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Hello Everyone,
it's been awhile as we have been having some action-packed, crazy adventures but once again we have emerged unscathed and amazed by the places we've been visiting and people we've been meeting.
Venice was a city unlike any other that we've seen. Floating on the water, it is rich in history, beauty and tourists. Before we arrived, we met people who assured us that the only way to truly appreciate this area was to explore it by water boat - so this is what we did. We enjoyed two days of wandering the unique canals by boat and getting lost in the streets while on foot. We managed to locate the most enormous, delicious pizzas known to Italy (and our tastebuds) and checked out the location where "The Italian Job" was filmed.
When we left this romantic city it was clear to us why it is such a famed area.
In the blink of an eyehole from a Comedia d'el arte mask we were ferrying our way over to Greece. Unbeknown to us, our Eurail passes only covered us for a placement on the deck of the overnight ship. We spent the evening sitting on
the deck witnessing the crazy partiers and enthusiastic disco dancers who surrounded us.
After docking in Patras we trained over to Athens and on the way met w the people who would join to form Team Commonwealth. First we met Leah (Vancouver) who's gigantic Canadian flag on her backpack attracted the attention of another fellow Canadian, Mark, from Winnipeg followed by two Aussies and a New Zealander.
Team Commonwealth successfully found Larissa Train Station (yes!) and made it to Athens. We checked out the Acropolis in the 47 degree heat for about 15 minutes and then promptly departed for the Greek islands.
Our first stop was Hydra, a small Island with absolutely no method of transportation except for donkeys (who coincidentally outnumbered the inhabitants). We happened to arrive in Hydra on the night of their annual festival so abosultely all accomodation was booked. Professionals at these situations by now, we all agreed to make a rock our communal living space for the night. We discovered an even tinier town a couple kilometres away and had a meal of fresh seafood on the water before taking a boat back to the festival. As fireworks lit up the Aegean
sky and traditional music filtered through the now lively town, we all happily agreed that any rock would be a sufficient trade-off for this experience.
In the pitch blackness we managed to locate our rock-home and were only a little detered when New Zealand kept asking Sam and I what kind of creatures roamed the Greek islands and which ones lived in the sea. She was so concerned about the unknown creatures that we all started to become a little leary of what was lurking in the forest behind us. However this trepidation quickly turned to laughter and we all spent the night in stiches over her alien phrases and hilarious expressions.
The next morning it was time for Australia and New Zealand to continue their trip onto India. And out of the darkness there was light. Thus team Canada was born.
Team Canada ferried over to the island of Paros. Largely a farming island, we rented four wheelers and decided to explore the terrain. We spent the entire day cruising around and finding little inlets, beaches and backroads. The next couple of days on Paros were spent intaking the land and the amazing greek food.
After Leah left and Team Canada had minimized itself, Ios was our the next stop and this was quite different from the other islands we'd previously visited. Known as "party island" it was filled with young people all there for a relaxing vacay. We managed to find an incredible hotel/resort for 10 euros a night complete with a view onto the aquamarine bay below!
After a couple too many days of lying on the beach, eating, sleeping and partying like the rest of the Islanders we were off to Santorini. Santorini is now built on the remains of a volcano. The topography is interesting and varries from the black sand beaches of Perissa to the white and blue washed hill top towns of Oia and Fira.
Reminiscing about our quad time in Paros we rented them once again and revelled in Santorini's uniqueness. We accidentally stumbled onto the cove where much of "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" was filmed and discovered that the rocks and old fishing boats were the perfect locale for snorkeling.
We celebrated Canada Day with fervour as Mark had brought Canada tattoos with him from the homeland. We plastered ourselves and any other
Canadians we could find with them and celebrated with a little piece of Canada in the heart of Greece. Mark left that evening and Sam and I sadly said goodbye to our friendly giant Winnipegian friend and disassembled to become Team SamLar once again.
Greece so far has been incredible. It is a country that still feels removed enough to retain it's culture and traditions. The landscape is very different to anything we've ever seen and the people are warm and welcoming. Each island has it's own character and flavour so it has been thrilling to experience a taste of various ones...
Until next time,
Sam & Larissa
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Amanda
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AWWW
aww you guys i miss you so much!!!! sounds like amazing adventures come your way everywhere in europe! even though you guys are having a blast, i can't wait till you come home!