end of Athens and traveling with parents

For the past two weeks I have had numerous adventures- from hiking up mount Olympus, watching the sunset for the Piraeus port in Athens, learning to cook traditional meal of mousaka, witnessing a protest at Syntagma square, and catching a flight to Venice to meet my parents for our week long tour of Europe together.

                I am sad to have another chapter of my book of life come to a close. It was very hard for me to say good bye to Greece. I loved the culture, the food, the people, but most importantly I had a sense of belonging during my time there. I made many friends both of the Greek nationality and those from different schools of the states. My last weekend in Greece I had the opportunity to hike up Mount Olympus- which consisted of climbing in the rain and snow and cold up a mountain following an outspoken Greek guide to what we all presumed our death…(obviously I am okay since I am writing this blog now!) On Saturday night I went to  the Irish pub of Monastoraki to celebrate a birthday in the group, followed by another day of hiking on Sunday of the mountains surrounding Athens. Also on Sunday my roommates and I went to have lunch with Nikos (a friend that I have obtained courtesy of Alexandra) and his family at his home that afternoon. The food was delicious but the only problem is that I hadn’t learned enough Greek to tell his parents that (since they didn’t speak a lick of English).

                The following Tuesday I had my final exam for my schooling in Athens and I would like to say it went well…. We had a slight scare that day as well when we were told that our flights may be canceled due to strikes of the airport controls that week but in the end Caitlin and I made our way to Italy with no complications.

                Once we arrived in Venice we boarded a boat bus that drove along the river to our hotel. We were the first to arrive of the group but soon enough we were reunited with the familiar faces and jokes of our parents and the Donners. We explored the wonderful, yet chilly, city of Venice and the next day we were off again.

                The trains of Europe have become a familiar scene to my eye.  My parents, sister and I split from Pete and Joan in Milan to continue our journey to Interlocken- where we climbed the jaw dropping landscape of the Swiss Alps- to Lucerne. Currently I am sitting on yet another train to Munich, Germany where I hope to celebrate the last stop of our travels with a nice Guiness with my father at the ever famous Hoprahaus!

Hope to write soon,

Megan