If you follow my blog, you have probably been extremely bored for the last couple of weeks and for that I apologize. I might have lost a few of you forever, but for those who are still checking in, this one’s gonna be a doozy.

I just glanced to the left of my Word Press dashboard to find that my notification relaying the message of my spring break plans is still sitting idly in my draft box, so some of you may not have known that I just had my spring break vacation in the ultimate relaxation location; Greece. *Sigh* I took a ten-day trip with Bus2Alps from Rome to the island of Corfu, then Athens and finally Santorini.

There were groups from Rome and Florence, and half the group was on the 10-day trip with me, while the other half were doing an 8-day trip sans the Santorini stop. With ferry rides lasting as long as 21 hours, and spending a night on a bus rather than in a lovely European 3-star hotel, the actual vacation time may have been shaved down to 6 or 7 days. But the fact that the planning was taken care of for me was more than a pleasure. Checking into my bank account at the end of this trip, however, not so much. But first, I had to get to Rome. One of the many ways in which I am blessed this semester is that I have sorority sisters and close friends studying all around Europe with whom I could travel with. A solid group of them study in Rome, and I took this trip with three of them. When I finally landed in Rome, I was greeted by a torrential downpour, through which I had to lug my luggage a few blocks and tram rides. (Hey, I think I just found the root of the word luggage.) This slight climatic set-back did foreshadow experiences to come, but sometimes you just got to ride out the storm.

We took a 5-hour bus ride to Ancona and a 14-hour ferry/cruise hybrid to Corfu. We were greeted with more rain and lugging, and I was dreading the fact that I was beginning to see a pattern. When we finally arrived at the Pink Palace, things began to turn around.

Firstly, how can you not be happy when surrounded by all things in the shade of Pepto Bismol? Secondly, how can you not enjoy an all-inclusive atmosphere? The meals were amazing, the nightlife was on-site, and the adventures were just a sign-up sheet away at reception. After the first day of getting the lay of the land, and the first night of getting the lay of the Palladium, the dinner hall-turned dance club, we took an ATV safari tour through the small towns and mountains of Corfu. Not only were the sights breathtaking, but actually riding the thing was exhilarating. I was not quite the rough-n-tumble kind of girl growing up, so riding the ATV definitely made me feel a bit macho.

Towards the end of the safari, it started to rain on us, which wasn’t the most comfortable feeling in the world. However, I had somehow gotten up to the front and was third in line behind our “Quad God,” – the 40-year-old hostel employee with a dirty mouth and some obvious Peter Pan syndrome– who then exclaimed that we were going to get wet, so we should all get naked. We didn’t quite heed his advice, but I did keep up to speed with him through the rocks, mud and puddles as we off-roaded for the rest of the drive.

We then got ourselves ready for the infamous pink toga party. Complete with satin sheets to match the décor, plate smashing, Greek dancing, fire on the dance floor and plenty of Ouzo to go around, Corfu’s Pink Palace did not live short of its reputation.

The next day we took a low-key shopping trip around the old town of Corfu. We had an amazing gyro platter of meats, giant beans, grilled veggies and a Greek salad (but I guess there it was just salad, huh?) before our last Palladium dinner and our ferry to the 7-hour bus ride to Athens over night. Though admittedly not comfortable or my first choice, it was the best solution to get where we needed to go, to see what we wanted to see in the time we were given. I marveled at how some people claimed that not finding their desired brand of chips at 4 a.m. was “the worst moment of their life,” because if such an experience occurred during semester abroad in Italy, on their spring break to Greece, they’ve got to be pretty damn lucky. But I guess that’s just me. 

After starting the morning off with a delicious Spanakopita and Greek coffee, one of our Bus2Alps guides gave us a walking tour to Athens through Omonia square, to the Parliament building, the Royal Gardens, the Olympic Stadium, Zeus’ temple (or what little remains), and finally to the Acropolis. Obviously any description I would try to muster of the amazing views of the vast city, the incredible remains of the mighty empire’s Parthenon and other amphitheaters, the ridiculous gusts of wind threatening to blow us off the top of the hill, would all be a gross understatement, so I won’t even try. We ended the tour in Monastiraki Square to street gyros and Flea Market shopping. Not a bad day. 

One of the funny things that we started to notice around Greece were the strangely loyal stray dogs. Through each city and village we visited, at least one would adopt our group and follow us around, and if we lagged behind, they’d stop and look back as if to say, “Well, what’re you waiting for? There’s a city to see people.” They know when to cross the streets and how to look both ways for cars, and some seemed to be a bit prejudiced in who they decided to bark at and attack. Ever seen Avenue Q? There’s a song about this…

Most of the group went to dinner where we enjoyed Mousaka, fried calamari, cheese pies and bottomless jugs of red and white wine, followed by a hookah bar. It couldn’t be too late of the night as we woke up to leave at 6 a.m. to catch the next ferry to Santorini. As you can imagine, all the girls on the trip were a-buzz about finally making it to where they filmed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, although technically that would have to wait until the next day as our hotel was in Fira and not Oia. When we got there we ran up to the highest point of the town to catch our first jaw-dropping sunset on the island. 

After another delicious dinner at the Pelican restaurant, which in warmer weather boasts a lovely outdoor garden seating area, we naturally came all the way to Greece to hit up an Irish pub called Murphy’s, twice, but we soon saw just how unprepared  a lot of Greece was to have tourists at the end of March. Craftsmen were still organizing merchandise and lots of gorgeous boutiques could only tease us with a brief window-shop but closed doors. Knowing me, I was probably better off.

The next day we took a bus tour to Santo Winery for a wine tasting, where I indulged and got a couple bottles to numb the sting for the parents as they watched the zeros in my bank account disappear. After, we stopped at the red and black sand beaches. More gorgeous views, more crazy wind. We were just as unprepared for this Mediteranean climate as they were for our untimely arrival. 

We ended the day in Oia for another glorious sunset in one of the most beautiful villages, where Lena of the Sisterhood fame visited family and met her Greek love Kostas. I swear we saw his fishing boat off the coast. The clusters of white, yellow, and peach stucco houses, winding staircases, blue shutters and red flowers were completely picture-perfect and glowing under the pink setting sun. I wish I could have stayed there forever– it was truly paradise. Plus, if I stayed longer, I could have enjoyed it more under a stronger sun, unhindered by the pestering wind.

Finally, on our last day in Santorini, some chose to stick around for a relaxing morning of breakfast and shopping, while others took the cable car down to the coast of Fira, to the pirate ship-like ferry to the volcano and hot springs. Those of us who weren’t debriefed were shocked to find that we’d be jumping into the not-quite springy Aegean sea to swim to the steaming water, which turned out to be just luke-warm, if at all. Who knew that I could be so adventurous (though I am the girl that claims I still want to go skydiving.) I’m gonna go ahead and say at least the clay we walked through had to be good for my skin. As my friend Rachel put it, we could boast that we had a spa day and workout, complete with a mud bath. We then hiked up to the top of the dormant volcano for another world-turning view.

Many long ferry and bus rides later, with another morning to walk around Athens, we made it back to Rome. I had a day to tour around, so I took the completely cheesy and touristy double-decker buses to snap away at the main sites. I saw the Colliseum, Piazza de Venezia, St. Peters Basilica, the Tiber river and unfortunately whizzed by the big synagogue too quickly to get a decent shot. I did have some gnocci and gelato, but still only got a small taste of the city, for sure. Considering my sister and I will try to make our way to the Amalfi coast, but I won’t be making it to Tuscany or Venice either, looks like I will have to plan another trip to Italy in the future. Hear that future husband?

Rome Bus Tour: