Athens

This was my favorite trip so far. We stayed in the Backpacker’s hostel which is one of the top 5 rated in the world. The staff at the hostel was more than welcoming. One of our roommates at the hostel was unable to make the trip and so they gave us all free beers as an apology.

The vastness of the city was incredible. We visited the temple of Zues, the Parthenon, the Parthenon museum and several other ancient sites and museums. The Parthenon was my, like most others, favorite site visit. The ancient pillars sit on top of a hill/mountain in the middle of the city. We hiked to the top and walked around the remaining ruins. We were able to overlook the city and see the layout of the roads.

The museum was a very beautiful and modern building. The floors were mostly glass which allowed you to look beneath the building to see the ancient ruins left in tact after thousands of years. The age of these ruins literally made my mouth drop.

The artifacts in the museum were so old! Some of them dated back six to seven thousand years ago. It was astounding to see the sculptures and pottery that were older than my family name.

The city’s architecture was unlike any other I have visited so far. The city is mostly white. All of the buildings were white or some shade of off-white. This gave the city a very ancient feeling. I think the age of the city is what made it my favorite.

The highlight of my trip was on the last night when we hiked Zues’ mountain (I believe that is what it’s called). Joel, Taras, Kelsie, Bianca, Bri, and I all hiked the mountain around sunset. We took tons of pictures and were totally awed by the vastness and beauty of the city. We were able to watch the sun set. It was gorgeous. We hung around for about another hour after the sun set to watch the city at night. The city sprawls out below the mountain-top, in every direction. On one side all you can see is white architecture all the way to the ocean and on the other you see the same all the way to the edge of the mountains. In the opposite directions you can see buildings and houses stretching for as far as you can see.

Greece has meat and salad down better than any other European country I have visited. Their (Greek) salads have no lettuce but are the best salads I have ever had. Two of the best meals I have had were in Greece. We ordered a meat platter at one meal that had all sorts of delicious, moist meat: pork, meat balls, chicken, lamb, sausage, and some other types of meat I was unsure of. The prices were much more reasonable than the other cities.

The night-life was pretty low key. The first night we sat at a local bar and I called it a night early thanks to a little too much vodka. The second night was much better. After a great dinner we went to a strip of clubs and bars. We ended up at a bar that had a small dance floor. The Dj played a good mix of European techno and American hip-hop and pop. We drank in a group of about 10 for most of the night.

A downfall to Greece was the amount of illegal immigrants who tried to sell you useless toys. They all sold these jelly balls that they would slap on the ground in front of you and say “5 euro.” There were literally hundreds of these guys everywhere. The funniest part about it was when they would just pack up their purses, sunglasses, scarfs, or whatever else they were selling and book it down the street when they saw the police coming. The other downfall was the amount of stray dogs everywhere. We sat out one night at a bar and watched dogs attack people, literally. It was pretty intense.

Overall, I loved Athens. The history of the city inspired me to think about many things I had not really considered. It was an eye-opening experience that gave me a great appreciation for the city.

Barcelona

Barcelona was insane…in every way! From the moment we got off the bus I knew I was in for a surprise. The general vibe of the city was quite different than any of the places I have travelled to. The graffiti, demeanor of the people, and speed at which life ensued suggested a rowdy lifestyle.

Needless to say my first impression turned out to be correct. A few of the members of our program were victim to the crime that is well-known in the city. The piea and tapas were decent but in now way comparable to some of the other ethnic foods I have tried. The Sangria was good. On a more positive note, the night life (the main reason for visiting here) was everything I suspected it to be.

The first night out was the best night of dancing I think I have ever had. The group of us went to a club called Opium. The club played all American hip-hop and techno. There were dancers on the stage all night. The club was right on the edge of the sea. There was a demons and angels theme party in celebration of Halloween. I have never seen so many college aged kids dancing before. The club was definetly at maximum capacity which is said to be 3,000. The mixed drinks at the club were 15 euros a piece. I spent a little more than I am comfortable admitting. I can honestly say I have never had that much fun dancing in my life. I was absolutely soaked in sweat when the club closed down just after 6 am. Everything I was wearing was wet. Keith was absolutely loving life the whole night. He danced nonstop for like 6 straight hours. His dancing was not limited to headbutting, kissing, breakdancing, and all out fist pumping. The best part of the night was the dancing during the last hour of our time in the club. We left the club and headed back to our hostels at about 630 am. Insetad of going to sleep a few of us decided to walk across town to find breakfast at subway at just after 7am. The final bed time was 830. What a night!

The second night was similar to the first. I pretty much lazied around the hostel for the whole second afternoon until dinner time. After eating dinner and getting ready, we began round two. We stopped at a bar that had every kind of shot you could imagine. I did not actually go inside because it was so busy. Again, we waited in line at midnight for the club to open, as we had done the night before. The club shoko was better than most I have been to. It did not compare to Opium. We danced until the club closed at 4 am. Some people went to another club that was opening around that time. I walked back to the hostel and got breakfast at subway again! I stayed awake till 930 when I called I quits on a bet with Anna to see who could stay up later.

By the third night I acquired a pretty serious cough and decided not to go out. It was Halloween. Some of our crew dressed up for Halloween and others did not. I took a lot of heat for not going out, especially because I am usually one of the ring leaders of night life planning. I am now on medication as a result of too many big kid drinks and not enough rest. This week will be consumed with getting back my health and studying for exams!

The experience was one I will remember for a long time to come. I had soo much fun. My first hostel experience was very satisfactory. My first flight on a European airline (Ryanair) was equally satisfying. Travelling to and from Barcelona was quite the task. Strikes in both Italy in Spain forced changes in our travel itinerary. We had to take alternative means of transport both ways. I can honestly say I appreciate American public transportation so much more after dealing with the strike shenanigans this weekend. There are a lot more great trips to come. Greece will be just as crazy and exciting this weekend! Plenty more stories to come.

Campo Marzio 7

10/28

The entreprenuerial side of our apartment came out last week. We had a big dinner with all the guys at our apartment and some of Cyle’s family. Sitting around dinner, with a glass of wine, we decided to have a huge dinner once a week.

So today we had our first big dinner. There were 8 of us guys and 8 girls. Keith cooked a huge dinner that was incredible. The first course was the standard fresh sliced bread with olive oil. The second course was a pomodoro dish that we first tried in Florence. The main course was a pesto and chicken gnocchi that was awesome. The final course was a chocolate dipped strawberry and banana desert with small scoops of banana and strawberry gelato. Of course he used only the finest gelato, Giolitti’s (A very famous gelato place that is just outside of our apartment).

The meal was great. We ate for a few hours and drank several glasses of wine each. The dinner led to a little over excitement that inspired us all to go out the night before a very early flight to Barcelona.

10/21

The last two weeks in Rome have been awesome. School is definetly a bit harder than I had anticipated. I have had to spend more time studying and less time going out. I think a large part of the challenge is the language barrier and cultural differences. I enjoy the challenge.

Last night six of my room mates and I had a huge dinner. Greg made homemade cannolis, prosciutto and melon, bread with seasoned olive oil and cheese, and delicious meat cooked into a homemade pasta sauce, with penne. It was a very typical Italian style meal. We drank a few glasses of wine and ate for about three hours, with some light acoustic music. We decided we will do this once a week. I have some pictures to put up here from the meal.