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Published: October 14th 2006
4 INCREDIBLE ADDITIONS!
The ladies who helped make magnificent memories all around the Cyclades. Kristi, July, Ellen, and Alissa...hangin out at the port!You know you are a backpacker when:
-You think..."maybe if I write a book about my travels, I will become financially free, and continue my exploration of the world!" I think this is every backpacker's dream!
Ok, so yes, Greece was about 3 months ago, but I can still recall it vividly because it was just THAT INCREDIBLE! I have been fortunate to visit many visually striking countries, and I am happy to announce that Greece has successfully made the cut! It is MAGNIFICENT!
We arrived to Athens around midnight and had a 6-hour layover before our flight to Santorini the next morning (one of the Cycladic Islands). Our girls from home (Alissa and Kristi) were meeting us in Santorini, but had one night in Athens as well...so, we thought to ourselves...hmmm, hang out at the airport, or GO SEE THE GIRLS for a few hours??? You can probably guess what we decided to do! We hung out at the airport!! JUST KIDDING...we went to see the girls at their hotel! I cannot even tell you how wonderful it was to see them and catch up...from that moment, I KNEW we had an incredible, fun-filled week ahead of
Black Beach in Santorini
July, Ellen, Dawn, Nancy, Roshni, Caroline, Kristi, AND Alissa waiting for the bus at the Black Beach. us.
Accompanying Alissa and Kristi were 2 marvelous ladies (friend's of Alissa) who are now, without a doubt, a part of our international family, Ellen (from Holland), and July (our resident New Yorker living in Romania). It was an absolute pleasure getting to know these 2 ladies over the course of the week. Thank you both for helping make this journey SO memorable and for sharing the excitement with us.
Let me back up however!
Before beginning, you MUST know who Alissa and Kristi are, and HOW important they are to me!
Alissa is my best friend from high school who has been a HUGE part of my life since I was 13. This was the girl who I made home-made movies with, worked at the local bakery with, tried to discover the meaning of life with (TEENAGERS..gotta love em!), snuck my first alcoholic beverage with, and shared endless nights of laughter (and tears) with. We have been by each other's side for so long, and I am so thankful for her guidance, inspiration, support, and constant love in my life. Sharing Greece with her was priceless, and I am constantly floored by her amazing accomplishments
How Could You NOT Wake Up Happy...
When this was your view everyday? Kristi, Dawn, and Roshni in Santorini and growth in life. Love you chicita!
Though I knew Kristi briefly in college, she really came into my life when I moved to San Francisco. At that time, she was the roommate of my best friend from college, Miss Catherine Anne Conway. I never would have guessed that I would find such an incredibly compassionate, caring, and loving friend in Kristi...but I thank God everyday because over the last 4 years, she has become a friend that I plan to grow old with. Kristi and I have shared so many beautiful memories from becoming roommates in San Francisco, working our first sales jobs together, chatting on the couch for HOURS together, cooking chicken casserole and apple crisp together, and of course so much more! Mommacita, thanks for being YOU!
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with happiness having these girls (AND our new friends) with us for the first part of Greece.
Ok...so, what the heck did we do in Greece?
Besides talking a WHOLE lot, we did manage to explore the islands. In Santorini, we stayed at an adorable villa just a healthy 10-minute walk from the main center in Fira. Santorini was...dare I
Taking Over Santorini...
8 Fun Girls...How could we not?? heehee. Nancy, Dawn, Roshni, Kristi, July, Ellen, Caroline, and Alissa say...my favorite! You know how you imagine Greece...adorable, quaint white buildings with cathedral-like domes and bright blue trim, dressed with clusters of vibrantly pink flowers...yep...that's Santorini! Oh, and let´s not forget to mention that it is encompassed by a ravishingly clean, clear, and sparkling blue sea. This place is undoubtedly honey-moon worthy!
One day we relaxed at the black beach...given its name for, LITERALLY, its black sand! We also hired a private boat for the 8 of us and toured around the sea, ate fresh catfish, devoured lots of gyro, danced away at the popular Coo Club, lost ourselves amongst the narrow, cobble-stoned streets, and celebrated Nancy's 34th birthday in Ia while attending one of the world's most famous sunsets!
Nancy's birthday dinner was at Kastro which sits at the edge of Ia and grants its guests the best seat on the island for a jaw-dropping sunset. The sunset attracts visitors from all over the world and even provokes a bounty round of applause upon its descent!
From Santorini, all of us gals (except for July...we sadly said goodbye in Santorini) headed to the largest cycladic island, Naxos. Naxos is reknown for its Venetian character and white-sand
Play Day At Sea
Celebrating life at Sea in Santorini! Dawn, Ellen, July, and Roshni beaches...and trust me, we savored it all! It is a bit more quiet than Santorini, but still unique and beautiful. We spent our days in Naxos relishing one another's company, talking about our futures, and trying to pause time, but unfortunately, our time machine broke and our vacation with the girls came to an end.
In general, I don't believe that all good things have to come to an end, but in this case, it did. The best news though, is that we had an amazing time together and made memories that will continue to make my heart smile forever.
From Naxos, Ellen, Alissa, and Kristi sailed across the seven seas to their respective countries, and Team America (Nancy included) took the challenge of exploring the rest of Greece.
We then headed to Mykonos!
I must say, you really cannot go wrong with the Greek Islands because Mykonos was just SO charming and alluring as well!
We landed at Paradiso, one of the most famous camping/bungalow sites along Paradise Beach. We (as backpackers do) got ourselves a tent and familiarized ourselves with the campground. There was a huge club onsite that goes off at all
BFFAEAE...
Almost 13 years as friends...I am blessed. Relishing the sunset in Ia. hours of the day, a cafeteria that made me feel like I was back in college, and swarms of drunk Italian teenagers running around chanting what must be the Italian Anthem (VERY proud World Cup Champions!). It was an ecclectic sight, that is for sure. Unfortunately, upon returning to our tent in the evening, we realized we had been rand-sacked! The tent was slashed, the locks on our bags were broken, and our belongings were in disarray all over the floor. The thieves apparently didn't care much for women's clothing because, fortunately, all they took was some stashed away cash and Ro's phone. What could we do? Such is life, and these misfortunes teach you to not become attached to material items. All we could do at that point was demand an upgrade to a bungalow and move on with our time in Mykonos...there was a beautiful island to be discovered after all!
Despite the rough beginning, we still had a heaps of fun. We made some great friends from Greece, Japan, and Italy, hiked along the cliffs to discover beach after beach, marveled at the cute downtown, walked about 'Little Venice', and dabbled in some of the famous
Best Seats
The beautiful sunset in Ia. One word...UNREAL! Mykonos nightlife.
If I did it again, I would forego Paradiso and stay downtown or at another beach on the island (there are SO many to choose from)...but no regrets...just live and learn!
Our Greek adventures were not even CLOSE to over...we had yet to discover Athens and the Ionian Islands...AND, we had another exciting visitor on her way, KARA! Kara is a friend of mine from San Francisco who now lives back in Chicago. It was fate that we met one night out in San Francisco! Generally people pick up potential mates whilst out on the town...not me...but I sure felt lucky when I picked up my dearest Kara at a local bar...heehee. Over the last 2 years, Kara has become a dynamic addition to our group of friends. She adds SO much color, energy, and enthusiasm to every situation and I love that quality about her SO much.
We met Kara in Athens and surprised her with a room at the King George Palace Hotel...thanks to my dearest brother! We had the fortune of celebrating her 26th birthday the night of her arrival. Dawn and I bought hor´dearves and tastefully decorated the room with Happy
We like to eat!!!
Can you tell??? My ladies and I savoring typical Greek cuisine...mmmm, yummy muscles! Birthday napkins (that's all we could find!). When Kara got to the room, we squealed (as girls do), and had SO much fun catching up, eating dolmas, and toasting over champagne, which Nancy had brought home. It is truly amazing how months can pass, yet friendships pick back up as if no time had lapsed at all...that's how it was with Kara. It was like I had just seen her yesterday!
We got ready and headed to one of Athen's most famous clubs, Akrotiri. We sat at a table directly next to the sea. The waves crashed 2m away from us, the stars smiled down on us, and we danced, and danced, and danced. It was simply sensational!
The next morning, Kara left for Santorini to see Roshni. Ro returned to that island because, I am telling you, it is THAT GREAT! Nancy, Dawn, and I stuck around to discover Athens. I won't lie...one day, Dawn and I spent the ENTIRE day laying around in our glorious hotel watching movies, AND...we did not even regret a single second of it. You need days like that every once in a while, right? That day, Nancy took on the Athen´s
Crystal Clear Waters of Naxos
Really...you cannot go wrong in Greece!! shopping scene by storm and returned to the hotel with armloads of bags...aaah...I am trying to remember what that feeling is like...heehee, but I was very excited and happy for her! New purchases are always SO fun!
We did the touristy thing...saw the Acropolis, gazed at the Parthenon, ate slovaki, and learned all about Zeus (apparently he's a big deal in Greece...heehee!). Check out our pics!
From Athens we decided to check out the Ionian Sea...and so we headed to Kefolonia, the largest island off the West Coast. Kefalonia had a completely different landscape to the Cylcades. It was green!..and by green, I mean the sea was green, the grass was green, and the mountains were green! It was a delightful difference. The island was much less touristy than the others, which was great to experience! Kara met us up again on this island and we conquered it all!
We toured around the whole island to see all the small fisherman villages and ooh-ed and aah-ed at the stunning beach from the movie, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. We kayaked and paddle boated at the popular beach, Lassi, and of course got our fix of dancing in at The
Exploring Mykonos
Nancy saying WHAT'S UP seaside in Mykonos...oh wait, I think Caroline wants to say hello too! Can you spot her?? Bass Club. After almost a week on the island, we could get around with our eyes closed!
If you have't guessed by now...Greece took our breath away! Not only did we get to experience it with incredible women, we soaked up some history, had a few Greek mythology lessons, saturated ourselves of the beach, ate every type of Greek cuisine, and learned phrases like: Tikanese and Efharisto (How are you? and Thank you!).
Anyways...You know that phrase..."It ain't over til the fat lady sings???" Well, we may have put on a few pounds along our journey, but I wouldn't put us in the category of 'fat'...well not yet (heehee)...so, the trek went on and we headed to our next continent, AFRICA. EGYPT was on the agenda!
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Kaveh
non-member comment
great story...
Awesome blog as usual. Forget writing a book, you guys could make a living by being adventure guides for travelors! Everytime I read your blog I feel like my life is boring and dull...and thats saying a lot coming from me. :)