Greece knows no time frame

Current Location: Mykonos, Greece
Former Location: Naples/Pompei, Italy
Next stop: (we don't want to think about it)

Our day in Greece so far has started what will be the perfect close to our month in Europe. After our slightly spontaneous decision to depart for Greece two days early by plane, we ended up with a sleepless night in Athens Airport and an early arrival in Mykonos, Greece. Athens was a great place to have a six hour mid-night layover. It was clean, and many shops were open with food accessible. Other tired travelers filled the space, lined the halls, curled up in chairs and draped themselves over couches and benches. All this wait, for a thirty minute flight to a nearby island. It was timed perfectly around the sunrise, however, and we were able to watch the glowing ball rise over the ocean and spread light across the bodies of land that speckle the Aegean Sea. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by Chiara Della Cava, Blair’s friend and former college roommate, who is so generously hosting us these last few days.

Exhausted, we spent the day drifting in and out of naps as we laid on the beach. Between rests, we took an occasional dip into the sea, which is clear and cool. It was wonderful to be at a sand beach- the sand here is a golden shade which sparkles when it catches the light. It was a relaxing and peaceful day, followed by a filling, typical Greek meal of “piglet” at a Della Cava family favorite restaurant. With the food, we tasted Ouzo (Greek type of alcohol) for the first time. Sick. Yeah, neither of us really enjoyed the experience… but, “When in Ronda…” (Blair had altered the traditional “When in Rome” expression during our time in Ronda, Spain.)

We are immensely content with our choice to spend more time here, as the entire ambiance is relaxed, and all views are simple, gorgeous and simply gorgeous. Everything is white and blue, with the traditional Greek architecture that is now a requisite for even new buildings, and the sea always in the background. Today has been spent in utter relaxation again, and we plan to go into the “hora” (town/city) tonight.

Our last days in Italy were divided between Rome, Naples and Pompei. ROMA! Our first evening, we wandered the streets and “got lost” on purpose. At one point, we met a slightly intoxicated American couple from St. Paul, MN, celebrating the husband’s 40th birthday—They were quite talkative and exceedingly excited to be in Rome and provided a few moments of entertainment for us before we moved on. We wandered past the Pantheon, Fontana de Trevi, and other famous sites. Rome comes alive in the evenings, most restaurants are open and pedestrians own the streets. We ordered a late night pizza to eat in a piazza, and were surprised with free champagne!

The next day, another free surprise led us to a more touristy experience than we had intended. A fellow hosteller provided us with extra tickets for a sightseeing “Hop-On Hop-Off” bus tour. We stayed on for most of the sights, taking in a little extra history about this ancient city. We “Hopped Off” at the Piazza del Popolo, and walked to the Vatican. The Vatican Museums were more crowded than even the Louvre. Unfortunately, the crowds were overwhelming to the point that the experience became a bit exhausting. However, we were able to benefit from the millions of audio tours around us as we secretly listened in. The Sistine Chapel, while the most crowded, was breathtaking. There is so much detail, meaning and architecture involved in what is truly a masterpiece. After the Chapel, we headed out of the museums and checked out St. Peter’s Basilica- the largest Christian Cathedral- another masterpiece. That night was more low key, after free pasta at our hostel, we watched the new
Harry Potter movie. Marissa loved seeing her favorite characters... Blair fell asleep (the second time she slept thru an HP movie with Marissa). As always, movies in another country provide slight cultural experiences- apparently the theatre has assigned seating!

Our final morning in Roma allowed us time to explore the Coloseo and other ruins before we skipped off to Naples. Naples, though not intentionally, became a short stop. Naples is very different from the rest of Italy- it is a more busy and compact city than the others we visited. AND the birthplace of pizza. … Pause- just to think back on the deliciousness. Sigh… It was phenomenal- thin, floppy, bursting with flavor, wood-oven cooked and piping hot. We each got our own pizza. The next day, we spent the morning in nearby Pompei- a marvel. It is incredible to think about a lost city such as this. With the excavations, one is able to view even the frescoes and mosaics that used to cover this ancient and sophisticated metropolis. The Garden of Fugitives was particularly moving: casts of huddling people, frozen in their last moments of time, preserved for 2000 years by ash.

Just now, we have tasted our first Greek coffee (cardamon flavored coffee, steeped in its own grinds) and watched the sunset. Today has been one of total relaxation- no pressure to see the sights or rush on to the next city. Now, we are headed into town (that was the plan at 5pm, now it is 9pm... Greece knows no time frame). Gyros... here we come.