"Yasou" to Greece

I can't believe 3 wonderful weeks have passed by just like that. My study abroad in Athens, Greece has taken me on a fun and memorable adventure. So far I have visited four islands. I would never have imagined that it would be possible to be on this trip, let alone travel and swim on some of the most amazing destinations. For my first week in Greece, my friends and I decided to visit Naxos and Ios. Both these islands were beautiful with the turquoise seawater and warm breeze. The surrounding was white and blue buildings everywhere to compliment the sky and sea. We did our plannings a little late, but I would recommend for others to plan ahead of time. Especially for places like Greece's islands, which are on everyone top list to visit. We got lucky and purchased affordable ferry boat tickets and booked studios for all of our stay. I would highly recommend going swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, even if you don't know how to swim. The water is so shallow and its cold in contrast to the hot weather. It feels very nice and since the sea is super salty, everyone floats a lot easier. If you don't want to get in the water you can always lay on the sand and get delicious refreshments. In Ios I got a chance to go tubing and kayaking. Keep in mind that I have never done any of this in the states and I was in for a surprise. I almost fell off while tubing but was able to hold on and I had so much fun! I still can't believe I did something so crazy. Kayaking was more chill because we went at our own pace and we went along the rocks. We saw some sea urchins in the water too. That was really cool. Both these islands that been super nice and the people are friendly. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to communicate, but usually, there is somebody that knows English. 




For our other two islands, we went to Kos and Patmos with the program. Kos looked like any other island at first, but their beaches blew our minds away. We went swimming in the water after a full day of visiting archaeological sites. We went to Paradise Beach and there were natural bubbles underneath the water. It was so interesting, the bubbles were everywhere in the water. The water was shallow so it was not scary swimming in the sea. After this amazing day, we watched the sunset and a had a beautiful dinner. We cheered to the food and the people with our wine in one hand and said "Yamas" or "Yasou" if it is between two people. We ate and sipped on our rose wine for the remainder of the night. I have never felt so complete and happy to get the chance to experience this different culture. I kept pinching myself because it did not feel real. The last island we visited was Patmos. The people had a different vibe than most islands. They were more close off, but still very friendly and nice. In the morning we visited the monastery and had to wear appropriate attire such as knee length and shoulders covered. After this, we had a whole day to go exploring. 

Overall this has been an amazing journey so far. We still have two more weeks left and then I'm off to Italy and the United Kingdom with my friends. I can't believe how fast the program is going by. It felt like just yesterday I left LAX. I'm excited for what my future adventures may be! "Efkaristo"-> Thank You for following my journey!