Ain't no mountain high enough...

As you may have guessed from the title, yesterday I climbed up Mount Giouthas (said: Yuk-tas). Some of you may know it as the mountain Zeus's face can be seen in and the ninth tallest peak in Greece. It was amazing, terrifying, and challenging all at the same time. At the beginning all I could think was that I would be the one that couldn't make it to the top, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. It was absolutely exhilarating and the higher I climbed the faster the time went until I was at the top. 

Getting to the top was so rewarding I didn't feel the exhaustion that I probably should have. I ran around taking pictures and enjoying my bird's eye view of Crete. I can't explain my joy in accomplishing this. 

On another note we learned about the plants of the mountain on our way up. It was amazing how many herbs grow naturally on the mountain side. Including: sage, thyme, and many others. The climb down was much harder than the climb up. After many slips, I finally made it to the bottom without actually falling on my butt. My legs eventually stopped shaking. 

Surprisingly, the night was not over. After we all showered, we went to the beautiful  Kritamon Restaurant where we were able to participate in a cooking demonstration by  Chef Dimitris Mavrakis. We rolled pasta, folded "wine" leaves, and listened to some of the Chefs techniques. The food was delicious. I will be making these dishes for sure when I return home (especially the cheese salad-YUM). It was an incredible day. I am constantly amazed that I made it here. I can't wait to share my story about today!

^Orange filo

Serenity.

So I didn't do a post yesterday so I'm going to do one tonight and one in the morning.

Yesterday we started our curriculum. We took a tour of the temple of Knossos. The scenery was amazing. As we walked up there was a peacock sitting on top of the building. I tried to take a pic but I couldn't get the full peacock in the picture. :(

The temple was beautiful.

It's mind boggling how these buildings were preserved as well as they were. I can't believe how long they've been around. (The picture above is of the grand staircase).

This picture is of the thrown room. 

Later we had a feast with the program director Nikki Rose. She had a cooking class with us and we enjoyed all of it after with wine and dessert. Of course, all of the food was incredible. 

That's me with the red cabbage salad our group made which was DELICIOUS. No worries friends, I have the recipe. (There were oranges in the salad so naturally I had to take a pic under the orange tree).

I will definitely have everyone over for a feast when I return. It might not have the same effect because we're not on a beautiful island with a sea breeze but we'll work with what we have. 😄

This trip gets me excited every day. :) I can't wait to share my next adventure tomorrow morning! On that note, I'm off to bed with the church bells chiming in the background. 

Mama Mia it's Beautiful here

Yesterday, I arrived in Heraklion. I would have posted last night but jet lag got the best of me. I'm staying in the beautiful village of Archanes. My apartment could not be any more dream like. I just love it here. 

The view:

Ps I'm going to climb this mountain. :D

I had a wonderful night exploring the cut. We got to sample cheese and biscotti so my life was made. We ended the night at a restaurant down the street from our apartment and had a wonderful full course meal. This trip is basically just one big eating marathon. So my heaven.

At night I slept with a net over my bed to keep the bugs away. Because we all know how much a LOVE bugs. 😳

I'm going to have to cut this one shirt so I can get ready for the day. Basically, I love this place and I'm never leaving. 😁