Backpacks and Barbells

Naples. Rome. Venice. Three Italian cities each with their own culture, own personalities, own uniqueness. Each having a plethora of different things to offer, but all sharing one thing in common. Antiquity and simple, beautiful age. From the countless museums and churches to the quaint cafés and family owned gelaterias, everything  has a story to tell.   Every corner is painted with a sense of history, and everyday the modern day public traverse and live in these streets and buildings once utilized by so many historic greats. I actually found it quite challenging to wrap my mind around this concept, but in the moments that I could "feel" it, it was an indescribable feeling of being connected, of understanding, and of appreciating.  I'll start in Naples. Luckily my first day in the birthplace of pizza was not a precursor to the rest of my time there. My bag dried out, and there was no more rain. Beautiful weather to experience two main highlights of the area: Po...

Italy! Of all the destinations on my list, Italy is the one I am most excited about exploring. My first day in Naples, however, was a reminder that life is still life even when rustic Italian buildings and pizza parlors are your backdrop. Bad days still exist. When I arrived at the Napoli airport, it was raining, and the descent of my flight was delayed due to the weather so we just flew around for an extra hour or so. No big deal. It rains in the US. I had left Santorini almost 11 hours before so I was getting a little tired, but the end was in sight. Or so I thought. The plane finally lands, and it's not just raining. It's a torrential downpour.  The planes in Europe don't pull up cozily to the terminal. They park in what looks a bit like a plane parking lot then you exit using the plane's staircase and a bus shuttles you to the terminal. In my case, all this means is that I am soaking wet, drenched from head to toe by the time I make it to the terminal. Unfortunately...

Next stop.. Santorini. One of the many Greek islands that thrives primarily off of tourism, and after visiting, I can understand why. They are amazing. It's like hitting a slow motion button on life. I traveled from Athens to the island on an eight hour ferry. Not as painful as it sounds. There was plenty of room to spread out, and I met a friend. Lydia. She is a 23 year old student finishing a study abroad program with a few weeks in Greece and would be the one to teach me my first lesson about traveling alone. We spent the evening together in Santorini. We got fish pedicures where you basically stick your feet in a fish tank full of about 200 tiny fish and they proceed to nibble on dead skin until your feet are smooth. Gross right?  I was actually pretty freaked out by it. I enjoyed the experience though, and it worked! Anyways, we had dinner, talked about life, about relationships, about traveling. I got to know her. The waiter kept bringing us free glasses of wine (must be th...

First city in the books. I spent two full days in Athens, Greece, and did the best I could to see all that the city had to offer. With Athens being the first city, I arrived completely exhausted. I left Gulfport, MS at 5 am on Saturday morning and arrived in Athens at 9 am Sunday morning. I hadn't slept. I don't know if it was nerves or excitement, but sleep just wasn't happening. Amazing what you can get accomplished on a 10 hour flight when you don't sleep. Regardless, I strapped on my 37 pound pack and walked into the city. Overwhelming is a good way to describe my first few hours in Greece. Train ride, Greek street signs, euros, and no Google Maps. Stop taking your navigation apps for granted. Real maps are hard. :) I found my hostel and checked into my bed (yes bed. I don't have my own room).. Not quite Hampton Inn but when you haven't slept In a day, it doesn't really matter.  Days 2 and 3 were spent walking the city. Ancient Greek monumen...