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Greece,
I know we got off to a bad start. With our high expectations and what not. I know we called you some not so nice names, and swore up and down we would never return to your horrible country side, without any nice beaches.
But now that we are hours away from boarding a plane and leaving you behind with all the memories we made here the past week, I’m thinking back over some of those memories we made, and wishing we had more than a week. We were just starting to warm up to you – no puns intended.
While there were definitely some moments that were less than stellar, there were some moments that stood out. Moments like when we came into our room and didn’t realize it had been cleaned, and instead thought we were robbed.
The bike rides, the hot sun, the swimming everyday.
Most times when it comes to traveling, the thrill of a new place adds to the excitement of a new place. The not knowing what to expect, not knowing what you will see, not knowing what you will discover next. But with you, Greece, we KNEW what to expect – except that apparently, we didn’t.
And while you may not have provided us with the images in our mind – you provided us with something different. A careful understanding that expectations when traveling to a new place – are not always a good thing. That having an open mind is a great way to learn new things, and experience different places. And of course – you tossed in some random beauty as well – Because whats Greece if not beautiful?
Thanks for the great time. Sure, it was different – but now that it is over, we are left wanting more and are sad to leave. I must admit, there for a while, you turned me off of traveling, but now? You have inspired me to travel more – and find the beauty hidden within.
Until we meet again!
We leave tomorrow. Bright and early. Although not as early as today.
Today we got up early in hopes on finding one last hidden gem in this place. We had heard there was a town about an hour away that sounded interesting. But not wanting to get stuck on a bus with no AC (because as they say here “Its not hot!!”) in the middle of the day – we decided to get up early, and catch the first bus out at 7am. The plan was really quite simple. Too simple. Get up early, spend a few hours in the town – then head home before noon.
Everything was going smoothly. We packed the night before, were at the bus stop in plenty of time, and even managed to catch the right bus.
This in and of itself is a task worthy of mention – it normally takes a good few hours to get everyone out of a place. We even managed to ‘pack light’ since we were only going for a few hours.
We jumped on the bus, found our way to the very last row, sat down and off we went.
All of that is worthy of mentioning because of a certain little somebody.
The place we stayed is very coastal. The roads are narrow, with sharp corners. In the back of the bus you get the worst of it, almost in a double sense since the rear of the bus fish tails around the corners making it impossible to keep up. David and Amanda both mentioned not feeling so hot, when it happened. Judah got sick.
Since we ‘packed light’ there were no spare clothes. For anyone. The bus finally stopped 30 minutes later. But now we had an even bigger problem. With no spare clothes, the sun would be coming out in full strength in a few hours. We walked around, but couldn’t find the town center and decided it wasn’t worth it to get burnt, especially since Judah was now only wearing his diaper.
The ride home went smoother, and we finished off our final day at the beach.
Sure, we got off to a rough start. But leaving Greece is going to be sad. As always, until we meet again…
We spent the day swimming in the Mediterranean. No other words are needed. We forgave Greece, and cant wait to come back.
{Amanda’s photo}
Last night after an episode involving too little counter space, which ended in me literally stepping in dinner – we all went to bed wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. Or at least, I did. It wasn’t that all Greece is bad – it couldn’t be, could it? But with our recent adventures in so called “Greece” I for one was beginning to question my decision in coming to this place that seemed so wonderful – yet just wasn’t.
We had booked a tour – a tour that claimed to be wonderful. One that promised beautiful beaches, and secret coves. But hadn’t Greece promised that as well? Our biggest fear now was that we would wake up early and get on a boat that would cook us the rest of the way.
But today? Today we forgave Greece. And decided that instead of being angry at Greece, we would be angry at the little tiny town that we happened to drop into – and can’t seem to get away from. Until today. Because today? Made us want to come back to Greece – if only just for the boat tour.
We don’t normally book tours. We are sort of “Do it yourself tour guides” when it comes to traveling but here? We needed something that showed us the Greece we were looking for. The Greece that inspired us to travel some more.
The tour? Was amazing. It was relaxed, laid back, and fun. They pulled into multiple stops – with swimming at nearly all of them. They let you jump straight from the boat into the water, fed a meal with enough food for seconds, and took us to see the Greece of our dreams. The Greece we always knew was there – but was just out of reach.
I will let the pictures do the talking. Just know that some of Greece? Is really, really awesome. And this tour? Was out of this world awesome.
Here are 10 reasons why I am forgiving Greece today:
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This was a real beach, with real water that looked AMAZING. It wasnt a swimming pool, it wasnt just a picture – it was REAL.
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Tangled Thoughts 