this is the life!

Things I have learned about Greece:

1. They have potentially the best food I've ever had. I think Italy will give them a run for their money though...
2. There is a weird obsession with cats.
3. Men wear speedos. And no one besides Catie and I think this is utterly wrong.
4. The language is amazing, and there is no way I could ever learn it. I still don't know how to say hello or thank you or decipher anything.
5. Freak thunder and lightening storms occur nearly everyday! Every morning or afternoon, we would take shelter on the balcony, sip tea and watch lightening while listening to the downpour of rain and the loudest thunder I've ever heard. Each time, I thought of being in my pajamas at the Grelle house with Mike and Angie at 3 in the morning watching the thunder and lightening through the 3 big windows over the airport.
6. Everyone smokes.... this is all of europe though, not just Greece.
7. Women go topless. Also, no one else thought this was weird.
8. There is no order to their driving. Mopeds constantly pass cars and busses when they really shouldn't and I've never feared my life so much.
9. This country may love Michael Jackson as much as I do. Last night the resort played 5 MJ songs before the entertainment show began. And then amidst the show, we had a minute of silence for him. Michael snickered.. I was trying not to cry. RIP MJ.
10. The view of the Ionian Sea and Albania from the balcony of room 2212 at Aeolos Beach Resort is breathtaking.

Our 6 days in Corfu passed so quickly!! That may be because each day we did the same thing... woke up, had a nice breakfast, drank tea on the balcony, meandered down to the pool, read a book and soaked up the Greek sun, walked to our favorite Greek restaurant for either a gyro or greek salad for lunch, back to the pool, dinner, bedtime. It was wonderful! We did manage to go into Corfu, the main town, for one day. It was interesting but busy and a little chaotic. We visited the Old Fortress which use to be a jail and a center for the military, a very old church that was destroyed during WWII and some other monuments. Also.... shopping!!! Best reason not to buy a lot? You have to pack whatever you buy on your back for the rest of the trip.

Molly, Catie's sister, and Lauren arrived in Corfu on Tuesday morning. It was fun to have a full house and exchange Europe stories as they've been backpacking through since the middle of May. Molly and Lauren and I decided to splurge on Thursday and pay 30 euro for an all inclusive pass. It meant we could eat as much as we wanted, snacks and drinks all day. We wanted to get the most of it, so we kept a tally- we ended up have 9 meals (this is total between the three of us mind you), 6 snacks, 42 drinks (NOT all alcoholic, don't worry Mom and Dad) and I packed 6 rolls and 3 pieces of fruit from the buffet into my purse. Definitely got our money's worth. And then the next day, we walked by the buffet and the staff ushered us in... apparently they didn't really care that we'd purchased them for the day before, they let us eat again! Best 30 euro I ever spent!!

Great story- we went to our tiny little restaurant for lunch today before leaving Perama, the town where we stayed. We have gone every single day with the exception of all inclusive day! When we walk up the steps to the restaurant, the 3 men that work there also smile and laugh at us. The waiter and we americans have become rather close- he's told us numerous personal stories. Today, we asked if we could get our picture with the 3 of them, including the large greek chef. I'm framing it. After the picture, we said goodbyes and they gave us a bottle of their house wine that we've drank numerous times. It was such a nice gesture, we were very touched.

Catie and Michael and I are in Corfu for the afternoon before we take a ferry back to Brindisi, Italy. I'm dreading it, it was such a miserable trip. Luckily it'll be overnight so hopefully we'll all get to sleep. Then tomorrow we'll take a train from Brindisi to Venice where we have a bed and breakfast for 2 days awaiting us. Our plan as of now is to spend the next 9 days in Italy, before we head back to the states. All of us are thrilled for the cuisine and the wine!! And the culture :)

Buen camino