The Last Days

If anyone has actually been reading this blog, you may have noticed a lack of posts for several days, largely owing to a lack of cheap, easy internet access (I really need to get a Netbook!). But since I have fifteen more minutes of internet time at the moment, here's a quick rundown of what was missed:

• Enjoying a taste of Italy in lovely Nafplio, with real gelato and a Venetian style old town
• Hiking to the far reaches of the Palamidi fortress in Nafplio
• Enjoying a group meal at a real, non-touristy local taverna in Nafplio, complete with live music and folk dancing - all in some very close quarters (this was about the most fun I had while on this trip)
• Being amazed by the great ruins of the Myceneans, getting up close with architecture that is more than 3000 years old
• Listening to groups singing and reciting from ancient Greek plays in the theatre at Epidavros
• Our group dog, Winnie, who met us when we arrived on Hydra, and was never far away - she even came out to the ferry with us the day we left, and stayed until we boarded the hydrofoil. Michael wanted to adopt her and bring her home to live with us and Lucy (seriously, he was actually considering this)

Greece has been fantastic, and I am convinced that trip to northern Greece is in order for the future - there's so much that we didn't have time to see in three weeks! But for now I'm happy to be heading home, because the cement hard beds of this country can't compare to my own sweet bed at home. And while we'll all miss Winnie, I can't wait to see my own dear dog, Lucy.

Sick and Tired

Waking up at 3am feeling naseous is never a pleasant feeling. After a free day spent hiking and and swimming on the island of Hydra, followed by a group dinner featuring rabbit and goat (and rather a lot of wine), I went to bed feeling pretty wonderful, then awoke four hours later feeling pretty terrible. Was it the tap water I'd consumed in an effort to rid myself of the hiccups prior to bed? The tap water on Hydra is slightly saline and not recommended for drinking, although it shouldn't make you sick. I hadn't had that much to drink, had I? Unfortunately, it appeared that I had been hit by the same bug that hit Michael the night we were in Dimitsana last week, when he, too, had spent the wee hours primarily in the bathroom.

The night was an uncomfortable one, my body racked by chills and intense stomach pain. By around 7am the chills had subsided and, in sheer exhaustion, I was able to fall back asleep. The exhaustion coninued the entire day, where I managed to sleep sitting on a bench in the rain while we waited for the ferry, on the extremely bumpy hydrofoil ride to Athens, all afternoon at the Athens hotel, and all night after skipping out on the last night's dinner due to excruciating pain.

Thankfully, this morning I awoke feeling... hungry. I hadn't felt hungry for more that 24 hours - even the thought of food made me naseous - so this was progress. I am still not back to 100%, but am truly grateful to be through the worst of it. It may not have been the most glamorous end to our trip, but I'm looking on the bright side: our flight doesn't leave Athens until tomorrow morning, a day after the tour officailly ends, which gave us the opportunity to sleep in and take our time packing this morning. Tonight, we'll be heading to the airport for the night, since I don't see the point in paying for a hotel when we have a 6:30am flight. I love travel, but there's nothing like getting sick on the road to make you appreciate your health and home.