Farewell Hellenic Republic, Hello Eire

New country, same Euro

I’ve come to the end of my Greece adventures and I’d like to say they were epic but the Greeks literally invented the epic so I’m not sure my humble travels can quite live up to that standard. I did climb to the summit of Mytikas on Mt. Olympus (which required a guide, several meters of rope with elaborate knots, and a lot of praying to anyone in the Pantheon that would listen to not let me fall to my death); I also went outdoor rock climbing for the first time, tried scuba diving for the first time (almost more scary than Mytikas, to me), and saw an mind-boggling amount of statues and ruins and the foundational history of Western Civilization. I also spent a lot of time on the beach. All in all not a bad month’s work.

Selfies at the top of a cliff are part of good Rock Climbing Safety, right?

Thanks to everyone who reached out with birthday wishes and sentiments. It was definitely a very special birthday. Having Rob with me in Greece made it a very special birth-month, actually; he planned out most of our itinerary for the month and absolutely nailed it. We saw all the iconic “Greek” highlights: the Acropolis, Olympus, Meteora, Delphi, the islands. And we got off the beaten track to see some of the smaller sides of the country, like high mountain villages and un-touristy beach towns and quirky local museums run by quirky local characters. It was a perfect mix and I’m grateful to him for all the work he put into making it . . . hey ChatBot, what’s another word for ‘epic’?

It doesn’t get much more epic than a stormy rainbow over the Acropolis at night

Rob left to return to Philly a few days ago and I’m back on my own which, after having his company all month, is kind of disheartening. He treated me to a birthday dinner on his last night here which was a very fitting bookend to our adventures here. Fitting because the food was incredible and the experience was memorable and also because, like many of our adventures here, it was kind of unintentionally hilarious.

I’m headed next to Ireland; my flight leaves tomorrow morning and I arrive in Cork by the afternoon. I found a pet-sitting gig in a tiny village in Waterford County and I’m looking forward to staying still for a while. I have lots of stories to tell about Greece so I’ll be getting caught up once I arrive in Ireland.

I do have about a week and a half in the middle of the month when I won’t be pet-sitting, so I plan to see more of the country during that time. Send your top recommendations for the Emerald Isle to help me plan! I’ve never been there before.

Also I’m looking for a new book to read while I’m in Ireland. I’d love any recommendations you guys have for good Irish literature! It should be something set in the country, and ideally a travel book.

Just finished: “Roumeli” by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Help me decide what to read next!

That’s my update! Stay tuned and I’ll have more stories coming soon! Drop your book recs in the comments!