travelwithlen

travelwithlen Day 11 // Santorini

'Utopian Spirit'. It's my forever reminder that no matter what, I will always search for the light in my life that makes the dark all worth it. This trip was more light than I feel I even deserve. Greece, you were the most perfect utopia that I could've ever dreamed of, and I will never know how to thank you enough. I'll see you again soon, I promise.

travelwithlen Day 11 // Santorini

Red Beach, you will be the very first thing that I paint when I get home. I didn't know that it was possible for the sea to look so blue.

travelwithlen Day 11 // Santorini

On this day, my very last in Greece, I found a companion in this beautiful kitty. I woke up to find him perched outside of my cave house, and as I took my morning swim in my little pool, he stuck by my side, mewing and encouraging me to get up and explore. So, I did. We talked together for hours, his tail occasionally wrapping around my leg, and even though I knew that I shouldn't, I fed him little bites of my breakfast and lunch, filling him in on every detail of my trip. I couldn't help but feel, after awhile, like I was excited that it was my last day. He reminded me so very much of my own kitties at home, and I thought so much about how much my precious daughter would've loved him, and how my best friend, Tree, would've teased me wonderfully if he knew who I was spending my morning with. This trip has been the most soul enriching, awe inspiring, mind expanding one that I've ever experienced, and I can't wait to come back, someday. But this perfect little kitty reminded me of just how much I love home, too.

travelwithlen Day 10 // Santorini

Sunsets are a fascinating thing, I think. They happen every day, you know? But still, when the sun sets in Santorini, everyone takes a break or goes out of their way just to watch it. Everyone feasts their eyes on the swirling colors in the sky as they promise a blanket of darkness any minute, and I'm not entirely sure if it's the experience or the place that makes it so stunning and more than mundane, but I do know that I was brought to tears when I realized how surrounded I was by people losing the breath in their lungs by the very same sight that I was. "[...] if day has to become night, this is a beautiful way." - e.e. cummings

travelwithlen Day 10 // Santorini

Tomato balls, I discovered, are a Satorini specialty. And boy, are they absolutely delicious. I think I know exactly what dish I'll be trying to recreate when I get home.

travelwithlen Day 10 // Santorini

There's something so profoundly beautiful about being aware of your own happiness. Every day, I experience things that make me happy, things that make me feel alive, things that make me wish so much that time would just slow down... But it's so rare that I breathe it in, and that I see it for what it is. Today, I changed that. I walked through Santorini, the place that I've wanted to visit more than anywhere else for as long as I can remember, and I took in every single second, every single nuance that would ordinarily go unnoticed, of what it felt like to be so fucking happy. For the first time in what I'm sure has been my entire life, I'm not afraid of where my journey will take me next. I'm just fucking happy.

travelwithlen Day 9 // Monemvasia

Orange as far as the eye can see. It makes me miss one of my very best friends. You'd love it here, Muffin.

travelwithlen Day 9 // Monemvasia

This beautiful door was my view from where I had my afternoon coffee. I'm convinced that it leads to a place so magical that even Narnia couldn't compare.

travelwithlen Day 9 // Monemvasia

Originally, I had planned to only stay one day on this beautiful island. There was something in me, though, that just screamed for me to stay a while longer. Anyone that knows me, I think, knows how strongly I hold onto plans. I'm all about rules and regulations, for myself and other people, and when I can, I organize the events of my day down to the very second. This trip, more than anything that I've ever done before, has taught me how wonderfully amazing life can be if you allow the winds to take you to unexpected places once in a while. I learned, today, that although Monemvasia is called "one entrance", there just so happens to be another; one single arched passage that leads out to a rocky cove and this glorious view. I spent this morning splashing around in those waters, singing to the sun and studying the stones that were left whole on dry land, and although I hadn't prepared for it, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

travelwithlen Day 8 // Monemvasia

Nbd, just frolicking through a castle! Oh, how I love old tunnels.

travelwithlen Day 8 // Monemvasia

Hello, pretties. You were a delicious lunch.

travelwithlen Day 8 // Monemvasia

When I was researching before my trip about where to visit, I saw only one person mention how much everyone needs to spend a day in Monemvasia. I knew, though, as soon as I saw pictures of this majestic place, that it was exactly where I needed to be. Monemvasia is a fortress town, perched on an island with a name that literally means "one entrance". An earthquake separated Monemvasia from the rest of the islands scattered around it, and despite all odds, despite being passed around between Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian rule, and everything else that this little town faced, the people of Monemvasia continued to return, restoring their former home time and time again. I don't even have to think too hard to know why. Monemvasia is covered with the most beautiful oranges and browns, like it's spent centuries doing nothing but basking in the rays of the sun, with midevil buildings that pulse with wisdom and strength, and the moment that I stepped onto the island, I couldn't help but feel like I was in a real life fairy tale. It's truly like a world of its own.

travelwithlen Day 7 // Meteora

Heavenly sunsets.

travelwithlen Day 7 // Meteora

Heartbreakingly enough, pictures weren't allowed in the monasteries, except for in this one room. These are the skulls of the former residents of the Great Meteoron Monastery, the largest one of the six, lined up in the sacristy.

travelwithlen Day 7 // Meteora

Nearly all of yesterday was spent in bed. Crippled by a seering headache and a foot still healing from a fracture, I knew that I needed a day of rest, if only so that I could experience my next destination to its fullest. I'm so fucking glad that I did. I woke up bright and early today, fully rested and giddy and full of hope, and I climbed my way up to two beautiful monasteries of Meteora. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Greek Orthodox monks built 20 monasteries perched atop rocks at least 1300 above ground -- 6 of them still remaining today. To be honest, the climb up the rocks was absolutely brutal on my foot, but I didn't even mind, because the view at the very top was the most breathtaking one I had ever seen. Every single care in the world melted away as I stood there, tears in my eyes and my heart tucked away in my throat, and I'm sure, even now, that I have never felt so at peace -- mind, body, and soul.

travelwithlen Day 5 // Delphi

A good brew with an even better view.

travelwithlen Day 5 // Delphi

My next visit was to the Temple of Apollo! God, I wish that a picture could capture just how massive this beautiful thing was. Standing proud and tall, the columns are products of the sixth time rebuilding the temple (which was finished in 320 BC), but the foundation remains intact as the original. For centuries, people from all over Greece would visit the Temple of Apollo to see the Oracle of Delphi, a prisetess who was filled with the spirit of Apollo himself and spoke his word. Standing in what was once considered the center of the world, I spoke to the Oracle about my life, time flying by as words poured out of me like water, and I still wasn't sure what I was looking for above all else, but once again, whether by Apollo or by the voice of the beautiful Athenian woman that had embraced my hands so tenderly just days before, I was reminded that whatever it was, I truly would find it. I walked away with a warmth in my chest and a soothed spirit, and I thank you, Delphi, for giving that to me. I will cherish those feelings forever.

travelwithlen Day 5 // Delphi

This day took me to the ancient ruins of Delphi. There, I visited the Athenian Treasury, a small temple that is believed to have been built between 510 and 480 BC, during the founding of Athenian democracy. During that time, this building housed offerings by Athenians to the Oracle of Delphi. There wasn't much on me that would've sufficed as a gift, so instead, I knealt as close to it as I could and I offered the Oracle my heart, open and beating and hopeful.

travelwithlen Day 4 // Epidaurus

Before nightfall, today, I made my way to Epidaurus. The whole journey, I couldn't stop bouncing in my seat, excitement coursing through my veins almost as much as my coffee was (turns out, the Greeks love their fuckin' coffee), because I knew what was waiting for me at the end of it. When the sun was still shining, I surveyed the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, learning about its history and taking in every crack in its stones that I could. Later that night, after I stuffed myself silly with food, I returned for a performance of Sophocle's 'Oedipus at Colonus'. It was a modern adaptation of the tragedy (the original of which having premiered in 401 BC), and I truly cannot remember a time in my life when I've been so enraptured and captivated by a stage production before. At some point, I had stopped paying attention to the English translations and just watched each actor as their bodies and souls gave everything to their performances, and I'm almost positive that my jaw never picked itself up from the stone seating.

travelwithlen Day 4 // Nafplio

Someday, I will have grandbabies, and they'll enter my warm home through a door that looks just like this.

travelwithlen Day 4 // Nafplio

I spent most of today travelling this adorable little town. Nafplio is one of those places that's somehow so awake and so sleepy all at once, and as I wandered between cafes and shops, I was reminded of how wonderful life can be when you just take a minute to stretch up and smell the purple flowers.

travelwithlen Day 3 // Athens

Finally in bed after a night out of hopping between bars and meeting new, friendly faces. It's my last in Athens, and although I'll miss this beautiful city, I know that someday, I'll be back. I have to be. I haven't smiled this much in such a long time.

travelwithlen Day 3 // Cape Sounio

After my lake adventure, I headed out to Sounio, my very first excursion outside of Athens, to see the Temple of Poseidon. When I arrived, I felt like I was dreaming. The waves crashed around the cliff that held the ancient temple and I was convinced that it was Posiedon himself calling me out to sea. Instead, I sat beside his place of worship and I watched the sunset and thought about how lucky I was to be alive. I was as free as the wind that swooshed past my ears, and I could be as fluid as the sea if I wanted to be, but above all else, I was so, so fucking lucky.

travelwithlen Day 3 // Athens

I spent the first half of today at Lake Vouliagmeni, just 25k from the center of Athens. It's healing mineral waters stay a steady, warm temperature all year long, and it's said to cure so many ailments that I've forgotten most on the list. Truly, I think that I could go back every day of my life and be a happy woman. Tiny little Garra Rufa fish ate at all of my dead skin, which felt delightfully ticklish and relaxing, and the water was so refreshing during such a hot day. There were so many families there, splashing around and relaxing in the waters nearby, but it never felt cramped, as if the lake went on for miles and miles. I can't wait to bring my daughter there someday.

travelwithlen Day 2 // Athens

On my first day here, while I was exploring the Monastiraki district, I met the most incredible local woman who approached me to ask about my tattoos. She had a kind of brightness that reminded me so much of my daughter, and I was happy to answer her questions and ask her my own about her and her beautiful city. She walked by my side for a while and told me that she has a breathtaking view of Mount Lycabettus from the rooftop of her apartment that she eventually invited me to come see. I was apprehensive, at first, wondering if I should trust this woman and her sunshine smile, but there was such a powerful feeling in me that told me to do so. Today, after I discovered museum after museum, I made my way to her unassuming apartment, and together, we climbed onto her roof. She kept her promise. The view of the mountain was one of the most breathtaking things I'd ever seen, and just like the day before, we started talking and talking over a cup of strong Greek coffee. I told her about why I was in Greece in the first place, about how I was searching for something that I didn't know how to identify, and I spilled my story like I'd known her for years. When I was done, she set down her coffee, flashed me that warm smile, and took both of my hands in her own. "You'll find it, whatever it is." That's all she said to me. And I believed her. We kept talking, after that, and then the sun set, and it was so beautiful from that angle that I didn't even think to take a picture. I think that somehow, the gods knew just when to send her to me.

travelwithlen Day 2 // Athens

This is a marble group of Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan, and was my very favorite piece of art from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Here, Aphrodite stands with her young winged son, Eros, covering her genitals and brandishing a sandal to fight off the erotic gaze and hold of the horned and goat-legged Pan. It was discovered in Delos in 1904, but it dates back to about 100 BC, and although I saw many other ancient art pieces throughout my day of hopping from museum to museum, this is the one that really stuck with me.

travelwithlen Day 2 // Athens

As I was having my morning coffee in the Plaka today, I was joined by a beautiful friend. After a few minutes, he crawled up to sit in the chair right next to me, and we people watched together as I told him all about my plans for the day. I already miss him alot.

travelwithlen Day 1 // Athens

What strikes me the most about Athens is that it's a city of contradictions. As I set out to take in everything that I could, it felt like I was bouncing between two worlds. One ancient and preserved, each nook and cranny packed with centuries of wisdom and classic beauty, and the other in modern ruins, graffiti lined walls and all. Truly, Athens is as ugly as it is beautiful, and it reminded me so much of home in that way. Destruction, maybe, is in the eye of the beholder, because when I came across this piece of art, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the life and spirit that refuses to leave Athens, even after all this time.

travelwithlen Day 1 // Athens

Fuck, this souvlaki was delicious. It was so full of flavor and so warm, and I tried my very hardest to savor every bite that hit my tongue, but embarrassingly, I scarfed it down in seconds. So I went back later that day and had another. The thing is, I've eaten souvlaki and gyros possibly hundreds of times in my short life, and I'm not entirely certain that the meal itself was any better than what I've tasted previously. The magic, I think, is that I wasn't just eating any old souvlaki. For the very first time, I was eating souvlaki as I walked the streets of the very country in which the dish itself came from, a place that I had spent so many years dreaming of exploring, and a place that I had thought for so long was reserved only for my books and framed photographs. I think I might just have to order it for a third time tomorrow to test that theory out.

travelwithlen Day 1 // Athens

I don't think that I'll ever forget the feeling that bubbled away in my chest when I first laid eyes on the Acropolis. From the moment that I stepped onto the streets of Athens, I started crying. The tears of joy kept coming, even harder so when I got my first real look at the Acropolis. I learned, quickly, that when the Parthenon was constructed, there were actually acropolises in nearly every major city-state in Greece, but what made the Acropolis of Athens so special was that it wasn't a symbol of war or defense, but rather, of democracy and peace. It was a sanctuary. And as I stood beside the breathtakingly ancient Parthenon, as I overlooked the vibrant city of Athens and took in the view of Mount Lycabettus rising up in the distance, I realized that what had made me so emotional was that the Acropolis had become a symbol of my sanctuary, too... And I was there. I was present. In that moment, I knew with every single fiber of my being that I was gonna spend the rest of my life chasing after that feeling. I have such a beautiful journey ahead of me.