Giorni Felice

Update that has taken a while. Sorry.

Spring Break was great. I’m pretty sure I will NEVER again have a Spring Break trip to Greece, so I loved every minute of it. We flew into Athens, ferried to Santorini and Paros. Here’s a few favorite things from Greece:

-The Plaka in Athens. The Plaka was the main area in Athens where many shops, restaurants and street vendors congregated. I can’t say I have ever experienced anything quite like the Plaka before. It was very “Greek” but there were also little men selling fake bags and throw down tomatoes everywhere. The Plaka had a weird feel, but I enjoyed it. We could have sat there for hours and just watched all the people walk around. I also enjoyed the yummy Greek food. Best Baklava found in the Plaka, hands down.

-Paul’s rock in the Acropolis. I enjoyed all of the Acropolis really, but Paul’s rock was the coolest. I would not have known that Paul preached on the rock unless I had read the little plaque. Thank goodness we did! It was pretty neat to think that thousands of years ago the apostle Paul stood and preached, converting many, on the very rock which I was standing. We stayed on the rock for a while and had a great time just wondering around the Acropolis.






-The Greek people. Well most of them. Almost everyone we met in Greece was extremely friendly and nice. Everywhere we went we seemed to get free food, useful information and smiles! I’m a Greece girl! The only Greek who I do not like, is the person that stole Melis’s wallet on the metro. Luckily it was on one of the last days, and her passport was in her bag. God protected us once again.

-ATVs. When we went to Santorini we were advised by George (the owner of the Villas we stayed at, whom we loved) to rent ATVS and explore the island for the day! We didn’t know what to expect, but they were cheap and it seemed like the best option. Having the ATVs was basically like renting a car. They just drive them on the road, and since it was off season, our two little ATVs were the only vehicles on the road. We explored the whole island! It was great fun. Only about died once. We didn’t see a car coming…ATVs don’t have get up like cars…went on 2 wheels…but hey we are still alive and have a story to tell! Thanks for all the prayers, I could really feel them!

- Naousa. Naousa is the restaurant that we ate at twice for dinner in Santorini! It not only had AMAZING food but the owner loved us, probably because it was off season and we were paying customers, and he always gave us free stuff. Note -> if you give people free stuff they will come back. I’m gonna remember that for Wing Wings.

-Betty Apartments in Paros. We stayed in Drios Village in Paros. Drios village: population 80 on a good day. Betty, who owned the apartments, reminded me of a sweet grandma. Her restaurant, which was right in front of the apartments, just happened to open the night we got there! She cooked us a fabulous Greek dinner of chicken sufloki and yummy humus dip. We got free dessert once again. Since there was absolutely nothing to do in Drios village, we ended up just talking to Betty’s son about growing up in Greece and going to the university. It was quite an entertaining night. He told us about dressing up as the “Jesus baby” and going to psychedelic parties on the beach. Before we left Italy, Emily had a Rick Steve’s video on Greece and in the video Rick says “make sure you get to know some of the locals”. We definitely got to know some of the locals, and it was quite a funny experience.

-Greek animals. Dogs. Cats. Donkeys. Random animals seem to be everywhere in Greece. We always had a dog following us, or a cat poking around near us. I enjoyed all the funny animals.

-Greek sandals and pottery. We loved the sandal shops and brightly painted handmade pottery!

-The food. No more pizza and pasta but Greek salads, sufloki, and pita! Yum yum. I really enjoyed the Greek food and the way no one ever rushed in Greece. We would sit at dinner or lunch for two or more hours. I rarely take time just to sit and enjoy meals and company. It was great spring break!

We got home on Saturday and Mom, Al and Gram got into Florence on Sunday. If I wrote about everything we did, all me laughed at, and ate, then I might write a novel. We had the best time! We went to Cinque Terre on Wednesday. We had fun on the trains. Got on the wrong one, bout missed one, got caught in the automatic doors. Good times and great memories. The week they were here seemed like the fastest week I have had in Florence. I was very sad to see them leave on Saturday but there visit just reminded me of all that I love back at home. May 15th will be a sweet day.







-I was in Florence for Easter. There is this weird tradition called Scoppio del Carro. Basically there are 1000000 people standing outside of the Duomo, a mechanical dove flies into this cart full of fireworks, and then it all explodes. It was like the 4th of July but a lot better. The fire cart was legit, but we couldn’t quite figure out how it pertained to Easter/ why it is a Florentine tradition. If you would like to better understand the exploding cart please refer to http://www.ultimateitaly.com/festival-events/scoppio-del-carro.html. One more reason to love Firenze!



-While I greatly missed the annual Easter egg hunt, yummy food, and church with the family, we went to a wonderful Easter service at the English church near Bella Rosa! There are many funny things about the church service. From watching Michel W. Smith YouTube videos for worship, random testimonies, and the biscuits after the service; it’s not your traditional American church. Every time we have gone though, I have been reminded of what the Body of Christ looks like. Tula (the little missionary lady from Finland) starts out the service by saying “We come in the name of Jesus”. Everything about the church to me points to Jesus. The music might be YouTube videos, the speakers may be random people, and the English might not be perfect, but like Tula says: it’s all about Jesus. This week the speaker was a young woman from Kenya who had come to Italy to study design. Before she started she said “I don’t know what to say but the Spirit will lead me”. Her testimony was very encouraging and her story was permeated with the Spirit guiding her. She was dependent on Him, and He led her. Not your typical Easter Sunday message, but so clearly what the audience (I) needed to hear! He has risen!

-Yesterday Melis and I went to dinner with Chiara and her boyfriend, Andrea! We had the best time. They picked us up and drove us outside the city to a pizza place (Pizza Man). Pizza Man had some great pizza! It was so fun to be outside the heart of Florence and at a more local restaurant. We tried to speak Italian to the best of our abilities, but Chiara served as translator for us most of the time! After pizza we got gelato! It was probably one of my favorite nights in Florence! Next Wednesday we are cooking them typical American food. I'm exicted! If you have any suggestions that don’t involve an oven send them my way.

Well I have 2 very long papers due next week that I am procrastinating on terribly! It’s going to be a work weekend. Florence is beautiful in the spring. I love it more every day. Time is flying.

Love and miss you all.

PS….My philosophy paper prompt is: “Does God exist?” That should be a fun one.

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” – St. Augustine Confessions

Wing.Meow.Love.
Becca