lag when we arrived in Athens and were more than thrilled when we finally arrived after our 10 hour flight! 

Wanderlust: Summer EuroTrip

It's not until you walk the streets of Spain as the locals bellow songs of victory following a winning goal in the World Cup, or until the streets of Argentina fall silent as the entire city closes the doors to their shops, schools and homes for a mid-afternoon siesta, that you can truly experience the richness of culture and adventure. Seeing the world through a magazine, news article or movie may have the ability to leave you feeling as if you were there, however, seeing the world up close may change your life.
Traveling is about much more than leisure for those of us who feel as though they cannot sit still in one place for too long. Wanderlust is about more than the desire to travel, but about curiosity, growth and longing. Longing to understand the unknown, to learn, to understand the worlds many cultures and languages.
I long to travel the world, not simply for adventure but for experience, intellect, love, creativity, opportunity and growth.
My travels thus far have provided me with a platform for my desire to move beyond the mundane, to challenge what we have been taught and told and learn for myself about the beautiful possibilities of all God's people, the earth and it's creations.
Adventure is calling me once more. In four days, my best friend, Monica and I will embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Check back for photos, thoughts, [wise] words and more as we trek through 12 European countries over the next 6 weeks!