I’ve wanted to go to Greece since I was 10 years old. Probably before that, but that’s how old I was the first time I asked my parents to take me there.

A big part of it was that I had just read the Percy Jackson books, and I was more than a little obsessed with them. But my love for Greek mythology went further back than that. Before I was able to read books on my own, my mom would read them to me, and one of my favorites was “The Odyssey” by Homer. It was, of course, a simplified version of the original text with pictures included, but I loved the story. 

So when my parents asked me in the summer of 2013 where in Europe I wanted to go, of course, I said Greece. I could picture myself going from Athens to Ithaca and seeing the temples of the Greek gods. A part of me also thought that I would see a few monsters or nymphs, but then again, I was ten. 

To my disappointment, instead of going to Greece, we ended up going to England, France and Germany. My mom thought that we would get to see more ancient artifacts in places like The British Museum than in the archeological sites of Greece. And she wasn’t entirely wrong. 

But regardless of my initial disappointment, the trip was amazing, and by the end of it, I had completely forgotten that I didn’t want to go to those places to begin with. I had so much fun I didn’t care that we hadn’t gone to Greece. But a part of me still wanted to go there. 

Fast forward 10 years, and I finally got my wish. This summer, I went with my family to Greece. And let me tell you, waiting 10 years to visit Greece was so worth it. 

We went to Athens, Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Preveza and Defli. We saw the Parthenon, the temple of Poseidon, the temple of the oracle of Delfi, the ruins of the palace of Odysseus and so many other places. We ate gyros and souvlakis, and we saw so many cats I lost count. 

Everywhere we went, we could see the ocean. No matter where we were, the color of the water was always an incredibly striking blue. The sea always had so many beautiful shades of blue; it was enchanting. And since one of our main methods of transportation was by ferry, I ended up spending many hours just staring at the water as we went from one island to another. 

We even got to see a music performance in the center of the town where a bunch of people from the city gathered to listen to the music and danced a typical dance.

Out of all the trips I’ve been on, this one was definitely one of my favorites. I loved every place I visited. From the ruins, to the views, to the food, to the history, everything was amazing. And I learned so much about the culture of Greece. In fact, I have a new appreciation for it.

Traveling has always been something my family and I love to do. Every summer since I was little, my parents would take us on a trip. Traveling has always been fun and exciting, but visiting Greece gave me a wanderlust that is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. 

I left feeling inspired and like anything was possible. Greece will always have a very special place in my heart, and I will forever treasure the memories I made there.