Greece

There's been a bit of a delay since my last post mostly because I've been having way too much fun in Greece to even pump out any words, but here it goes haha! Needless to say, it's been quite a whirlwind  full of crazy partying, relaxation by the beach, great pita souvlakis, historical lessons in Athens, and most of all, definitely some super interesting people along the way. 

Starting with Mykonos, a pretty funny story is that I was so delirious when I landed (because of the whole Rome incident and little sleep i got at the airport) that I actually tried to walk the like 2 miles from the airport to the hostel. On the narrow roads with no side walks, I must have been a pretty funny sight with my pack at 8am, and eventually, the hostel airport shuttle ended up driving by and picking me up. Another story that I think truly epitomizes the welcoming, fun culture of the Greek islands is that I'm just sitting at the bar just waiting for my phone to charge (Jake hadn't gotten in yet at this point) and one of the waiters is like welcome welcome and he comes by a little later and gives me a big hug and loud kiss on the neck (he's probably around 50 years old so I let it pass for a Greek/fatherlyish thing), and then all of the sudden he's like you have to try this! and pours me and him the classic Greek liquor shot called Molarini. In the states that might have been quite a lot, but he was making a nice welcoming gesture in a My Big Fat Greek Wedding sort of way. Anyways, the real story from Mykonos is the amazing crew of friends Jake and I made (Blake, Marco, Jennifer, Danh and Fred). We had quite a fun time dancing on the bar of the paradise beach club (the funny part is everybody in the bar was dancing on the bar), and chilling at the hostel together. 

In Athens, we had a great time the first night we got there at the rooftop bar of the hostel celebrating the bartender Luka's 21st birthday. We ended up going out to the Gazi district with a bit of a strange crowd from the hostel, but never the less had a fun time. Over the next 2 days, we did the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Athens War Museum, and walking around different parts of the city. I leaned a lot about all of the different empires that have ruled over modern day Greece (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman) and about weapons at the war museum. We also found this amazing local place that had the best pita souvlaki's for 2.40 euro, and we went there everyday we were there.

From there, Jake went back to Israel, and I began my solo adventure to Ios. I won't go into too much about all of the details of my experiences, but what I can say is that I survived pretty much intact and had quite a crazy fun time. With all the trials and tribulations - almost signing up for a wet T-shirt contest (before I really knew what it was - good thing!), a 1.6 mile trek through the mountains back home from the bars at 7am, a gash in my foot from a rousing game of beach volleyball to name a few - it really was quite a feat. Same as Mykonos, the best part about Ios (other than the gorgeousness) is the awesome friends you make. I had a great crew here of 4 really stand up guys from San Diego and Oakland - definitely hope to see them again in the states!

With my new tan and continuous hangover from all the partying, I'm definitely looking forward to what should be a very chill time in Copenhagen 👌. 

Rome Layover

Ok so quick update about my Rome layover. I still can't decide whether it was the best decision or worst decision of this trip, but needless to say it was quite an adventure full of new friends, little sleep, a missed flight, and only 1 lost thing. Long story short, I got into Rome at about 6pm on Monday with the intention of going out in the downtown area and then making it back to the airport for my 6am flight the next morning, but I ended up getting a little too drunk and had to take a plane out this morning (Wednesday) at 3am. Spending 36 hours in the same pair of clothes, hauling my hungover butt to the airport, and getting a couple hours of sleep on airport floors here and there definitely was both an absurd and trying time, but luckily I've made it through to Mykonos and it's pretty fricken gorgeous, so I'm happy! One other positive note is a made an awesome friend Max at the airport (shoutout to Katie Freedy for being our 1 mutual friend) - we had a lot in common, hope our paths cross again sometime (maybe with Tutor Marketplace stuff)!

Toulouse and Nice

As the French part of my trip comes to an end, Toulouse and Nice were really a great way to wrap it up with quite a bang of French beauty and fun. And my French has gotten way better than I would've expected by now! I even could understand parts of the conversation during dinner with Lauren's host family, and could utter a few of the basic phrases like bonjour, merci, curafdo, je vu drè, navión, facíl, très bon, contó, je se pa, ou, qai, je sui (I don't think any of those are spelled right though). Having Lauren to translate really helped, and I enjoyed trying out the language I lot more than I had expected to!

Toulouse, more than Paris and Nice, was definitely the city in which I felt most at home. As a river front town, Toulouse offers amazing boutiques, cafes, and a bustling ambience that combined with its down to earth people and music atmosphere, make for a very warm and welcoming city. Lauren and I got on "bees level" (you do the bees to say goodbye) with all sorts of interesting people including Samir (pushed me on a swing), Marie (our amazingly artistic and awesome Airbnb host), Lauren's host family, and Yann and Sophie (who we met while watching the Garron at sunset and took us out to an EDM club). Even the waiter at Lauren's favorite cafe remembered her after 2 years! The time we spent with the people in Toulouse were definitely the highlight of my France trip.

Nice was a whole different animal full of tropical beauty and an international taste. We went to the beach (nude of course), which felt very European with its rocks instead of sand and dazzling blue water, and ended up stumbling across a waterfall with a beautiful view of the city and waterfront, and the feeling was so serene with classical music playing in the background and the poignant smell of nature. Another highlight was a famous ice cream place called Fenochio's with 70 different flavors (we tried Beer, Irish coffee, Olive, Cactus, Orange flower, Rose, Violet, Chocolate ginger, and Tomato Basil), and then we had a rancorous night out at a place where you stand on tables and chairs instead of a dance floor, where we made some funny British friends. Overall, the city had a very international feel with blends of French, Italian, and Spanish, and the ambience was very beachy and relaxing.

I honestly was pleasantly surprised to enjoy France as much as I did - I found that the French like Americans more than I was expecting, and I enjoyed the glamorous, proper, beautiful culture. I'm enjoying a nice Aperol Spritz right now during my layover in Rome, and we'll see where the rest of my night out in Rome will take me (judging by my hostel mates, it seems like it'll be quite a night!) Stay tuned for Greece nexttttt

Paris

Heading into this trip, a mix of major sightseeing and cultural experiences were my main focus, and between the men's hair combs, chocolate mousse, walks on the Sienne (almost to the point of tumbling into ;) ) and Canal St. Martin, oohing and ahhing at the picturesque ambience, and a hint of French nail glamour, I can tell you that Lauren and I's time in Paris has been quite a whirlwind. For the amount that we've experienced in the past 2½ days, we've really had the epitome of "efficient fun" and a great start to my big adventure.

To elaborate on some of the examples I gave above, we've had a few pretty amusing, in a somewhat absurd kind of way, people watching experiences that I think provide a great glimpse into French culture, and I wish I had my camera out to capture the moments! But I'll just explain them to you:

1. On 2 separate occasions, one walking down the street and on another on public transit, we turn to see a somewhat elderly, neatly clad French man whip out a comb and quickly fix his hair. It was so unexpected. 

2. The cutest little 2 year old you've ever seen, with a scarf, sweater, and shiny shoes, learning to kick a soccer ball with her glamorous mother in a park in the Marais neighborhood.  

3. A trendy teenage girl in ripped overalls, tights, red shiny flats, and a black leather jacket playing with a yoyo thing on a neighborhood sidewalk.

4. A young couple loading their clothes into a coin laundry machine but also looking ready for a night out (quite a step up from my AOII fleece usually covered with lint that I wear while doing laundry) 

For all of these, we couldn't help but smile in an "of course" kind of way at how put together the French are in every situation and at every age.

If you're wondering about the sights we've seen, I'll tell you we saw the stunning light show of the Eiffel Tower at night, the Arc De Triumph, the Notre Dame Cathedral (from the outside), the Sacre Creux with its panoramic view of the city, and the mesmerizing impressionist art at the Museum D'Orsay, and we walked through the Marais and Jewish Quarter (best falafel of my life), the mar, and along the Seinne and Canal St. Martin with its street art. It's been quite an amazing time!

And also if you're wondering what it was like at the time of the shooting at Notre Dame, I'll tell you we were pretty alarmed. A couple hours earlier that day, the fire alarm had gone off while we were in the Museum D'Orsay, and an eerie feeling subsided over me. Later, we were actually on the metro on our way to Notre Dame right after the shooting (not knowing) and the metro stop was blocked by police, so we got off on the stop before. The area was was swarming with police, so we were trying to leave to catch an Uber home (still not knowing what was going on), and when an officer finally told us "same as London" in broken English, we beelined in the opposite direction as Notre Dame and finally caught an Uber home in the pouring rain. It was all pretty disorienting.

Overall, Paris has been an unforgettable city and we've had an amazing time here with only the one minor hiccup, and I'm excited to head to Toulouse and Nice now! Let me know if you have any questions and stay tuned for more to come.