Day 7 Booking Nightmare

I had trouble sleeping.  A couple of loud cats woke me up.  Nothing like a good cat scream to get you going at 3am!  When it was time for me to really get up, I knew it was the day for me to checkout of my room.  I showered up and slowly began to pack.  I was trying to get some information of the airport in Santorini but it kept leading me to an booking agent's number.  I knew beforehand that I've seen flights from different airlines coming in and out of Santorini.  I was puzzled why nothing was popping up on the airport's website.  I didn't have time to deal with it.  I had to pack my stuff quickly.
I went and turned in my keys at the front desk but asked if there were any room available in case I had to stay one more night.  It was now Monday and people probably checked out the day before.  I wasn't sure of their availability since it was a brand new week.  He reassured me that they had rooms for me if I decided to stay.  I felt a sign of relief!  I needed to go to Noma and look for Kostas to see if he could help figure how the airport's website.  I was confused.
Luckily he was there with some staff members.  I told them what was going on but he was more concerned about running to Fira to get some things.  It was slow at the restaurant and it would be a good time for him to run his errands.  He explained I would have to go to a booking agent and Fira would be the place to find one.  Since I had access to the restaurant's wifi I tried looking at flights myself.  Some of them were unreasonable.  I couldn't find a flight that would go straight to Bari.  The flights I kept finding were heading back to Athens.  Hmmm.  This is getting frustrating.
I messaged my friend in Italy and told her what I was up against.  Since originally I was suppose to have left last night to Mykonos and stay there today, she was under the impression I would be arriving in Bari tomorrow.  She wasn't ready to get me from the airport tonight, so I had to make sure my flight would land there sometime tomorrow.  Upon my arrival to Greece, her boyfriend's car was having problems with the clutch.  She figured she'll get a rental when I arrived but there were no cars available for her yet.  So much for the "playing it by ear". 
Kostas came up and asked me if I wanted to ride with him to Fira.  He had a couple of stops to make and I could accompany him.  I said sure.  I figured he could help me find a booking agent.  I remembered that young couple I met back in Athens when I was trying to find the museum.  They told me the airport at Santorini was a mess and now I understood what they meant.
Off we went to Fira.  I was surprised by how much vacant land there is in Santorini.  I saw more abandoned buildings too, but Kostas showed me where there were also new development.  He is very proud to work there during the season.  "Where else in the world could you work on an island like this?", he asked.  Good point.
When we got closer to Fira I saw the charter buses ahead.  Now I see the flow of people coming in.  We stopped by an electronic store to pickup a new phone.  The prices were pretty reasonable on major items such as washers and dryers.  For the most part, there wasn't much of a selection on some items, but then again, island life wouldn't require the importance of  such mainstream gadgets.
We continued on to two banks before we made our way to the market.  Kostas grabbed his avocados for the restaurant as well as a huge bag of coffee.  As usual, it was a hot day indeed and I could see how preoccupied he was getting.  His phone kept ringing off the hook.  I felt like a little kid riding around seeing and learning things I did not know about Santorini.  I saw a group of girls get on some ATVs with the guide helping them with their helmets.  They looked very inexperienced.  Kostas said it was hard to determine who knows how to drive European, and who are tourists who have no clue.  It was an unsettling feeling knowing those girls were going to ride the streets in those. 
We rode back towards Perissa.  Kostas reassured me he will help me book a flight once we got back to the restaurant.  I guess that's a "no" for looking for an agent.  Change of plans. 
Once we got to Noma, Kostas went straight for the kitchen to drop off the items.  I didn't want to be in his way so I found myself a table in the corner and started looking for flights since I was on wifi again.
I was getting frustrated.  There were some flights that looked reasonable, but whenever I went to purchase them, the flight would disappear.  I didn't understand if I was doing something wrong.  I kept messaging my friend that I was stuck.  She took my credit card information and started looking herself.  Between me and her exchanging messages on when I'll land in Bari, seeing if she'll be able to pick me up at the airport, and how much the ticket would be, we kept losing the flights.  It was beyond nerve recking!!  Sometimes a staff member would ask why don't I go to the beach to unwind, but I had to find a flight to Italy!  I was finding flights that would land me in Bari on Wednesday, and knew I had to take a train out to Rome on Saturday.  I would not be spending much time with my friend and that was the whole purpose of me flying out to Europe in the 1st place. 
After a while of being discouraged, I noticed that Kostas seemed to be upset that I did not want to stay longer in Santorini.  I tried to explain to him that I needed to see my friend.  I understood his sensitivity of me wanting to leave Greece so soon, but in the end, I still had to fly to Italy.  He decided to take actions in his own hands and started to look for flights for me when he had some downtime at the restaurant.  I can see it from his perspective that he just didn't think I experienced Santorini that much and that one day and a half was not that long.  But he found a flight to Athens for about a 100 euros leaving at 9:30pm that evening.  We had to think quickly so he continued to look for flights from Athens to Bari but only one that popped up seemed reasonable.  I would land in Bari the next day around 2:30pm, but to get there was not as easy as it seems.  I had to fly out of Athens at 6am; land in Turkey for a 3 hour layover, and then fly out at 12pm to land in Bari.  That was a lot of flying.  I agreed to it only because I would land in Bari the next day.  Any other flights that popped up would have me landing there on Wednesday, and I did not want to miss a day more without my friend.  We had our own plans and I did not want to miss something.  I hit purchased with a sign of relief.
But then I remembered my conversation from the couple I met back in Athens.  The ones from North Carolina.  Their voices echoed in my head.  "It was very unorganized."  Hmmm.  What did they mean by that?  I figured I would play it safe and head there two hours ahead.  By this time it was already after 5pm.  I went walking down the beach to kill some time.  It was getting busier at the restaurant and I did not want to get in their way.  They held my luggage for me.
Some time passed and I knew I still had to make it to the airport anyways, so I walked back to the restaurant and they called a cab for me.  I said bye to Kostas and the rest of the staff, but I couldn't find the father and daughter back at Ntomatini.  Luckily me and the daughter had exchanged info that night we all went out, but I felt sad leaving like that. 
I walked back to where the beach was closed off.  I knew that was the pick up spot for my cab.  I didn't wait that long.  It did take about 15 minutes.  A good looking cab driver pulled up next to me.  Only when I'm leaving would something like that happen!  We started to talk about Santorini as we were driving through the island.  He said about 15,000 people live here and he's one of them, even during off season.  I love talking to the locals about their way of life.  It gives you an inside perspective that you wouldn't get off from some tour book.
He repeated the same thing that I heard from the other cab driver I had encountered the night before.  He is one of the 39 cabs that circulate in Santorini.  When he pulled up the airport he flirted with me and said next time he'll invite me over to his house for some wine.  lol.  Sure.  "Next time."
I walked into the airport and sure enough, it was mayhem.  Lines were forming outside of the entrance.  I saw a ticket kiosk and tried to print up my boarding pass.  After several attempts, I could not get the settings to go to English, so I grew frustrated and stepped in line for the check in.  Hopefully the agent will see my information that I have purchased my flight.  Kostas had printed up my confirmation number on a piece of paper.  I couldn't get wifi at the airport.  I looked around and saw that people were having the same problems with the kiosk.  I just don't understand why they won't put an "out of order" sign on it.  People were lining up to a lady sitting behind the glass office by the entrance.  All she kept telling people were to get in line and they will help you.  At one point she disappeared and people at the kiosk looked very confused on what to do next since they couldn't get that thing to work. 
Finally it was my turn.  The man behind the counter checked my confirmation number and looked over my passport.  He asked if I had a carry-on but I knew my bag would be too heavy so I checked it in and paid the 35 euro fee.  He told me we were all set and off I stepped to the side.  I was getting very anxious again, so I decided to take a melatonin, even though I knew it would be a 30 minute flight.  The thought of getting in a small airplane and flying over the sea was terrifying to me.  Out of no where I see the man behind the counter lugging my bag around and putting it on the counter to go through the x-ray machine.  He looked very frustrated. 
I got into another line to go through security and that took a while.  I wasn't feeling any better.  Once I got through, I had to go to the bathroom.  Luckily no one was in there because it only had two stalls.  This airport was tiny.  People had no where to sit. 
They announced our flight over the intercom and people got up and formed a line.  A bus took us to our plane.  I was praying that the information was correct that it would be a 30 minute flight.  We haven't even took off and I'm terrified.
They didn't turn on the air conditioner til the plane was fully packed.  It was getting unbearably hot in there.  I was having a hard time trying to calm down.  I popped another melatonin and prayed over and over again.  Finally we had our takeoff.  The lady next to me had her window shade up the whole time.  People had the gps screen on their video screen.  I started to relax once I saw the number of islands we were passing.   Sure enough, Athens was in the horizon and I knew I was going to land soon.  I felt so relieved!

Day 3 Kalamata

Of course the night before I had to checkout I had bad insomnia.  I woke up at 3am in a panic and I couldn't fall back asleep til 7am!  My mind wouldn't let me rest.  I started to get nervous because I was going to take a bus out to Kalamata.  A million thoughts rushed to my head.  Luckily I got up in time to catch my free breakfast at the restaurant.  I drank my coffee so I could be focused on packing my things.  I seriously need to stop shopping.  I'm having a hard time closing my luggage!  Regardless, I got my 2nd wind once I got out of the shower.  Time to be on full alert because I was going in unknown territory.

Don't get me wrong.  So far Athens was great to me and that's what I think my problem is.  Because of how my mind works, I worried that I was going to have a bad experience at the bus station.  Since I was messaging my friend from Italy and Simon at the same time, I calmed down a bit.  Simon assured me that the bus station had free wifi, and thank god he was right.  The hotel ordered a cab for me and off I went.  Of course, the cab driver didn't speak a lick of English.  It's terrifying trusting someone you can't speak to drive you somewhere.  We tried to exchange some words, and that's when I got a good vibe from him.  I assumed he was asking me where was I going, and I answered Kalamata.  His eyes lit up.  He was the 2nd person who did that to me so far.  The 1st guy was a man working at a souvenir shop.  He told me most tourists would not head that way but he also reassured me that it was beautiful.  So far so good.

I walked into the station and found the ticket booth for Kalamata.  I walked up to the guy and paid for a return ticket fee.  That ticket was good for 3 months.  Not bad for 40 €.  The ticket man circled the station where my bus was going to pull into.  Station 30-31 was where I was suppose to go.  Luckily a priest walked up behind me and asked for a ticket to Kalamata also.  I knew to follow him since he was going to where I was heading.  

Our bus was not there yet and we both sat by our stations.  There were gypsies everywhere trying to sell us pens(?) and wouldn't leave people alone.  I was very nervous.  The bus station did have wifi and I kept messaging my friend in Italy.  She warned me that gypsies usually work in packs and to watch my belongings.  I never saw any staff walking around.  No assistants anywhere.  Again I'm assuming most tourists don't travel via bus and usually head to the port to visit the islands. 

I asked a mother and daughter if this was the bus to Kalamata and the girl replied back yes.  She seemed young, like a teenager.  Her English was broken but at least she understood me.  

A man helped me find my seat on the bus and off we went.  Luckily no one sat next to me but there was a shady character that did managed to get on the bus.  He had no luggage and was very skinny and dirty.  I think he was homeless.  He wouldn't leave these two guys alone.  Even though they spoke Greek, I think he kept asking them where this bus was heading to.  He had some screws loose.  In the end it turned out to be more of a joke with people laughing at him.  I just continued watching the show.  The bus driver intervened when he started coming up to him and disrupting the ride.  This bus was an express and was not stopping anywhere but Kalamata.   

I did managed to knock out during the 3 hour bus ride.  As we pulled in I saw my friend waiting for me.  I was relieved.  I made it to Kalamata!

I use to work for Simon.  I've known him since I was 16 years old.  We worked together at a parking company and he was my boss.  He eventually moved back to Kalamata back in 2009.  He drove me around and was excited to show me his city.  But first, let's eat!

Kalamata!

He took me to the coastal side of town and we went to a friend's restaurant to have lunch.  Again, since I was arriving late in the afternoon, it wasn't the ideal time to eat.  We had the restaurant to ourselves.  Staff were in the midst of changing shifts.  It was a good time for us to catch up to where we were in our lives.  The last time I ran into Simon was back in Chicago at the Iguana Café with my ex.  So much has happened since then.  I ordered lamb for lunch and it came with a side order of fries.  I wasn't aware that Greeks love fries.



Catching up at lunch...

I was craving meat so I ordered lamb. 

Afterwards, we took another drive around the city before we settled back at his place.  There was a big soccer game in the evening and we decided to sneak in a siesta.  I finally took a shower as well.  That bus ride had no air conditioning!
Kalamata is very humid because of the sea, more so than Athens!  Although my friend Simon does not smoke, smoking among Greeks is everywhere.  I suspect that 70% of Greeks smoke. 
We made our way to a café along the beach to watch the game.  I was still pretty full from lunch so I passed on dinner.  The café was packed of men, and I was the only woman present.  It threw me off but Simon reassured me that most women just aren't into soccer.  Women do socialize but would rather be at another type of bar that would cater to their needs.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated being in a room full of men who looked so serious, but this soccer game was a BIG deal!

The game was intense.  The Olympiacos defeated Portugal's Arouca 2-1.  I enjoyed watching the crowd's reaction to the game.  I felt I had witnessed a huge passion of theirs.  Afterwards we took a ride up to a Kastraki, a castle-built restaurant and lounge that overlooks the city and sea.  The view is amazing!  We continued to have drinks but then I was tempted to try the infamous Greek yogurt.  Since I skipped out on dinner I decided to indulge.  They served it in a big bowl (of course) with shaved almonds and a side jar of honey.  It was delish!  It was whipped thoroughly and very cold.  We stayed for a while.  So far Kalamata was gorgeous!

Our seats for the evening!  This view was breathtaking!!

My friend Simon mentioned that certain places in Greece will not kick people out even if it's after hours.  They consider it rude...

 

GREEK YOGURT!!

Day 2 Athens

The next day I woke up tired because the couple next to my room made so much noise checking out.   The walls of my hotel room are thin and I could hear them slamming their suitcases around, trying to get out of there.  Awe!  The joys of traveling!  I couldn't fall back asleep so I was up since 5:30am.  I decided around 7:30am to head down and have my complimentary breakfast.  That's when I found out about the earthquake that happened in Italy on the morning news.  How scary!!  I contacted my friend immediately to see if she was ok and if anything occurred in her town.  Luckily my friend is way south so it didn't affect her.  I notified my friends and family that I was safe and decided to head to the Acropolis museum early.

As I hiked back up again, I ran into a couple from North Carolina who were walking my way.  They came in from Santorini and told me their stories on how much they enjoyed their time on the island.  They also gave me some insight of the airport there.  I'm glad I asked because their information would become useful later on.  Once I found the museum we separated ways.  

Since I arrived early there were not many people inside.  I found the Acropolis Museum very interesting and even watched a movie on the history of the Parthenon.  I stayed for a couple of hours before I headed out and that's when I came across a flood of people walking in.  Whew!  Right in the nick of time!  It is known that in Europe, most tourists start their day late.  I was pleased I got this out of the way so I could continue to enjoy my day.

Inside the brand new Acropolis Museum

From there I headed towards finding Syntagma Square.  I ended up finding the Zappeion which reassured me that I was on the right track.  I walked through the National Garden and enjoyed the scenery.  I liked that everything was nearby.  It was hot again in Athens but I took my time walking to each location. 

The entrance to the National Garden!! 

The layout of the National Garden...



Gotta love the selfie stick!

Once I walked out of the garden I found the square and noticed a crowd gathering by.  I knew what was happening so I rushed over.  Sure enough, the changing of the guards was taking place.  The military guard announced we were now allowed to take pictures with them after he prepped them up for us.   





That military guard is too intimidating.  I took my picture from afar.

Syntagma Square

Afterwards I was growing tired again. so I slowly made my way back to the hotel.  I had to take a nap.  I was exhausted being up so early and doing so much sightseeing.  

Once I woke up (2 hours later) I knew I had to stay up.  I sat outside a cafe sipping on coffee to wake up since I slept too long.  My stomache started acting up and that's when I knew I had to have some food in my system.  I asked a shop owner where would he eat in the neighborhood and he recommended a restaurant for me.  I didn't want anything heavy like the night before.  I settled for a Greek salad but it was huge.  Again a block of feta cheese sat on top of my plate.  I sat and played with my food if anything.  I was pretty amused people watching during lunch and I didn't want to leave just yet.

The infamous feta cheese topped over my Greek Salad.  It was delish!

After I ate as much as I could I decided to walk it off since I was too full.  I walked back up to Acropolis on a different path and came around a less glamorous view. Graffiti trains zooming by as well as some homelessness.  I still felt safe since I was surrounded by a lot of people.  I continued walking around and eventually headed back down once it started to get a little dark.  I was concerned about the lack of lighting up there.  I quickly made my way back to the same restaurant and went up to their rooftop for a glass of wine.  I enjoyed my evening messaging my friend in Italy and taking advantage of the free wifi. 



Walking further down Plaka...

Grittier side of Acropolis...

Afterwards I went back to my hotel room to freshen up.  My tiredness was catching up to me again. I rested but was still hoping to go out.  I wanted to enjoy some nightlife but was pushing through my exhaustion.  I showered and got ready.  I knew I wanted to take a photo up on the rooftop of my hotel since I knew I'll be checking out the next day.  I went up and there was a group of 8 that had been drinking and were kind of loud.  I didn't want to disturb them.  I took some selfie shots and made my way to the other side of the bar.  There was a family of 4 sitting and drinking.  The lighting was much better so I tried to take a selfie there.  Someone offered to take my picture and from there we striked up a conversation.

They were from New York and were staying in Athens for 2 weeks.  We exchanged stories until they closed the bar down.  I was still tired.  I went for a short walk and then decided to head back to my room.  It was midnight and I knew I couldn't go out even if I wanted to because I was crashing hard.  So much for that...  

The view is simply breathtaking! 

BACK FROM VACATION!!

I'm back from vacation!!  And boy did I make some memories!  Looking back I realized I jumped on 7 flights, two 3 hour bus rides, one 6 hour ferry ride, and one 6 hour train ride, all in a matter of 2 weeks!  Needless to say, this trip was the most challenging for me and my anxiety, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I'm still getting my feet wet on traveling in general, and sometimes you learn along the way what works for you and what doesn't.  For the most part, I knew going in that I was going to be planning along as I go and that was a first for me.  I like to have a set schedule on my vacations so I don't miss out on valuable time.  But traveling in Europe can have its drawbacks.  We get accustomed to how things work here in the States, especially with technology being available at our fingertips. We "assume" everywhere else in the world does it the same way, and that's just not the case.  Traveling to unknown territories gets you out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes the experiences can be rewarding, and sometimes it can be out right horrible.  But it does give you a glimpse of yourself that you may never have seen before, and that could be benefiting to you.  Maybe there's some truth to what you've heard about traveling without your essentials.  It ties us down where we might miss out on new opportunities.  I've had people tell me how they would never be able to travel somewhere where they couldn't speak the language.  Challenging yourself is the key to feeling confident about yourself.  If you stick to your routine, how would you be able to grow?  Traveling can also help you educate your knowledge on how the world works, plain and simple.    Learning to live within the basics of life, such as being kind to strangers, or respecting  new customs can make you become consciously aware of your surroundings.  Living in a peaceful environment is something I think we all agree we would like for ourselves, and in order to do that, we must understand one another.

Day One:
I was SUPER TIRED.    My flight to Montreal was at 12:15pm, and because of the issues concerning the lines at TSA being super long, I decided to be at the airport 3 hours before takeoff.  I woke up around 6am as I normally would if I was heading off to work.  I knew my main goal was to sleep as much as I could on the plane heading to Athens.  My layover had me land in Montreal around 3pm and take off again at 6:20pm.  This is the point where I needed to rest the most.  Since I'll be flying "into the future", I would land in Athens at 10:30am.  A 9 hour duration on flight plus the 8 hour time difference would have me starting my day in a brand new city.  I didn't want to run the mistake of sleeping half the day away in a hotel room like I did last year in Paris.  I had a plan!  And this time it would be flawless, (or so I thought).  Sleeping on planes are not necessarily the most comfortable setting you could be.  First of all, I had on my layers since the ac is usually on during flights:  leopard scarf, skinny jeans, converse sneakers to keep my warm as well as my thick cotton cardigan.  I was ready for takeoff!  Except my nerves had me on full blast.  I did my best to have my airline food and get more cozy for my deep sleep.  Luckily I did manage to doze off, but only to wake up to an older woman lifting the window shade to watch the sunrise.  Remember, we're flying towards daylight and this woman just blinded everyone on that flight because she wanted to capture this moment.  People were sleeping at the time.  I could see the sun rays through my blindfolds!!  What can you do right?  It is what it is...

Once I landed the train ride from the airport was smooth sailing.  Of course, getting off the train and looking for my hotel was another question.  I got lost looking for my hotel in 93 degree weather.  I was getting desperate because I knew it was nearby the train station.  I ended up finding another hotel and had to ask for directions.  Who knew the signs of the streets were on buildings and not on posts?  Regardless, I found my hotel and once I checked in, was determined to stay awake.  I went for a latte at Starbucks for a pick me up.  At that point, since I was staying in the Plaka neighborhood, I knew I wanted to checkout my surroundings.  It was unbearably hot in Athens, and once I finished my latte, off I went for my walk!
I immediately went straight for the souvenir shops in Plaka.  I wanted to see what I was in for.  With so many tourists doing the same, in the beginning I was just looking around.  But once I got comfortable, I decided to start making some purchases.  So many cute jewelry.  So many cute leather sandal shops.  So many postcards to decide from.  I was in heaven!



The infamous evil eye!  It's everywhere!!

Strolling through Plaka...

Yes I bought this top!  Made in Greece and perfect for hot summer days!

After a while, the sun wasn't so intense.  It was nearing 5pm in Athens and I started to get the itch to go hike up to Acropolis.  I grew curious to head up there since I was so close.  The view is very tempting indeed!  I  decided to go for it and up I went.  I walked up streets, climbed many stairs, and used my glutes as much as I could.  It was tiring and the heat didn't help either.  I found a family along the way and asked which way to head up.  They had a hunch we head up going right, and I followed them.  They were from Paris and had one day in Athens to do this.

Walking my way up to Acropolis...

Almost there!

We made it to the entrance.  Luckily, the line to get inside was not long.  20€ entry and here we go.  My bucket list was waiting for me!
To my surprise it was super gusty up there.  So many people were taking their seflie shots.  I was giddy that I was doing the same.  I enjoyed my time up there overlooking the city.  I enjoyed listening to other people's conversations and trying to figure out what languages they were speaking.  I understood some Italian phrases.  I was pretty proud of myself and it finally dawned on me that I was up for a big treat in Greece.  I like what I see so far...

Odeum of Herodes Atticus Theatre

Temple of Athena Nike

Whoever invented the selfie stick is a genius!

The hiked down was obviously much easier.  lol.  I did some more shopping for souvenirs.  What I liked about Athens is the free wifi that was available throughout Plaka.  I was messaging my friend in Italy to see if she wanted anything.  My hotel had a rooftop that I wanted to checkout as well.  I  went up for a glass of white wine while I watched the view of Acropolis from afar.  At this point I grew incredibly tired so I went for a nap back in my room. 

My first of many cat sightings!

Heading back down...

The view of my rooftop...

I woke up an hour later and got ready for more shopping but the shops were closing at 10pm.  I decided to walk around the central again and look for a quick bite to eat.  Yeah right!  I sat outside at Karyatis restaurant and ordered a hot plate of eggplant, onions, roasted tomatoes topped with feta cheese.  That's when I knew I was in trouble!  The cheese was amazing!!  But since I am lactose intolerant I had to watch myself.  The host was incredibly sweet and brought over a Masticha shot.  It was a sweet liquor which is usually taken after dinner.  He claims it helps with indigestion.  Hmmm.  At that point, I knew it was time to  head back to hotel since the food was pretty heavy and it made me sleepy again.  Day One accomplished!



Din din



Feeling magical after dinner!  lol

Birthday Weekend!

This has been a busy week to say the least!  I can officially say as of now I'm done planning my 2 day trip to Athens.  Just booked the hotel and now I'm looking into where to stay when I arrive at the islands.  Since I knew what my points of interests were in Athens, I booked the hotel near the center of attractions within walking distance.  I am not sure yet when my friend in Italy will arrive to meet me so I opted for a hotel for safety concerns.  In trip planning, you have to keep in mind that you will get lost.  I don't think people schedule enough time for that part.  I understand that there are people who just show up and go with the flow.  I am NOT one of those people.  I look into everything!  Transportation; points of interests; reviews from various sites.  I need to know if it's worth the effort to visit certain places.  You could be disappointed so it's good to read reviews.  At the same time, you know yourself more than anyone.  People do complain a lot and you need to read between the lines.  What may be bothersome for one may not be a  big deal to you, so pay attention to what people are saying.  That's my travel tip for the day!


Last weekend, my birthday came upon me with no planning whatsoever on how to celebrate.  I didn't think too much about it since it fell on Father's Day Sunday this year.  Saturday I deep cleaned my apartment because I had a spider wandering around.  He bit me 4x during the week!  I knew I had to wait till the weekend to thoroughly vacuum.  I also had to visit my brother briefly because he had surgery and I wanted to check up on him.  My mother has been worried sick about him and I had to see for myself on how he was handling his recovery.  Luckily he's doing a lot better and was up and about when I came over.  I felt good about his health, so I left his place late in the afternoon to see what was happening in the city.


I was making my way over to Diversy harbor to visit a friend who recently purchased a small boat.  I am terrified of boating in general, but I knew they were still doing maintenance work on it.  I felt I wouldn't be put on a compromised position if they were to set sail.  We sat around with his partners and enjoyed the rest of the day catching up.  I had a great time plus there's so much action going on at the dock.  I saw an eyeful...

Chilling at Diversy Harbor...

Loud music blasting away.  I can't believe each boat were playing their own music out loud.  It sounded terrible!!

The next day was Father's Day and I kept it low key for the first half of the day.  I went to church, then later on to the gym, when my friend texted me to see what's up.  We wondered if we could have a birthday cocktail somewhere.  I called my dad once he got off work and we chatted for a bit.  I knew he was going to watch the basketball championship game with my brother so I didn't feel too bad not passing by to visit him.  I am not into sports so I opted to pass on this important game and join my friends instead.
We settled for Cindy's Rooftop at the Chicago Athletic Club and I absolutely LOVED the view!!  It's beautiful!!  We just talked and had some margaritas up there but I was blown away!

Good times at Cindy's

We decided to check out their game room downstairs and munch on some snacks before we headed  to another spot.  We went back towards Randolph area at Beer Bistro and ended up watching the rest of the game there.  Again, not my thing, but at least we did chat up a storm.

So much for the game.  I was not rooting for Lebron btw...

We walked around the corner afterwards and found Federals.  The roof was open, so it was nice to sit at a restaurant and look up to the sky.  Despite everything that is happening in the world, it's a wonderful thing when you get a chance to make some memories with friends.  It's important to hold on to them tight... 

Athens booked!! Happy birthday to me

I just booked my trip to Greece earlier this week.  I'm excited because it was a decision I made to myself a few months ago.  I knew I wanted to visit my friend in Italy.  The question was what other country could I visit as well.  When she was in town, we discussed our plans for the summer.  I mentioned how Greece was on my mind, and she agreed to meet me there.  I can't wait!!
I feel I'm a little late on the travel game.  Some of my friends have been to wonderful places all over the world, and it always sparked my curiosity.  But as the saying goes- Life just happens.  The truth is, when I was younger, it was never the right time to travel overseas.  It takes time and money to plan accordingly, and I didn't have the discipline to budget myself for such a trip.  Now that I'm older and have paid off some debt, it's gotten financially easier for me to go away.  I have made numerous weekend getaways to Miami, New York and Vegas in my 30s.  Traveling overseas, on the other hand, is a bit more tricky...
One of the things I remembered from listening to my friends discuss a recent trip to South America, is how they didn't "expect" it to be the way the way it turned out.  I remember discussing that conversation with my uncle who has traveled all over the world.  He asked me, "Well what did they expect?"  I replied that I didn't know.  He then followed with another question.  "Well what do they like?"  I was thrown off.  He continued, "If they are into beaches and laying out, then they should have went somewhere else.  Didn't they know ___________ is not known for that?"  I told him apparently not.  "The thing about traveling--you should ask yourself what do you like." 
Traveling to unknown places and locations, no matter where it is, depends on your taste.  Some people enjoy the outdoors, nature hikes, canoeing or camping, so they obviously book their trips to national parks, Alaska, the Grand Canyon or other out door locales.  If you go on vacation specifically to lay out and catch some rays, a majority of people book places in the Caribbean, or Mexico's Playa del Carmen, etc.  If you are a city girl, then cities from around the world would excite you.
That's the category I fit in.  I am a city girl who loves skylines, the nightlife, museums and fashion.  I enjoy people watching instead of bird watching.  I know what excites me and it sometimes doesn't fit in with what other people like.  That's the beauty of traveling.  You customize your trip to whatever interests you!  Since my friend in Italy has the same interests as me, I enjoy our adventures together because we feed off one another.  We have a good time and I know she's not bored with what's going on.  The only downfall with her is that she's not into museums like I am, so I know for Athens we might have to arrange for her to come meet me at a later date.  I am particularly interested in visiting the Acropolis in general, and do not want to miss my opportunity to visit such a historic site. 
The other factors I am considering is how long will I stay in Athens in general; if I have enough time to visit a nearby city, and trying to make my way out to the islands.  I chose Santorini and Mykonos as my 2 top choices because they have more of a party atmosphere.  There are over 200 islands in Greece, all which have distinctive personalities to choose from.  If I wanted something low key to relax, I would have picked another island.
I am relying on sites such as Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, as well as top travel bloggers such as The Blonde Abroad, and The Sweetest Way for information on planning my vacation.  This trip will be a little different to plan because it will depend a lot on the weather conditions to reach out to the islands.  I have seen low flights one way to reach either Santorini or Mykonos, but the majority do travel out there on a ferry boat.  There's a lot to consider!
Regardless, I'm glad I got a chance to share my traveling news and be on the lookout for more tips I'll be encountering as I continue to plan my Greek adventure!