Greece

After spending three relaxing days in Malta, we got up at 3:45 or so to make our way to the Malta airport and catch our 5:55 a.m. flight to Athens. From Athens we had a short one-hour flight to Rhodes, one of the Greek Islands. One thought that has occured to me several times is how different the beaches are when you're not suffering from the humidity found in Georgia and Florida. The air actually feels clean; you don't want to constantly shower; and it's just generally a thousand times more enjoyable.

Unfortunately our luggage did not make it to Rhodes at the same time we did, so after completing the necessary paperwork we had a ride with our first chatty cab driver. He told us about the island, his first wife who he lived with in Sweden(it wasn't his fault Swedish women are so gorgeous and that he cheated on her (at least) three times that she knew about), his second wife (crazy Greek woman; never marry a Greek), his Russian girlfriend (she's 25 and couldn't earn enough money to live in Russia), and a lot more, pointing out that if either of us were a writer, he'd just given us a wonderful book idea that we should use (for free).

The Hilton's grounds and views were beautiful, and as we looked at the ocean view, we noticed another land mass that seemed a swim away. Turns out it is Turkey! You'll notice it in the photo background. I wish we'd had time to visit it as well. Since we didn't have our clothes, we set out to walk to the Old Town of Rhodes to check out the historic stuff in blue jeans. It was pretty hot, and I had no sunscreen but the breeze made up for it. The Old Town was full of beautiful old monuments and whatnot and olive trees. I spent the rest of the day at the pool.

The next morning we caught a bus to Lindos, a beautiful village (whitewashed with the pretty crooked streets) that houses the acropolis on Rhodes. I also had the most delicious thing I've had in weeks....a crepe with one half white chocolate and one half Nutella. I'm pretty much hooked and had two yesterday. Afterwards I enjoyed another relaxing day at the pool and the beach. We walked to a little village near our hotel and enjoyed a very leisurely Greek dinner. So far I am enjoying the food, especially the pork gyros.

Yesterday we flew into Athens very early and visited the Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus, Acropolis, Parthenon, and a lot more very very old stuff. It was pretty amazing despite the thousands of tourists around us. We enjoyed lunch and dinner at outdoor cafes. Last night we made friends with two Canadian women, and I am meeting up with them this week in Santorini for sight-seeing. Plus one for being outgoing:)

I had another early start this morning, catching a subway to the port and then taking a highspeed catamaran to Mykonos. Unfortunately it's rained all day, so I'm wet and stuck inside an internet cafe right now. I met a guy from California this morning, and we've spent the day together wondering around Hora (the major city here). His story is pretty inspiring....he works half the year at a major accounting firm as a consultant, and the other half of the year he travels and works at camps for children.

p.s. I'm grateful for all of the interesting people I am meeting.