Rome - Art, History and Beauty

After collecting our bags from the carousel we head for the train station to make the trip to our hostel. We get off the train and after wandering a few cobble stone streets we finally find our hostel. The only rooms that were left were private double rooms and after checking Clair and myself in and dropping all our luggage including Kendyls in the room, we meet her outside and head down the street to find food.

We enjoy some pasta at a local restaurant. By the time we are finished we can barely keep our eyes open, so we return to the hostel to get a decent nights sleep. The three of us share the two single beds, and it works surprisingly well. The things you do when you backpack!

In the morning the cold I managed to catch on yacht week is steadily becoming a throat infection. Rather than let it get worse I decide to find the nearest pharmacy and pick up some antibiotics. I have a discussion in broken English with the lady at the counter. She hands me what I need and asks for three Euro. How simple and easy! I race back to the hostel where we are all stressing about being ready in time for our tour. We zoom downstairs, well when I say zoom it is more like an awkward struggle at a modest pace. The elevator is about the size of my body, so to squeeze in there with a bag and then endure the slow declince down to reception is not a quick nor easy task. We check out and scoff down some breakfast. We then realise our clocks are set an hour behind and we have plenty of time on our hands. Duh. So we play the waiting game again. 

At the correct time of 10:15am the guide arrives and after the introduction the tour begins. I strongly recommend getting a tour as the information you learn along the way makes site seeing even more enjoyable. We wander around ancient churches, the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, beautiful monuments and finally the Collussium. 

Over the course of the day we have made a small group of friends within the tour group. The eight of us decide to grab some lunch before exploring the Collusium. We sit down at a lovely little restaurant and enjoy plates of pasta, pizza and salad. After lunch we go back and explore the ruins. It is so surreal to be here. I wander down to where the ancient floor would have been and gaze up at the magnificence that once was. I am over joyed to be here, it is an amazing feeling. Thousands of years before me this arena would have been packed with spectators about to watch someone standing exactly where I stand, about to walk out and fight to the death. I can't imagine how the gladiators and slaves of the time would have felt walking out into the grand arena, knowing that their fate lies in the hands of one man.

After a full day of site seeing we head back to the hostel to get our bags and check into the new hostel, yellow, which is just up the street. Everyone agrees to meet us there at 9pm for dinner and drinks. The plan is to have a quick nap but in the time it takes us to find the hostel, check in, get to the train station to buy tickets to Florence, get back and get ready it is time to get downstairs for a drink. Kendyl and I are ready slightly early so we get ourselves a drink and sit down outside our busy little hostel to mingle with fellow travellers. It is definately a very social hostel. 

After one drink we are happily giggling away like little school girls. By the time our friends arrive we have met so many people at the hostel that it is hard to leave. We agree to meet them across the road for dinner when we finish our drinks. When we finally arrive, they take one look at us and send us to 'the naughty corner', which is a two seater table behind them. The waiter decides he likes us and our feeble attempts at Italian. Apparently speaking English with an Italian accent and using hand motions doesn't count as Italian? We receive priority service, much to the disgust of our friends, and also a free shot of lemon cello to top it all off. We pay our bill and head back to the hostel to dance, have some drinks and witness an Olympic battle of beer pong! I feel like we are in an American college movie - I have to admit, the experience is pretty fun.

The hostel has no aircon so after about half an hour our makeup has evacuated our faces and our hair is slicked back with sweat. We party with the hostel goers for the few hours, and then decide we are hungry. I raid the kitchen with one of the bar staff and prepare a nice healthy feast of pasta, pizza and potatoes for our group. Everyone hoes in and it's a great way to finish the night. 

The next morning we check out and stagger our way downstairs. We order breakfast and join some of the backpackers we met the night before. Once breakfast is finished we we once again wheel our bags to the train station and store them while we head off to explore the Vatican. We have been informed prior to departure that we have to cover our shoulders, chest and knees, so we are equipped with maxi dresses and sarongs. We reach the Vatican and after being warned of huge lines, are very greatful to see there is only a couple of people before us and the wait is not long at all. 

Once inside the church I am struck with awe, it is absolutely beautiful. Amazing and precise detail lines the church from floor to ceiling. No inch goes without astonishing attention to detail and beauty. The sculptures are almost life like in their stances. Beautiful gold fills the church and lines the walls. The art work is breath taking. After seeing the amazing master piece of the church we leave to find lunch. We then find ourselves talked into another guided tour of the museum and sistein chapel. 

The museum, it turns out, is where previous popes have lived and their high profile guests such as sculptors and artists stayed. We walk through Leonardo De vincis lounge room at one point-how amazing. After a wonderful tour we check the time and realize we need to get a move on to catch our train. We race through the sistein chapel, marvelling at the art work and taking a couple of sneaky pictures. We reach what we think is an exit - and then see the huge flight of spiral stairs. So the race to the station continues. 

We make the station in time. The girls have a train half an hour earlier than mine, so I sit down and wait to see what terminal I need to board at. Apparently my train is not on the board and with fifteen minutes before departure I begin to stress! I decide to walk up and down the terminals to see if there are any trains going my way. I locate one that doesn't seem to be my train number - but it will do! I jump on and pain stakingly make my way through the cabins, boiling hot and there is no air con. Still not knowing if it is the right train I ask a nearby lady who doesn't speak English. From what I can gather, the train is going to Florence. I ask another man and he says yes - so I am starting to feel better. I walk and walk and walk and finally find a man who speaks little English but shows me to my cabin. My Italian mastery of the previous night would be very handy right about now! Finally I arrive, drenched in sweat to a small cabin with no air con. the cabin is filled with three old men who don't speak English. One helps me store my bag, I thank him and plonk myself down in a seat. I entertain myself with a book on Greek mythology. It is so fascinating and I love learning this new information. So as I sit, sweat running down my face and reading my book I take the time to relax. Soon I shall arrive in Florence (hopefully) where the fun task of finding the girls will begin and the next adventure of finding our bed and breakfast. Looking forward to a nice long sleep tonight!

# Living in Faith, Hope and Love

Living by Blind Faith

The moment we realize the true potential of our minds and thoughts is the moment we can let go and truely start to manifest the amazing things in life that we seem to strive so hard to achieve. This knowledge mixed with the belief and faith in God is the ulitmate garuntee of a recipe to ensure youy live your best life that you can possibly imagine. A year ago I was running along the broad water, doing my usualy morning routine. I stopped at my 'secret' meditation spot on Soverign Island to stretch, meditate and connect with god. I had a vision in my mind to travel the world. Ever since I was a little girl I had always wanted to travel. But as we grow up and learn to live in fear and doubt, the 'whys and hows' sneak in. As a child I knew in the depth of my soul so many amazing things would happen in my life. So many of these have come true. But as an adult we increasingly fall vicitm to fear. Yes I wanted to travel - but how can I when I have x amount of deb? I have a great job, I cant leave that? How will I ever save enough? Who will I go with? I dont even know how to get around the Gold Coast let alone a country where I dont speak the language! All these paralysing thoughts would cross my mind - until I decided to change. If you keep doing the same things you will recieve the same results - so it was time to try something new. I stepped out in blind faith, knowing that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. It is never a lack of resources, yet a lack or resorcefullness!

A romance in Venice. Not planning my trip has worked to a wonderful advantage to me. Four months prior to my departure I met a lovely man online. He lived in the Uk wich is perfect as I will be moving there soon its great to know one familiar face. Little did i know the romance to unfold. On July 20th I anxiously await my train, I board and am whisked to the beautiful town of Venice. I arrive at my hotel . . .

Mykonos

We awake refreshed after the beautiful dinner last night. We pack up our things and go to reception to say our goodbyes to George. He walks us to the car park where he has a bus waiting for us and after the wonderful bell boy brings our heavy luggage up the stairs we say our goodbyes and board the bus. The driver is flustered and tells us he is behind schedule, and so the crazy ride begins. He speeds off along the cliff face, tooting at anyone who dares cross his path and hinder his progress. Once again I am impressed to make it to our destination in one piece! We sit down at a local cafe and have a bite to eat while we wait for our ferry to arrive. After we board we find our allocated seats and I again take the opportunity for a nap. 


The voice over the intercom wakes me, informing us we have arrived. We pick up our luggage and leave the ferry to find Billie. We have not booked any accommodation as many other travellers have informed us to play off the hotel owners waiting at the dock. So amongst looking for Billie, we are swarmed with offers. A lovely lady called Maria stands out to us. She offers us a four bed private room in the city centre for 25 euro a night each - plus it has aircon. Seems pretty reasonable, the pictures look decent and she offers to drive us there for free - done deal!

We find Billie and Maria escorts us to the van where a family of five are already waiting. We somehow manage to squish our 5 bags into the already packed boot and close the door. Then comes the hilarious activity of squishing 10 people into a 6 seater van. The family (two adults and three teenagers) squish into the back, and the four of us are left the two front seats. Three of us take up the two seats and Billie takes our knee. The door is slammed and we are compacted in.

We arrive at the motel and Maria leads us to our room, informing us on everything we need to know. We pay for the two nights and pack into our sardine can of a room. After a quick freshen up we head out in search of lunch. A promo boy of one of the local clubs leads us to a local restaurant. We enjoy a beautiful lunch in the cool breeze and then head back for a nap before the big party at Cava Paradiso.

We contact our new american friends and decide to meet them for pre drinks. We shower and get glammed up, then head out to meet the guys, stopping for kebabs and vodka red bulls. We join our new friends at their apartment and the vodkas are poured. By 1:30 the vodka is gone and its time to get on the bus to Cava. The boys have booked a private table and bottle service. After paying the 25 euro cover charge we enter one of the best clubs Iv ever seen. The haze from the smoke machine catches the multi coloured lights. The club is set on a hill on the beach front with an amazing view of the ocean. There is a large pool inside the club, which could be quite fun later on as Kendyl and Claire are destined to find out.

We locate the table and enjoy another round of vodka. The drinks are mixed extremely strong here. Soon Cascade is on and he is amazing! Everyone is in a great mood and the club is packed with party goers dancing the night away. We all stagger home some time after sunrise, which is a beautiful site to see.

We waste the next day sleeping off the previous nights shenanigans. At 3pm we finally rise due to hunger. Food is a great idea. We find a nice cafe on the waters edge and the occasional spray of sea water is refreshing and very welcome. When we finish lunch we decide to head to the beach to relax. We board the bus which takes us there. We very quickly learn that people don't go to the beach to relax here!

The beach is lined with sun lounges and cute thatched umbrellas. There is a strip of bars with loud pounding music and copious party goers dancing on tables, singing and having the time of their lives. We find the sun lounges furtherest away from the crazy bars - but of course the base still vibrates through them as if we were right next to it. We manage to have a small nap then head back to watch the sunset.

We find a gorgeous little restaurant on the water front and are seated at the best table, with uninterupted views of the ocean and perfect position to appreciate the sunset. The waiter brings us a plate of bread and we agree on a bottle of wine. The sun is slowly setting, throwing a parade of pinks and oranges across the sky as it reflects off the smooth, oil like ocean. The waves crash on the near by rocks and give us a gentle light spray. The waiter returns to light a candle on our table. This is the perfect way to enjoy such a beautiful sunset, and with the wonderful conversation we sit back and relax.

After another bottle of wine, we head back to our sardine can to get ready for the night ahead. By 11pm we return to our new fav souvalaki joint and enjoy dinner. The waiter also gives us a beautiful dessert of rich greek yoghurt and fruit. We finish dinner and head to scandinavian bar. However, by this time we are relatively sober and the clientelle there are less than desirable. We manage to handle an hour of seediness, horrid bar dancers and space invaders. We make a hasty get away - but the manager sees us and runs after us. He desperately wants us to stay and manages to convince us to come back by enticing us with free cocktails. We oblige and he takes my arm and leads us back. We order our drinks and attempt to dance for a while. Once again the space invaders swamp us, so we down our drinks and get out of there. We are all tired so we head home to sleep off the ordeal.

The next morning we pack our things and head out for breakfast. At 12:30 Marias boyfriend meets us and takes us to the ferry terminal. We thank him and then wait in the dusty shade for an hour for our ferry. We board as fast as we can and go in search of a suitable area to rest. We fall asleep on a couple of benches on the deck, but once the ferry starts up it gets a bit too chilly. we find a quiet-ish corner and I fall asleep face down on the table. When I awake my neck is stiff and my chest slightly bruised - but I am refreshed.

We pull into the terminal and catch a nearby cab to Demis house. Chris and her are waiting to greet us. After we put our bags in the rooms and a quick change of clothes they take us out for another lavish feast. Thank goodness for loose fitting dresses! Once again we are stuffed with amazing food. We thank her father for his generosity and say our goodbyes, then Demi takes us out to meet her friends and show us an amazing local Greek club.

The club is playing Greek music and the beat is so great to dance to. Its a good sized club and again it is located on the ocean front. There are huge ivy covered arch ways and flowers covering the floor. Apparently the tradition is that they all buy the flowers and throw them to pretty girls while they dance - how sweet. After a few hours of dancing we say our goodbyes and head home. It is good to be in bed and sleep is much needed before another day of transit as we make our way to Rome!!!

# party, eat, sleep, repeat - it is great to let loose and only achieve these things sometimes xx

Santorini - living the dream

Santorini

We arrive in Santorini around 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. After disembarking our ferry we make our way through the hustle and bustle of the crowds of people to a man who is waiting for us with a sign that reads 'Brewer'. He is happy to see us and takes our luggage to load the bus. We jump on board and the crazyride up the incredibly steep and narrow mountain begins. After about 30 minutes of the insanity we arrive in Oia. The bell boy meets us and helps us with our luggage. In the blistering heat we are drenched in sweat by the time we reach the top of the hills - and then the descent down the huge flight of stairs begins. We reach reception and are greeted by Maria, a lovely Greek woman who is extremely welcoming, caring and extremely helpful. We thank her for her help and the bell boy leads us to our room. 

The view is breath taking. We are situated on the side of the cliff with 180 degree views of vast ocean stretching out before us. Separating us from the edge are perfectly placed sun lounges and a small swimming pool to help us cool down between sunbathing sessions - we are home! We walk past the jacuzzi to our front door and the bell boy opens the door. We are greeted by a rush of cool air. We have aircon! very much appreciated. The room is beautiful, decorated in white and light blues. The bathroom is made of stone and the large shower is complete with a monsoon head and above this are hundreds of small led lights spread out across the rood, slowly changing colours from pinks, to purple, through to blue, greens and yellow. Like stars in the nights sky. To top it off there is a small window with blue shutters that opens up to show our amazing view. This, in my books, has got to be the most perfect way to shower. As I take in our beautiful bathroom I am over come with grattitude and joy. The window in the scene before me is extremely similar to the one I had pasted on my goal board back home around 1 year prior to this trip. It is more confirmation to me that I am exactly where I need to be at this point in time, and more proof of the power of attraction, and what can be manifested when you have faith!

After a quick change of clothing we make our way up the long set of stairs in search of a cafe. We find one about 100 metres from our place and take a seat in the shade over looking the ocean. We scan the menu and each order delicious salads and a much needed bottle of water. When lunch is finished, we thank the waitress and head to the local super market to stock up on supplies. Fruit, cereal and the all important bottle of vodka. We return to our room, change into bikinis and go stake our claim on the lounges. The view is amazing and in the intense heat we indulge in an afternoon nap. 

After waking up in another pool of my own sweat the swimming pool is a welcomed luxury. It is now officially cocktail time. Vodka lime and soda all round. The air is warm, the sun is slowly beginning its gradual descent across the sky and the company is fantastic. This is heaven. A very suarve looking greek man approaches us and greets us. After introductions it appears he is the owner and would like to know what wine we would enjoy. After a lovely conversation he disappears and the bell boy returns with a cool bucket of ice complete with a bottle of local Greek wine. We thank the man, clink glasses and lie back to enjoy our wine. If this is backpacking - I dont see why people complain!

When George returns we thank him for the wine and ask his opinion of dinner. He makes a reservation for us at skala, a favourite local restaurant just metres from our hotel. He invites us to join him after dinner to see the night life of Santorini. So once we are showered, dressed and the makeup is applied, we head to Skala for dinner. We indulge in a beautiful veggie salad, fresh calamari and another bottle of wine.

When we are finished dinner we join George and he escorts us over to the other town area here for our night life adventure. We arrive at a nice little lounge bar called Tango. A bottle of Vodka is ordered and after a couple Vodka red bulls we are energized and ready to dance. Tango is beautiful. It is on the side of the hill, open air so we can enjoy the warm nights breeze and a gorgeous view of the ocean. We spend an hour or so here and then make our way around other various clubs. 

Around 4am we are hungry again and go in search of kebabs. Kendyl and I struggle down the cobble stone streets in our wedge heels. Two local guys see our struggle and come to our aid - how kind of them. They join our group for kebabs and after we have had two each we are sufficiently re-fuelled. We then make our way back to Oia to see the sunrise.

Whenwe wake at 11am we are, needless to say, slightly groggy.Nothing a swim and tanning session wont fix! We head outside to be met on the terrace with a huge tray of breakfast. Antoher extreemely generous gift from George. We sit down and enjoy a hearty breakfast of croissants, cereal, ham, cheese, fruit, yoghurt and orange juice. Everything is so beautiful a fresh. Now that we are full we waddle over to beach ourselves on the lounges again to wait for our friend Billie to meet us. 

After we check her in we go to reception where there is a man waiting to greet us and show us to our hired quad bikes. After a safety briefing and a few practice runs we are off! Billie and Claire drive and Kendyl and I hold on for dear life on the back. We make our way through the crazy windy streets of santorini, drinking in all the amazing views along the way. It is such an exhillarating experience and the views are breathe taking. 

We get to the black beach and cruise along the water front bars looking for the ones George has recommended. We pull up outside wet stories. There is pumping music, and its a great set up so we decide to go in. They greet us like old friends and hurry us to the bar where they proceed to pour us delicious caramel shots. After two shots and managing to dodge a third we order mojitos and sit down on the comfy lounge suit to order lunch. Mojitos arrive with a side of shots - I guess it would be rude not to take them! 

After we finish we decide to head back and watch the sunset in Oia. We go to pay and they drag us to the bar where a jug of a delicious watermelon cocktail awaits with about 30 straws in it. Claire and Billie have to drive, so being the wonderful friends that we are, Kendyl and I take one for the team and drink the jug! We are about to attemp goodbyes again, when the waiter then brings out a plate piled up with four amazing crepe like desserts drizzled in caramel. As we bite in an explosion of melted chocolate and banana fills my mouth. I am sure I have just died and gone to heaven! I seriously reccomend everyone to experience this bar, it is the best one on the Black beach! We manage to say good bye and slip away. The sun is slowly starting its decline and we want to make it back for sunset. 

We get back to Armeni Village, park the bikes and stroll down to the look out point to enjoy the sunset. It is so beautiful and the lookout is packed with people all here for the same reason. As the sun slowly disappears behind the horizon a cheer errupts and people begin to clap. 

So now it is time to head back, shower and get ready to go to dinner. George has booked Skala again and we have two other friends joing as well. We hurridly get ready, meet up with everyone and head to Skala. The owner is so friendly and greets us all warmly. He then seats us at the best table in the house and brings us a beautiful bottle of wine. 'chin chin' and the glasses chink. Then the food begins to come out. The freshest and best tasting seafood is laid before us. Different types from octopus, clams and fish, breads, pastas and my favourite - lobster pasta! Absolutely amazing. A few intellectual debates break out and after a stimulating conversation and a lot of laughs dessert is then laid before us. Chocolate cake, baklava and water melon. One of the guys is filming for a documentary and he is very excited with the footage he has captured. The food coma is sneaking on and at 12:30 we decide to make a move for bed. We thank the owner graciously for his generosity and company, say our goodbyes and all but launch ourselves into bed.

The time spent in Santorini has been heaven on Earth. The service was outstanding and we have had the most enjoyable experiences. This was supposed to be a relaxing few days to recover before partying in Mykonos. If this is how we relax, I look forward to seeing how we party . . . 

# Dreams really do become reality when you have Faith xx

Check out Armeni Village, the ultimate holiday escape. www.armenivillage.com 

Athens

Athens

Two months ago when we looked into flights from Croatia to Athens nothing was available. The only connecting flights we could find were around $400 and so in a backpackers attempt to save money, we booked a long winded route to Athens. And so, at 5pm Sunday night our journey begins . . .

After saying goodbye to our friends from the hostel, Kendyl and I attempt to find the Laundromat as we no longer have any clothing left to wear. After an hour of wandering the streets of split in the unrelenting heat, we run out of time and so head back to our hostel to check out.

Breakfast time! The four of us that remain from the yacht week crew go in search of Musli and fruit for breakfast – a simple task one would think, but in a town where every breakfast menu consists of multiple types of omelettes, eggs and ham dishes – it is not quite so! Kendyl and I take matters into our own hands by locating the nearest supermarket and buying our own. We leave with fresh fruit, musli, yoghurt and what we can only assume is a carton of milk – there is a picture of a cow so we must be on the right track. After borrowing bowls and spoons from the hostel and being told that we cant eat our food there, we head off to the beach front and locate the nearest patch of shade under a beautiful big palm tree and enjoy a little picnic on the grass in the slight breeze. After relaxing in the shade we decide to make a third attempt to find the laundromat. A thorough map inspection and a few broken English directions later – success! We find an adorable little laundry with a very helpful lady. We load up the machine and I lie down on the couch for a siesta. After an hour with no aircon and sleeping on a leather couch I can almost swim out of there in the pool of sweat I seem to have accumulated. We unload the dryer and pay the lady 50 kuna – which is the equivalent of around $8. We thank the lady and carry our hot bag of clothing back to the hostel to pack our bags. After waking Claire we make a mad dash to the ferry dock, and with minutes to spare we clear the passport check and head up to board the ferry. The boarding ramp is a huge wide metal ramp where the cars drive up. I feel like we are refugees sneaking onto a cargo ship in hopes to reach easter island! We store our luggage and make our way out of the sweltering heat into the cool aircon and padded seats of the ferry.

After tucking up for yet another nap we are woken at dinner time and join the line of lemmings queing up to be fed. We are served gnocchi, some form of beef topped with bacon and cheese,  a bread roll and some kind of cake for dessert. The portions are huge – I guess an indication of things to come. After  a day fuelled on musli alone, we are greatful to receive it.

Five hours of ferry travel we arrive in Ancona. We have our passports stamped, pick up bags and descend down the huge ramp off the ship. It is around 11pm in Ancona and after searching in vain for a taxi we are informed by the local pizza store that there are no taxis, buses or trains at this hour. So, we are stranded . We meet a couple of young Aussie guys who like us are quite lost. We all sit down together to plot our next move. A very kind local lady offers to drive us to our hostel, we are saved! She drops us on a dodgy looking street, and we are the only females around with a few uncoothe looking men wanding around. We hurridly make our way to our hostel.

We arrive at the bottom of a long set of stairs and after a huge struggle lugging my stupidly heavy bag one step at a time all the way to the top – the next hurdle welcomes us. A very steep hill. But there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a small, dimly lit doorway to our hostel! It is now midnight and we are finally checked in. We receive our bedding and board the ancient elevator to our room. We soon realize there is no aircon in our room, so after a lot of tossing and turning we finally fall asleep.

5:30 am the alarm signals the start of our twelve hour travelling day. We shower, re-pack and make our way to the train station. After locating the terminal and a stressful wait in line we make a mad dash to our train – which, by the way is very hard in sandals and lugging a massive bag behind me. We scale another set of stairs, fortunately a lovely man helps me with my bag otherwise I think I would still be at the bottom of those stairs, and we are off racing again. We get to the train with minutes to spare, hearts racing and drenched in sweat.  That was far too close for comfort – note to travellers ALWAYS leave plenty of time for transit to allow yourself room for error. We store our bags and take our seat in the much needed aircon. Back to sleep for me.

Three hours later we arrive in Rome. The train station is huge and it takes some time to locate the ticketing booth. We take a number and wait in line to be called, there is around 100 people before our number so we settle in for the wait. After about five minutes we are approached by a random man. He is quite persistant in helping us get our tickets and manages to convince me to have a look at the self service machine. I am very cautious as Iv heard too many stories of theft in train stations. I feel slightly better knowing all my valuable items are tucked away in my money wallet under my top. He asks if Im paying cash or card and then quickly types something into the machine and informs me it will cost 14 euros. I have no idea what the screen says and so decide not to take his help and talk to ticket staff instead. I excuse myself and make my exit. We observe the man in action as he approaches other people in the station – it appears he helps you then charges for his service – nice try buddy!

Forty minutes goes by and finally our number is called, our tickets are issued and we make our way to the terminal. We board our train and make the half hour ride to the airport. After a snack and another set of long lines we are finally at the boarding gate. We meet some lovely American guys who are heading in the same direction as us. It is so nice how friendly everyone is when you are travelling. Once we are through the terminal we board a bus which takes us across the tarmac to the plane. We climb the stairs and it is a free for all as there are no allocated seats. We are lucky enough to get seats together and our new American friends are seated behind us. A large, loud complaining American woman decides to make a scene as she wants to sit with her family. She pisses and moans for the next 20 minutes, it has been a very long day and tolerances are low. After another nap we descend into Athens where Calires friend Demi is waiting to greet us at the airport.

The car ride to Demis house is crazy. The streets are so narrow and everyone parks wherever they find a spot. We miraculously survive, park and make our way up the beautiful marble staircase to Demis house. Her father speaks very little English but is at the door to welcome us in with open arms. After dropping our bags in our room and a quick tour of the house, he immediately wants to feed us. He gives us the most amazing chocolate and brings out a punnet of strawberries. After a conversation in Greek Demi convinces him that we are going out to get Souvalakis. He insists on paying, and after we have our food in hand we return to their beautiful home. The table is set and the food begins to flow. It is no exaggeration that te Greeks like to feed their guests! We have our souvalakis and chips. He pours us each a glass of red wine and places a large Greek salad on the table.  He then brings out a plate of delicious cheeses, which go amazingly with the wine. Then comes a large bowl of stone fruits and a plate of watermelon. He then offers us dessert, which we politely decline but are served anyway. This is flowed by a shot of traditional Greek alcohol that is served with Greek meals to aid in digestion – I think are going to need it. So now that we are sufficiently beached we thank the family and waddle down the hallway to our beds. It has been such a huge day but, but a lot of fun none the less. I have been in Athens for only a few hours but I am in love with the culture and so greatful to get the chance to experience the authentic lifestyle with Demis family. And so, in my food coma I happily drift off to sleep for some much needed rest.

The next morning we awake, shower and sit down to breakfast. Another lavish feast is about to begin. Home made bread and jam, cheeses, fruit and ham are placed before us in large quantities. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves to the brim we head down to the local travel agent to book our ferries to Santorini and on to Mykonos. Thank god we have Demi with us or this process would have been a nightmare! After looking through some local stores we head home to do some research for our next four days. Once again Demi saves the day and contacts her friend who owns a hotel in santorini. We get an amazing rate and she arranges for us to be picked up from the harbour. So with one less thing to worry about, we spend some time skyping friends back home. Soon Demis brother and his beautiful wife arrive and after introductions it seems to be lunch time. We are all seated at the table and two huge servings of home made lasagne is placed on my plate. It looks amazing but the serving size is about three times the size of an Australian serve. Then there is the salad, beans, olives, feta, bread and dressings. After we struggle through the delicious lasagne a huge ginormous plate of fruit is placed on the table. Then, when you think it is all over – Out comes the ice cream. So needless to say here comes another food coma. We look at the clock and it is 3pm already, time to get a move on if we want to enjoy some site seeing.

We head down the street and catch the train to the city centre, off to see the acropolis. We wander through the local markets full of beautiful clothes, jewelry and shoes, each atll owner beckoning us to come in and buy. We stop at one particular stall and go down an old stairwell to where a little old man is making the traditional leather sandals. He explains to us the process in which the shoes are made. It is such a unique experience getting to watch him at work and with Demi translating we learn a lot.

We reach the end of the market place and start our climb up the hill to the acropolis. We pay our 14 euro entry fee and continue the climb. It is very steep and in the hot afternoon makes for some great and much needed exercise. Along the way Demi explains to us the history of Athens and the legend behind its origin. The Greek mythology tells of a battle between the God Posiedon god of the the ocean, and the goddess Athena to be the protector of the city. The gods decided to offer the people gifts and let them decide who they wanted to be the god of their city. Posiedon raised his trident and offered water, Athena offered the Olive branch. The towns people chose the olives and this is why the city of Athens is full of Olive trees, yet there is not a lot of water around. . It was so great to learn new things along with seeing and experiencing the ancient sites.

We reach the top and I am in awe of the sites in front of me. I have always wanted to visit the ancient ruins and now that I am here I couldn’t be happier! As we approach the pathenon Demi explains how the Brittish stole a lot of the beautiful ancient statues. It is so sad to think these beautiful pieces of Greek history have been taken and now reside in a Brittish museum. After observing the gorgeous view and taking in the historical site and newly found knowledge  we head down to the over to the museum to observe and learn more. The work of the ancient sculptors is absolutely breath taking. The precision in every line line, and the way the sculptors subject is caught in mid movement gives each piece a sense of life. I wander around and observe each astonishing piece of art, drinking it all in. There is so much amazing history here and so many amazing historical facts to learn about Athens. It truly is a city so rich in ancient history and I am so humbled that I get to experience and explore a piece of it.

After we get kicked out of the museum we make our way back down the hill and stop at a huge rock that overlooks the city to relax and watch the sunset. The city turns from a brightly lit, compacted area of white houses, to the bright oranges and pinks of sunset, to a glistening cluster of lights, twinkling like diamonds against the deep dark sky. The acropolis also comes alive with lights and is a stunning sight to see. We continue our descent down the hill and catch our train home. We have decided to take Demi and her parents out for dinner to thank them for their hospitality, or so we thought. 

We get changed and drive to a little restaurant up the road. On arrival Demi informs us the Greek parents will absolutely not accept our payment and in fact they insit on paying for ours and that it is pointless trying to convince them otherwise. At dinner we try to insist that it would be an honour for us to pay for them to thank them but her father just shakes his head. We explain that in Australia we show appreciation in this way, he responds with – you are in Greece now. We counter with ‘it will really upset us if you don’t let us pay’ to which his response is ‘ it is better for you to be upset than for me to get upset’. We realise we wont win, so thank him and sit back to relax and enjoy a glass of delicious red wine. 

Then the food arrives . . . Plates of fried cheese, large salads, grilled zucchini, a traditional lentil dish, meatballs, chips, pastry filled with cheese, grilled peppers and of course bread. Our plates are piled high and it is an amazing feast. Then dinner comes out! We should have known. Huge servings of meat with chips and rice are placed in front of each of us. I am about to explode from the previous spread of which I thought was dinner – but in an attempt to be greatful and show my appreciation I reluctantly pick up my cutlery and begin to eat. I manage to get through about a third of the dish and cannot physically eat anymore. Breathing is difficult and I am certain one more bite will cause me to explode. After assuring the parents that there was nothing wrong with the food, we are not eating because we are full, we raise our glasses for another ‘chin chin’. Kendyl and I are in high spirits and giggling ike little school girls. We realise this is due to the fact that whenever our glasses appeared like they were approaching being half empty, Chris, Demis dad, would refill them!

Then dessert comes out! Seriously?????! After a deep breath, and two difficult, yet delicious mouthfuls of the cake and ice cream, I am beyond full and I think I can feel a heart attack coming on.

The walk to the car is a painful one, lying me on my side and rolling me there would probably be a faster and easier journey. It is now midnight so we definatley need to gte as much sleep as we can before our 5am start in the morning. After hugs, thank you’s and good byes we waddle down the hall to collapse on our beds in a food coma induced sleep.

The alarm is beeping at 5am sharp. I roll out of bed (still full) have a quick shower and head to the taxi with the girls. Demi explains to the driver where we need to go and after we say goodbye we jump into the cab where another insane ride ensues. Driving  8okm an hour through narrow 50km speed limited streets, our driver taking photos of the moon and updating facebook along the way, we somehow make the marina in one piece. We pay him the 23 euro, thank him and join the que for our 4.5 hour ferry ride to Santorini.

We locate our seats, figure out how to recline them and lie back to catch up on some much needed sleep. When we wake we will be in beautiful Santorini for two days of site seeing and a lot of relaxation. Or so we thought . . . .

            

The Yacht Week!!

THE YACHT WEEK!!!!

I must apologize in advance, this one’s going to be rather lengthy – however, I am trying to convey a weeks worth of mind blowing experiences and condense it into a short(ish) story for you to enjoy, so here it goes.

The moment I have been working my butt off for has finally arrived! It is June 23^rd and it is the day we board our yacht for a week of sailing, swimming and partying! We all meet for breakfast then make our way to the nearest supermarket. We each grab a trolley and start loading up with chips, cheeses, deli meats, fruit, salad items and of course copious amounts of alcohol and mixes! One thousand, eight hundred Kuna later we squeeze through the super market doors with 5 trolleys completely over flowing with our items. A quick calculation and we realize it has cost us each a grand total of $27 for the food and $22 each for the alcohol – Croatia is becoming increasingly popular in our books.  We make our way awkwardly down the cobble stone streets to find a taxi, in this blistering heat we have to get the groceries to a fridge asap. We reach the taxi point and the street is empty! We are also running out of time to get to our yacht before departure. Out of the blue a lonely taxi appears. We wave the man down and after a heated discussion on the 10 Euros he wants to charge to take our groceries we load the cab and send three of the crew on their way. Kendyl and I are left to take the trolleys back and to carry an insanely large and very heavy watermelon around the streets with us while we frantically search for the rest of our crew. After another awkward struggle we get back to the hostel to get all the baggage together to leave for the marina.  At the last minute everyone seems to materialise and we all join the others at the marina.

After a long day of tasks we finally all make it to our yacht to unload our bags, groceries and get ready to set sail. After a quick briefing from our skipper we crack open a beer and set sail to our destination. We pass a beautiful old castle, find the yacht week pirate ship, and dock up in troga for the night. After finishing our drinks, and an attempt to make our makeup last for more than 2 minutes,  we go ashore for dinner. We find a nice little restaurant and order copious amounts of Sea donuts, (calamari). *side note, the Calamari in Croatia is absolutely amazing!  After fish soup, calamari, shots and ice cream we head to the bar for the first night partying on yacht week.

The next morning everyone is a little worse for wear. We set sail for the next destination. We drop anchor and jump in for a swim. After a quick champagne shower we raise the sail and make our way to an old submarine cave. We all jump in and swim to the cave. Two of the crazy crew members jump off the cliff, and after assuring they have landed safely we make our way back to the boat to head Vis.

Upon arrival Kendyl and I go ashore in search of a decent salad. We walk the cobble stone streets and find beautiful little restaurants set in amongst the old buildings. A friendly restauranteer shows us to a romantic little courtyard which is off the street, surrounded by beautiful greenery and trees and two friendly cats. He sets the table for us and we relax with a nice cold glass of coke and an amazing beef salad. Once everyone has had the standard afternoon nap, the music begins to pump and the makeup attempts begin again! Vodka, Snacks and a few jager shots later we are on shore making our way to the Fortress for what is to be the best party of our lives . . . thus far!

The fortress is like and old abandoned castle. With cobblestone floors and no roof. We have a celebratory jager bomb and get started on the G&T’s! The DJ is amazing, the lights are flashing and everyone is dancing like crazy. The dance floor almost looks like a mini collussium and is alive with fist pumping, hip thrusting yacht weekers. After another bottle of Gin with the crew I regret to say – I have no more details of this night lol.

Suprisingly the next day we are all relatively ok. One  crew member is sporting suspicious tyre marks down his front, indicating a possible running over, but after closer inspection that nothing is bleeding all is ok. After breakfast we set off to our next destination. On our Journey we stop and explore the blue caves. A natural wonder and very beautiful. Our dingy doesn’t seem to be equipped with paddles so after using the motor to reach the cave our wonderful Crew mate Chris jumps in and swims through the cave towing our dingy with us in it behind him. The caves are amazing. There is an entry point under the water which lets the sun through and throws off a magical blue light. After photos, our customary champagne shower and a swim we make our way to the next destination.

As we approach our next stop I take in the beautiful sunset, slowly descending over the vast oil like waters in a dance of orange and pink light. We dock our ship and again the music begins to pump which signals nap times are over and the vodka is coming out to play. Tonight we make our way through the island walkways and over to the next yacht week party. Its an outdoor party and there are smoke machines, lights and drinks flowing. After a few hours of dancing – we find ourselves up on a balcony in the VIP area. Again, after copious amounts of vodka cranberries, details from  this night are excessively blurry as well.

Next stop is Hvar, and to what is very soon to become THE best party of our lives! We previously arranged a bay watch / life saver theme for our crew so we all don our red shorts and bikini tops and decide that our blow up dolphin toy needs to experience this party also. After pre-drinks and shots we take the dingy to shore to party. We arrive and establish that the best way to drink today is mojitos by the jug! The drinks here are insanely massive – and delicious. I go to the bar to order a round of long island iced teas to get us started and the bar man pushes me up on the bar to dance! As opposed to this as I was (not) I oblige and then am fed shot after shot for my wonderful efforts. This also seems to get me free mojito jugs so all in all a win win situation! Everyone is having the best time, its another scorching hot day and the bar staff ensure to keep us cool by soaking us all with hoses. The blow up dolphin is abducted and held captive by a mystery pirate and will soon become our mission to save him. The party finishes at 8pm and after a mystery wander and loosing my crew I find a nice group of yacht weekers to join for dinner. I order possibly the best seafood risotto in the world and enjoy the conversation with new Norwegian friends. After dinner I go to check on my crews boat and after engaging in too many conversations along the way manage to loose my new friends. However – I have managed to make new ones and end up in a beautiful roof top lounge bar with more mojitos in my hands. Again I attempt to find my crew so I sneak my mojito out and find my boat. Everyone is coming ashore to party so I join in and head to a local bar for more dancing. Eventually we stumble home via a scenic walk, learning the constellations and the northern star guiding us home.

The Hvar party is the talk of the boat today. Possibly the best night of everyones lives. Definitely in need of a swim today! We sail to the other side of the island of  Hvar. After docking up for a swim with a few other boats, there is an anchor problem and the 40metre chain must be hauled up manually. So we girls do our part by lying back and relaxing while we watch about 15 sweaty, muscly hunks manually heave up the chain –not bad entertainment for the afternoon. We sail to our next docking point, organise dinner and the drinking begins again (tough life) I will not bore you with another description of the night, as amazing as it was it was no Hvar party and this blog is becoming increasingly long winded!

In the morning Gasper our skipper leads us to a gorgeous little restaurant set on the hill, surrounded by an amazing garden, trees and a local peacock. We enjoy a nice meal and make our way back to the boat. We indulge in another standard day of swimming, eating, sunbathing, napping and drinking and then head out to party again at night.

The final day. I can’t believe this amazing week is almost over! We dock up with other boats we have made friends with over the week and enjoy a final day of swimming and sunbathing. We take the dingy across to a lovely little restaurant overlooking the ocean and have our final ‘famliy’ lunch. After eating we continue on our journey back to the split marina. The music begins to pump again and everyone arises from their slumber for one final epic night. We indulge in check point Charlies-a fabulous cocktail made from a multitude of spirits, juice and soda. Once everyone is ready and the jager shots are down we catch our taxis to the club. Everyone we have met are there and in the best moods. Vodka and redbulls are the choice to get the night started. There are VIP booths full of our friends, a large swimming pool and the DJ is amazing. Needless to say tonights gonna be a good night! Mid way through the night the tunes esculate and the fireworks begin. The cheers arise and everyone is linking arms and dancing whilst looking up at the amazing display going on above. The atmosphere is fantastic, everyone is so friendly and excited to see one another for one final night of shenanigans. We party well into the late hours of the morning before heading back to the boat and passing out wherever we manage to fall – our 9am departure from the boat is not going to be fun.

After around 2 hours sleep each we stagger around cleaning, packing and unloading our boat. For the size of the night we have just had we are not doing too bad. We make it to shore and sit in the shade until docking fees are paid and we have been signed out. Now the hard part, the time everyone has been avoiding – the goodbyes! We share hugs, tears and depart our separate ways. The final 6 head to the hostel where we will stay tonight. We sign in and stagger our way to the lunch tables to get some much needed food. Our rooms will be ready as soon as possible they tell us. After 3 hours of torture waiting in the bright yellow lunch room we finally get the all clear and race to our room. The moment my head touches my pillow I am asleep. It feels amazing to lie down, in an airconditioned room, fresh sheets and a bed that is not rocking from the current.

The yacht week has come to an end. It has been a week I will never forget. The people I have met leave an imprint in my heart and the experiences, scenery, Adriatic ocean and great times I have had will be locked in my mind forever. An absolute amazing way to begin my travels around our wonderous world. So now, after a good rest, a bag of laundry washed and some running shoes purchased, Kendyl, Claire and I make our way to the marina once again to catch our Ferry across the ocean to Ancona where we will stay for one night before boarding a long winded day of travel to reach our next destination . . . Greece.

Love to you all

Living Life to it’s Fullest

Experiencing all the wonder the world has to offer

Taking every Opportunity