Roma & Grecian Paradise

Sadly, this will be my last blog post so I'd like to thank you all for reading this and joining me on this once in a lifetime journey. I know I haven't been the best at keeping you all updated but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I love you all and I can't wait to see you! (This is a long one to make up for my lack this semester :) )

ROMA

June 19

We started our trek for our last vacation at about 6 pm on Wednesday. Pella and I were catching a train from Innsbruck to Salzburg, Salzburg to Villach, and Villach to Rome. Amanda, Jess, Alex, and Brittany were going straight from Vienna to Rome, and this was the only train route we could get that allowed us to be on the same train as them. Halfway through our trip to Salzburg, an announcement comes on in German so I just ignored it. (Usually if it is important they will say it in English and German) However, we kept hearing Salzburg over and over again, so we asked the guy sitting behind us what was going on. He told us that there were old bombs from WWII that had been found at the Salzburg station and we were not allowed to go there. So Pella and I started to get nervous since we absolutely had to catch the next train to make our train reservation to Rome. The ticket collector told us to get off on the next stop and wait for a "special train" that would come get us and take us to Villach instead. It was very confusing, stressful, and sketchy. We followed an older Austrian woman who was also heading to Villach in hopes that she maybe knew where she was going at least. We ended up talking with her for hours while we waited, teaching eachother German and English phrases. We were so nervous we would not make it to Villach in time, but the train finally did come and we got on just in time! Apparently, the other group almost missed their train as well so it was a gift from God that we all made it on together! Everyone else paid for a sleeper compartment, but being the penny pincher I am, I opted for only a seat. Worst 9 hour train ride of my life, but I made it to Rome in one piece!

June 20 

We all got off the train together and immediately hopped on a city bus to try and get to our apartment. It was hotter than hell inside and we had no clue where we were going because there were no stops listed. I was able to hand-gesture communicate enough with an older lady to find out where my stop was, so we ended up getting there after a stressful ride. The area we stayed in was called Trastevere... it was so amazing. Not very touristy at all... tiny cobblestone streets and trattoria's all around. There was a bar below our apartment that we frequented daily as well.

 We ended up just dropping all of our bags off and then headed straight to the Vatican City. It was around 95 degrees and sunny so we were thankful when a man immediately approached us and offered us a deal to skip the lines and get entrance into the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. It was a little sketchy at first but hey, we got in and didn't have to wait in line in the heat! The tour was so incredible.. it didn't feel real that that is where the Pope is! You have to make sure that you are covered completely to get in, so we wore longer dresses and put scarves over our shoulders because it was too hot for pants or jackets!

our apartment street

inside St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican :)

After the day at the Vatican we walked to a small Italian restaurant for lunch where we all had some authentic Italian food mmmm! We then walked back to the apartment and got cleaned up to go down to the bar for a few drinks. Pella and I embarrassed the entire group by belting out Mulan songs loud enough for the whole bar to hear. We were exhausted from getting no sleep on the train and being in the heat all day, so we went to bed afterwards.

June 21

my loves <3 br="">

 We woke up rather early because we knew we wanted to beat the lines at the Colosseum. Thank God we did! Pella, Amanda, Alex and I went inside while Jess and Brittany stayed out since they had already been. The line took maybe 10 minutes, and then we were in! It was insanely beautiful and old! It's really hard to take it in that these buildings are hundreds of years old. We walked around and took advantage of numerous photo ops, and then joined the rest of our group outside to get on our double decked tour bus for the day! We rode a big circle all over Rome, seeing all the sites like a TRUE tourist. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain and had lunch at a small cafe. After being out ALL day in the heat, we went back to the apartment to shower and get dolled up for a night out. We went downstairs for dinner and drinks, and then walked around Rome at night. On our way to see the Pantheon and the Spanish steps, we saw a market down by the river and walked through it. After a jaunt of a walk, we made it to the Pantheon and it was stunning at night! We grabbed our last Italian gelato and went to the Spanish steps. There are always people trying to force you to buy their crap in Italy, and Pella was looking through her camera... a man came by and shoved a bouquet of roses in her arm crease and told her to pay for them. Amanda grabbed the bouquet and shoved them back in the guy's chest... he was saying some pretty nasty things in Italian and I'm 99% sure he put a curse on her. It was hilarious.

Colosseum

Girls of the trip... at the "wedding cake"

making a wish at Trevi ;)

 June 22
We slept in because we were all so exhausted. Our friend Stanley was in Rome today and it was the last time we would be able to say goodbye so we all went out to brunch with him! We then said goodbye to Rome and hopped on our next flight to Athens! In Athens we had a shuttle service pick us up from the airport and take us to the hostel. Once we hit the city center we were a little worried about our decision... it seemed like we were in a veryyyyy sketchy area. But once we got inside the hostel, we were pleasantly surprised. Our room was a 6 bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the city! All of the walls were painted as Santorini scenery as well so it was a cute little room. We were all starving so we got a restaurant recommendation from our hostel desk and headed outside. The streets were so slummy, so thankfully there were 6 of us so we felt safer. After a 10 minute walk we arrived at our VERY traditional Greek restaurant! It was surrounded with locals and it was such a quaint little restaurant. We were able to get a table outside and enjoy the perfect weather. I ordered a Greek salad and pita, but I was saddened to see that a Greek salad isn't a salad at all in fact-- no lettuce! So I ate some of the feta on the pita and called it good... it was delicious regardless! Everyone else got gyros and were very happy with their food! On the walk home we stopped in a convenient store and bought some wine... it came in a 2 liter plastic water bottle!! We sat on our balcony and drank wine and enjoyed each others company.

June 23
We woke up very early to have breakfast before our tour guide arrived. Alex had a family friend come to be our tour guide through Athens since it can be a little unsafe at times. His name was Misa and he was so sweet and such a good guide! We got on the subway out to the acropolis. This was an all-day deal! It was scorching hot and we waited in line to get tickets for a good hour before we could go up and see the ruins. Once we got up there we were all so excited and overwhelmed with the beauty of the Parthenon!

Unreal!

 We walked through the flea markets and the second-hand markets and then stopped for a traditional lunch! I got a plate of Greek meat and tsaziki, it was to die for! One of the best meals I have had. We saw a few other sites in Athens and then had to hurry off to catch our ferry to Santorini! On the train ride to the port, I had the funniest moment of my life. A little boy randomly gets on the train with an accordion and just goes straight up into people's faces and stares at them while he plays.. it was so incredibly uncomfortable I cannot even explain. He came up to me and I couldn't hold it in anymore I just burst out laughing because it was so awkward! He turns away and gets in Amanda's face while he plays and she just stares right back at him with daggers. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen and became an inside joke for the rest of the trip. When we finally got to the marina, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a small ferry like the one I took to Cozumel... bench seats... open air... no sides. NOT the case! It was a full on cruise liner (in my eyes). We were lucky and got on early enough to grab 2 tables because it is first come first serve. It was a 6 hour ferry so we sat around playing card games, sleeping, and got dinner. When we finally arrived, Pella and I were super obnoxious because we were so excited to be in Santorini! We took a shuttle from the port to our apartment. We drove for 20 minutes and hit a dead end, where we were then prompted to get out of the car and "follow this man". Obviously I am a little concerned but we followed him anyways and he did lead us to our apartment... which was INCREDIBLE!!! (see pics below) Amanda Jess Brittany and I were too excited to sleep so we went out to one of the beach bars to grab a drink and check things out. We met a band that then told us they'd be playing the next night.

Our apartment

 June 24
We woke up early because we were so excited to see Santorini by daylight! We decided we should go up to the next area to see the main city of Fira, since where we were staying was the beach portion. I can honestly say I have never been happier or more amazed at a place in my life. Santorini is an absolute dream and I cannot wait to go back someday! The buildings are all stark white contrasted with deep blue roofs and doors and pops of red and pink plants and flowers. It is just stunning. We did some souvenir shopping and grabbed lunch and then took the bus back to our little beach town. We put on our swimsuits and  hit the beach!! We all ordered some fruity drinks and sat under our thatched umbrellas. We got some good color and decided to shower and head inside to get ready for dinner. We met a girl on the bus from the USA named Rachel and we invited her to join us for dinner. We had multiple drinks and dinner and sat for hours laughing and talking at our beachside restaurant. I ordered Greek yogurt for dinner because it just sounded so authentic-- and it was. SO. Good.

 After dinner we decided to check out that band that was playing at the beach bar. We sat and listened to them for a while, and the girls even got up to dance for some of it (me... no way). We then walked along the beach looking at the gorgeous moon on the water and called it a night.

June 25
We woke up early again to go snag some chairs on the beach! Normally it would cost you to sit at these chairs but since we made friends with the restaurant owners the night before we were able to get them for free! They have vendors walking along the beach offering foot massages and Amanda bartered with one woman and actually got one! Apparently, however, it is completely illegal and so the lady would get phone calls and run away, and then come back... so odd. I ordered a fruit smoothie with rum and got completely baked in the sun for the entire day. I got more Greek yogurt for lunch and just enjoyed the Aegan Sea and the sand between my toes. We decided to have a fancy group dinner so we all got ready and dressed up and headed back into Fira for a sunset dinner. Our view was INCREDIBLE and so was the food. Did I mention I love Greek food?

We all enjoyed our food and the view and then walked around to find a good spot to enjoy the sunset over the water. We chose by the donkeys, which made me happy because it smells like home :). We caught the last bus back to Perissa and stopped by my FAVORITE bar, Bob's bar. It is a little tropical bar with super cheap drinks and the best bartender in the world! His name was Tatu and he was so over the top and eccentric and loved our group! For some reason he called me Beyonce for the entire trip haha! We got a few drinks there and then went back to the apartment.

sunset dinner view!

 June 26
This was our last day in Greece :( we were all so sad to be leaving! We woke up early and grabbed breakfast at a beach restaurant, and then got another hour of laying out in. After packing up, we decided to go back to Bobs Bar to get our last authentic Greek lunch. Tatu was working so we were all excited to see our friend one last time. We saw Rachel walking down the street as well so we called her over and she joined us for lunch. After chatting for a while we realized that our taxi was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes and we hadn't even gotten our food! We felt so bad because Tatu was running around like a crazy man trying to get our food to us to go. Half of the group left to go stop the taxi and the rest of us stayed to get the food. Luckily we all ordered gyros so they were easy to take on the go! Once we got our food, Tatu told us to wait and took off his shoes and sprinted down a back road. He came back a few minutes later with a big basket of fresh strawberries! It was so sweet! I was dragging my feet because I honestly just never wanted to leave Greece... like, EVER. Favorite place in the world and always will be. Once we got our taxi to the airport we hopped on a flight to Vienna and then took a 5 hour train back to Innsbruck. Such a long day but it was honestly the trip of a lifetime and I will never forget it!

 

 

 

Tatu haha! What a character

so dang pretty i can't stand it

June 28
I am leaving Innsbruck today... it is such an incredibly bittersweet feeling. I miss home so much but at the same time, Innsbruck has become my home.. the people I have met here are more than friends, they're family to me. I don't know what I am going to do without seeing them every day! I am so thankful and blessed that I was able to have this experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I will cherish these memories and people forever. I head to Munich tonight and will be meeting my friends for a last dinner in Europe at one of Munich's famous beer gardens. I fly home in the morning.... What a weird feeling! So for the last time..... Auf Wiedersehen, Danke!