Today officially marks my one month return home from Greece, otherwise known as the trip that changed my perspective on travelling. I thought I’d wrap up all my Greece posts with this last one that I’ve been thinking about for a little while, and share with you the things I don’t miss at all about Greece, the things I’m so happy to have back at home and of course the things I miss most about Greece.

Top 5 things I don’t miss at all about Greece [the sarcastic stuff]

1. The line-ups. Or rather, the non line-ups. That shit doesn’t exist in Greece and it drives a girl crazy, let me tell you.

2. The un-organized bus system. Every time I (line up) and wait for a bus now in Montreal, I praise the Lord that we have a functional bus system that understands the meaning of rush hour.

3. The money-spending. I mean, I do love to shop but Greece was for real getting me to spend more on souvenirs and food than I’ve ever spent in my life. Sweet baby Jesus, I once paid 18 CANADIAN DOLLARS (That’s 12 Euros) for one freaking cocktail. Also? 8 Euros on bread and dip! Good Lord!

4. The travelling. Okay this is a bit of a stretch because I also kind of loved the travelling, but I did SO MUCH MORE OF IT than I ever thought possible. Like, hi, 10 hours to get from Athens to Kefallonia? Thank heavens we stayed there for 9 days and made it worth it! The upside is that I saw a LOT of Greece… Even though hours of it was through a bus window or off a boat’s deck. The boat thing sounds like a really great time, but it really wasn’t that time kids were being sick all around me and you couldn’t go to the bathroom without being surrounded by girls on all sides feeling the sea-sickness too. Ugh.

5. The jet lag. I only got used to the time difference in our last week or so in Greece. And even then? Really freaking weird. I called my brother at 3:30AM Greece time on his birthday only to find remember it was like 7pm the day before in Montreal and he was still at work. Oops. I like being in the same time zone as my people, let’s just leave it at that. Although the whole ‘knowing people in yesterday’ thing was pretty cool. So was the whole ‘re-living the same afternoon twice’ thing when I got home. But I’m over it.

Top 5 Things I’m so happy to have back home [The truth]

1. The internet at my fingertips. Being somewhat unplugged was hard, but the toughest part was living without my 3G network. I missed being able to tweet what I was up to WHILE I was there.

2. My bed. I loved sharing a room (and sometimes a bed) with my friends, but I don’t think I’ve ever slept as well as the day I got home. It was like a cloud had landed in my bedroom and transported me to a far away land.

3. My family & friends. I didn’t exactly feel HOME SICK while I was gone, but I was really sad to miss out on a month of my sister-in-law’s pregnancy, I missed a wedding, my brother’s birthday and just cuddling with my puppy and kitty whenever I wanted.

4. Canadian money. I hated calculating 1 and a half for every single thing I bought. I was so conscious of the ridiculous amounts of money I was *throwing away*… Not to mention Euros look really funny. Although strangely enough when I got home, Canadian money looked really funny… But basically I just missed spending the money I earned at face value.

5. Melissa time. Again, I loved spending so much time with my friends & I never got sick of them, but I require Melissa time at least every once in a while. Sometimes I needed to just be in my own space for an hour or so, or I needed to go to bed at the time I wanted to, with lights off… But that was unlikely to happen in a one room situation.

Top 5 things I miss most about Greece [the mushy stuff]

1. The food. Oh God do I miss the food. I don’t think I’ve eaten a single meal since I’ve been home that has matched up to the ones I had while I was there. So much deliciousness. The yogurt, honey, lemon chicken, stuffed vegetables, gyros, fries spiced with oregano… I could go on and on.

Lemon chicken & baked potato dinner courtesy of Naoussa in Santorini… One of the best meals I had in all of Greece! 

2. The sunsets. I’d seen some beautiful sunsets before going to Greece. Some evenings, in the summer, the sky in Montreal turns into beautiful colors of pink and orange, showing the world that another beautiful day awaits tomorrow. Then I went to Greece and saw colors in the sky that are literally miraculous. The sun would set on this country in a fiery ball of deep orange, lighting the sky in reds, yellows, oranges and pinks. The moment the sun disappeared over the horizon, the entire sky would turn into some kind of rainbow, pink covering all the land in the distance, turning into deep purple and then eventually blue. Every single day in Greece was ended like this. Every single day. You didn’t have to wonder if the next day would be beautiful weather or not, either.

Santorini sunset

3.  The beaches. I mean, this one is pretty obvious, but I just loved visiting a new beach almost every single day. You can’t go to Greece without visiting them, and there’s a reason for it. They are some of the most beautiful, with the most turquoise water I have ever seen in my entire life. The sky is always clear and reflects into the water, showing the soft, sandy & sometimes rocky bottom of the ocean. I also loved spending long, lazy days laying in the sun with a drink, a book and loud music. There’s no tan like a European tan, let me tell you!

Selina, me, Agnes & Kate in front of Myrtos Beach, Kefallonia.

4. The landscapes & architecture. I was by no means ‘culture shocked’ when I arrived in Greece, but it was certainly an entirely different culture. In Montreal I’m used to seeing huge buildings, skyscrapers, the suburbs… The usual city scenery. But Greece? It’s a whole different ball game. Around each turn there’s a breath taking view, surrounding by the traditional Greek architecture. Everything was picture perfect- especially on the islands. The homes were little and adorable, the roads often built out of stones or driven on by scooters because it was just easier. This country really and truly had it’s own distinct style and I miss it terribly.

Oia, Santorini. It really is all white & blue and picturesque. 

5. My friends. I miss the last four things very much & maybe I will until the next time I travel again, but none of it would have been even half as amazing without those three girls by my side. They made the trip worth taking, it was our high school dream brought to reality at only twenty two years old. People dream of Greece their whole LIVES without going, and we were lucky enough to be able to make it out there together in our twenties. I never got sick of seeing their faces and we NEVER ( I mean seriously, never) ran out of things to talk about. I missed them the minute we said goodbye at the airport exactly one month ago today, and my days have been that much more lonely without them in it each and every single day.

Love these girls. <3

I swear, that is my LAST post on Greece. I will stop talking about it now in huge detail. It’s been one month since I’m home- time to get back into the game & plan where-to next!

Tell me, what is YOUR dream vacation? Have you lived it yet?