On our second day in Santorini I took it easy and mostly read by the pool and on the beach. Derek rented an ATV and went all over the island. The lady was stunned at the mileage he put on it in one day. It was great to recharge my battery. That night we ate at a restaurant on the beach and had an Ouzo (Greek almost liquorice type liquor) experience. I misunderstood a story my father told me about him and my mother splitting a small bottle with two nice old ladies when they were in Greece last. Evidently the story was my parents had a sip and gave the single glass they bought to the ladies... Derek and I ordered a very very small bottle and poured it over ice (You are supposed to pour over ice and add water...whoops). We split the small bottle and of course after that felt up to go to a club. I use the word club very loosely. It was more like a cafe with a dancefloor where no one ever dances. We made friends with two very sweet Swedish girls and shortly thereafter, or so it felt, we were told it was 4 am and the club was closing. 4 am reminded me that we had to get up in, well, 5 hours. We hurried back to the room to get some shut eye.

Next day we took a super fast ferry from Santorini to Mykonos. The ferry did indeed go super fast. I think that was the fastest I've ever gone on water. After we got settled, I went back to sleep. I'm pretty sure the guy next to me hated me. I kept sort of dozing over to his side for some reason. Very embarrassing each of the 4 or so times I jolted awake.

We settled into our bungalow at Mykonos very quickly. Our hotel sort of had internet. Basically it would go in and out without notice. By the time we got settled in it was dinner time. We took a bus to the city center and had a great meal in the heart of the city on the harbor. We got to see another incredible Greek Island sunset.

Unfortunately, Derek had to leave fairly early the next morning to make a flight to Vienna. After dinner we walked around a bit, but retired to the room fairly early. The next morning Derek and I said goodbye. We had a great time together, but it makes sense that he should see all the things he wants to with the little time he has left. We both have a Eurail, but getting outside of Greece on the Eurail either takes a day or costs a bit.

Since I'm doing a marathon and not a sprint, I took the long way out of Athens, but not until I spent another night in Mykonos. Great friend and hopefully I'll get to meet up with him in Rome or Barcelona when he is there.

A friend of our family named Chris grew up on the island and built multiple houses overlooking the water. Check out the view.

I hadn't seen Chris since I was 7 years old, but he still let me stay in his house. His house has a sort of guest house on the side. It is equipped with everything from a full kitchen, laundry, 2 beds and a full bathroom. The place was perfect. Chris was nice enough to drive me all over the island. He showed me all of the beaches, where to go, where not to go, and what has changed over the past 20 years. It was impressive how many times we stopped for him to say hi to basically everyone at each place on the island. He knows just about every non-tourist. I felt lucky to have a local show me around or else I would probably just go to the beach and have no idea about the island. Chris dropped me off at a beach and instructed me to take a boat to one of the best beaches "for young people" called Paradise Beach. The place is quiet and peaceful until about 6 pm when everyone wakes up from the night before and start partying again. There are clubs there that don't open until 2 am and close at 10 am...the place is crazy. I went to the beach at noon which was perfect because it was mostly quiet. I got off the small fishing boat to what my brother and friends would call a jackpot in terms of beach points. The beach game is usually 2 points for topless, 4 points for totally nude, and negative points for pointing out anything unsightly. I know immature, but come on, you've played the game in your head before at the beach. Basically I stepped onto the beach to about 12 points. Just about every nationality was present on the beach. I paid for a beach chair and relaxed with a book for the entire afternoon. Every hour or so I would go into the water to cool off. It was a great day. I left just as the craziness was about to start.

I met back up with Chris and got cleaned up for dinner. Chris and I split a beer on his porch overlooking an incredible sunset. He showed me his garden and the view from the roof. He has the perfect place in Mykonos. We went to dinner around 9:30, which is early for dinner in Greece. The place we went to was small with a big wait. We luckily got a table in short time. In Greece a lot of restaurants bring out a tray with all of the appetizers/sides they offer and you just take which ones you want. The main dish comes later. We had delicious eggplant, okra, and chicken salad side dishes. The main course was the tastiest pork I've ever had. Excellent dinner. We walked around the town a bit and he warned me that we could only walk certain places because if his friends knew we ate at a different restaurant they would be mad at him. We got back home around 11ish. Chris usually goes to sleep around 10 pm and wakes up at 5 am. Chris is older than me with kids in their mid-thirties. We had a great time talking about life. I thought we were in for the night at 11 when we got home, but he knocked on the door separating the guest house. He cut up fresh watermelons for us to have. It was such a fantastic day.

The next morning I woke up at 10 am. Finally caught up after days of little sleep. Chris made us a bowl of peaches, yogurt, and honey all mixed up. It was delicious. I got packed up and an hour later he told me I couldn't leave until I let him make me a Greek Salad from his garden. He picked about 5 fresh tomatoes and put some tasty oil on top and served them all to me on a big plate. I ate about half not wanting to eat so many, but he came back in and told me to finish the plate before my ferry. Really great stuff. Chris is so kind to let me stay at his house and to go out of his way to make sure I enjoyed the island. I will without a doubt be back.

(We took like 10 and this was the least goofy...)

I took the ferry from Mykonos to Piraeus (the closest port to Athens). I e-mailed and facebook messaged a good friend, Tom, from Athens I met at a summer camp in the Netherlands 12 years ago. We had some contact, but I hadn't seen him since that camp. Right after I booked a hotel in Patras (the launching port for Italy), Tom got back with me and insisted I stay with him in Athens. It was my fault because I only got in touch with him a day before. Tom picked me up from the Athens subway and showed me around his neighborhood. He lives in central Athens. Tom was a lifesaver right off the bat. I started to call around to book a bus to get to Patras and then an overnight ferry from Patras, Greece to Brindisi, Italy. None of the numbers were working. Tom took control and spoke with all of the agents and made everything right. I might not be in Italy right now if not for him. After successfully booking everything, I got cleaned up after a hot ferry ride and we went to get coffee with his friends (time: 8 pm). Sidenote: Coffee in Greece is stronger than other places. I was wired. Tom's friends were nice and we talked about politics, the markets, and what's been going on the past 12 years. It was great to see Tom is the same hilarious, fun guy he was 12 years ago. We then went to his friends apartment and drank some homemade wine from Corfu. It was delicious with ice cubes. Air conditioning is not as prevalent as it is in Dallas. Everyone is much wiser about saving energy and the A/C doesn't go on unless it is completely unbearable. It wasn't bad, but sweating is normal. We had Gyros delivered to the apartment and they were delicious (Time: 11 pm). We then walked back to Tom's place. We relaxed and watched the USA basketball game. Tom finally gets up and says "Well I guess we should go to the club now." (Time: 1:45 am). I laugh, but when in Rome. We go to a club on the bay with a giant pool in the middle. Tom and his friends have a table with bottle service. The DJ plays crazy techno remixes of old and really old songs with some Greek and newer songs included. Lights are flashing everywhere and it is crazy. Farzin would have loved it. Another sidenote about Greece: Most people I came into contact with smoked a lot. About 95% of the people there were smoking. That was interesting to see. Tom told me they are going to change the smoking law September 1st (or thereabout) so there won't be smoking inside. He smokes, but thinks it is badly needed. We got home and I went right to sleep (Time: 5:30 am). During the car ride home we had a good talk about Greek sentiments towards the US. They seem to be the same everywhere I've been. Europeans don't like American arrogance and our last president. They see good things in Obama and hope for the best. I hate thinking of Europeans and millions all over the world thinking of Americans as overly arrogant. Hope that can start changing soon.

The next morning, and by that I mean like 4 hours later, Tom took me to the bus station and I was off for Patras and a 31 hour trip to Naples. It was cheap, but I pay for it with time and exhaustion. From Athens to Patras is a 2:45 bus ride. Due to bag rules I held my backpack in my lap the whole way which was annoying.

The Patras Port was interesting. The gates around the port looked like jail barbwire fences. Grungy looking people were jumping over while Greek police and military men chased them back and forth. This is a place where there is a significant amount of illegal immigration. It was sad to see. I paid 60 Euro for my overnight ferry ticket to Brindisi, Italy. The trip was about 13 hours with a stop in Corfu. I paid an extra 10 euro for a chair that leaned back in a dark room. There was an option to buy a bed for 110 euros, but that is pretty expensive. I remind myself with each Euro I spend that I'm on the marathon track. The boat has 2 cafes, a dining hall, a nice restaurant, a dark room where my seat was, a tiny puddle of a pool, a casino, stores, and a good amount of deck space. No one on the ship speaks English. I enjoy the breeze and read outside for about 3 hours until sunset. For dinner I had a ham and cheese sandwich and water. Basically it was pretty boring and quiet, but I enjoyed finishing up The Hunger Games Trilogy. All over the deck and halls of the ship people are putting down air matresses and sleeping bags to call dibs on their spot. It is so strange and hectic.

Imagine a cruise ship with sleeping bags down every hallway. I'm glad I paid the extra 10 euros for the seat because I would have to sleep on the ground without a sleeping bag otherwise. Finally the lights go out in the room with seats around 11 pm. I do my best to sleep through the night, but idiots turned on the lights and started yelling in Italian at 1:30 am. Then everyone in the room started yelling Italian at them and I got to enjoy an Italian yelling match. Finally the lights went back off and I got back to sleep...off and on. I woke up at 7 am the next morning and decided I should get up to wash my face and freshen up. I looked in the mirror and saw a zombie. The constant traveling has taken its toll. I told myself I'm going to bunk up tonight where I can get some real sleep.

We docked at Brindisi at 9 am and I was beyond happy to get off that ship. The train station is a short cab ride away. I split the fare with some Italians. I used the Eurail pass and reserved a first class seat to Naples. I'm currently sitting comfortably with my legs stretched out en route to Naples. To give you an idea, Brindisi, Italy is just about at the top of the heel on the boot of Italy. I am crossing over from the Adriatic side to the Mediterranean side. I'm hoping to stay here for two nights and take day trips to the Amalfi coast. I found a good deal at the, yes my Dad will groan at hearing this, the Holiday Inn. In my defense it was $60 US dollars for tonight and I really need to recharge after the past two nights. I am writing this in Word, but will probably post from the "promised" on the website free wireless internet at the hotel. Authentic hostels and hotels to come in the future, but recharging tonight. I started traveling at 10 am yesterday and should get the hotel by 7 pm tonight. For the good of anyone still reading I won't post a picture of me right now, but my hair is sticking up everywhere and when I look in the mirror Steve Buscemi is staring back at me. Yes, they have checked my first class ticket way more than is proper to make sure I'm not lost.

Sorry if this post was too detailed, but I feel bad when I don't post for a long time. Videos from Mykonos and Athens will be put up later. They aren't cooperating right now. Current plan for the next few days: Amalfi Coast, maybe a night in Rome, Monte Carlo/Nice, Barcelona. Please send me thoughts and suggestions on what to do in those cities or where to stop on the way. Hope everyone is well! 27 days in, 46 days to go.