Took me long enough!

Hey everyone!! I hope everything back in USA is going well! Sorry that it has taken me so long to write another entry! I have been pretty busy since getting back from spring break! I have a few trips to tell you about since then...

The first trip was Athens! It was a school trip for all the study abroad students! We took a bus ride to Athens and we ended up staying in an amazing hotel! It was 4 stars and a great change from our apartments! Kara and I were roommates and loved having all the extra space! We had a great view from our balcony, as well. It looked right over the Aegean Sea and the city of Athens! Our first night was spent going out to eat with some school friends. We walked around the city for a short time and then headed back to our hotel for a good night sleep.

We woke up early the next morning and headed straight for the Acropolis! It was awesome! Seeing the Parthenon and the whole Acropolis was cooler than I imagined it to be! We had learned about many of the sights in my art history class, and it was so cool to be able to see what I had learned about. We had a guided tour and then we had our own time to explore the whole place. It was fun to take our time and really take in what we were looking at! It was sad to see all the damage that has been done to the Parthenon in the past many years. Mostly from the British man who basically took most of the amazing part of the Parthenon and moved them all to England. There are very few of the original sculptures and reliefs left on the actual sight. However, even without them, the Acropolis was amazing!

After we left there we took a short city tour and were dropped off in one of the major tourist areas of the city. It was about lunch time and while we were looking for an authentic Greek taverna, we stumbled on a Subway! It seemed like a mirage, but it was real! We almost ran into the store and ordered our subs as fast as we could! The Parthenon and Subway in one day..probably one of my greatest thus far!!! Ha Ha! Later that night the school took us out to an actual Greek restaurant that was not the greatest, but the night got better when me and three friends found a local club to visit. They loved Americans and we were not charged a cover charge, and as soon as we walked in, the bouncer made the DJ play only American music. Not that we wanted all American music, but it was still funny!

The next morning, the school took us to an ancient Greek restaurant. All of the items we were served were made from ancient Greek recipes. Also, we were only allowed the utensils that were used in ancient times, which meant no forks at all. It was an interesting meal, and actually pretty tasty. After that, we got on the bus and headed back for Thessaloniki. It was a fun weekend, but we were all excited to get back home to Thess! Then I only had 4 days to wait until we left for Myconos!

We did not leave until almost 10pm on Friday the 27th for Myconos. The bus ride was awful! We were forced to stop every hour so the chain smokers on the trip could get out and smoke! It was very annoying, especially for a non-smoker who had to wait on the bus! We finally made it to Athens 8 hours later and boarded a ferry to Myconos! The weather was partly sunny and very windy which made the ferry very shaky. I was very happy to get off on the island of Myconos! It was beautiful! White washed buildings with blue doors and blue shutters. We could not sit on the beach that night, so we went to a nearby taverna and then got ready to join the rest of the group at a club. Myconos is known for its clubs and this one lived up to our expectations! It was very very fun!

The next morning we woke up and decided to rent a car! It was Brandy's birthday and all she wanted to do was lay on the beach. So as soon as we got our car, we headed straight to the beach and did not leave for hours! When we finally left the beach, we found the touristy part of the the island and looked around. We found a great little taverna and ate right next to the water. We watched the sun set while we were eating. It was the perfect place for Brandy to celebrate her birthday! We went home and took a short nap and tried to watch some American TV! (We do that whenever we get the chance!) Then we went out to another club called "Space." It seemed to be full of young kids, we had to stay on the sides to stay out of their way. It was still a fun club and a once in a lifetime experience!

Our last day of Myconos was spent laying on the beach Super Paradise and relaxing! It was so nice to nap on the beach and just enjoy the day without having to run around the island and try to see all the sights, if there are any besides the beautiful scenery where we were hanging out! That night we did the same thing, just relaxed! It was a perfect end to our Myconos adventure! We had to board the ferry the next afternoon and then take the bus home...ew! We had nicer seats on the return ferry, and we watched movies the whole ride home on the bus so it seemed to go much faster, even though we boarded the ferry at 2pm and did not return home until 6am!

I had one day of rest, and then my friend Mitch Field arrived from home! It was sooo amazing to spend time with someone from home! I have missed home so much and having Mitch here has been so much fun! Since he arrived last week, I have been trying to be a good host and show him the best parts of Thessaloniki! We have done so much walking I felt like I did when I first arrived! We walked up to the top of the city and then down to the water! We walked over to the end of downtown and all the way back! I have been having a great time! Mitch is meeting all of my roommates and they seem to love him as much as I do!

We all even went to the beach this last weekend. We went to Hanioti on the peninsula of Kassandra in Halkidiki. It was beautiful. The sun could have stayed out longer instead of being in the clouds, but we still had a great time! Mitch got the chance to take some pictures and we all got the chance to lay out and relax! We also got the chance to look around the little town that our beach was in. It was really fun! Mitch has to leave tonight, but hopefully the rest of us can make it back there before we leave! I am sad to see Mitch leave! I wish he was here for another whole week!!

Speaking of leaving, I only have 36 days left in Greece! It seems like a joke that I have only about a month! These past three months have been the shortest of my life. I only have 14 school days left before the end of my semester abroad! I have a volleyball tournament this weekend and then next weekend I climb Mount Olympus. When I get home from Olympus, I leave for the island of Santorini in 3 days! After Santorini, I only have 7 days until my Mom and Grandma come to visit! Then I am done. I leave for home! I can not believe it! Home seems soo close and so far away all at the same time!! It will be here too soon I am sure!!

Well, that is it for now! I am still very sorry about the photos. The Internet in my apartment has not been working very well lately and it takes hours for photos to load. I will keep trying though! Thanks for sticking with this blog through my trip! I will write again soon! Have a great day everyone!!