I finally made it to Valencia! Even though I got here over twelve hours later than I originally planned! Silly Air Berlin. But it most certainly was an experience and I have the pictures to prove it after my rendevous in Palma de Mallorca! I have so much to show you it seems.
Josh has shown me around a little but we´ve only touched the surface! Valencia is beautiful and most certainly more green. I saw rain for the first time since I left the States. We are heading on a train to Cuenca tomorrow and are staying in Francabel Hotel. Hooray!
So for the record, I´m safe. Thank you God :)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Samaria Gorge and a water park!
These past few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind of fun. We stayed in Chania for three nights, visiting several sites, but now with the program coming to an end, we get to relax a little more. On the 8th we went snorkeling in the Chania Bay, which was fun but there weren't as many fish as we had hoped. Still, it was a great experience because a lot of the girls had never got before, and I got to talk to a british couple, who asked me all sorts of questions about the States and the differences between here and there.
It seems that it's a custom to bring a dessert and drink at the end of each meal here. For instance, we have had several waiters bring us watermelon and Raki, this drink that's practically 150 proof alcohol (whew!) and the other night at an italian restaurant (yes we get tired of greek cuisine) they brought us ice cream and sweet wine.
We left Chania and hiked a small gorge that "prepped" us for the 16 km Samaria Gorge we'd be hiking the next day. It was a lot of fun and I'm still growing a love for hiking. It feels so great once you get to your destination. We got up at 6 am to hike Samaria, starting at 7 am. It took us roughly 5 hours to finish the hike, but every second was worth it. The sights were breathtaking and I shot several videos because a single picture did not even touch the surface of how it actually looked. When we finished, we swam on the beach until a huge ferry with tons of tourists came and raided the beach. We then headed back to the hotel and started up a game of Mafia, a game we've been playing when we are somewhere that lacks much entertainment. I'll tell you more about it when I get home!
Yesterday we left Samaria (we had to ride a ferry to get back to our bus) and drove all the way to Heraklion, which took roughly 3 hours. We got to our hotel, Latos Boutique Hotel, and it's so cool looking! Very modern and posh I guess you could say. I took pictures of our room that I'll show you later, and we get free internet (which is why this blog is able to be posted!). We went to the Historical Museum which had artifacts that we had been hearing about the entire time in Crete, some dating back 9,000 years!
For dinner, we went to a potter's home where he showed us how he made the ONLY working minoan pottery kiln in the world. What an opportunity! He even told us all about the chemistry of how it worked... see, it is everywhere! ;)
On the way back, he told us we had a surprise... we were going to the biggest water park in Europe! Woohoo! And it lived up to several expectations. It's called Water City in Anopolis. Look it up. I didn't take an pictures because I was busy going on all of the water slides... BUT some people did so I'll be sure to show you those!
A few more days and this little girl will be heading to Spain! Miss you guys but I can't wait to tell you all about this amazing experience.
It seems that it's a custom to bring a dessert and drink at the end of each meal here. For instance, we have had several waiters bring us watermelon and Raki, this drink that's practically 150 proof alcohol (whew!) and the other night at an italian restaurant (yes we get tired of greek cuisine) they brought us ice cream and sweet wine.
We left Chania and hiked a small gorge that "prepped" us for the 16 km Samaria Gorge we'd be hiking the next day. It was a lot of fun and I'm still growing a love for hiking. It feels so great once you get to your destination. We got up at 6 am to hike Samaria, starting at 7 am. It took us roughly 5 hours to finish the hike, but every second was worth it. The sights were breathtaking and I shot several videos because a single picture did not even touch the surface of how it actually looked. When we finished, we swam on the beach until a huge ferry with tons of tourists came and raided the beach. We then headed back to the hotel and started up a game of Mafia, a game we've been playing when we are somewhere that lacks much entertainment. I'll tell you more about it when I get home!
Yesterday we left Samaria (we had to ride a ferry to get back to our bus) and drove all the way to Heraklion, which took roughly 3 hours. We got to our hotel, Latos Boutique Hotel, and it's so cool looking! Very modern and posh I guess you could say. I took pictures of our room that I'll show you later, and we get free internet (which is why this blog is able to be posted!). We went to the Historical Museum which had artifacts that we had been hearing about the entire time in Crete, some dating back 9,000 years!
For dinner, we went to a potter's home where he showed us how he made the ONLY working minoan pottery kiln in the world. What an opportunity! He even told us all about the chemistry of how it worked... see, it is everywhere! ;)
On the way back, he told us we had a surprise... we were going to the biggest water park in Europe! Woohoo! And it lived up to several expectations. It's called Water City in Anopolis. Look it up. I didn't take an pictures because I was busy going on all of the water slides... BUT some people did so I'll be sure to show you those!
A few more days and this little girl will be heading to Spain! Miss you guys but I can't wait to tell you all about this amazing experience.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Quick note!
We're in Chania now, the prettiest town in all of Crete! We're staying at place right on the Venetian Harbor... Porto Veneziano, you should look it up and just see the view! It's breathtaking. We went hiking today and got kind of lost, but it was pretty fun after all was said and done, because we saw some pretty INTERESTING houses along the way haha. I've taken so many pictures in general, I can't wait to show all of them to you. I'll update soon! Love you all!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
In the tiniest and quaintest town ever, Zaros
So we're in Zaros, which is tiny and pretty much consists of a pharmacy, restaurant and a bulk of artisan shops. Yesterday we went into a tablecloth store and guess how they make their selling items? A weaving loom that sits at the front of the store! She didn't speak any English but from what little Greek I've learned I was able to converse with her enough to where she showed me how her loom worked. We had a delicious dinner here lastnight; Cretans really know how to cook. I will cook some of the things they served me whenever I get home so you can get a "taste" of what I've experienced!
We've hiked so much here on Crete. Today we hiked 14 km (roughly 9 miles) through the mountains of Zaros. It's been so windy so I didn't get too hot, but I was sweating and could definitely feel the workout! We've hiked in three other places as well and are hiking several more before the program is over. At the top, the lady who has been cooking for us here brought up food and served us lunch, taught us to dance while the goats kept trying to steal from our plates while we weren't looking... now that's Greece for you! Haha. But the food! Oh the food! Mousaka, Souvlaki, tons of breads, tons of fruit, and man oh man are the crazy about olive oil. I've even eaten tomatos here because they are so fresh and after being marinated in the spices and herbs, they are to die for.
Tonight we're going to have Greek Pizza (we need a little switching up- I think we've had Tzaziki sauce every night for 2 weeks!) at seven with a group of us girls. I've met so many people and made so many friends while I've been here. I'm really glad that I didn't know anyone very well, as I believe it's made getting to know each other a lot easier... enough for now!
We've hiked so much here on Crete. Today we hiked 14 km (roughly 9 miles) through the mountains of Zaros. It's been so windy so I didn't get too hot, but I was sweating and could definitely feel the workout! We've hiked in three other places as well and are hiking several more before the program is over. At the top, the lady who has been cooking for us here brought up food and served us lunch, taught us to dance while the goats kept trying to steal from our plates while we weren't looking... now that's Greece for you! Haha. But the food! Oh the food! Mousaka, Souvlaki, tons of breads, tons of fruit, and man oh man are the crazy about olive oil. I've even eaten tomatos here because they are so fresh and after being marinated in the spices and herbs, they are to die for.
Tonight we're going to have Greek Pizza (we need a little switching up- I think we've had Tzaziki sauce every night for 2 weeks!) at seven with a group of us girls. I've met so many people and made so many friends while I've been here. I'm really glad that I didn't know anyone very well, as I believe it's made getting to know each other a lot easier... enough for now!
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