Week 9- Spring Break
Spring Break? Did I read that right?
This semester has absolutely FLOWN. We are in mid-march.
Nearly APRIL!!!!!! Everyone knows April means your Spring semester is truly
over. The first week of May will come in the blink of an eye. I have no clue
how that happened and I’m not happy about it. How is my time here ending? I was
at Mayschoss yesterday.
On Friday night, I spent the night in the Frankfurt airport.
I did not say ‘slept’ because I absolutely did not sleep. I called my dad and
caught him up on how things have been going. Then I went up to McCafe and
starved as I lay on the benches with my headband over my eyes. The blasting
Shawn Mendes songs weren’t helping the situation. I decided to work on some
homework until the security lines opened and met with Jessica and Masha to find
our gate. My first RyanAir flight- and it does feel like Spirit. Those tiny
spaces aren’t super comfortable, but I was tired enough to knock out for a good
two hours.
We landed in Athens. It was warm and bright and sunny and
every sign was a combination of random shapes. The extent of my duolingo skills
was knowing what sounds were associated with each shape- so I knew how to read
them but no clue what any of them said. Nevertheless, the girls and I were
ecstatic. We grabbed our coffee and hopped on the tram to take us into the
city, a 70 minute journey. We walked to our Airbnb- a cute and quaint apartment
next to a lively bar, and got ready for the day. We walked all around town and
took pretty pictures and bought too many earrings- and I don’t regret it at
all. They were beautiful! And I love buying natural or handmade items from
locals. We had coffee and falafel and stuffed peppers, explored the parks and
churches and even stumbled upon a beautiful attraction- Pnyx. At this high
point, you get a beautiful view of the city and the Parthenon perched on the
Acropolis.
Once Adriana and Melania arrived, we got ready for dinner-
an awesome café at the bottom of the Acropolis with a beautiful view of the sun
setting on the city below us and the lights of the Acropolis above. We shared
dinner family-style and I had my first mimosa. I’m a fan. We explore for a few
more hours and found out that it was actually the Greek equivalent of Karneval
that weekend. It suddenly made more sense why the streets were wild and
costumes kept passing us. The Greeks, however, call it Penis Fest (but they don't use Penis). It’s
supposed to be a celebration of the book of Genesis, but they celebrate by
putting strap-ons around their waist and jiggling them around as they circle
the city. (Opa!)
As we walked around the city, we came across a group of two guys and a girl. They were Ukrainian and had been travelling since January of 2018, not planning to stop until April 2021. Greece was their 21st country on their list, and they had 69 in total on their goal list. They were perched on the corner telling people about their adventures and welcoming any monetary help. They were my age, and I was in utter amazement thinking about how cool their journey must have been. They invited me to come with them to Crete, and I genuinely considered it! Their plan was a dream. I wished I could have friends that were just as adventurous and flexible. But who knows? Maybe something as crazy is in store for me, too.
The next day, we went to Acropolis, had amazing food and
free shots at lunch, and then a DELICIOUS dinner with free shots and cake! It
was a beautiful weekend and not too crazy but extremely enjoyable. We went to
bed early since we had to leave our apartment at 5:20 AM to make it to the port
where our ferry would be. Especially since Monday was a public holiday (Clean
Monday, their equivalent of Lent). Although I was nauseous and nearly threw up
on the tram (that we BARELY made, thanks to our running past the turnstiles and
down the stairs, and my slamming on the doors after they close) everything went
perfectly! We boarded the ferry early and got a perfect seat in the front where
you could see the blue waters. The 4 hour trip was pleasant and the island was
quiet and looked exactly how you’d picture a Greek Island. We hiked and tanned
until it was too cold, and at dinner we were given free dessert yet again. I
truly am in love with the Greeks.
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