Bringing everyone up to date on our whereabouts!

So while we were in Florence, besides stalking Ronnie (haha) and biking to Tuscany, we shopped and took trips to Lake Cuomo, and then a longer stay in Cinque Terre. Lake Como (we did instead of going to Capri or Venice) was absolutely gorgeous, even though we were there on a rainy day. We got off the train and walked right into the lake basically. From there, the shops, churches, and other beautiful places are in walking distance. This town was so friendly and not filled with all the typical italian hustle and bustle that we had seen so much of in Rome and Florence. We walked around pretty much all of Como and thought about taking the ferry tour but we didn't have enough time. They did have GREAT gelato there though and we spent the day in a cafe admiring some nautical souvenirs (ITB ladies!) and then browsing through beach attire at the local shops. We even got to see part of a wedding reception with a gorgeous bride outside right on the lake. 

After the day trip, we were off to Cinque Terre for 3 days. This was the MOST amazing part of Italy in my opinion (thanks Kristin and Gwennie for the suggestion). We tried to stay at Hotel Pasquale but they didn't have any space but recommended us to a woman they knew who rented out an apartment. Our "landlord", Carolina, was so freaking cute and awesome. She is the epitome of an older Italian woman. She is 84 and did not speak one word of English but we managed to communicate with her pretty well. She actually lived across the street and one floor up from where we were staying and kept a pretty watchful eye on us which made me feel super comfortable. We also had a fully stocked kitchen and a supermarket across the street so we were able to do groceries and make some home cooked meals for ourselves. There was also a washing machine in the apartment so we were able to do some much needed loads of laundry! Things were starting to get a little bit smelly...

As for Cinque Terre itself, the villages are absolutely breathtaking. Our first day there we got settled, did groceries, and laid out at the beach for hours. The water is crystal clear blue and even though the sand is made up of big chunky rocks, after a long day of tanning swimming in that ocean was pure bliss. We stayed in the village called Monterosso del Mare, but there see 4 other ones to choose from that each have their own uniqueness to offer. On our second day here we woke up early and did the hike between Monterosso and the next village, Venazza. Cinque Terre is connected by hiking aths as well as trains, so there are 4 different paths that take about 5 hours altogether to hike. we were feeling ambitious and wanted to so the whole thing, but the two middle passes were closed due to land slides.

 So our hike from Monterosso to Vernazza took 2 hours. It's supposed to be the hardest out of the 4 hikes, loaded with lots of ancient steps and steep cliffs/edges that are tricky to navigate with oncoming hiker traffic. It was definitely worth it to go. After a long day of hiking, we refueled with some delicious pizza and hopped on the train back to Monterroso. We headed straight for the beach again, and spent the rest of the day tanning! (much needed)

Our last day in Italy, we left Cinque Terre early because there was a serious mass of rain falling and we didn't see it letting up any time soon. We flew out the next day to Mykonos!

Well first off,We had a 5 hour layover in Athens so took that as an opportunity to have Greek salads, do our eyebrows and get manicures! 
 Then, my mom and sister surprised us and were waiting in the lobby of the hotel when we arrived! BEST FAMIY EVER I was thrilled and she brought us tons of shampoo and conditioner which we really needed. And if you know how close me and my mom are you know why I was so thrilled (Grace gets it cause she knows I'm a freak who talks to my mom about 10 times a day- I love her!!!) It was really awesome to see familiar faces and they had already figured out public transportation and the bus routes so we didn't feel as lost as we usually do. Our first dinner in Mykonos we went to Kounelas Fish Market where you can pick your own fish from these drawers and they cook it for you right on the spot. All the food in Greece was so fresh and delicious that we ate all the time. Instead of Gelato, the big dessert in Mykonos were crepes so you can imagine how many of those we had.

The next day, we went to paradise beach which is pretty famous and that was really cool too. We laid on the sand and read books, had some slushy drinks from the bar and spent the day in complete relaxation. At night, we all got dressed up and went to this restaurant called Joanna Niko's that is rated as the number one restaurant in Mykonos on trip advisor. The view of the ocean is absolutely spectacular but we had a unique experience because a huge cockroach was crawling by our table and the hostess pretty much just stomped on it and kept on walking like if nothing had happened. Everyone was really nice about it though, they comped our meal and we went into Mykonos town for crepes (yay!)

The next day, we visited a famous Monastery, Ano Mera, and even got to take pictures with one of the monks! Did I mention Mykonos has a serious cat infestation problem? Well that included this monastery but it was still simple and beautiful. We walked about two miles to Elia beach after that which was my favorite beach In Mykonos. We rented beach chairs and lounged around, had milk shakes and some baked feta and Greek salad at the beautiful Oceanside restaurant there. The next morning, my mom and sister left which was sad but grace and I had the day to ourselves. We lounged around all day, sat by the pool in our hotel (vanilla which was amazing and lights vanilla scented candles at night time), and we walked to Ornos beach that day for lunch. At night, we were going to go to Mykonos Bar, and Caprise which was highly recommended to us by most of the young peole we met. But we ended up not going because as we were taking out money from the ATM for the night, graces debit card was forever swallowed by a Greek ATM and we had to handle that situation. 

The next day, we flew to Istanbul and we are exploring this wonderful city now! This Saturday marks the halfway point of our trip. Isn't that so weird?? I'm having mixed feelings about it. And no, Grace and I have not killed each other yet, surprisingly. We have been doing a really great job at this whole traveling thing and I am really going to miss her when we are not with each other 24/7!

More updates on Istanbul soon. Thinking of you tons while we are here, ASH!


xoxo
BECCA