classes have began and the burden of homework is on my shoulders... but being that i am in athens i have found i do not have enough time in my days to accomplish all of the tasks desired. after classes and lunch duty requirements were accomplished a group of us decided to climb the mountain out front of the artemis. first up was a huge hill of a dirt road, which i think was the hardest part! we trudged through the streets and eventually found a spot that looked sufficient to begin our journey. there are not really and set pathways so we had to make our own. the group split into two and i went on the adventurous left side. little did i know what lay ahead.
chacos. they seem like the best idea for a hike right? at least from where i come from. but no.. not here. not in greece. i have one word for you: THORNS. i have never seen a thornbush as the ones that reside along most of the mountains in greece, awaiting to prick innocent americans. but no worries, thye did not stop us from pursuing our goal. the directors told us to continue heading upwards and left, and so we did; maneuvering up, over, around, through, and even on top of the dreaded thorns. (its a good thing i changed out of shorts and into jeans) i mainly hiked with mary b, calle, richard, and hunter. our hiking was accompanied by a dog i like to call shadow. as we went on, hiking turned into rock climbing. im not sure how we make it up some of the rocks, and still to this day i wonder how shadow made it up the rocks. amidst the laughing, hiking, thorn-ing, and chatter of the group we eventually survived and reached the peak of the mountain. well... the first part of the mountain. as we ascended over the last few cliffs, deep in the distance were two more peaks just calling out to set foot on. and so we did.
our journey continued after a little break in which we met up with the first half of our group for a photo opp. we enjoyed the view, and the breath-er, and then set out once again. this part of the plains was nice and pretty flat. (minus the rocks that jutted out all along the way) then we just ahd a slight uphill stride.
the REAL peak was beautiful. wonderful. magnificent. i marveled at the site as i looked across port o rafti, and onward to athens. the water glistened in the sunlight, and i wish i could have captured a real perspective of it on my camera. it was like nothing i had ever seen before. (im sure the dog enjoyed it too, trooper he is)
we then headed back down the mountain, at a little quicker pace because the sun was beginning to set, and when the sun sets in athens it takes a blink of the eye until darkness. of course, we woiuldn't want to miss dinner either. Fofi is the best cook ever ( but her plates are horror to clean!!!, greece does not have pan spray... eek!) well, on the way down we went back the way the first group came because it was more hiking, less rock falling. by the end we all had dirt covered bottoms, thorned ligaments, and hungry stomachs. i fell butt first on a thorn bush. one word. ouch! and to make me feel better richard did it too. just so i wasn't the only one. :) our group made it back as sunset was finishing its course. our trek took a total of approximately 3 hours. and dinner was served about 10 minutes upon our arrival. another great day in greece!
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