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*I’ve decided to do a series of T-pisodes that capture my travels throughout my life. In 3 paragraphs. I’ll post them every once in a while. Some places I’ve been to a few times, others only once. And some I will probably never go back to because of what went down there.
The plan was always five European countries. It was always England, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Those were the big five for me. Since I was a kid. Then once I went to London back in 2011 the plan became five European countries in five years. Well mission accomplished. This past summer I finished a promise I made to myself. I’m big on any kind of promise I make but the ones I make to myself are always the sweetest once I finish making them happen. And Greece was the bookend on that sweet promise adult me had the pleasure of fulfilling for kid me.
I went out to Greece during the middle of the country’s economic crisis but that didn’t really have any impact on my trip. Except when I had to catch my boat from Santorini back to Athens. Yeah, they cancelled that shit on me but Santorini is the best place to be “stuck” for a few extra hours, believe me. I started my Greece trip in Athens. As I learned way back in London, the key to travelling in Europe is staying in a hotel in a central location. My hotel was centered perfectly between the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus and the Plaka. And I hit up all three. They were each amazingly beautiful in their own right. It was hot as SHIIIT when I made my hike up the Acropolis but the view was well worth it. It was so hot and those ruins were so smooth it honestly felt like I was walking on ice. The Temple of Zeus felt like I was in the movie “The Clash of the Titans” and had me feeling like I was a Greek God, but Italian. Wait, what? And I did a shit ton of shopping in the Plaka. Once again I know who is important to me when I think about them when I’m on vacation and find myself buying gifts for them. I love taking home a little bit of each country I visit to the people I care about. Whether they’ve been in my life forever or a short period of time. It says something to me. One thing I brought back a lot of and had a lot of out there in Greece was ouzo. I drank that shit all day and night. And I made friends everywhere I went while bonding over hella ouzo and hella feta yo. The people of Athens were very kind to me but the people of the island of Santorini practically adopted me making me one of their own. Opa!!! Seriously. And that island, their food, those views, those sunsets and that beautiful blue Aegean Sea were some of the most gorgeous sites these Boston eyes have ever seen. My hot days turned into hotter nights on that island and the Greeks on that island showed me one hell of a good time. Looking back I wish I had spent more time on Santorini and should’ve planned to visit the other Greek islands. But this gives me a reason to go back one day. Hell, I have about a hundred reasons to go back. Greece was one of my favorite adventures and I’m definitely interested in making a sequel.
Visiting Greece this past summer made me appreciate how far I’ve come in life even more. Of course I took the time to do some reflecting. I always do when I’m on vacation. I’m constantly doing something 18 hours a day, practically 7 days a week for about 50 weeks a year. I “go” like I’m still that broke Eastie kid watching airplanes fly over his third floor apartment all day. But I’m far from being that kid. Far from that life. But it doesn’t give me the right to not take the time in another country to appreciate that past life. I’ll humble myself because I won’t let anyone else humble me. Crazy, I know. I did what I usually do when I’m on vacation and Greece was no different until I realized that I fulfilled that promise. Five European countries in five years. And now I’m on to new adventures and some planned repeat adventures. And some new promises as well. Greece made my summer 2015 and it will always have a special place in my heart. But I love Boston the best.
Until next time. Always take it there.
T
T-blawg 