10 Day Easter VACA!

Hello everyone! 

We just got back from our last trip of the semester and it was fantastic! It was a great way to end our 60 days of travel and with some new experiences. We started our trip Thursday, April 9th, at 3:30. We took a train from Stuttgart to Berlin and from there we got on a night train to go to Malmo, Sweden. It was Lauren, Andrea and Anna's first time on one and it was very interesting because at 3 in the morning our train got onto a ferry so it was very rocky. We had 6 people in our sleeper car which was packed but it was completely worth taking the over night train because we got into Sweden by 8 in the morning. Anna's Aunt Eva, was waiting for us there and we were all very excited to see the place that Anna has been raving about ever since we got here. Our drive back to the town that the family lived in was beautiful. We drove along the baltic sea and it was a bright and sunny day. Once we arrived at the Theanders, we all immediately felt right at home. Their family was so nice and welcoming and we chated with them while we ate some fresh rolls from Anna's bakery. Then Eva took us girls around town and showed us different parts of the town including where she got married and local restaurants, stores and hot spots. We stopped at a very beautiful beach as well. We went back to their house and took a little nap and once we woke up we hung out on their patio that overlooked the sea and drank wine and talked some more with the family. Fredrik, their son who is our age invited some friends over and we grilled and hung out. Anna and Andrea went out with them to a friends house that night, but Lauren had twisted her ankle and I was having really bad allergies so we stayed in but the girls had a really fun time. 

The next morning we woke up and Fredrik took us to Copenhagen for the day. It was only a thirty minute train ride and once we got there we went to the Tivoli Gardens. One of the first things we did was we bought tickets to go on a ride that looked like swings but it was really high up in the air. It was super fun to go on and we got a great view of the city as well. After that thrill we all did not need to go on any more rides but we walked around the gardens. They were so beautiful and we couldn't have picked a nicer day to go. On our way out we even found a Coldstone Creamery, so we had to get some and Fredrick tried some too! We then left the gardens and walked around the city and did some shopping- what the 4 of us love to do! We then walked back to the train station to head back because they were having their whole family over for dinner, including a new 8 day old baby, Ilsa. We all hung around with the family that night and had some very good home cooked food, including Salmon and lots of different salads and Swedish desserts. Fredrick played the guitar for us as we sat around and watched the beautiful sunset. The four of us just loved being in a home and being surrounded by such a warm family. That night we went to one of Fredrick's friends houses again and met a lot of his Swedish friends which was really fun. 

The next day was our last day and so the four of us woke up and they let us take their car and so we drove around their town. The four of us girls listened to music with the windows down, something we all very much missed, and ventured around. We stopped in a very cute galleria and walked around and picked up some flowers for the Theander family. We took it easy the rest of the day and then that night we went out to eat at a restaurant called Millenium. We enjoyed some fresh fish there and afterwards we went back to their house. All of us were sad that night because we did not want to leave after having such a great time, but we were all very excited to go to Greece as well. We spent the night talking with the family then went to bed fairly early for us because we had to wake up the next morning very early to catch our flight to Athens!

Once we arrived in Athens, we were all very excited. The weather was very warm and we catched a bus to get to downtown. Once we arrived at our hostel we met up with Sam, David, and Lindsey again. It was great to see them all again and talk to them about their time in Corfu in Greece. We were all very hungry so we walked down the street and got some great gyros for only 1.5 Euro! They were very delicious and we all agreed that we liked them even more than doner kebabs. We walked around downtown and went back at 6:30 to meet Jeremy and Linda who were going to meet up with us for the rest of our time. We picked a local Greek restaurant that night where we all got Greek salads. We walked to the Acropolis that night and saw it all lit up at night. It was so cool and there were some great night views of the city as well. We were planning on coming back the next day but we were all really glad that we saw it at night because it was such a different experience at night. 

The next day we woke up early and headed to the Acropolis. We walked around it and saw the Parthenon and it was very cool for us to recognize the different types of columns that we learned in our art and architecture class. There were a lot of other tourists there and we couldn't imagine how many people would be there in peek season. The Parthenon was so incredible and it was unbelievable that all of it was built in the 5th century BC. It was definitely a sight to see! Next, some of our group split up. David, Lindsey and I grabbed lunch and walked around the rest of the city and stopped into the National Archaeological Museum. It is a famous museum and it was unbelievable how many ancient artifacts were there and well preserved. The other girls walked around the city and shopped and got some really cute dresses for Santorini! We left for the ferry at 3 pm, because we wanted to be there with plenty of time and at 7 we sailed off! We were all so excited and the ferry we were on was very nice and it resembled a cruise ship. We all thought we were dreaming as we sailed across the ocean on our way to Santorini. Once we arrived it was almost midnight at Stelio, the man that owns the hostel we stayed at picked us up from the Port. The ride to our hostel was very cool and we drove uphill  along the cliff. We were so excited once we arrived at our hostel but we were exhausted so we went right to bed.

The next morning we all woke up early and were out by the beach by 9:30. We were literally a 10 second walk to the beach. The beach is called Perissa beach and it has black sand. It is very beautiful and has some great views. We got some fruity drinks and Greek salads at a greek restaurant/ bar called Yazz that was right behind our sun chairs. We could even eat outside along the beach so we could still work on our tans! That day was so relaxing and it just felt great to be able to lounge around in the sun, something we have yet to experience with our hustle bustle previous trips. That night we went to eat at a restaurant right by our hostel called Delmar where there was "Lady's night" where all the drinks were only 2.80 so we all tried different ones and got different Greek cuisines. The restaurant was very good and reasonable as well as fun - great for college students!

The next day we woke up early and rented ATV's. They were only 15 Euros for the day and two people rode on one and it allowed us to see all of the island. We rode to the highest point of the Santorini and got some great pictures. We also went to the Red Beach with Red cliffs that we had to climb in order to get to the beach. None of us have ever seen anything like it and the water was so gorgeous overlooking the cliffs. We rode throughout the whole island that day and we were so glad that we thought to rent the ATVs because it was something none of us had ever done and it allowed us to see all of the island and get some fantastic pictures! 

The next day we took a sail boat and went on an excursion throughout the island. We first stopped at the old volcano where we got off the boat and climbed to the top of it. It was a pretty strenuous walk uphill especially with all the rocks everywhere, that we were told we can't trust, because they do not stay in place. Once we got to the top our guide gave a very detailed history of the volcano and some of us were distracted by the beauty of the landscape of Santorini. Next, we got back on the boat where we sailed for only a few minutes until the boat stopped and they said that whoever wanted to could jump off the boat and swim to the hot springs from the old volcano. We were all really nervous but we got up the nerve to jump off the boat and swim in the freezing cold water to the hot springs. The water was definitely freezing but it was completely worth it to get to the hot springs that were more warm at this time of the year. The water was a deep brown/red and we were told not to wear white because the water stains, but it was so cool. Afterwards we were all very glad that we went in. Next, we stopped in the old town of Therasia. It was quite the hike to get up to this little town and there were donkeys there that people were taking up, but we all walked it and got some good exercise. The town looked pretty abandoned but it had a restaurant that overlooked the ocean so we stopped there. Afterwards we were dropped off in Oia, where movies like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed. The hike up to that city was pretty difficult as well and we recognized the same path that we used was where they taped parts of the movie- so that was really cool for us. Once we got there we spent quite a bit of time shopping for souveniors and walked around the adorable town. It was just what I pictured, white buildings with blue trim. There were a lot of tourists there especially later in the night before the sunset. We were told that this sunset in Oia was absolutely beautiful and world famous. We found a great spot on top of a building for all of us to sit and for over an hour we watched the sun set. It was truly beautiful and such a great experience. It was on of the prettiest things that I have ever seen in my life and all of us did not want to leave and once it was over everyone began to clap. Sam and myself and some others got choked up and thought it was so cool that they were all clapping for Gods masterwork. Seeing the sunset was definitely a great way to end our fun filled day and made us all really appreciate being there.

The next day was our last day and we woke up at 8 and were out sitting by the beach bright and early. We all got smoothies and salads at Yazz again and soaked up the sun until we had to leave at 2. We were all very sad to leave Santorini, but we had just the best of times. We got to the port and ordered some gyros for the last time and went onto the ferry. A bunch of us were not ready to leave the sunshine so we stayed out on the deck for a while and then later that night our group all played a fun card game, Nerds. 

We got into Athens at midnight and had to take a bus to get to the airport. Once we arrived at 1:3o we found spots upstairs by a museum that was in the airport and slept for a few hours before our flight this morning. It was our first and last time sleeping in an airport and we all felt like true backpackers at the time, but it will definitely feel good to get a good nights sleep in a real bed tonight! 

We had such an amazing 10 day break and we were really sad that it was our last big trip of the semester, but at the same time we are so thankful for everything that we have been able to do. 

We love and miss you all and will see you very soon, 

Love, Suzanne  & the Germany 09 girls