What demands daily pleasure? How do you find it when nothing is consistent around you? The location has changed on average every 2-4 days, food, language, people, and myself better or for worse. It is a lot easier to seek a location, but to absorb it and allow yourself to become grounded in the spaces around you, as a traveler is quite the objective. I have found myself often throughout this trip looking around me and my eyes cannot for the life of them begin to process what I am seeing. My brain refuses to believe it even though I am physically standing on soil that looks in no way like my own, thousands of miles away. How does one find the things that hold stability and consistent meaning? 

As a naturally deep thinker who ENJOYS various evaluations of my experiences. I have found myself on the majority of this trip with a sparse amount of thoughts guiding me. Now when I say this, I remain indifferent, but I in no way expected myself to transition in such a way. The adaptation of oneself as life progresses always leaves me with a shudder down my skin with the nuances of being a human. One day you are having these experiences that you cannot help but absorb entirely. Maybe a conscious thought of understanding that this moment will, at some point, end comes to mind. But you remain with an overwhelming presence and simultaneous disbelief of your life. I’ve had many of these moments throughout this trip. In Paris, life felt surreal and ethereal. A discussed and collective dream came to life. It felt like a part of my life I just needed to live and the lessons and fundamental changes would unfold as life continued. 

Greece has felt the same. France and Greece were the locations that started any talk of a trip when we were children, so the sentimental value is higher. We began our Greek adventures in Santorini. Italy was an unreal experience I am so grateful to have had. I saw almost any big site you could imagine from the top of the boot to the bottom. Venice to Pompeii and all pasta and limoncello in between. We moved from location to location fast to visit all the “must-dos” in Italy. Greece is where we all knew we would be able to take a huge breath. We grew up on tails of crystal clear water, the white building, ouzo, and baklava. 

Santorini was a tourist’s dream, we were there for three nights. The Americanization of the Island was not what I expected. I know that the economy on the islands especially relies on tourism and I am from a tourist town so I understand all of this. Yet it didn’t feel right to be far across the pond and see a McDonald’s and Saloon as I walked by trying to find authentic Greek food. I did not expect it to feel like you had to work a little extra to find places that displayed Greek culture while standing on the Greek domain. I also did not expect English to be as fluently spoken and as embedded as it was. I would love to do research on the connection with tourism and the sheer loss of culture or authenticity it can cause in a place. The progression of something so simply human to entirely manicured for an experience that is comfortable for tourists, instead of being entirely immersed in something new and different. Regardless of this opinion, Santorini was still a wonderful place to visit. The sunsets off of the cliffside of Thira were an absolute gift to be able to witness. 

On the first night, we got the much-craved and anticipated Tzatziki, we love Tzatziki and could never get enough. We also tried Ouzo which is not my favorite, but not my least favorite in terms of straight liquor. It is really personal how different alcohols remain to be such cultural staples in countries in Europe. The culture here is so much more celebrated as an art form and a celebration of culture than something to put down and get a little loose from like in America. In Paris, wine and champagne were so subtly drunk in such a classy setting. In Italy, limoncello and wine were also this way. It was part of an experience, to sip a shot of limoncello after a meal to clear the palate. These celebrations of food and drink as a way of being have inspired me to slow down and see what I am eating as a gift without it being shoved down my throat. It regained the magic of cuisine for me. 

Being a college student for four years with a major and double minors with, at some points, an internship and a job to maintain, the food felt more like a burden than a gift to my body. The amount of microwavable, cheap food I ingested made me lose a love of food and the sheer essence it possesses. It is sad how common this is in America. I remember a professor once telling me that on average, an American prepares and eats within 30 minutes. The loss of connection to food, to the art of creating it, and the connecting part of the actual consumption has been readily lost. This trip has enlightened my taste buds and my urge to create experiences out of my consumption again. Something so simple yet so lost to me for years. That is a daily pleasure I am regaining for myself from this gift of a trip that has extended and inspired my palate through the ability to eat and drink as an experience, not a burden. 

On our second night there, we found an restaurant overlooking the beautiful sunset and caldera of the Thera Volcano. My boyfriend had flown in from Arizona that day to meet us for a week in Greece. Something that still feels like it was in some movie I watched, not my real life. The eruption occurring around 1620 BCE was one of the largest known in history where pumice rock from the eruption has been found as far as Egypt and Israel. The eruption has speculations about the Legend of Atlantis and stories from the Bible which is interesting. This restaurant was probably the most eventful dining experience thus far. As we were sitting waiting for our food and talking the music suddenly turned up. Then this older man started throwing clay plates around the restaurant and yelling “Opa”! It was very entertaining watching him give plates to people who at first looked at him very unsure, as you could tell it wasn’t in their normal societal rules to break plates. Then something switched in their brains, also like “FUCK IT” was being screamed in their brain and they would smash the plates on the ground with all bottled-up fiery was within them. Felt like a dining experience served with a side of catharsis. The food was just as good as the entertainment and the surroundings. 

The next day we headed off to Red Beach, a beach with a really creative and self-explanatory name. It was a bit of a hike in, not too far but enough to make you feel ready to cool off with a swim. It was a fun experience, watching both my mother and sister take a swim which was an uncharacteristic site to behold. We then ate the “Best Gyros in the World” from a place called Luckys, a quite subjective claim. This has now inspired me to see if I can find better, a better personal test merely for my own entertainment. To put it plainly they were pretty damn good but the jury is still out. We finished the night with naps, beer, baklava, and some jacuzzi time. Time in Santorini was well spent, but I was eager for our next location, Naxos. Stay tuned.