The most grueling aspect of travel, in my opinion, are travel days. Sunday we left Makrigalos, drove for two hours to return the car at the port, then hopped on a bus for a three hour ride to Chania on the Northwest side of the island. Monday morning we were checked out of our hotel before the sun came up and we were on our way to the bus station to catch a bus to the airport. We then took a plane to Warsaw, Poland. From there we took another bus, three trains, and a taxi before we finally arrived at Michal’s parents’ house 16 hours later. In a little over 24 hours we covered about 2,300 miles.
We arrived late at night to my mother in law’s open arms, a delicious home cooked meal, a real (not hand held shower), a comfy bed and a washing machine. Today, I’m exhausted and recovering because Thursday is yet another travel day. This time we will take a van to Gdansk, fly to Krakow, and take a bus or a train to the mountains in Zakopane.

Let’s rewind to Greece. I loved it there. The food, the culture, the scenery. All of it. I really truly was not ready to leave. Saturday evening Michal and I enjoyed the best meal of our entire trip. It consisted of stuffed grape leaves, roasted peppers, local wine and moussaka. The family who owned the restaurant were related to the people we were renting from. They were incredibly welcome and generous and even gave us complimentary drinks, desserts, and appetizers. The view from our table consisted of looking onto the Libyan Sea with the mountains in the background. I wish I had had camera with me to capture the backdrop. My favorite foods in Greece were the Greek salad (which actually has no lettuce, huge slabs of feta and is drizzled with olive oil), moussaka, gyros, slouvaki, and stuffed vine leaves. The olive oil was also delicious and so fresh. We also indulged in daily fresh baked bread straight the bakery. Our last evening in Greece was spent in Chania. Chania has a gorgeous old town despite the fact it was bombed heavily during World War II. Chania also has spectacular sunsets. The sunsets in Greece were breathtaking. I honestly missed them quite a bit while we were on the East side of the island. There are a few things I will not miss about Greece. I will not miss having to throw toilet paper in the trash bin because you can’t flush it, stray cats and dogs everywhere, and the intense heat. Other than that, I cannot wait to return! I am beyond grateful that my dream of going to Greece came true and that we stayed healthy, arrived safely, met wonderful people and had a genuine good time.

It is difficult to fathom how much there is to see and do in this world. And our time is limited to see and experience it. What I’m trying to say is my wanderlust is in full swing. I want to continue traveling and experiencing it all.

Today I got to meet more of my husband’s distant relatives. One set of family from the Czech Republic and another family from Germany. I enjoyed speaking English with the family from Germany. It was an unexpected and very welcomed surprise!

I also got spit on today by a kid while I was walking down the street. They were several stories up and spit out the window and it landed on my knee. I almost felt like I was back at work. Minus the paycheck. Some behaviors are easier to tolerate when they’re part of your job. As an innocent bystander, I lacked the empathy I generally have and went to pure disguist. Tomorrow I will walk on the opposite side of the street.