Reflecting on the last 3+ months of travel, I realize I've never felt so alive, so connected to this world and cognizant of the teeny-tiny space I occupy in it. This perspective is due to the complete break from our daily routine. We've been exploring new places, spending lots of time walking (and getting lost, which some say is the whole point, though i think that depends on the day), trying new foods and drinks, meeting new people... It's been incredible to experience some of what our amazing world has to offer and I think I could travel forever. But of course I won't. :)
Our trip has been largely unplanned. We didn't know where we'd be in October, for example, and we definitely didn't plan our days. An unanticipated benefit is being able to give in to your wants every day. I think: "What is it that I want to do right now, at this moment?" And, within reason, I do just that - whether it's sleeping late (took me awhile to get over my guilt for this indulgence), checking out a museum, wandering aimlessly, doing yoga, having a drink (time of day is absolutely irrelevant), reading a book solely for pleasure, going for a run, etc. Don't worry, the sheer luxury of this is not lost on us. We are deeply grateful every day and very aware of how insanely lucky we are, on many levels.
September in the Greek islands was absolutely blissful and the month flew by! We visited 4 Cycladic islands - Santorini, Folegandros, Milos, and Naxos - each with their individual charms and personalities. Our days, by design, were leisurely since we wanted to be pretty relaxed for our upcoming time in Rome and Africa. We spent our time exploring villages on our scooter, discovering new beaches (17 different ones - black stone, colorful pebbles, red sand, white sand, limestone formations, black slate - many of which required a bit of a hike to find), having picnic lunches on the beach, which was fun and saved money. (at first, our typical lunch was pb&j sandwiches, but we couldn't find peanut butter anywhere so switched to cheese sandwiches with tomato, cucumber and peppers), reading, snapping photos of the breath-taking landscapes and bluest of blue waters, watching the sunset, and last, but certainly not least, eating delicious food. Lots and lots of greek salads, fresh fish (the freshest one had been caught a mere 2 hours earlier), saganaki (sautéed cheese), and baked feta cheese. We feasted :) Fun fact - hummus is not Greek, we didn't see it on a single menu!
We spent a fun week with my Mom and Szymon in Milos, scootering all over the island, more eating and drinking and took a day trip to the nearby island of Kimolos, which has been untouched by tourism. It was wonderful to spend some quality time together and we're grateful for their visit. In our last week or so, a fierce mistral-like wind blew, making it a bit less fun to go swimming and downright cold at night! Still, we were sad to say goodbye to the Greek islands. But, having visited only 4 of the 100+ inhabited ones, we'll be back!
And now we are in Rome and in love. With each other, of course, and with this magical city :) More later as I need to run: a sacred time of day is approaching: dinner. :)
Ciao!
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