Recently, I took a trip to Greece with my 22-year-old niece. She just graduated from college and has been a Greek Mythology buff since her early teens. I thought she should go to the place where all that came from. She lives in California, and I live in Oregon, so we don’t get to spend much time together. I was so looking forward to having the time with Nicole and exploring Greece with her.
Sharing a Trip
I flew to San Francisco to meet up with Nicole and we flew from there to Athens together. Now, what you should know about me is that I am an avid traveler. I have been to about 100 countries and have done a lot of my travel solo. I was really looking forward to sharing this trip with my niece and having a companion for a change.
Keep in mind that this companion happens to be 40+ years younger than I am. I have so forgotten how much energy a 22-year-old can have. When I travel solo, I do things at my own pace, and I rest when I feel like it. In Greece, we wanted to do and see everything, so we packed our days with lots and lots of walking and exploring. I kept it going by telling myself that I can rest when I get home.
Who Needs to Rest?
After walking all over the place all day every day, we would shower and go out for cocktails at some fun bar with a view. Then off to a fabulous Greek dinner at a restaurant I might have researched. Who needs to rest? We have places to see.
After 5 days of running around Athens and Delphi and Meteora, we embarked a Windstar sailing ship where we spent the next week. I thought perhaps I would rest a little on the ship, but that didn’t happen because I never want to miss out on anything. They had little parties and various entertainment onboard for the entire week, so lots to do when we weren’t running around an island to see all the sights. What the heck, I can rest when I get home.
We met lots of lovely, fun people on the ship, and there was always something going on. We landed at a different island every day and went on excursions to see and learn about the history and culture of where we were. Every day was jam packed and we loved every minute of it. Don’t sleep now when there’s so much to experience!
Running Around Like a 22-Year-Old Takes Its Toll Sometimes
I had the most wonderful time in Greece and ran around like I was 22 myself. The day before coming home I started to feel like I was coming down with something. Oh no! I finally stopped and rested that afternoon, but too late. I had picked up a flu bug, and I’m sure being worn out contributed to my susceptibility to it.
By the time I got back home, I was down, and sure enough, I finally rested. For three weeks! Darn it. Sometimes we can push ourselves, but the assumption that I can rest when I get home is not a good one to travel on. I have learned the lesson and, hopefully, will pace myself a little better next time. While I was 22 at one time, I certainly am not that anymore!
Also read, Visiting My First Greek Islands: Rhodes.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you been on a trip that wore you out? Where was it? Was it worth it?
