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| Relaxing on the rocks by the beach in Monterosso al Mare (Cinque Terre) |
As I close in on the culmination of my study abroad experience, I’m completely blown away by how far I’ve come. It seems like only yesterday that I was planning all of my travels and now I’ve just come home from the last trip of the semester. The quote that I picked, by Anais Nin, discusses travel and spoke to the experiences I’ve had in the past three weeks traveling within Italy and to Greece. It was an escape to a different life while at the same time serving as an amazing reminder that this really is my life. I’ve never felt so lucky.
So many travels, where to begin? Let’s start with Greece! I have dreamt of going to Greece for years! Between the food, the culture, and the different characteristics of the country (beaches, cities, ruins, etc.), I was dying to make it there before the semester ended. After seeing a friend’s pictures of Mykonos, I decided that a beachside vacation was the top of the to-do list. I also figured that I couldn’t go to Greece and not even see the Parthenon, so we settled on a day in Athens followed by two in Mykonos.
I haven’t been on a plane since I arrived in Rome and I must say, the 3:30 am wake-up to get to the airport was not the ideal way to reunite with air travel, but on some level I do enjoy an early-morning flight and the chance to get somewhere and have the entire day to do things. Our day in Athens got off to a smooth start when we checked into our hostel and then made our way out in search of gyros and the Parthenon. No gyros places were open yet (but we had eaten granola bars at 5 am in the airport, 11 am was definitely not too early for lunch in our book), so we sampled another Greek tradition- spanikopita. This delicious spinach filling is accompanied by small chunks of feta cheese and an occasional onion and stuffed between two layers of flaky phyllo. We sat in the café and watched a cook make huge sheets of phyllo dough for other dishes. It was like watching a pizza-maker toss dough in the air except more amazing because his phyllo got to the point where we could see through it yet it somehow never ripped. We were mesmerized. After the snack we strolled through the meat and cheese market around the area where whole, skinned, raw lambs were flung over the shoulders of adults and children alike as they made their way to the stands to put the meat on large hooks. We later learned that this didn’t happen everyday, but was rather in preparation for Easter dinner two days later.
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| "Spanikopita! You hungry?"- My Big Fat Greek Wedding |
With one Greek food checked off the list and feeling a little grossed out by the lamb’s skinned heads and bulging eyes staring us down, we took off in search of the Acropolis. Our hostel was very conveniently located to the center of the city and we got to the Acropolis easily. While the Acropolis itself is huge, the main attraction is, of course, the Parthenon, which just so happens to be at the very top. It was a tiring walk up to the top but so much fun to see the famous Parthenon! After the Parthenon we stopped for gyros before going to the Olympic Stadium where we took an audio tour that was informational yet got very boring. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the streets of Athens and enjoying a light dinner of a Greek salad and lamb in lemon sauce. After dinner we went back to the hostel for an early night (keep in mind that we’d been up since 3:30 and that we were waking up at 5 the next morning for a ferry to Mykonos). We relaxed on the rooftop bar at the hostel that had stunning views of the Parthenon before falling asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
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| The Parthenon |
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| Me and Athens |
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| Olympic Stadium |
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| The view of the Parthenon from our hostel |
The next morning we took a train to Piraeus port and boarded a ferry bound for Mykonos. This was a five-hour journey but completely worth it to be able to arrive in the beach paradise island. We arrived at Mykonos and were taken to the hotel, which was every bit as wonderful as I’d dreamt it would be. The balcony looked out over a beach of soft sand and turquoise water. It was breathtaking! I never wanted to leave the balcony. Our day was perfect, enjoying gyros, strolling around town, relaxing on the beach, and eating a delicious dinner at a taverna- mussels appetizer to share and then an entree of lamb baked with vegetables and feta cheese. Greek perfection!
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The view from my hotel room
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The famous windmills of Mykonos
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Relaxing on the beach- life is good
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Lambs roasting on the spit for Easter
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The next day we decided to rent ATVs to explore the island more. Unfortunately, mine was faulty and lead me to crash twice. After the first one I was brave and got back on, but after the second I decided that it was time to call it quits. I didn't realize until later that it had happened because my wheels were not properly aligned. Regardless, while the rest of my friends drove around, I ate a gyro, grabbed a baklava to go, and sat on the beach at the hotel, enjoying the warm sun (not enjoying the cold wind), my baklava, music, and a book seaside. It was a great afternoon! That night was Easter Sunday so we went to the restaurant next to the hotel where the music was blasting and the party was in full swing. There was plate smashing, drunken waiters, ouzo galore, and a lot of music and dancing. While we were entertained, we ventured back to our hotel and ate a delicious salmon dinner because the waiter at the other restaurant never even brought us our drinks (he was a tad preoccupied with the dancing and singing. Oh yeah, and the ouzo).
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| My ATV experience started well- at least for five minutes or so |
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| The beach, called Platis Gialos, at sunset |
The next morning we sadly made our way back to Rome. I got sick upon my return unfortunately. My philosophy: I barely got sick in Rome and that’s my body’s way of saying that it didn’t consider Italian germs foreign since it considers me Italian too. Regardless of being sick, I made it through a week of school and off on another weekend trip to Cinque Terre!
Cinque Terre, translated to mean “Five Towns,” is a beautiful place on the northern west coast of Italy. It features five towns all set into cliffs and mountains along the coast and you can hike or take a train between them. It is famous for stunning views, delicious seafood, great hiking, and being the birthplace of pesto! We stayed in the last town, Monterosso al Mare, the only town with beach access. After a beachside lunch of stuffed mussels, we spent the afternoon on the beach, relaxing and enjoying some of the best banana gelato I’ve had in Italy (it’s not the artificial stuff like in the States, this tastes like a frozen fresh banana). Another incredible seafood meal rounded out the night perfectly. We shared a seafood sampler appetizer and the plates just kept coming: scallops, sardines, shrimp, anchovies, and many different styles of preparation including baked, fried, stuffed, etc. It was wonderful to try so many things.
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| The beach in Monterosso Al Mare |
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| I actually got tan- it was a miracle! |
The next day we enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel to stock up on energy before starting the hike. We took a train to Riomaggiore, the first town of Cinque Terre and the typical place where people start their hikes. From there we bought a hiking pass and hiked all the way back to Monterosso (with a train ride between two towns where the trail was out). The hiking started off easy on a paved path known as Via dell’Amore/Love’s Way, before getting into the more strenuous hiking between Corniglia and Vernazza and then Vernazza to Monterosso. The trek was filled with narrow trails, never-ending steps, and very steep inclines. We also got caught in the rain, a welcome and refreshing break from the sweaty heat of hiking. While it was a bit of a workout (and that’s a bit of an understatement), I felt so proud of myself when it was done. There were so many beautiful views, trails, and towns. When the hike was done we rewarded ourselves with kebabs and more banana gelato (my third time at this place over the weekend- the banana and nutella were the perfect combo) before heading back to Rome.
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| Vernazza |
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| Monterosso Al Mare |
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| The coastline of Cinque Terre |
Now it’s a week after Cinque Terre and I’m one week away from leaving Rome. I can’t begin to accurately describe my feelings right now. This semester has been such a dream and I’m not ready for it to end. At the same time, I’m excited to see my friends and family at home. It’s a mix of emotions all at the same time. For now, I’ll sign off and go get ready to head to an AS Roma soccer game- pardon me, I mean football. Time to enjoy sports like a true Roman! I’ll post again soon before I depart Rome!
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