Goodbye Europe, nice knowin' ya.

I arrived back in Canada on April 21, in the beautiful Vancouver airport with my dear friend, Tara waiting for me in the arrivals area. I felt like landing back in my homeland would be something surreal after spending six months away in foreign lands but because I had been travelling around like a madman in those six months and had been on fifteen flights in total, the sixteenth flight just felt like another flight to another excting european destination, only this time the customs guy was super nice. I walked off of the plane thinking, 'Oh man, what do they ask you here at customs?' I am so used to drilling myself with questions commonly asked especially when entering England (scary!) but I had no idea what to drill myself with this time. Well, it ended up going a little bit like this...

Customs man: Hi! How are you?
Me: Oh... good, thankyou.
Customs man: And where are you coming from and what were you doing?
Me: Well, I just came from travelling around 13 countries in Europe for six months.
Customs man: SWEET! Wow, that would be so cool! Wouldn't that get expensive or did you stay in hostels and stuff?
Me: Ya, I have lots of friends in Europe and stayed in hostels so that made a big difference.
Customs man: Right on!

He then proceeded to ask me about what I bought and all that customs jazz and then finished our conversation with a, "Well, welcome home!" It was quite pleasant and I left feeling like the only thing missing was a table and chairs and two cups of coffee.

Tara and I had about a two hour trip home through public transit (I was staying at her place for a couple of days before heading to real home) but that was no biggy for me being used to all of that but it was sure nice having someone with me to chat away with and also to do all the transit thinking.  I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've used public transit in Canada, so as we got on a bus I asked Tara what to do with the ticket. The bus driver overhears this and says, "Uh oh! Lessons!" I still felt like I was in a foreign land, not knowing how to do the simplest task. We made a pitstop at A&W while waiting for another bus and although I didn't order anything I was still thinking in my head, 'Okay what language would I use to say thankyou here?' I had to ask myself this so many times after I once almost said 'danke' in France. I always had danke, merci, grazie, gracious, and obrigado running through my head that even thankyou started to sound foreign to me.  Most of the day spent with Tara I kept calculating what time it was at home in Parksville, always counting eight hours back, forgetting that even though I am still in an unfamiliar place, I am actually in the same timezone as my family now. I will also have to remember not to look at a price and estimate how much it probably is in canadian dollars because it will already be in canadian dollars! So I'm thinking this whole back in Canada thing will take some adjusting but it did feel nice to walk out of the airport and smell some good 'ol crisp Canadian air, see buses go by that after displaying their destination also read, 'Go Canucks Go!' and although I adore the European fashion, it feels good to be in a place where I know I will be accepted even if I wear my sweatpants out in public :)

So that is Europe. It is hard to believe that six months has gone by and not only six months but the four years where the dream began to grow and grow until it became attainable. I remember talking to so many people about how I wanted to go and without fail, they would always say, "Do it while you're young, do it while you're young!" And I was like, okay I gotta do this.  Now I have. It hasn't been as easy as I thought, but it has all been as enriching as I thought.
I have to send a special shout out to all of the friends and family and strangers I stayed with too...I am so thankful for your outstanding hospitality and generousity and for the oppurtunity to really dive into the culture by being in your homes.  Those times were special times.  I wish you could know how much I appreciated it all.

So, that is that, I'm finding it hard to sum up six special months into words and feel like I'm on my way into making this sound like an Oscar awards speech so I will end by saying it has been a grande adventure that I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me. I did not deserve it. And what I am even more thankful for is that just because the trip is over doesn't mean the adventure is over. All of life is an adventure when you are walking with Jesus. A trip, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or a stellar pair of jeans may satisfy or fulfill you for a while but Jesus wants to do that for us always. For some reason we often have a hard time believing this but it is true, He came so that we could have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). For that I am thankful.

The Roman Baths in Bath, England

Big Ben, London, England

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

Savannah and I on the Eiffel Tower

Mont. St. Michel, France

Beautiful area in a tiny town in the south of France

Marlene and Savannah infront of Arnold Schwarzenger's birth house, Austria

Venice, Italy

Verona, Italy

Fountain of Trevi, Rome, Italy

inside the colosseum, Rome, Italy

Free drinks from a construction worker on one of my favourite days, just chillin' on Santorini Island in Greece

The town of Oia, Santorini, Greece

Meeting Hachiko, love at first sight.

Santorini, Greece

The second sighting of dear Hachiko. We just couldn't get enough of eachother!

Guardi's architecture in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Sintra, Portugal

The most western point of Europe, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

The coolest trams ever are found in Lisbon!

Main square in Lisbon

Tower of Belem, Lisbon, Portugal

The beautiful Algarve, Lagos, Portugal

My birthday sailing trip, Lagos, Portugal

Finishing off my Euro trip with a jump!

Last 2 weeks in Portugal...the last 2 weeks of my trip.

I have now arrived back in Canada but I can't leave you hanging on what happened during the end of my trip so I am here to finish that up but bear with me it is currently 2:00am for me as I just got back today and am ready to go to sleep!
So if you read my last post, you will know that I decided to stay an extra week in Lisbon which proved to be a good decision. It was a little hard at first saying goodbye to the wonderful people I met that first week and then having a wave of new people arrive when my second week began but I survived and was thrilled to have Annelise and Federica still around and of course, the amazing staff. I can't remember doing a ton in Lisbon during this time, I really enjoyed just "being", going out when I felt like it, roaming the charming streets, observing people, aahh I loved it! I went to the beach one day as well and got a little too sun happy. I was burnt bad. It didn't even feel that but because there was a nice wind. A decieving wind. That night I was in desperate need of aloe vera but I did not find any... I found something even better. That evening I met an australian whose parents are actually greek and he is currently living in Germany and speaking very good german, talk about multicultural! Well, in australia they have this pure extract papaya stuff that they use for all sorts of skin discomforts so he let me borrow some, or use some really since I wasn't going to return it back to him, and it worked like a charm! It doesn't have the same cooling effect as aloe vera so I was a little disappointed at first but within minutes I could notice a difference in how my skin felt. Amazing! This same evening us two, Federica and an Irishman went up to that same lookout I think I mentioned in an earlier post for some fine Portugal porto. We laughed and talked away. I was so intrigued by the fact that Federica, an Italian, had to concentrate extra hard on her English as she was hearing it in 3 different accents...australian, canadian, and irish. It's one thing to learn a second language like english but then to have to distinguish through the different accents. Man, I'd admire people who know more than their native language. The next day was my last day in Lisbon. I had no idea what I would do on this last day but I found myself hanging out with the australian/greek/german named Leigh. He hadn't been to the flea market yet so we hit that up, walked around a bit looking for aloe vera and then headed to a really cool modern cafe/bar looking over the Teju river. We got lunch and soaked up the sun and this fine Lisbon moment. That night, a super fun lady on staff said she was going dancing at this really cool brazilian/portugese dance place. It was my last night so I thought why not? Leigh, Federica, two german guys and I tagged along and had a great time. I mostly danced like a funky chicken which was probably quite the sight in a real authentic-you only find it if you're in the 'know'- kinda place but I don't think anyone minded. It sure felt like Portugal in there, though.
The next day was a departure I was not looking forward to but folks, you gotta do what you gotta do. So I headed down to the south on a 4 hour bus ride to a place called Lagos. The southern region of Portugal, known as the Algarve, is beautiful, very touristy but beautiful and I was ready to just lay on the beach so it seemed like a perfect place to do that. It was quite a shock to the system, though from being surrounded by amazing, fun, kind people for 2 weeks straight to being all alone in a hotel room. I wanted to have a quieter week for my last week in Europe just to be able to wind down and reflect on the last 6 months but I didn't expect to have such an amazing experience in Lisbon right before which made being alone more difficult. I eventually adjusted, though and appreciated having this time. It was also my 25th birthday during this week and it has been a little dream of mine to go sailing one day so I thought what better time than now? I hopped on a sailboat with a couple and their six year old son and then about 25 17 year old boys. Not really what I had in mind for my birthday sailing excursion but I had a good chuckle anyway. The trip was absolutely stunning! They take you into these cave like cliff structures on a little motorized boat and oh man, I will just have to put up some photos for you so you can see what I'm talking about! I also wanted to go out for a nice fish meal for my birthday, preferrably on the beach somewhere and there so conveniently happened to be a cute little resturaunt right on the beach right across from the hotel I was staying in. I put on a dress and got semi dolled up and enjoyed some delicious sea bass. I was almost ready to head back when one of the waiters comes up to me and asks, "What is a pretty girl like you doing here all alone?" After going through my first birthday ever where no one knew it was my birthday, therefore no one said or sang happy birthday, and I had not talked to any family or friends, that was like the perfect little sweet birthday gift I could have recieved at that moment. I told him that I had been travelling Europe and that this was my last week and also my birthday so I wanted to go have dinner somewhere nice. He gave me a little birthday congrats, we chatted a bit and then I asked for the bill and he headed off to get it. Instead of returning to the table with the bill, though he came with 2 large, tall, twisty vase looking things. He said one was porto and the other fire water and I could choose to try one and it was on the house for my birthday! I went with the fire water since I had porto numerous times and man, it was firey water! He then went on to say that he thought it was really sad that I was spending my birthday alone and so he wanted to take me out for a drink later. Hmmm....I think he probably was just really sad for me and being nice but my caution lights went on and so I declined. All in all it was a really cool birthday, one that will probably never be again, especially since I will never turn 25 again! But I must say, there is nothing like spending it with friends and family. That is the best.
My week in Lagos soon came to a close after much relaxing. I flew to London yesterday, stayed over night and then flew to Vancouver today. That is that. Europe in 6 months just like that. 13 countries in 6 months just like that. A dream has come and gone just like that. Wow!
There are still a few more things I'd like to write and I am planning to put a couple of photos up from the countries I wasn't able to put photos up for yet like my last visit in England, France, Austria, Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Wow, more than I thought. So this is not the last post yet, just the second last.
Please stay tuned for the grande finale :)

Most Frequently asked questions

 As the end is drawing near I have been thinking about the last nearly six months and all it has contained. Going throughout each day almost just feels like an ordinary day, an exciting day but ordinary at the same time because no matter what you´re doing or where you are life keeps going and the world keeps spinning. Looking back, though it all starts to feel a little more surreal. Now I think, ´Wow! I can´t I believe I did that all. I have wanted to do this for a few years and now it´s nearly over!´As I am still contemplating all of this and probably will for a while yet, there are also other things that come to mind when I look back, like questions that I have been asked over and over again. So just for fun, here are some frequently asked questions in my last 6 months travelling through Europe and mine and their usual response.

1) How long are you travelling for? "6 months." "6 MONTHS?"

2) Where have you all been? of course, the list was either longer or shorter depending on when they asked me but at the moment I feel like I bore people after finishing the final list..."England, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Holland, France, Austria, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal."

3) Where are you from? "Canada."

4) Oh, you´re from Canada, you must be used to this cold weather then? "Um...not really actually. I am from the westcoast and it is pretty mild there. The coldest I´ve ever been in my life was in Germany actually." They look at me like I´m wierd.

5) So why are you travelling in the winter? "It just kind of worked well with things at home and it´s cheaper and less touristy...not sure I will do it again, though." I say as I´m shivering.

6) Do you speak French since you´re from Canada? "Uh...no. I took it for four years but when I was young and now I forget it all. Then I took Japanese. " "JAPANESE?" They look at me like I´m wierd again! I´m thinking about taking up French, though. I really want to learn a second language now that I´ve been travelling. So many people do and I feel a little out of the loop. I thought about German because I like that language and really enjoyed my 5 weeks there where I could pick up some of it but I think I´m deciding on French since I´m from Canada and all. It´ll probably come in handy a little more.

7) What are your plans after travelling? Haha, you can make this one even more frequently asked by asking me personally yourself  :)


8) Have you had any sketchy experiences? "My yoghurt was stolen...twice." Haha, no but seriously, it really hasn´t been that scary. I´ve seen stuff and been on high alert and sometimes uncomfortable but nothing has been directed right towards me, not that I can think of anyway. I do have a week and a half left so anything could still happen but hopefully it can be a whole 6 month streak.


9) What has been your favourite country to visit? This question has been sooooo hard until I came to Portugal. I love it here but with that being said, it doesn´t diminish the amount of love I´ve had for other places too. Each country is so unique and different and my experiences with people have been different as well, all positive but different which has a big impact on how you feel about a country as well. So, it´s hard but I can´t deny that Portugal is definately up there.

10) Do you miss home? I´ve missed home since the day I arrived in England, thought not enough to pack up my bags and leave, I knew I needed and wanted to have this adventure but man, I didn´t know I could miss so many things! I´ve missed Canada alot and have reazlied how much I really love it. I used to think it´d be so romantic to meet some handsome European man and get hitched and move to Europe but boy am I thankful that hasn´t happened because I would desperately miss my home and native land. I´ve obviously missed my family and friends, that goes without saying. I hope you are all prepared to look at 6000 photos too! Haha, I´ll be nice to some of you and show you the condensed version. Little things that I´ve missed probably has a bottomless list but I am definately looking forward to not living out of a backpack anymore, understanding the language, not getting lost, wearing perfume, not having to think constantly about where all my belongings are, although this has trained my airhead of a self very well to think a little more! Because I have finished off in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, I am currently looking very much forward to not having people stare at me and yell things out to me, usually men. Ugh. I thought I would blend in a little more in these countries with my dark features but they apparently have failed me. I guess the backpack and camera give it away but sometimes I walk around without them and I still get the stares and hoots. The other day I checked my forehead to see if there was a sticker on it that read, ´Tourist´ but there was none. I´m not sure what the problem is here!
Ok...so that is not my usual response to that question but that is my answer for all you readers.

Tata for now!

Lisbon has won my heart

Just like Spain, I did not expect to find myself in Portugal but like I said in my last post I wanted to end somewhere warm and since it is right beside Spain I thought it was a pretty convenient place to go to next. Instead of staying four days, though like Spain, for some reason that I can't remember, I decided to stay three weeks and this has turned out to be no mistake. So this is how it all began...I got off the plane not knowing what to expect and feeling nervous like how I felt nervous arriving in Berlin all by myself, having no idea what to expect. Taxis are really cheap here so I decided to take one since the directions to my hostel were a little more on the complicated side. An example of how cheap the taxis are here is that when Savannah and I took one from London airport to our hotel just about an eight minute drive away it cost 34 pounds while on the otherhand my taxi from Lisbon airport to my hostel, about a 25 minute drive cost a modest 16 euros. So I think we've made an obvious observation here that Portugal is a much cheaper country than England. Anyway, so I arrived at my hostel safe and sound and settled in with some nerves and excitement too. The nerves soon died down, though and the excitement grew larger because it was not long until I realized how amazing this hostel is! I wish you could all be here to experience it but instead, I will give you the website of the hostel and command you that if you ever come to Lisbon you MUST stay here. I have never felt so at home in a hostel, it is truly amazing. The staff are extremely friendly and really take the time to hang out with you and this has such a positive influence on all the guests that come through. Everyone really seems interested in getting to know people, spending time with eachother and laughing lots. It's so great! On top of all that, the hostel building itself is pretty cool. It is like a house and the hang out room is full of furniture from the local flea market, there are picnic tables outside where people eat their free breakfast (includes fresh crepes!), a hammock to lounge out in, a terrace to soak up the sun and look out to the river and city. They also have something happening every day from a trip to a cool town called Sintra, a pub crawl, Fado (traditional portugese music) night, going out to hear live jazz music, a barbeque every saturday and a latino party. And to top it all off they have a cook that comes every day and cooks DELICIOUS meals for only six euros which includes bread, olives, wine, and a soup starter right before the main course which has so far consisted of meals like seafood risotto, paella, chicken curry, lasagne and so on. Oh and sunday nights are fresh pasta nights made by their Italian staff member for only two euros. You might be thinking, hmm...this sounds like an expensive place to stay because it is so nice, but its only costing me 18 euros a night, cheaper than some hostels I've stayed in and haven't liked as much. Okay, I'll stop advertising but seriously, stay here, you won't be disappointed. You may be wondering what I've been doing in Lisbon besides hanging out at the hostel...well, on my first day I went on the Sintra tour with the Italian tour guide, a Swiss and a Brazilian guy. We were quite the international bunch. Sintra is a really cool town with a beautiful palace on top of the hill and another castle close by that you can see as you walk down the beautiful trail from the palace back down to the town centre. Afterwards we drove to the most western point of Europe which was super cool and unbelieveably beautiful. I waved in my heart to all you lovely North Americans! To finish off we hit the beach and just relaxed and took it all in. The water was probably the temperature of British Columbian summer ocean water but the guys couldn't believe that I would actually swim in that. Proud to be Canadian! It was a nice day and good for my sanity to spend some time with some guys because I was on my way to meeting my five new roomates...five 22 year old girls from Florida. Enough said. A lot of my days have consisted of walking around, especially in the area of the hostel which is the oldest part of Lisbon (Alfama, where the hostel gets its name) so it has alot of character and culture. One day I also went to an area called Bellem where there is a beautiful monastery and a tower on the water, like actually on the water and I also enjoyed some delicious pastel de nata which is an amazing custard in a crispy and flaky tart shell. You really have to taste it to know what I'm talking about. This kind of dessert all began in Bellem so I got to taste the best of the best. Amazing! I have gotten to know a really nice american girl, Annilese and a crazy cool Italian, Frederica so one night we decided to go out dancing. Um... I took dance lessons for 12 years but going out to some kind of club to like club dance is not something I do so this was a new experience but a good one. I'm not into serious like look at me, I'm so hot dancing so thankfully I found myself dancing with some crazy polish guy who spoke no english but also enjoyed dancing like a goof. Fewf! I got back pretty late that night but not as late as my crazy roomates who got back at 4am and had to get up at 5am to get to the airport. I was almost asleep when my drunk roomates came in, turned the light on, had no concept of  what whispering was and started packing their bags. I got up, slightly angry to say the least, went on the computer for a bit and then headed back to bed just before they finally left. They were nice...but ya. The next two nights, though I had the room all to myself! So, it didn't turn out too bad after all. The next day the fun didn't end when three crazy french people named Melanie, Samy and Sebastien arrived at the hostel. Annilese, Frederica, and I went out with them along with three other crazy frenchies to a place that overlooks the city and drank the famous Porto sweet wine. Apparently, putting six French, an Italian, an American and a Canadian makes for a hilarious time. Too much laughter!
So a week eventually passes and my heart hurts because I have to leave. Leave to where you ask? Down south to the Algarve region where they are supposed to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And you're sad to leave the city you ask? I know it's strange but that is how great my time has been. So, it's April 5th and I have packed all my things and I am  mentally preparing to leave the next day, although saddening at the thought. It's 10:30pm and I am talking to some people about how I don't want to leave and so a couple of them simply say, `Then don't.´ My first thought is that it's not that easy because that has been my mentality the whole way through. I've got a plan and I've got to stick with the plan because it just makes things more complicated to cancel things, try to get your money back and then replan and blah blah blah. But then I started thinking...hmm, you have no plane to catch, you haven't booked your bus yet and since you still have 2 weeks you will still be able to enjoy your last week in the Algarve. And so, within an hour, my accomodation down south was cancelled with no problem at all and I am rebooked in Lisbon for another week. It kind of makes me sound boring but I think that's the most spontaneous thing I've done this whole trip! Felt good. And so I am continuing  to enjoy this wonderful place and the people who really make it to be what it is. Last night it was Melanie, Samy, and Sebastien's last night so a bunch of us went out to listen to some live music and then to some latino dancing club. The majority of the night it was just me and five french grooving on the dance floor as the others left earlier. Too much fun once again.
I am not really sure what will come about this next week but I am enjoying waking up with no plans and seeing what comes my way. This usually involves soaking up a good amount of sun. It has been 25 degrees and is supposed to keep going that way for the next week. Apparently it's usually rainy in April. I am not sure if things can get any better! Needless to say I am extremely thankful for all these wonderful blessings.

Now get your butts over here!

http://alfamapatio.com/hostel/ »»»» Check it out!

Barcelona

Another chapter begun on March 26, Savannah and I parted ways and I was off to Barcelona, Spain while she was on her way to see her sister in Nova Scotia. It was never in my original plan to visit Spain, I never had a real interest for it but I knew I wanted to finish my trip somewhere warm so Spain kind of slipped in there with the heat factor. I stayed just a short four days but it was nice. I stayed in a hostel called the Buba House, not to be mistaken with the Buddha House and it was pretty cool and chillaxed and close to the main street which was super nice. My favourite part about the hostel was that they had some sort of water problem and so they had to do fix it immediately and so I had to move rooms and I ended up staying in my own room the last night and those private rooms are expensive. Needless to say I had a smile on my face. My first day I went for a walk over to Sagrada Familia. I cant load photos now so google it if you get a chance, its amazing. Guardi is the big architect guy here and you can find his stuff all over Barcelona. If you havent heard of him either, get that google going! You will probably see nothing else like it. It really is one of a kind. The beach is very close by which is a pretty important part about staying in a warm place so I visited that one day. The only bummer about beaches in big touristy areas is that you are trying to relax on the beach, soak up the sun and people keep coming by and trying to sell you stuff. The first couple of people werent too persistant but there was this one lady...oh my word. It goes a little something like this... "You want massage?" "No, gracious" I give you massage for 5 euros, just 5 euros." "No" "Massage, just 5 euros" "No" "I massage your arm" "No" Oh my gosh, shes touching my arms. "I massage your neck" "No" Oh my goodness, shes rubbing my neck. "And your legs, only 5 euro." "No, gracious." Oh my word, now shes carressing my legs. Does she not know the meaning of no? "Massage, only 5 euro. You want?" "No! I dont want a massage!" Finally, she leaves me alone. I couldnt quite relax so I didnt end up staying the beach too long but it was still beautiful.
One day I also decided to go shopping. After wearing most of the same clothes for 5 months I was ready to redo the travel wardrobe especially with the weather getting warmer. Boy, was I glad I waited until Barcelona because it has the best shopping I've ever seen. I highly recommend shopping in Barcelona, although if you're from North America, it may be an expensive shopping trip.
Well, my friends that is Spain, I am currently in Portugal and can't wait to tell you all about it because I am so in love. Ciao for now!

A Greek Holiday

To end mine and Savannahs time together we decided to to stay in one place for a longer period of time since we were pretty tired from going nonstop for two months. We both were dying to see Greece so this is where we headed. We thought about visiting a number of islands since we had two weeks but ferry schedules seemed complicated with it being the off season and to be honest, after four months of planning and thinking way too much, I was ready to not problem solve and was happy to stay on one island. So Santorini it was. The film location of Sisterhood and the Travelling Pants and probably the most popular tourist destination in Greece. Its unbelieveably beautiful so I dont blame it for being a tourist magnet but I was glad to be there when there wasnt an overload of tourists. The only bummer about it being the off season as well was things like visiting the volcano and going on a boat tour around the island were not yet up and running. We survived, though with probably a little too much relaxing, I was getting a bit antsy, but we also did some beach visiting and went to the town of Oia which I described in my last post and where I met the wonderful, Hachiko. We stayed in a Villa which is common at least on Santorini. They dont really do the hostel thing. It was nice except that it was about an hour walk to the nearest beach and 15 minute walk into the closest town which was kind of annoying for me because I like easy access to places but because the couple that ran this place were incredibly amazing, no exaggeration, I still loved being there. This couple are on the list of nicest people I have ever met. Typical friendly greeks! When we arrived we were welcomed with big smiles, spanakopita and a glass a wine. Ya...amazing. We also got knocks on our door every now and then with deliveries of some of their dinner leftovers. Fresh greek home cooking for free! Not bad I tell you. Savannah also celebrated her 25th birthday while we were there which contained of a jump in the pool which by the way was the only pool we saw on the island that was filled and we saw alot. Savannah was ecstatic about this since swimming in a pool was on her list of things to do in Greece. The swimming kind of turned into jumping in and getting straight out because it was still quite cold but I must give her credit, she did jump in five times all for the sake of getting a good photo...I wasnt being a very good photographer. I also jumped in, but only twice. It wasnt my birthday. Most people were surprised we would stay that long on Santorini but my favourite reaction was the guy that worked at the first resturaunt we went to, probably our second day we were there. A week and a half into our stay we drove by in our ATV and he yelled, "Youre still here?!" You kinda had to be there. We had some warm days and some cold days but pretty well every day I was out on our balcony eating my breakfast. Those were probably some of my favourite moments.
Anyway, just arrived in Portugal and Im hhhuuunnngry so im gonna check out. If youre a grammar junkie, sorry about all the missing punctuation. If theres one thing Im not going to miss about visiting foreign countries it is that every country has there own version of a keyboard and I cant figure out how to do an apostrophe. Thats all.

Sooo... I may have met someone.

Many of you wondered, predicted and joked around about me meeting a special someone while I travelled the continent of Europe. Well, I am here to tell you that you may have just been right about something!
It all began on the island of Santorini in Greece. I was warned very much about the Greeks and their passionate ways but there was something different about this one. So kind and friendly but not creepy at all. Savannah and I decided to go to the town of Oia one day on the northern tip of the island and also where the movie 'Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants' was filmed. When you think of Greece you probably think of the white buildings and the blue water and it is most likely because you have seen pictures of Oia. It is also known for it's incredible sunset which we planned to end our time there with after exploring the gorgeous town. After our pita wraps we headed to a castle like structure where many other tourists and some locals had gathered to take in the  sunset view. Savannah and I chatted and laughed  about various things as we waited patiently for the show to begin. We were even lucky enough to hear a girl singing to herself 'A Whole New World' as she looked over the vibrant blue waters. We think she was having a special moment. I had a good chuckle but little did I know I was about to embark on my very own special moment. All of a sudden there was someone sitting beside me. He glanced over to look at me. I looked at him and boy was he cute. He was pretty quiet but we got along well and really enjoyed eachothers company. When I found out his name I was a bit surprised because it didn't sound Greek at all. His name is Hachiko and instantly I felt a connection because it is a Japanese name and I took 3 years of Japanese. The sunset was amazing and it was so nice to meet Hachiko but he had to go and Savannah and I also had to catch our bus. I was a little sad to part ways but I thought what is the likelihood of us seeing eachother again anyways considering I am from Canada. But little did I know I was to see Hachiko again. Twice. It was a couple of days later and Savannah and I were going to rent an ATV and head to the other end of the island to visit the beaches. To rent the ATV, our villa calls a company, they send a guy to pick us up and then drives us into Fira (the capital of the island and the town we are closest to) where we then go through process of renting. As we drove into Fira I could have sworn I saw Hachiko walk right by us but I couldn't tell for certain. I was so excited, though and I looked back at Savannah and asked if she thought it was him. She just laughed. Even though the island is small and the towns are small, I had a hard time believing he would come all the way to Fira (a 25 minute drive) and be there at the exact time and place that I was. Oh well. Savannah and I had a pretty good day driving around the island, taking in beautiful views of Perissa and Akrotiki beach but the sun soon began to go down so we thought we should start heading back. Savannah had some postcards to mail in Fira so we made a stop there before going to our villa. I stayed on the ATV while she walked over to the postbox. As I was sitting there thinking about the day and whatnot, would you believe it, Hachiko started walking straight towards me. 'It was him that I saw earlier!' A huge grin came over my face. He said hi and stood by me for a bit but I was just so much in shock I just couldn't believe it was actually him. I thought my brain was playing tricks on me. You have to understand, I really, really liked him but there was just no thought in my mind that made me think I would ever see him again. He got a little closer and had this look in his eyes. If I was going to be serious about this I had to stop my brain from playing tricks. So I made a bold move. I moved a little closer to him as well, put my hand around his neck, grabbed his collar and checked his tag. It said Hachiko. It was him and he was the cutest dog I had ever met!