Olympia, Greece

Beach at Nafpaukos

Chlemoutsi Castle

Dr. Levine 

View from inside the bus

We left the small town of Delphi very early in the morning like always. Our first stop was the cute little beachy town of Nafpaukos. I know I use the word cute a lot, but there were even swing sets on the beach! We had drinks (non-alcoholic) at one of the restaurants while listening to one of the student's site reports. The outdoor furniture here is unbelievable! It's very colorful and inviting, and each restaurant's is different. After the report we walked out close to the water to take photos. I enjoy taking pictures, but Austin on the other hand has taken 2,600 so far. Mary Louise and I think he needs to calm down, but he insists that he's going to show his family every single one. We were only in Nafpaukos for about an hour, and on the way to our next destination we crossed a very interesting bridge. It's fairly new with a very modern design. On the way to Olympia we made two stops. The first was at a bakery around 10:30 in the morning, which was supposed to be sufficient for lunch. One day it's three in the afternoon and the next its 10:30? Doesn't make sense to me. The bakery was impressive but they didn't have sour candy. I got a bag of chips and a sandwich to stuff in my purse to eat later. I knew an overly sweet cookie or croissant wouldn't be enough to hold me over, or "sustain" me as my teacher says. Our next stop was Chlemoutsi, a Frankish castle in the Northwest Peloponnese. It looked exactly like the ones in history books; not at all suitable for a princess. This castle was very well manicured with geraniums everywhere and even an apricot tree. After this, Olympia was only two hours away. Olympia doesn't seem too special, but our hotel is a much different story! It's called Hotel Europa but is owned by Best Western. Who knew a Best Western could be this nice? There's a spectacular pool and the hotel sits above the town atop a large hill. We had time to swim when we got here, but you know me I was just soaking up the rays. Dr. Levine loves to swim, but he also enjoys laying out on the ground. He says the rocks are a great way to warm up after getting out of the water. I can't wait until tomorrow to sun bathe again! I live for laying out by the pool, and yes mother I wore my sunscreen. For dinner we all dined together in the hotel's outdoor restaurant. Our travel agent treated us to this meal, so it was very nice to not have to wait around on the check. Austin has noticed that in the evenings my patience fades away. It was a candle lit dinner with wonderful food. I kind of want to eat there tomorrow too instead of walking all the way into town. I highly recommend this hotel for couples because it's very romantic! I'm pretty excited to see what their breakfast is like.

Happy Birthday to my best friends Emily Faye Halbert and Mary Ashleigh Bierbaum! Crazy Geminis! Mary please be safe in Athens, and Emily don't have too much fun in the delta!

XOXO,
Elizabeth