From Alexander and Stefan

Ok. Daniela's too general. We just posted her last two entries. Yes, we're in Greece. It's not really like My Big Fat Greek Wedding but our host at the place we're staying, told us we should stay here for Easter because in the streets they'll be roasting lamb and dancing. And then he showed us how they dance. Opa! It's true. The finger snapping and all. Well, we're in Nafpaktos (hope it's right). We checked out a castle on the hill above the town. It was closed but we found a hole in the wall and crawled through. Our mom stayed behind. She didn't want to break the rules. Oh Mom! Anyway, we explored the castle. It was sweet. Last night they had an outdoor concert with an orchestra here right out by the harbour. It was an environmental event. For some reason they turned off all the lights in the city for an hour. Either way, it was a good show. We hiked up above the city and enjoyed the show while sitting on the edge of a huge stone fortress wall. Either the people here can speak English really well, or not at all. They definitely aren't influenced as much by American culture and music which is cool to see. Our host hunts octopus with a trident spear every morning. He showed us an octopus he caught this morning. He had it hanging on a tree outside his house. He said he had eaten two legs already. He had six more to go...I guess. Many of the local folk around here have grown up on the ocean working for the ferries or as fishermen. They say that when they retire, they have to retire near the ocean. It's too much a part of their life. They can't go inland. We all went out to eat some real Greek gyros today. They were awesome. The lady spoke English; she actaully worked in Canada for many years and is Canadian. She told us to come back again someday. Everyone loves our huge family. They all say to our parents, "good job." I guess the Greeks are into big families...same with the Italians. When we came across to Patras on the ferry, it left at 7 pm and arrived at 9 am in Patras. We didn't book any cabins so we carried everything we needed from our van (we weren't allowed to go back to it during the sail) and camped out in the lobby or wherever. We actaully all ended up sleeping in different places. Daniela and Antonia slept right in the middle of the floor in front of the reception desk just with sleeping bags. We set up a few tables and chairs as beds on the outside deck, and slept there too because it was warm enough. Matthias was on a wicker table. Everyone else found a place too. I read my book most of the night but then got two hours of sleep on the floor in the TV sitting room. Papa and Mama and some of the others found couches. Stefan was in the TV room with me. Seisa and Christina were called over by a few Italian teens on the outside deck that were heading with their class on a trip to Greece. They wanted them to play cards. Only one guy spoke a bit of English. It was hilarious. I still don't know what they were playing...we kinda got the hang of it. Anyway, it was all fun. They all wanted to add us on Facebook after and of course, take a picture. We're Canadians, so it's understandable. Well, that was some of our ferry trip...and we've got more stories, but that's all for now. Adios!...and goodbye in Greek (whatever that is)

From Daniela...From Greece (Current)

We have now finished our stay in Italy and have left to Greece. After a great breakfast, we packed up our things and went to the ferry. We arrived early in Brindisi where we got our ticket for the ferry. Then when it was time to leave, we went on. It was a very long trip, especially because we were going through the night and I didn't have the greatest sleep. Finally it was morning and we were almost ready to get off. We landed in Patras and from Patras we headed to a small town near the ocean. We're having a lot of trouble understanding the language (duhhh...it's all Greek to me). We went to two places so far. Today we experienced Palm Sunday in Greece.

From Daniela...From Italy (An Old Post)

Hello everyone! I know I have not written lately but things have not been going so great with the internet connection. Things are different everyday. We have been through Florence and have gone to Rome and seen many ancient ruins, one being the coliseum. Now we are in a very warm area of Italy. We are staying in a beautiful B&B called Al Vecchio Pioppo which is named after the last poplar tree in this town. We have done so much. We've gone to the beach everyday, gone to see some old ruins, walked through many old towns, and hung out with the owners and their kids, Mikaela and Flavia. We've also been able to try a very filling, big, delicious Italian dinner that our hosts cooked for us. I'm having a great time in Italy. The weather is wonderful, the food is great, and the scenery is amazing. Hope things are going great.

ps. can't put any pics on right now. We're at an internet cafe in Greece and don't have any pics with us.

From Daniela...(This Time I'm On Time)

I know I haven't written to you lately, but again our internet access hasn't been so great. Now we have been able to get internet through a special USB stick and so I will be able to write a bit more often. Well, we have finished our time in Rothenburg and have headed down to Italy. We got our bags together, hopped in the car, and left. We had to say goodbye to Germany, then drive through the snowy and cold Alps in Austria, and then finally we made it to Italy. We are in the province of South Tirol where everyone speaks and understands German. That makes it a lot easier for us to get used to Italy. This is the famous land of milk cows, chocolate, Heidi, beautiful alpine meadows, vineyards, and orchards. When we arrived, we drove a short way and found a great place to stay. We are in a nice wooden guesthouse on a dairy farm and the owners are very nice. The weather has been very nice too (sunny and cool), and so we have done lots of walking. This area is also famous for the "Dolomiten Berge", a breathtaking mountain climbing range. We've been up in the snowy areas where the mountains are beautiful, down in the town, or in a near city to shop and look around, and we went to see old castles and buildings. That was one of the coolest things, because we could explore and learn. In one of the castles we went on a tour and the lady showed us paintings and statues and talked about the castle.I like it here alot and I think it's one of the best places so far. Now I'm getting really excited because we are heading down to Florence where it is hopefully a lot warmer! Goodbye...in Italian, Arrivederci!

From Daniela...(An Old Post That Didn't Get Published)

Well, we've now left Steinhagen, gone to Burg Bilstein, where we stayed in a renovated castle and are now in a nice place called Rothenburg. Things are great here. We are in an exciting place and have done some exciting things. We've gone to see the old wall of the city, went to a few stores around town, and visited the museum. The museum was awesome. We saw ancient guns, swords, old knight suits, statues, and a whole lot of other cool things. Weather is not as good here. Mostly cold and wet. So now instead of nice, warm sun, we're walking in the freezing cold. Otherwise we've had a great breakfast, lunch and dinner so far today, and hopefully will for the days to come. Right now we're planning on heading south where it's warm but I'm not sure we'll ever make it because every time my dad says we're going somewhere, we end up stopping halfway, and staying there for one or two nights. I really like Germany but right now really all I'm thinking about is sun, sun and more sun. Last week we played soccer with a local club in Bilstein. We played on their turf field. It was pretty fun except I didn't like the rubber balls getting in my shoes. My hands were freezing off because it was so cold. We stayed in an old castle and explored it. We went into the dungeon where the prisoners were kept in the ancient days. There was a torture device in the dungeon. It was a little creepy. I don't feel like writing anymore...jk mr. hibberson. Adios amigos! As the Germans say here, Ciao or Tschuss!