NomadChicks' Summer Vacations

Nomad chick goes to Greece

2007-08-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

“Know thyself” - wise advice Plato ascribed to the Seven Wise Men in Delphi. “Know thyself” - one of my main reasons for choosing to spend two weeks in Greece alone. A proud nomad chick of at least 12 solo trips abroad I knew this time out would be beneficial after a rough first half of the year. I came to Greece to travel, to absorb, to reflect, to experience and to absorb as much sun as my freckles could handle!

I truly enjoy the excitement of planning my own journey and feelings of accomplishment as the journey unfolds not always as intended, the thrill of discovering things for myself, the time for self-reflection and introspection, the admitted self-indulgence of doing whatever I want for two weeks, and though in the case of Greece being a safe country and easy to get around, that slight edge I need when I’m travelling solo.

However planning for this trip had been limited due to other happenings and with time not on my side, I chose to take a four day tour along the way (gasp!). The tour worked out well logistically as it would have been difficult for me to see everything that the tour encompassed in the four days (Mycenae, Epidaurus, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora), I met some wonderful people and it certainly proved a useful way to gain a lot of information about ancient Greece. Alas I truly felt like a tourist, a sheep being herded and I missed my freedom greatly.

After the tour, I was up to six days into my journey and gloriously on my own again!! I travelled down to Monemvasia – a beautiful little town on a rock in the southern corner of the Peloponnese. The journey itself included the ‘delights’ of having a old Greek lady sitting next to me on a rather packed bus for three of the six hours who wanted the window seat. I wasn’t willing to give it up and after her fourth attempt at getting me to do something else I couldn’t understand (in the end it turned out being turning the light on above her head but I’m sure I’d already tried that!) she left me alone. Isn’t it funny how people will speak in a louder and louder voice as if that’s going to make you understand what they are saying? Anyhow, the journey was worth it. Monemvasia was the perfect town for being a nomad chick. It is always the little villages that grab me on my journeys and this one was no exception. I met some wonderful locals, I napped, I swum, I climbed a hill to watch a sun rise that was simply beautiful and I truly enjoyed some time out just for me.

Moving on after three days to Nafplio, I encountered my one and only problem on the trip that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The hotel I was to stay at was insistent I hadn’t sent my credit card details and they were fully booked so on one of the busiest nights ever in Nafplio due a concert at the Epidaurus, I needed to find somewhere to stay. As fortune would have it, someone suggested I go to a beautiful hotel where I was given an amazing studio apartment for only 70 Euro a night. It was a 50% discount on the actual price of the apartment – I think the hotelier felt sorry for me! It’d been a long hot day and the tears rolled but I never felt lonely. These downers are all part of the experience.

I’ve travelled to some places alone in winter where after six, I have to be careful about navigating the darkened streets. However in Greece the night only seems to begin at around nine making it very easy to be out and about both day and night. I delighted in watching a group of small kids playing football in the main square at ten o’clock at night while the adults gathered around big LCDs showing a football game. The next day I visited one of the highlights of my trip – the Palamidi fortress in Nafplio built just over 250 years ago. Perhaps the fact the fortress seemed so young compared to the ancient ruins made it easier to visualise life inside it. It was a joy to explore and photograph, another of my hobbies.

This trip was proving to be one of my most rewarding and I attribute this to learning to pace myself when travelling solo. If you are a person likes me who tends to operate at full throttle when at home, you’ve got no-one to tell you that you are still operating at warp speed. When in Greece, do as the Greeks do. Slowing down made a world of difference and I’d have gone blue in the face before someone would have hurried for me anyhow!

My last stop was beautiful beautiful Santorini. Bearing in mind the amazing sites and experiences I’d already taken in, it took me the best part of two days to really appreciate Santorini. This in itself was a good learning experience for me – for the first time ever, I felt like I’d almost seen too many good things in one trip. Nevertheless, Santorini was magical and my hotel choice was beautiful. While it’s romantic design was better suited for couples, I had a room with a view that I knew I deserved and so I did. People in Santorini seemed more relaxed than in the Peloponnese, though who could hardly blame them living in such a beautiful environment. Two nights of riding on the back of a motorbike with a beautiful full moon added to the great memories. It’s great to meet the locals – especially the tall dark handsome ones!

One of the only times I don’t always enjoy travelling alone as much is over meals. I like to talk about the food and also share it. It also makes choosing food easier! Nevertheless I had one of the most delightful meals I’ve ever eaten abroad by visiting a restaurant on the recommendation of a local. There were three dishes I was interested in but it’d be clearly too much so the waiter kindly arranged for me to have half size portions making for a very delicious meal with some great Santorini wine. It was such a rewarding way to end a perfect two week holiday and celebration of another successful nomad chick holiday.

My last morning of the trip I woke up happy to leave Greece but sad to go. It’d been a break that was much needed, I’d met some wonderful people, seen some amazing sights and now it was back to London to plan for my next trip – Peru!

Summer of Love?? Hmmm...perhaps not.

2007-07-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow nomadchicks! Well, my summer adventure started out actually this past Spring. I decided to go to New Orleans to do some volunteering with a group called ACORN. I was gutting homes during the day, and wandering through the French Quarter at night. Ate delicious food, enjoyed great music and soaked in the culture that is unlike any other city in the states. Two nights before I was to leave, I was sitting at the patio bar at Pat O'Briens when a guy walks over, comments on my Simpsons T-shirt and asks me if I'd like to join him and his friends. I love talking to locals when I am away from home, so I was more than happy to accept. So, long story short, I spent the rest of the night with these guys - had an awesome time and exchanged info with the original guy who approached me at the bar. I went back to CA, and about three weeks later, he flies out for a weekend to go to a concert with me and we decided to give the long distance relationship a shot. I went back out to NOLA for Memorial Day weekend and then I made plans to go back at the end of June and to spend the summer there, as I am a teacher and have the entire summer off. I went back and things just weren't the same...oh well. So, I came back to CA after ten summer days in NOLA. The funny thing is - this is the second time this has happened to me. I met a guy in the Philippines two years ago that I had a long distance relationship with for a few months as well. I think I need to stop dating guys I meet when I vacation by myself... Any of the rest of you suffer from this silliness?? : )

Summer trips

2007-07-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a first time blogger, but I'm going to give it a try. I'm an American that has been living in London since November. I love London, but also love all the places I can fly to in a couple of hours from London! In July, I went to the Documenta 12 exhibit in Kassel Germany. It is a modern/contemporary art exhibit that is held every 5 years. It was started after WWII to help modern art get back on track after Hitler. It is a huge exhibit spread out over the city. It was quite impressive - everything from paintings to video installations. I also went to Prague with a couple of friends. We visited the Jewish quarter, the Mucha museum, and the National museuem. Otherwise, we just walked around and looked at all the beautiful buildings - there are so many of them! In August I'm going to Bruges and Venice. Bruges just to look around and Venice for the Biennale art exhibit. At the end of the month, l'll go home to visit my family in Illinois and have business meetings in Boston. I also have business in Munich - somehow happens to be the Friday before Oktoberfest and we've decided to extend the trip through the weekend! Also, before the fall is over, I want to visit Warsaw with a friend from work who is from Poland. That's about it for now. Although there may be a weekend or two left between now and the fall, so maybe I need to plan another trip!

Welcome!

2007-07-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to set up a blog for all the NomadChicks to write about their fun summer vacations. If you want to share a cool adventure, email me, and I'll add you to the list of contributors! At the beginning of fall, it'll be awesome to see where our community traveled!