Greece! Britt's Birthday and Farewell to Greece!

Our last full day in Santorini happened to be Miss Britt's birthday. We went to Fira for a fancy dinner that night. Much as we both loved the Greek food we had, we were both craving something that tasted a little more like home, so we found a place that served fajitas and hamburger steaks. They gave us a great table that looked out at the sunset over the ocean and even brought Britt a special birthday dessert.

Happy birthday to Britt!

Greece! Naxos Part III: Miracles, Olive Presses, and Defying Death

Naxos is the biggest island in the Cyclades, which is the cluster of islands we went to. I just looked it up, and apparently it’s 166 square miles—way bigger than I thought it was. (I am the WORST at estimation. Ask me to guess your age and I’ll be off by approximately ten years.) Since there was so much of Naxos to be seen, Britt and I bought tickets for a bus tour through the interior of the island. There were some weather difficulties, technical difficulties, and near-death experiences, but it was absolutely worth it.

Greece! Naxos Part II: The Great Hissing Zorbas

The sunset concert in Naxos Town was amazing. It was hosted by this guy, Nico, who I think lived in the Venetian castle. He was fiftysomething, I think-- longish gray hair, a very red face, and a very friendly personality. He started out by telling us about why he hosts these concerts. When he was younger, people from neighboring villages would occasionally come into Naxos Town to announce a party. These parties were held for big events, like weddings and births and such, and they were serious parties-- several days sometimes of dancing and singing and drinking and having a generally good time. To keep this spirit, Nico offered us unlimited Naxos wine and shots of a special liqueur they make on Naxos. He also had bottles of Fanta, which is what Britt and I stuck to. He told us that when he was younger, only the men drank at these parties as it was considered coarse and unladylike. So Britt and I were just being proper young ladies-- albeit a proper young lady with a withered arm in one case.

Greece! Naxos Part I

Sorry for the delay. My attention got eaten up by the GRE for a while, but now that’s over and done with and I can get back to focusing on other things, like finally finishing these darn blog posts.

Alright, so last time I wrote, I talked about the lovely island of Ios, land of goats and happiness. Also the land of developing some kind of rash. Cliffhanger, I know. Well wait no longer, my friends! This post is all about our next stop—Naxos. And trust me, you’ll want to read this one. We’ve got sunburned octopus, dancing zorbas, goat pipes, and lemon bossa vibing.

a sign we walked past about a hundred times in Naxos. i still have no idea what any of it means.

Greece! The Lovely Island of Ios

I’m afraid of water. Even more than I’m afraid of water, I’m afraid of boats. Titanic taught me that boats are untrustworthy things. They take you out into the middle of nowhere and then hit an iceberg and sink and leave you floating on a door or something while Leonardo DiCaprio freezes to your hand. Also, there are Krakens in the ocean. I know, not exactly an ideal mindset for hopping around Greek islands—particularly since the Greeks were the inventors of the Kraken—but somehow I managed. Getting on our first boat—the ferry to Ios—was a bit of a harrowing experience. I only cried a little though, and I managed not to make too much of a scene. The ferry was nice, at least—a bit like a plane, except bigger and more comfortable. (Physically comfortable, mind you. Not psychologically comfortable.)

Greece! The Agora and More(a)!

After the Acropolis, we climbed down to the Ancient Agora.

And here's a view of the acropolis from the Agora.

Greece! The Acropolis and Borf

I have never in my life been as thirsty as I was on our first day in Athens. I mean this seriously. I drank an INSANE amount of water that day. We decided that I was plagued by a water vampire that kept draining me whenever I wasn’t paying attention. I imagine he looked something like this.

(Though Britt and I decided that Jared Leto would undoubtedly spell it “vampyre.”)

After we stocked up on water, we started our walk up the Acropolis. The first thing we came across was the Theater of Dionysus.

by britt

by britt

THIS IS HALLOWEEN THIS IS HALLOWEEN...

happy halloween!  okay, so i know yesterday was technically halloween, but really we should keep the spirit of halloween in our hearts all year round.  so happy halloween anyway!

no, i haven't disappeared off the face of the earth.  nor have i been eaten by werewolves, vampires, zombies, or any other sort of spooks. october was just busy busy busy for me and i didn't get to write as much as i would have liked. i promise to make up for it soon, though, with tasty recipes and tales of wonder.

but first... let's discuss something very important.

halloween costumes. click below for pictures and videos and other goodness!

booday: everybody (backstreet's back)

this is a flashback for all my fellow twentysomethings out there. you think thriller's the only halloween music video? the backstreet boys beg to differ.

backstreet's back, yo.



sidenote: you get bonus points in the Book of Brenda if you can guess who my favorite backstreet boy was. because yes, i had a favorite.

booday: spooky video from ghost hunters

i was watching a ghost hunters marathon the other night on syfy (does it bother anyone else that they've changed "scifi" to "syfy?").  i've never really been a fan of ghost hunters, but sometimes i like to have the tv on in the background while i do other things, and it seemed to fit with my recent spooky halloween craving.  there were some interesting little bits and pieces here and there, but this clip, from a trip they took to alcatraz, blew my mind.  it's very eerie, so if that's not your thing, then i won't blame you for not watching the video.



boo! :)

newsday: apartment awesomeness

this isn't exactly news, per se, but it is extremely awesome. this is a tiny one-room apartment (i think they say 300 square feet) that can be transformed into 24 different rooms. completely brilliant.