Easter Break started April 2nd with a long plane ride from Milan to Santorini! We slept overnight in the Athens airport and arrived to a beautiful sunset in Santorini. After a quick nap, we headed to the store, got some brews, and walked the 2 minute walk to the black pebble beach behind our hostel. Day drinking ensued, and around 4 the lovely Caitie Holmes arrived! I needed a nap after all the excitement, and so when I woke up in a panic we got ATVs rented for the next day and headed out to dinner. The food in Greece was probably my favorite food that I've had this whole trip. That night I got a stuffed pork chop and saganaki (fried cheese). Some people went to midnight mass for Easter Sunday, but a few of us just ended up going back to the hostel and drinking before I called it a night and hit the sack. In the morning we woke up and jumped on the ATVs and started riding around! Mia and I were on one together, and we had quite a few problems. It wouldn't go very fast, and all of a sudden started losing gas very quickly. I also refused to drive the ATV since I had a really bad experience on one about 7 years ago haha. The group started with going to the Red Beach which was a red pebble beach with gorgeous views. After catching some rays, we headed to the lighthouse which gave us an amazing view of the water and the islands. We then rode to Fira, which is the capitol of Santorini, but a few of our ATVs started losing gas so half the group decided to go back, only after grabbing some lunch. I had my first Greek gyro and it was amazing! After resting up and getting ready, we headed to another place for dinner and drinks and then back to the hostel to pregame before going out to Fusion for round one of being redic and the only people in the entire bar. After way too many shots, Matt, Mia, and I decided to trek down to the 24 hour bakery and get some goodies. We had to be up early the next morning for a volcano tour that our whole group had scheduled. We started off by climbing the volcano and then jumping in hot springs that weren't really that hot. Kind of a let down and it stained my swimsuit. After the hot springs the boat took us to a small island where half of our group got to watch the other half attempt to ride donkeys up this hill. Joanna ended up getting kicked by Tinas donkey and then her donkey collapsed. Witnessing this was so funny. After a great greek salad and some ice cream, it was time to get back on the boat and take it to Fira to watch the sunset. We got to the dock about 3 hours before the sunset, so the 15 of us decided to be homeless and take a nap on the dock with all of our towels and belongings. After another long climb up a mountain (story of our lives abroad) we finally got to watch the famous Fira sunset. That night we got ready a little late and then went to the green restaurant again to have dinner for Kays birthday. Stuffed peppers were on the menu for me that night, and after singing Happy Birthday and stuffing Kay with cake, we headed to fusion to be prepared to be the only people in the bar again. Let's just say the night ended with taking too many free shots and Kay getting all the boys to take their shirts off. In the morning we decided on another day drinking beach day, which included shots and massages. That night some of us decided to just head to dinner instead of going out, so we hit up a small restaurant down the street for some pasta and pizza.
Ios was our next stop on the list but first we had to take an hour ferry there. Mia and I weren't feeling it, so we had to sit by the bathroom. Luckily I passed out! When we got to Ios we checked into the hostel (where we were the only ones) and trekked to the beach. Somehow we got lost and climbed down a mountain to the "Nude Beach of Ios" but it was ok because we were the only people there. The group held our own Greek Olympics and Maura, Kay, Alex and I jumped off some rocks. On our hike back up the mountain we were surrounded by goats. Fake lives like always. The real fun was at night. The two hostel workers, Judy and Ben decided to come out with us. Judy also decided that it was a good idea to pimp us out to her friends which we did not fall for. Many tequila shots were taken, and the next day I think the entire group realized that the alcohol in Greece was in no way real. In the morning Mia, Maura, Kay, Lo and I decided to skip out on the beach and do some shopping instead. Well worth it since I got an amazing pair of earrings! We had another ferry that night, this time a 5 hour one to Athens. By the time we got into Athens we made it to our hostel and all passed out since we knew we had a busy day the next day.
For once we had a decent breakfast at the hostel, and then signed up for a walking tour of Athens. Our tour guide was for sure drunk/hungover/high the entire time so that made for an interesting experience. We got to see the first Olympic Stadium and of course our group explored the Acropolis and Parthenon. We also went to a museum but then some people got a little hangry so we needed to get some food. We did some shopping and headed back to the hostel to stress about registering since we were all signed up for that day. I ended up staying in because my registration time was kind of late but I'm glad I got my classes for next year.
The next day was a travel day. Flight from Athens to Rome, train from Rome to Cinque Terra. We got in around 9 pm that night, and since were were so glad to be back in Italy we headed to the pizza place that was on our campgrounds and got some good ole Italian pizza. We stayed in these little bungalows that were so cute and really made us feel rustic haha. The group ended up congregating in our bungalow as we told ghost stories which ended up just being really fucked up stories instead. In the morning we took the train to the first city of Cinque Terra and began our hike! Most people only do one or two cities in a day but because we are champs we did all 5! It was so much fun and we looked redic since we all had bandanas on. Cinque Terra was beautiful and I'm so glad that I sucked up the last hike and did it! That night we partied in the bungalows and played drinking games and bonding games which was great. Our group is amazing and I absolutely love them. We had another travel day the next day but we ended up getting home around 4 which was just enough time for us to run to the grocery store and relax before going to bed early.
The next week was a usual Verona week, but we were all looking forward to the upcoming weekend because it was our last Claudio trip, this time to Asiago! It was a weekend of great meals and entire group bonding. We even got to see how Asiago cheese was made which was quite gross actually but at least the cheese was good.
To save you all from reading another 1o pages of this I'll skip ahead to this past weekend which was our last trip--Paris. We were unsure at the beginning if we would be able to go or not due to the volcano but we decided to DO IT LIVE and just go! Erin, Maggie, Lo, Joanna, Steph, Matt, and I were the night travelers who had to sleep in Bergamo airport and take a 6:30 am plane to Paris. We made it there though, and after a quick change of clothes headed to the Louvre. Seeing the Mona Lisa was amazing! I can now say that I have done that and I am so happy that we ended up going. We were all getting somewhat hangry so we decided to grab some overpriced food before meeting up with Kaitlin, Jake, and Chad at the Notre Dame. The church was absolutely beautiful with all the stained glass. After heading back to the hostel to check in and get ready, we all went out to dinner and then headed to the Eiffel Tower for our pregame. The Eiffel Tower lights up every hour on the hour so we stayed there for a few hours to finish our wine. The group navigated the metro system somehow and went to a few bars before getting in taxis and heading home. Saturday morning we woke up and hit up the Eiffel Tower first for the climb up. The view from the tower was amazing and Paris is absolutely beautiful. We then grabbed food and sat on the lawn in front of it for a picnic and quick rest before walking to the D'Orsay. I liked the paintings in the D'Orsay much better than the Louvre because there were impressionist. The girls were all craving some shopping time after that, so we headed to Longchamp where we all got new bags! I got a hot pink one and I am so happy! We decided to grab Subway on the way back to the hostel, and after a quick shower and nap we got our wine and headed back to the Eiffel Tower for another pregame. We hit up the same bars as the night before, and Jo, Steph, and I headed back early since we were a little tire. In the morning we headed to Versailles which all in all ended up being a small fail but it was still beautiful. We were so tired by then that after a quick stop at the Arc De Triomphe and a few pictures, we had to head back to the hostel to rest before our long journey home. Our group did make it back to Verona around 3 that morning, but only after a plane ride, a crazy taxi ride where we almost got killed, a creepy stay in the Brescia train station for an hour, and a train ride home.
Yesterday we had our last Italian class of the semester before our exam next week. After class Lo, Maura, Mia and I decided to go spritz hopping and get a few spritzes and snacks. I woke up in the middle of the night throwing up and again this morning so this is really making for an exciting last few weeks here. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow though!
Our days are coming to an end which is so sad. I can't believe that four months of being here are almost over.
