Dora the explorer..aka Island hoppers

315am came way to quickly..Laura got about 3 hours and shells..maybe 1!! That's okay we were excited to be getting ready for the day. We are doing a one day cruise that takes you to 3 different islands; Poros, Aegan and Hydra! We have to catch the first bus at 5am so we leave at 4:40 to walk down the hill. Along with us comes our backpack because of course we need a new outfit for each island!! We sit at the stop for about 20 minutes and make friends with two puppies! Stray dogs are everywhere and they are all so cute!!! We get to the city at about 6:20 then take the metro over to the port. We arrive to the port at about 7:15 and boarding opens up at 7:45. We head over to gate E2 and see no people. We are so confused and ask people who were hosing down a ship. They are confused, don't speak English and point us in a different direction. We head that direction just to get pointed somewhere else. The port is ginormous and there are no help desks or anyone that knows anything! Including the taxi drivers. It's now 8 and we are panicked to no end. Literally sprinting and I mean full out Sprint, hauling along backpacks and purses. Sweating, crying, laughing, running in circles. Oh man I wish this could have been recorded or if its on camera, security guards somewhere are getting a dang good laugh!!. Last night we were on the phone with Harry as he was calling is blondes and joking the ship WILL leave us..so now a taxi says he knows and takes us to the other side of the port. We finally see a desk and the lady informs us this is for three day cruises and we were on the totally wrong side, but thankfully she was helpful and calls the company we are with...only to inform us our ship just left..at this point if was 8:15. Shelly officially loses it and was probably able to shower in her own tears and Laura just kinda chills..reaction-less and bummed! The lady said if we go to the flying dolphin we can pay to take the fast boat over to Hydra, the first island of our boats arrival, and from there just hop on our ship. She walks us out to a taxi at 8:20, talks Greek to the driver and gives him exact stern directions! Thank you God! Shelly in the back of the taxi in her tears gets them all out and begins to laugh because Laura is just laughing at the disastrous morning and the fact we did everything in our power to find the dang boat!! We get off at 8:30 to go purchase a flying dolphin ticket aka speed boat, and the lady gives the tickets and whistles at someone...come to find out the boat left at 8:30.. not 9.& we literally JUMPED on..the plank had already been removed! sheesh..talk about a hectic start..ok ok so we sit down, take a breather and then just laugh. What else can you do. The boat ride was about an hour and a half long. Drops us off at Hydra to find out we beat our boat by about 20 minutes! Hooray we are back on schedule! We spend a couple hours at Hydra, where the only transportation is via donkey! Of course we do it and get the cutest little nuggets! We sight see, Laura stops for an expresso and for a Greek beer then we hop the ship where we ride it for about 1.5 hours then get off at the next island Poros! Everyone working aboard was so nice. One guy we met Angel, was Shelly's Angel because it got chilly for a bit and he gave up his sweatshirt all day! Laura went out to the deck to take pictures and ended up going into the captains deck and motioned shelly to come too. When she walks outside the wind blows her hat off and all the way to the other side,she was like a little kid trying to catch a kite...she would sprint, then grab air because the hat continued down the long side deck of the boat, past the dining area which has windows. After almost losing it overboard several times she finally catches it and walks back inside the main dining area, raises up the hat and says to the entire cruise ship, panting and out of breath, "its okay!!!, I got it..." and the entire room started clapping! She then heads into the captains room laughing so hard and relays the story to Laura since she didn't know this happened! We end up driving the boat, honking the horn and wearing the captains attire! The first time Shelly goes to honk the horn..she slides her hand right over the gas level and presses the speed up a bit on accident...after that they were a bit weary of her honking! Everyone in Greece is so friendly but just SO clueless about directions from what we've experienced everyday. Our last destination was Aegan. Clear waters, mountains in the backgrounds, yachts, blue skies, shining sun and happy people! At this point Laura can no longer window shop as she bought sunglasses yesterday, and today a super cute white dress from a boutique on the island. Overall it ended up being a fantastic day! Plenty of wardrobe changes, a nice lunch on the cruise ship, and wonderful entertainment from the cabin crew. As we walk off the boat and the last people pretty much..we are far away and the ship starts honking and waving so in return we mooned them being so far away! We then get McDonald's and Shelly gets some sun glasses and Laura indulges into buying two more purses and two wallets! On the way back, there was the cutest boy ever wearing chucks and Laura swears up and down she fell in love with him even though they only had eye contact! After the metro we head to our bus stop and Shelly runs into a restaurant/classy bar to use the potty and an employee comes outside to say hello and all within the few minutes he pours Laura a shot and we all have a quick conversation because then our bus to Saronida pulls up! It takes over an hour to get home and its almost 10:30 by now. We've been up since 3 and have so many blogs and pictures to add!

"…Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord god, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations." Revelation 15:3

lexi

Our feet have surfaced where billions of athletes once competed!!

The next morning we attempt to wake up and get moving a little bit earlier. We head to the bus and back into the city. The weather was actually chilly today and rainy..humidity..not working with the hair at all! And the flip flops not working on the wet marble tile..let's just say we hydro plained a lot..but no falls luckily. We are in shorts and like always..just get looked at like we're crazy! Today we visited the Olympic stadium, the national gardens, the parliament, the university, national library, Hadrian's Arch and Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Olympic stadium...Holy Moly. I would fly back just to visit. We did a tour with the recorded handset, and there is so much history behind it. It was so cool to be walking the same track that naked Greeks used to run on!! The stadium is made out of white marble and is beautiful. From the top of the stadium you have the most breath taking view of the Parthenon. We get back home around 10 or so and pack for our cruise of the Greek islands the next day!! -----> thank you thank you harry.

"Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does." 1 Chronicles 16:24

lexi

Sea Me!

Ahh it feels so nice to be waking up in a bed with the view of the beautiful Mediterranean sea...compared to the prior night of sleeping in the Milan airport on the cold, nasty...let me rephrase that...disgusting floor. We slept in until about 10. We were still on cloud nine and feeling so lucky to have the two Harry's being so hospitable to us. After just one day of talking with Harry we felt like we'd known him forever. He is such a hard worker, appreciative of everything he has and willing to make us feel welcomed, just like home! We head for the train and take it into the city of Athens! We actually had no problems finding anything! Props to our inner compass! We visit the Parthenon of Acropolis and it was HUGE! And of course so much construction. We met a lot of Americans here. We then window shopped a bit, had some greek yogurt topped with all sorts of yummies. We then planned on going to see the Olympic stadium..took one look at each other and decided to save it for the next day. The sunsets and skies are so gorgeous here we hopped off the bus at a random beach stop and walked up and down the entire pier where there were rows and rows of yachts and beach bars. We walked up and down in amazement, getting goosebumps of how unreal this is! Our little bodies were pooped! We got home, had a glass of wine on the balcony, listened to the beautiful sea, watched a few episodes of Audrina, polished off our cookies, ice cream and chips and passed out! It was a short day but a well needed one.

"Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people!" Psalm 66:5

lexi

Livin' In a dream world!

Greece…is this a Dream?!?!

Of course, our day started after spending the night in the Milan airport waiting for our flight at 10:35am. Cold floors, no food, brutal! But we're heading to Greece so it's all ok:) We were hoping to sleep on the flight but we literally had little kids surrounding us on all 3 sides who would NOT stop yelling and running around. Yes, I literally mean running around and jumping on chairs, while their mom just watched/encouraged. Where's the Super Nanny when you need her?! Anyways, all was forgotten when we looked out the window right before we landed and saw the bluest water with aqua around the shores ever! The person we are staying with, Harry, in Greece was one of Shelly's clients at the Chicago electronics show, and she had mentioned the Europe trip and Harry insisted we come and that he even had a place we could stay. When we arrive in Athens, another Harry(yes, two Harry's…this could get confusing, so we'll call him Jr.), Harry Jr. picks us up from the airport and takes us out for lunch at a Greek restaurant. What do ya know, they have kebabs in Greece too!!! Harry Jr. insist that these are the real authentic kebabs though and we all chow down. Then he orders us desert AND a pineapple shot! One amazing welcoming to Greece:) After lunch we head to his office where we meet up with Harry(the one we are staying with), and he shows us around and introduces us to everyone in the office. Every one is just so incredibly nice. He then shows us a condo he had built inside the first floor of his office building. He works so much and his wife missed him, so he had it built and they stay there most of the time. Then he takes us to another one of his companies, Alexi Andriotti, a women's accessory designer. He shows us around and introduces us to everyone and again everyone is just so incredibly nice, the jewelry, purses etc. are to die for! Seriously, everything in there is so stinking cute! Harry even has 4 original Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe prints. So what do we do…take a picture in front of them of course. Then, he tells us we can grab anything we want from the showroom! I'm sorry, I just turned in to David After the Dentist(youtube it)…"Is this real life??" We're handed a huge box and told to fill 'er up! It was so amazing!!! We picked out cute hats, beautiful earrings and necklaces, amazing bracelets, purses, shoes, headbands etc.!!!! I still can't believe it as I'm typing it. He mentioned it to me back in Chicago, but I just had no idea he was telling the truth lol!! Then we head off to the beach house we are staying at in Saronida. It's on top of a hill over looking the Aegean Sea!!!! Again, "Is this real life?!". That's not even the kicker…he owns 3 other houses so he's not even staying here. He hadn't been to this one in over a year and it's BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! The view from the balcony is jaw dropping. We chat for a little bit, he orders us some food and then he heads back to work(it's 10pm). He literally never sleeps. He is one of the nicest, smartest and generous guys I've ever met. To give two girls, one pretty much just an acquaintance and the other he had never met before, the key to his house and not just a house, but a fully furnished OCEAN VIEW house, means something. He's one in a million!! We're seriously on cloud nine right now and can't wait to wake up in the morning and go explore Athens. Wait, if I fall asleep I'm not gonna wake up in the morning and find out this was all a dream am I? Maybe we'll sleep with our fingers and toes crossed…just to be safe:)

"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship." Psalm 19:1

lexi

Bbbblack Forest!

Finally made it to the Black Forest!!

Going to the Black Forest had always been one of the things we wanted to see, but people over here didn't think it was that cool to spend time on…bummer. So we had pretty much lost hope on getting to see it. But low and behold, after 1) spending 3 hours in the Stuttgart train station b/c we arrived back from Amsterdam at 4am and didn't want to wake Jen up, 2) getting caught not having a ticket for the Metro, therefore kicked off, and 3) walking almost an hour to her place after that(of course we walked 15min the wrong direction at first), we arrive to her place and Jen wanted to go see the tallest waterfall in Germany which is in THE BLACK FOREST!!!! Aaaahhhh victory is ours!! We hop in the car and head to Triberg which is about an 1 1/2 hours from Stuttgart. The drive there is just beautiful. Rolling hills filled with yellow flowers, with the black forest as the back drop. *Side Note* Supposedly the stories of Hansel & Greta  and Little Red Riding Hood took place in the forest. They were made up to keep the children out of the forest. Would have kept me out! I don't want any witches trying to push me into a furnace! *Side Note Ended* We accidentally pass Triberg by 5 minutes, but it turned out being just fine b/c we were able to see one of the biggest CooCoo clocks ever! It was the whole size of a building. We followed the signs that say "wasserfall" which is the German word for waterfall…just in case you couldn't figure that one out lol. We make it to the bottom of the mountain and have to hike up only about 8 minutes to the bottom of the waterfall another 15 minutes to the top. So pretty and so calming. Lunch time!!! We head to the cute little town, which is known for Clocks, and eat in the neatest authentic German restaurant. We had cheese noodles and thin fried pork. Yum! Then, like another miracle, Jen has another great idea….go to the hot baths and spas in Stuttgart. Best day ever?!? Maybe. So we look at the shops there quickly and then hightail it back home. After 3 1/2 weeks of lugging around a back pack, you would hurry too!! These muscles don't lie. We all thought they supplied towels for you, but apparently, they don't. Jen brought her own, Laura payed 4 Euro for hers, and Shelly opted out and just used a button down shirt she accidentally stole from one of the guys on the boat we were on in Amsterdam. What can I say, I'm frugal! Though it was hard getting it to cover me in the nude areas. Oh, did I forget to mention this was a nudest spa? We were quite nervous at first, not knowing if we could control our laughter/stares at all the, as Adam Sandler would say it, "Old Balls", but it wasn't too bad. It's just so normal for Europeans to be naked like that. Seeing them feel so comfortable made us feel good too…so in the saunas we let it all hang out and not one guy was a creepster and stared! All the saunas had different scents like orange and lavender. One even offered a sea salt scrub every 30 minutes which Laura participated in and LOVED it. It was a very relaxing night indeed, especially after the craziness of Queens Day. For not expecting to do anything today I think we scored pretty big, high rolla status fo sho! Now we have to do laundry and pack up all our stuff b/c we leave Stuttgart for good tomorrow and head to Milan and then Greece!! PEACE!!!

"How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in Him should ponder them" Psalm 111:2

lexi

River Raft Race has nothin' on ya Amsterdam! ;)

The next morning we wanted to be at the train station at exactly 7am because we weren't sure if the lockers would just unlock or how they worked since they closed it so early. Plans change as usual when we wake up at 9…Joost was in his room still asleep. So we fold up the blankets and sweaters and hit the streets to head back to the train station. Its 9am we are in our sundresses and flip flops and once again its about 40 degrees in the morning..Everyone is already outside of all their stores selling things. Like a big flea market but with anything and everything..Shelly is ready to "wheel & deal"..aka say ONE EURO over and over and see what she could find some Queen's day orange! Queen's day you wear orange  and we are walking the streets in BRIGHT YELLOW  getting stared at like "those poor freezing cold girls..and clearly they got orange and yellow confused"! It was about a 20 minute walk and we arrive back to our lockers where we see the gate locked and security there! He tells us sorry we had signs that said after 7pm you couldn't get back in until Sunday morning at 7am..do you really think we know what day it is? We didn't realize today is Saturday not Sunday..After looking so cold and helpless, they call over head security people and 3 security and police let us in to get our stuff..and they let us change..and put on the warmest gear we brought..tennis shoes..shorts and a spaghetti strap..check check..But that night we are taking a night train and the lockers aren't open at the train station..GREAT! we can't haul around this heavy backpack all day..ya right..so we ask hotels if they will hold our luggage for the day if we pay. After a few No's we finally met a sweet lady that will hold our bag for 5 Euros..done deal! We finally now don't stick out like tourists..we have the correct face paint..orange colors…boas..and we bought ski hats..it was so cold and they were selling them on the street..so we decided to buy them since A) they were cute B)when your ears are covered we were SO much warmer..and C)they were orange! check check check…Laura starts her day with a snickers and peanut M&M's and a coke..and we both start our day with a screwdriver! We walk the streets of AMSTERDAM! Once again when we get everything organized we get the goosebumps and cant believe we are here!! We walk up and down and still have the same opinion. Everyone in Europe follows the rules and everyone is always so happy at big festivities!! Back in America, when big celebrations happen there are always cops everywhere, fights are bound to happen and you see people drink wayyyy to much. But here everyone drinks a lot but is always smiling and genuinely so happy! We go in and out of pubs, cafes and little stores. We also had to stop by "Dampkring" because that is the coffee shop from Ocean's 12.  There are so many canals in Amsterdam because back in the day it was security to their city…as of today its boat after boat..kind of funny how River Raft Race is going on and yes we were bummed we couldn't attend it..then what do ya know..we find our own river raft race..people even hop from boat to boat..once again we feel right at home..we stroll up and down the canals with our drinks just laughing and meeting people left and right..we finally decide we have to get on a boat somehow! We just start waving until a boat comes over..the canals not big so we knew this was safe parents! A little motor boat comes our way and lets us hop on..there were about 6 or 7 people our age. The boats all have radios, drinks, snacks and everyones just partying away! We even start to get a little sunburned b/c the days are beautiful besides for the chilliness of the morning. Afterwards we all hop off to go go the bathroom and we lose them..but we did find people who bought Laura a snickers! All I was doing was asking the cashier how much, b/c i DEFINITELY didn't need one..now that im almost up 15 pounds))but of course I saw it and craved it..the person checking out just said don't worry about it, I'll buy it for ya..so of course I had to eat it! Which then leads me to subway..where I get a sandwich..chips..and a cookie! I swear!!! My sweet tooth is on full force because after that I ordered a vanilla frosted waffle..I need to take lessons from Shelly! We then head to souvenir shops to buy postcards and stamps. Then once again just pub hop for a bit longer!  The party was calming a little…and we were exhausted so we headed to the train station a little bit early..Our train was leaving at 830pm and arriving in Stuttgart at 415am..we did this so we could just walk back to Jen's and not have to couch surf again or search for the fully booked hotels! Shelly gets a kebab (addiction! we are going to start up a kebab RV on 6th street and bank$$!) Laura gets a 3 foot piece of bread and then we get 2 bags of chips and cookies for the night train! We are too scared to be stranded hungry :)! We finally board our night train, wash our faces, brush our teeth and pass out! exhaustion level > Laura Shelly. Time is flying in general but our days, hour wise, are SO long that when we are gone just for those 2 days it  feels like a minimum of 4! We wake up at 4am and decide to hang out at the train station for a bit because we don't want to wake Jen up..and poof..Laura gets bit by a spider on her CHEEK! its a good look!


"The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track; the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch." Proverbs 15:8
lexi

Tippy-Toeing through the Tulips!

Adios Stuttgart! We had spent the day at Jen's place because she is closer to the STU HBF aka our second home..the train station. We were taking an overnight train to Amsterdam and it didn't leave until 130am. We hung out that evening and introduced Jen to words with friends!..That kept us up until it was time to head to the train station. We normally reserve actual beds for the overnight trains but they always cost more so this time since we were "coming from stuttgart" where we should be rested, we just reserved reclining chairs. Who ever invented them did not sit in them after they were designed! Laura's long body was not fitting. It was pretty uncomfortable. We arrived in Amsterdam at 930am. We head to burger king for our morning wifi and breakfast! Disaster..it took us 30 minutes to order and get our food..no public restroom and no wifi :(! night mare..and so much time and calories wasted. We end up paying for a toilette and we change and get ready for our first day! We lock up our bags in the train station because we are couch surfing tonight (will explain later) & we don't want to go put our bags up and waste more time. They inform us because tomorrow is Queen's day the lockers will be closing at 7pm instead of 24 hours. Okkkk, we figure that if we hit up Ann Frank's Huis and the Keukenhof tulips we will be back just in time to get our luggage and carry on to where we are staying. We arrive to Ann Frank and the line took us right under 2 hours. We notice the lady in front of us has on the same flip flops as Shelly. Of course, we must let her know and she ends up speaking English. Her name was Marika & she was traveling alone from Florida..a mother of 2 and her daughter had just moved to Austin..small world! She told us a little about her self and how she had been a florist for 15 years..a masseuse..went to culinary school., ect…she was a super mom! Ten minutes later we are in line and she is massaging knots out of both of our backs from our backpacking! We end up staying in touch with her through out the entire "huis" of Ann Frank. This house was so sad. We read books back in school but to actually put the images you imagined while reading the book to real life is surreal. By the way in no means is a house big when you are trapped in it..but in general the house was a lot bigger than we both expected. It was 4 stories.."mansion like". There were so many videos, pictures and her original diary. AHH It's so hard to imagine everything Jews went through during this period. They had no freedom what so ever. They weren't even allowed in parks. We've never been "history people" but seeing actual things that you learn about growing up, puts all the pieces together a little better. To realize now why everyone says America is lucky..or growing up you always hear about how America has so much freedom, I now see why. I completely understand why people say they absolutely love America. ..okay back to our day because we could go on and on about the Ann Frank house. It's crazy about how after this house Marika felt like our step mom already! She was a single mom doing the same thing we were but only she was traveling solo. We informed her about our next trip to Keukennhof where these "amazing" tulips are supposed to be and invited her. She accepted and we headed off to the next train. She was really impressed with how "we knew exactly" where to go and what trains to find…with confidence we laughed and had to agree we had this system pretty down by now! After a 45 minute train to bus ride we arrive at Keukenhof, a little down outside of Amsterdam. Back In December when we were flying home from an event in Miami was when we decided to go to Europe. The lady sitting next to us on the plane heard and she was from there & said you must go see the Tulips in Keukenhof…Not knowing anything else but what we had googled we planned into our trip..so we warned Marika we aren't too sure but we know from pictures on google that is amazing!! Big shoes to fill considering she worked in the floral industry for 15 years!! It was everything and more. Its a beautiful park on acres and acres with every color flower and tulip you can imagine. Little pathways here and there..streams of water…swans..looked exactly like scenes from the notebook when they go canoeing with the swans. and cafes(where Shells grubbed down a pesto sandwich and Laura a blueberry muffin and snickers) It was such a beautiful day..coming from Ann Frank was a little sad but when we are walking through the beautiful nature with a new friend, we can't keep talking about how blessed we are in life..just such a positive calming environment being surrounded with all the beauty God has presented us. We spent hours there and realize there is no way we are going to make it back to our luggage and we aren't rushing..we will just sleep in our dresses and get our stuff at 7am when the lockers open back up. In amsterdam we "couch surfed". Something Shells was signed up with. It's pretty much people helping out people. It's online and people let you sleep on their couches. In return when they travel they couch surf as well. Its people who are really interested in showing their town around to travelers. We got permission from Joost that we could sleep on his couch for the night. Our step mom for the day goes with us to his house to introduce ourself and make sure we feel safe! He was about 30 and had a few buddies over. His backyard had tile down and was surrounded by bamboo trees and candles. They were relaxing and we all chatted away in the backyard until night fall..by the way its sunny in Europe until about 930pm. crazy! Marika decides she should get going home but didn't plan on being out so late and didn't bring directions back to the suburb that she was staying at…2 girls in sun dresses (now with Joost's sweaters over us..Thank you!), Marika, Joost and his 2 friends take off to find Marika's correct train. Being Queen's day tomorrow, (the biggest celebration in Amsterdam where hostels and hotels fill up a year in advance) ..which is why we had to couch surf! Anyways it took us about 2 hours to find her train and BOY WAS IT COLD..it was SO windy and I'd say around 40-45 degree..yes in flip-flops..BRRRR Let the pre game Queen's day celebration begin! It's always fun to party in over sized sweaters..another day another hot mess! People are just partying in every street..we party hop have some beer, have some wine..stop for some late night Kebab's and fries and then head to Joost's couch where he had a cot type mattress as well. We get plenty of covers and we hit the hay at about 430am! 


"He has made everything beautiful in His time" Ecclesiastes 3:11


"Beauty is not caused. It is." Emily Dickinson
lexi