Wander

OH HI THERE!!

Missed me?! Well I am officially back home in Kocani after a long two weeks of traveling! Obviously, a lot has happened in my two week vacation, but instead of writing down everything I did, everyone I met, and everything I ate, I suppose I'll just show you a few of my favorite highlights of the trip through photos. Ready??

Well, our first stop was Thessaloniki, Greece. We couch surfed with an AMAZING host, who really showed us the best food and nightlife!

Thessaloniki has a million hidden streets and alleyways that are full of great unique bars with excellent happy hours! 

Chad and I enjoying our SECOND meal at this place, because the food was just soooooo good!!

After leaving Thessaloniki, we caught an early morning flight to Zakynthos, Greece. The island was beautiful and full of activites!!

We spent three days exploring the island, and we found a dozen hidden beaches just like this one! The water was often pretty cold, but we were troopers and took advantage of every opportunity!

This was the shipwreck cove. Photos won't do this place justice.

Having fun!

Yes, this is a boat bar, and yes we spent our day here.

Our next destination was Athens, Greece. We were only there for a day, and I'd have to say it was our least favorite place to visit. We did see the typical touristy stuff, which was excellent, but we found the city to be too overwhelming and dirty. Regardless, we still had a great time!!

Me in Athens!!

The ruins

Athens is HUGE!!!!!

From there, we went to my favorite place: CORFU!! Corfu is another little island off the coast of Greece. It is mountainous with a million little beaches....it is the postcard of paradise. 

The view from our apartment

The evenings were perfect

What we did every morning.

Compliments from our favorite place to eat, complete with the best staff!!

One of our new local friends owns this place, which is located in a village near where we were. We went there on our last night and had an EPIC meal!!

The next places we visited were Milan and Como, in Italy. Both were day trips, but we had an excellent host, Geri, who helped show us everything!!

This is Geri, our host!!

Third largest church in Europe. 

Milan was gorgeous at night!!

Lake Como!! (George Clooney owns a villa here)

Another beautiful sight!!

Our final destination was Venice, Italy. I LOVED Venice!! 

How can you not love Venice?!

Amazing dinner.

: )

Yes, this mask came home with me. It was hand-made. Did you know all the masks for the movie, Eyes Wide Shut were made here??

Last night......sigh....

That's that....in PHOTOS!! I may give more of an update later, but for now, I am tired. I hope you all enjoyed the photos. : ) 

Not all those who wander are lost...

An Update Through Photos

I've survived another busy weekend, but I must say that this one was one of the most fun I've had here!! 

I woke up at 3:00am on Saturday morning and hopped into a car with Lilika, Lilika's uncle, Martin, and Bill. It was dark out, and without any lights guiding us on the streets, I found myself zoning out in the blacked out world around us. About 3 hours later, just as the sun came up, we arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece for the kids' ACT test. Although we were about 15 minutes late for registration, and things got a little intense for a moment, we managed through it. The first stop after the ACT test was STARBUCKS. Observe pure bliss below:

That's a Venti Caramel Macchiato right there. I inhaled that drink in about 10 minutes and debated on buying another, but my nerves were in shock, so I decided against it. Going 8 months without a legit fancy coffee drink sure can do weird things to your body. :D

The above photo is of the square in Thessaloniki. It was a really nice town!! There were a lot of shops and restaurants everywhere. I miss having such variety. Although it rained off and on all day, I'd still say we managed to have a beautiful day for strolling around the city. After the ACT test was done, we decided to shop for the rest of the afternoon. Lilika and I set off on an adventure in various stores, and often got in trouble for having the camera out....

 For lunch, we stopped at a fast food Asian type of place. They offered noodle and rice dishes, but I instantly found sushi available and seized the opportunity. I was in HEAVEN. Again, not having sushi for 8 months is not pretty. :D

Originally, Bill and I were going to stay the night. However, after discovering that everything would be closed on Sunday and realizing we'd gotten all the shopping out of our system, we decided to ride back with the group. It was a BEAUTIFUL ride home. The landscapes were remarkable. Everything was breathtaking, and we found ourselves pulling over quite often for photos.

This is Bill, the other volunteer who lives with me in Kocani. 

Martin and Lilika....taking advantage of the scenery for some good photos!!

Later in the drive, we were all getting pretty quite. I think our exhaustion was really kicking in. Suddenly, I turned to my right and saw an enormous rainbow...TWO, in fact!! I yelled "rainbow," and the next thing you know, we are on the side of the road. 

You see what I mean about wonderful and breathtaking scenery!?!?!?! We got in pretty late, and my body reacted like it had jetlag. I went to bed early, and after sleeping off about 10 hours, I woke up to Easter in Kocani. 

Macedonians celebrate the Orthodox Easter. I found their traditions to be very similar to ours in the US, and I was lucky to have many people to share the holiday with!! I began my morning drinking coffee and Baileys with Bill and CJ at Bill's new apartment. Bill finally found a new home too, and he is now right in the center as well. After enjoying the morning with the boys, I made the 30 minute walk up to Emilija's house. Upon entering, I discovered Emilija was already hard at work preparing a nice lunch, complete with pork, salads, homemade bread, and meats with cheese!! I finally got to have some good sit-down quality time with Emilija, which was much needed!! 

From there, I walked back down into town to Lilika's family's house. They'd jus finished their first lunch, and were about to begin their next. Here, when you "na gosti" (aka visit people), you are expected to eat. Personally, I have no problem with eating, but after having two meals prior to a visit, eating another meal can be painful. That being said, I was offered one of my favorite dishes, Sarma (stuffed grape leaves), along with some whiskey, soup, breads, pork, potatoes, and endless salads. I was glad to finally spend some quality time with Lilika's family. Her uncle was still there (the one who took us to Greece), and her mother and father were there as well. The family was awesome to share some time with!! They were even entertained when I attempted to carry on in Macedonian. I got to take part in a local tradition of "cracking eggs." I had a running record, but alas, it came to an end. You'll see this is my new video!!

After a few hours, I decided to head back home so I could lay FLAT, in order to breath properly. :D

It was a great weekend, and today has been a much needed day of rest for me. I've been trying to pack up my apartment for the big move on Wednesday. I cant wait!! I'm not sure how crazy this week will end up becoming, but I do hope I have another day or so to play catch up on everything. 

Ah...I almost forgot. VIDEOS!!!!

Ok, first off, I've actually got TWO videos, but one of them is taking FOREVER to upload onto YouTube. So to hold you over, here is a short video from the event we had on Thursday with the school. I promise I'll post the new video once it's uploaded fully. : )