Fall Break in Greece, and More!

I can't believe that I haven't written a blog post in more than three weeks.. Oops! Time really has gotten away from me here and it's just hitting me now that I have exactly 29 days left until I leave my study abroad life behind and head back home to the states. The last time I blogged, October 26th, I was just about to head off to meet my mom and sister in Munich then spend a week in Greece island hopping with them for my fall break. Because I have three weeks worth of adventures to write about in one blog post I'll recap my favorite and most memorable experiences:

Greece recap:

- One of the most delicious meals of my life I had when we first got to the largest of the Greek islands, Naxos. Fun fact: Naxos is known for their local cheese and wine thought to cure heartbreak. We went to Deaudas, a restaurant right on the water of the port town recommended by a local. We ate olives, greek salads, dolmas, and practically drank their olive oil. It was absolutely amazing.

- Santorini is truly a magical place. The volcanic history, cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into bright blue water, and the famous blue and white buildings made for an experience I will never forget. You feel like you're on top of the world looking out over the most pristine oceanic horizon known to man. We ate a full fish dinner our first night in Santorini, which also happened to be Halloween back in the states, and watched the full harvest moon come up over the Adriatic Sea.

Naxos Island

Mom swimming in Greece

Me on the beach in November?!

Amy in Santorini

Santorini Sunset

Acropolis, Athens

Week in Florence with Mom and Amy:

After we got back from Greece my mom and sister stayed in Florence for a week so I got to show them around my new home, and I got experience life in a hotel in my own city. We went on a wine tasting tour through Tuscany all day that Sunday, which I had been waiting to do since I got here! The next night we took a cooking class across the river. We spent the week sight seeing and relaxing in beautiful Florence, and I'm so glad they lucked out with weather while they were here it was sunny and nice almost every day. Ah I'm getting so sad that they're not here anymore! I took them to my favorite restaurants, gelaterias, museums, and stores, so I think I did Florence justice with them.

Wine Tasting Tour in Tuscany

At the Cheese Farm!

Boboli Gardens in Florence with Amy

The weekend my mom and sister left I went on a field trip with my school to Arezzo, Assisi, and some more hill towns, which was beautiful and relaxing (for once the school field trip was relaxing..unheard of).

THEN! This last weekend I was in Barcelona with DU friends which was so so so much fun. We ate tapas, drank sangria, saw Gaudi's architecture, walked barefoot on the beach, experienced plenty of the Barcelona nightlife, and, again, shopped a ton.

Seafood Paella! YUM!

Gaudi Park

What a whirlwind of a month I've just had!! This weekend I'm off to visit friends in Rome, in a few weekends I'll be in Prague, then back home to Colorado on December 20th! Life is good, but I wish I could slow down time just a little to soak in everything that has happened, where I've been, and where I'm going. Happy Thanksgiving, until next time!