Finally...some pictures!!

Lunch at Santa Maria with from left to right: Vanessa, Justine, Fay, Mel, Nam, Claire, Row, and RachaelSanta Maria Beach...the girls are swiming!

On top of the volcano in Santorini...the cliff in the background...that's about how high we needed to walk down to get on the boat and then about how high we had to walk up to get to the top of the Volcano...no wonder I am getting buns of steele!

This is me and Henry...he was my most favorite donkey ever!

Santorini at night...see how it's built on a hill
Ridding on the bus back to Fira. From left to right; Claire, Glenn, Mel, Nicole, Alicia, Adam

Sunset on Naxos

Playing the Cornflake game...basically you have to pick it up using just your mouth...every round a strip is taken off the box...just like a true Canadian I came in 5th out of 8

Things I loved about Greece

1. You can't flush toilet paper down the toilet, you have to throw it in a bin...I know it's gross but so interesting!
2. Greek beaches...I could live on one for a very long time
3. Ruins everywhere! It's amazing to see a convenient store beside a building that is older than CANADA!
4. Drinking in public places...including on buses...we'll you aren't supposed to drink on buses but when you make friends with the driver you can pretty much get away with anything!
5. Bartering...it's amazing how cheap you can get some things!
6. Bread at the beginning of every meal...it's a little diceptive though because they just bring it and you don't realize that each person at the table is charged a 'bread/sitting' fee just to sit down
7. Ok, I don't love it, but there are stray dogs and cats EVERYWHERE in Greece...it's actually pretty sad and I would adopt them all if I could...however the cats on Ios were pretty well fed...they stole a whole steak off a plate and proceeded to eat the whole thing down to the bone...it was an amazing sight
8. Sleeping in a bungalow...I would do it again in a second...even if we did get a little wet when it rained the second night
9. Greek food...it really is better here! And it's pronounce Hero...not Gyro or Yero...you crazy Aussies!!
10. My amazing BusAbout Group...everyone was SO much fun and I will miss traveling with you all...especially Nicole who made sure we always got where we needed to get to and took us on some of the most amazing adventures...will you please please please just keep traveling with me and by my own personal tour guide? I'll see most of you again, if not in England then on my trip to Australia (free places to sleep! I'm SO there!)

Why is everything in Greece up-hill?

So two days ago I wrote the LONGEST entry EVER and when I went to post it the cheap-ass computer I was on froze. So here is my second attempt to bring you up-to-date on my life so far, fingers crossed it works!
So the last time I wrote I was on Mykonos enjoying the sun and sand. It has only gotten better. I'm going to give you a run-down of my adventures on each island, so once again, grab a snack and get comfy...here we go.
After Mykonos we sailed over to PAROS. We stayed at a place called the Coral Rooms which is run by the greatest guy, Leo. The reception area is the bar which is also where you can check your email and where he serves us breakfast. He really enjoys making drinks, for under 3 euros each, and giving free shots. The first night we went to most amazing dinner after spending the afternoon on a beach with the clearest water. That night we just hung around with Leo and drank...so much fun. The second day there around 20 of us rented cars (thank you Cricket for preparing me to drive manual! I kicked ass and didn't stall once...my car was even a little red chevy...your distance European cousin I'm sure of it!) and we traveled around the island. First we hit Parikia to see the 'Church of 100 doors'...I didn't count 100 doors, but I'll take their word for it. Then we went to Lefkes where we walked down to the cemetery where 100s of Greek and Australian Soldiers were buried after a world war (I forget which one...how horrible am I). Because the town is car-free, we had to park outside town and then walk around. Like I said we walked down, and you know what that means...when it was time to leave we had to walk UP to get out. Feel the burn. Our third stop was at a church (which took Claire, Fay, Vanessa and I a while to find because we ended up at the end of the line of cars and got lost) which was a lovely walk UP HILL....and by up hill I mean up a mini-mountain....in the middle of the day...very sunny....but when we got to the top the views were worth it and the church was amazing. My favorite part of the whole climb though was when we got to the top and I looked over and remarked to the girls, 'hey look, a scooter...and a car...and a FRIGGIN' ROAD!!!!' But my butt and thighs got a workout so I let it go. Our final stop of the day was at Santa Maria beach which was beautiful and looked like it should have been in the Caribbeans. That night we went out for some disappointing seafood, but made up for it by heading out for a fun filled night of desert at a cafe...our group provided the entertainment for everyone sitting in the cafe-filled square...and by our group I mean me and Kate (my Australian twin...yes, there are two of us out there...scary I know!). On September 22 we left Paros for IOS, the party island. We stayed at a campsite, but actually stayed in bungalows. They were SO cute. They were round (modeled after the windmills on the islands) with two crescent shaped beds and a night table. I shared with Sam, my fellow Canadian traveler. The first night we had a BBQ at the village...see although we stayed at the campsite, it was attached to a hotel style place called the village. Anyway, we had real BBQ and the best Greek salad. Then we headed into town...because all you do in Ios is sit by the pool, drink at the bars, and sleep. Our first stop was at a place called 'Fun Bar' where we had 3.50 Euro cocktails, free poured shots (right into the mouth), and Flaming Lamborginis. The next stop was 'Blue Note' for two-for-one drinks and free shots....loved this place except for the two fat greek guys who were jumping around and landed on my foot...there is still a bruise...but then a hot Irishman bought me a drink and shot so that made my night. Unfortunately I was dragged from there to another place, called 'Red Bull' so was unable to chat him up. Red Bull had fun music and once again there were free shots....a few people got T-shirts (you drink 7 shots and get a free one). I ended up bailing around 3am from here and got a cab back to the camp with Julia and Alicia. I did forget to mention that because it's the end of the season in the islands, Far-out (where we were staying) had closed a bunch of buildings, including the washroom close to our bungalows, so to go to the washroom I had to walk down the hill, which meant walking UP the hill to get back to bed, so at 5am when I had to pee, I just went around the back of the bungalow and squated....I know I am SO classy. Anyway, Sam woke me up at 8am because he wanted to go for a walk, and I felt that my tummy was a little mad at me, so I threw on my fleece, grabbed my water, and trudged down the hill to the bathrooms. After emptying my tummy, I dragged my sleepy butt back up the hill, and crawled back into bed. Around 9am I repeated this before finally falling back asleep and not waking up until 1:30pm. Needless to say I had had an early evening the night before and most people didn't appear until around 2pm, when we all just sat around the pool drinking water and eating pizza. That night a bunch of us went back into town to the Fun Bar to watch 'Sin City' and then had some drinks. It was an early night though. The next day, September 24, we sat around the pool until we caught our ferry to SANTORINI. We stayed in a cute little villa there, and were around 15 minute walk out of town. But town was ALL UP HILL!! We went for dinner together that first night and then did some shopping...did I mention that most of the stores are open until around 12am on most of the Islands in Greece...amazing...but it can be dangerous if you go after dinner and some drinks...nothing happened but I can imagine that there is some buyers remorse after spending money in a shop after a few drinks. For our full day on the island we took a tour out to the Volcano which blew up 1000s of years ago, causing half of Santorini (or Thira) to collapse into the sea. It was interesting, but after 45 minutes walking around black rocks, in the blazing sun, UP HILL, you get a little over it. But after the volcano we went around to the Hot springs, jumped off the boat, swam in, slathered ourselves in mud (that looked a lot like some of the stuff that I often found in Elliot's diapers) and were stared at questioningly by all the other tourists. Apparently it makes your skin super soft...and it did...and it was really fun getting dirty. Did I mention that to get to the boat in Fira (the main village) we had to walk down the biggest hill ever? It's called the Donkey Path, and you would think going down hill would be fine, but my hamstrings were SCREAMING at me by the time I got down to the bottom. So when you get off the boat at then end you are faced with a tough decision. Do you walk back up the hill (CRAZY), take the cable car (BORING), or get a donkey ride? What do you think I did...come on...you know me! So I climbed on Henry's back (he didn't have a name so I gave him one, however I never did check to make sure that he was a Henry and not a Henrietta) and we clop-clop-clopped all the way to the top. So fun, but I started to feel sorry for the donkeys after the novelty wore off after about 5 minutes, and wanted to keep him, but Nicole said I wouldn't be allowed to bring him on the ferry so we had to part ways. That night we all went to Oai where we had a sunset picnic. It was so fun to all just hang out, eating, and drinking...actually...it wasn't much different from every other night except for the sunset. We headed back to the villa afterwards, and sat around the pool drinking until around midnight. Finally, the next morning we woke up, packed up our stuff, and caught the ferry to NAXOS, our final island. A bunch of people decided to stay an extra day on Santorini so there were just 8 of us that went to Naxos that first night. We had a lovely sunset dinner at the local Taverna, then got some drinks and hung around our studio (once again we stayed in a campground, but because it's the end of the season we actually got amazing deals on the studios so stayed in them). Alicia thought it would be a great idea to play the Cornflake game (which I am totally bringing back to Canada) so that turned our night into a crazy laugh fest. The next day most of us just recouped on the beach for the day...it was beautiful...soft sand and clear water. Last night a bunch more people showed up so we went out for 'Happy 9-hour' cocktails and then got back to the camp around 12am. Today 7 of us headed back to Athens, I am sharing a room at Hotel Zeus again with Claire and Fay, and tomorrow morning I am jumping on a plane to Corfu for a few days before heading over to Italy. Can't wait to really get into my traveling now! Miss you all and send you my love! Keep the messages (both email and phone) coming!!! I love to hear from you all!

Roosters and horns, oh my!

It's been a few days and I have lots to share so go get a nice snack, put on some comfy pants, and pull up a chair...it's story time!
When we last left off I had just arrived in Athens and was EXTREMELY tired. I ended up just crashing that first night and sleeping until almost 12:30pm on Friday. But everyone in my room did the same, so it was really my fault. We were all nicely woken up continuously from around 6am on by the friendly neighbourhood Rooster from the corner pet store. Apparently the rooster didn't understand that once dawn was over there was no need to continue to crow...I was almost ready to go out and tell him but was just too darn tired....lucky little bugger. Once we were all up and at-em, Mark and Angie (two of the people staying in my room - Nicole, the first girl I met, left early that first morning for the Islands) went out to breakfast. Angie and I got Lettuce salades, and that's all they were. A bunch of lettuce with some dill and lemon...but it was great for my stomach which was still not 100% after all my lack of sleep. Then Mark went off for the day on his own (he travelled from Boston in a search for the author of a book he read about Martial Arts - he's got a huge journey ahead of him I think!), then Angie and I just wandered around the city. We ended up walking up this hill called Stefi Hill, and although the climb was a little brutal at times, it was completely worth it when we got to the top and were rewarded with the most amazing panaromic views of Athens. I took a bunch of pictures but have of course forgotten my USB cord at the hotel so will post all my pictures later on. That night Angie and I went and had some Pittas and then sat and had desert in Monastirak Square. It was amazing. The Acropolis was above us all lit-up and there were two bands playing music. We just sat and chilled until around 11pm. The funniest thing that happened there. There was a family of Gypsies selling things like soap and balloons table-to-table, and no one was really paying them much attention. Finally the youngest member, a girl of maybe 7 or 8, came up to our table, blew a birthday-type horn into my ear, and then ran away. It was amazingly bold 0f her. She made eye contact with Angie the whole time and I just couldn't believe that she had done it. We had a great laugh about it though.
On Saturday morning, Angie and I got up around 8am and made the hike up to the Acropolis. It was amazing. It's baffling to the mind to think of how old all the ruins are. We wandered around the site and then took a stroll through the museum. There were hords of people from the Cruise ships milling about (they are recognizable by the little stickers they wear that say the number of the tour group they are with) and while we were in the museum the peace was completely destroyed by the museum workers having to constantly remind the tourists 'NO FLASHES!' Some of them just never seem to get it!
After the Acropolis, we went for lunch and then back to our hostel for some chilling time. While we were just hanging out and reading, there was an African wedding party that made it's way down the street bellow our balcony, singing and dancing the whole way, and holding up traffic. If you have not traveled to Athens then you might not be aware of how impatient drivers in Athens are. They are constantly honking their horns...over and over again...often for no reason what-so-ever! Many of the spectators of the wedding were yelling at them to 'shut up!' and most backed off.
EARLY Sunday morning (4:30am to be exact) I pulled myself out of bed, packed up my stuff, and trudged across town to meet up with the BusAbout group who I am currently touring the Islands with. You would not believe how alive Athens is at 5am...I would have sworn it was the evening with all the partiers still out...and the TRAFFIC! We all boarded a bus (around 30 of us) and headed to the Ferry which took us to our first stop on Mykonos. BusAbout is a company which runs bus networks all over Europe. They also offere 3 or 4 'Explorer Tours' where you are ferried from one island to the next, and your hostels are arranged in advance so you just need to pay as you go (There is the Greek one I"m on, as well as an Italian one and Morrocan one). After the 5 1/2 hour ferry ride we arrived on Mykonos and were taken to our first hotel, a Contiki resort. Basically its a resort for people 18-35 who just want to party for a week or two. It was crazy! The Church from London was there (they run a pub every Sunday in London...really interesting...hopefully I'll make a visit and tell you all about it in the future) so mostly everyone was wasted. Anyway, all us BusAbout people hit the beach and then had a buffet dinner. After we went to the resort bar and had a few beers. Most of our crew is pretty chill so we just sat around and talked and drank. I really like the group so far and am excited to get to know most of them a lot better. There is only one other Canadian in the group, a chap named Sam from Toronto, and one American from San Francisco name Julia. All the others are Australian. It's crazy. Most of them are living abroad in London though, or in the midst of a huge travel as well.
Today we switched hotels (Contiki was all booked up for tonight) so we are right in Mykonos town, so I have been out doing a little shopping (bought a cute sarrong for 5 Euros and some water and snaks for the ferry tomorrow to Paros). Stephanie and I were going to rent a Quad Bike (ATV) but the renters were too worried about our lack of experience so perhaps on another Island. That's about it for now...the beach is calling my name. Love to you all! Pictures will be up soon!

Planes, trains, and one tired girl!

So after almost 12 hours of travel, and about 5 years of planning, I have finally arrived in Europe. Mom and Dad dropped me off at the airport last night (after one final truely Canadian meal at Swiss Chalet) and I began to shed some tears in line. But I made it through and didn't have a break-down until I was on the plane and we were taking off. It just kind of hit me all at once. But then I started to pay attention to my surroundings and quickly cheered up. I have now flown one of the best and may find it hard to return to the rest. Air France was everything I expected it to be, and more. My own personal TV with 5 different movies (I watched Madagascar and Hostage if anyone really cares), some TV shows, and my personal favorite, a flight info section. I could actually track where the plane was by satelite, what our speed was, temperature outside the plane, and the time/distance to go. Very cool. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep, and you all know how much I need my sleep!
When I arrived in Paris to switch flights, I was actually picked up at my plane and escorted to my next flight. I felt SO important being rushed through the airport with two Air France employees. My second flight wasn't as enjoyable as I was SUPER sleepy and feeling sick to my tummy. It just couldn't end quickly enough. Once the plane landed in Athens, I got my bag, got a metro ticket, and made it all the way down town by myself! I know it's weird for me to say that considering I'm doing a whole trip on my own, but it was my first big hurdle, and especially since I felt so horrific, I am very proud of myself! After one wrong turn, I made it to my hostel, 'Hotel Zeus', safe and sound.
First of all, my bag weighs a TON! I am going to be in SUCH good shape when I get home! Especially if all my rooms continue to be on the 3rd floor (which in reality is the 4th floor, they just neglect to count the first one!!!) I took a shower as I was pretty disgusting, and then decided to be bad and take a quick nap. I know I was going to try and make it till I went to bed, but my body was having nothing of it. So I slept for an hour and a half, and am now out exploring the city.
I am staying in a quad dorm, with a woman from Minesota and a guy from Boston (yup, Amanda and two Americans), however the woman is leaving tomorrow for some greek islands. Today has been rainy, which I'm glad about, so tomorrow my plan is to go do all the touristy stuff, and then on Saturday perhaps do some shopping for postcards and stuff...but not looking too far in advance.
I'm not sure if it has really sunk in yet, that I'm really here, but I'm loving it already.
Love to everyone at home!