Over the semester I have been having a blast traveling around the beautiful country of Italy.
Visiting cities such as Venice, Siena, Lucca, and San Gimignano has been a blast. But for Spring Break I wanted to venture outside Italy. I looked at the list of countries I wanted to visit and the second country on that list was Greece. It made perfect sense to go there because it was right next to Italy. So I bought my plane tickets and booked my hotel accommodations for Athens, Greece. I was very anxious because it would be my first time traveling solo to a new country I was unfamiliar with even though I would be with my friends for the first few days in Greece and then spend the rest of the trip on my own. But I put my anxiety in the back of my mind and packed excitedly for the new adventure.Â
Spending my spring break in Greece was so much fun. I was able to enjoy all of the ancient Greek architecture, history, and activities the country has to offer. As well as try some of the best seafood I have ever had. The first couple of days I joined my friends to walk around in the Plaka neighborhood located right next to the Acropolis. Where we shopped, ate local food, and saw a couple of historical monuments.Â
Then on the third and fourth day, we were supposed to go on a ferry to the island of Paros to enjoy some time on the water. Unfortunately, my friends missed their ferry and I was left on the island by myself for the full day until they arrived on the island. I still have fun exploring the island and sun tanning on the white sand. When my friends did come it was very late so we just went to our hotel and slept. The next day we ate breakfast together and walked around for a little while before it was time for me to take the ferry back to Athens.Â
On my fifth spring break day, I took a day trip to Delphi. It was so cool to walk around the site and learn all the myths the Oracle of Delphi was involved in. On the sixth day, I was very tired from walking the day before I booked a little boat cruise just to relax. The boat crew provided excellent customer service and their traditional Greek BBQ was delicious. I mainly just swam in the surprisingly cold water and lay out on the boat deck.Â
On my last full day in Athens, I booked a tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was so fascinating walking through the Acropolis after reading about all my life in history books. To then see it in person is such a surreal experience. I also had a nice view of the whole city of Athens while walking around the Parthenon. Later that day I booked a tour to travel up to the Temple of Poseidon to watch the sunset. Ending my spring break on a cool Greece night.
On my final day, I sadly had to pack up my backpack and my suitcase, say goodbye to the friendly hotel staff and booked my taxi to the airport. Overall this trip was so much fun and has given me the confidence to travel to other countries hopefully soon.
