Italy and Greece 2019
6.24.19. Day 13 was an early morning getting ready for disembarkation from the cruise ship. Once we disembarked, we boarded the bus, we went to the cultural center in Athens, which was a new building that had a library and exhibits in it. We sat on the rooftop and enjoyed the view of Athens, which was beautiful. Then, we took the bus to the Placca, where David, Avery, Marc, Schyler, Nikki, Shaun, and myself went to the Byron Rooftop Garden again to get the chicken gyros that we loved so much the first time we ate there. They were just as delicious the second time!! After this, we met up with the group to go to the group lunch, but we just ordered dessert. We got chocolate milkshakes (chocolate milk with ice) and listened to everyone say their thank you’s to Phil, Diana, Vera, and the entire group. Then, we boarded the bus to head to our hotel in Athens, the Divani Palace Acropolis. This was the nicest hotel we’ve stayed at so far so it was a nice surprise on our last day! Then, we went to dinner and back to the hotel. Early day tomorrow to finally head home!!
“If you are a positive and open person, the world is truly a beautiful place” -Diana
“If you are a positive and open person, the world is truly a beautiful place” -Diana
The returning travelers who have all gone on EF trips before
6.23.19. Day 12 started with a quick breakfast on the cruise and then meeting with the group in the lounge to prepare for our excursion for the day. This excursion was to the Minoan civilization, which is best known as the oldest European civilization. We saw the Knossos Palace and archaeological site here. The most amazing thing to me was that this civilization had a sewer system in place that can still be seen today. After this, we were able to walk around and have some free time at the city center, so Nikki and I found some ice cream. We even saw a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, which was cool since Nikki used to work there with her friends when she was younger. Then, we boarded the ship again to start making our way toward Santorini for our evening excursion. Nikki and I used our free time on the ship in the afternoon for a nap, because we were exhausted. Then, we boarded the tender boat to head to Santorini. We got on a bus to head to the top of the island, and it was quite steep to take on a bus. Our guide told us lots of facts about Santorini on the drive to the excursion. She told us that the island is very dry, so they cannot produce anything besides wine, donkeys, and volcanic rock. A small, white house on the cliff side can cost up to $15,000/square meter. Not quite as much as Mykonos but definitely not in my budget! They also do not have addresses or street names here. So what happens if you have mail? Whenever they have mail, they have to meet the postman in the town square, and he calls out the names of everyone who has mail for that day. Our excursion was to the Oia Village in Santorini, where we had some free time to explore the village. We walked around and took pictures in different places, and then Marc, Nikki, and I went to The Summer Habit, a cafe nearby, and ordered a crepe and a waffle (pictured below). They were delicious! Then, we got back on the bus to board the ship again. Back to Athens we go!
6.22.19 Day 11 was an early morning for us, because we had to get off the cruise ship so it could make a stop in Turkey. We ate breakfast at Zephyrus, a small restaurant overlooking the water. In the picture below of the water, you can see the island of Samos and then you can see Turkey in the distance. How cool! After this, we took the bus to one of the oldest societies, that was once home to the Temple of Hera. This temple was older than the Acropolis and larger than Parthenon. Before its destruction, it had 155 pillars each standing at 19 meters tall. The whole temple was 25 meters tall with the roof. One interesting thing that I learned about this temple was that it was built inside to outside, unlike our buildings today. Now, there is just one pillar standing that has been there for 2.5 thousand years. Another fun fact we learned was that the phrase “holy smokes” comes from animal sacrifice because the smoke was the most important part of this animal to the gods, not the meat. They called this smoke from the animals “holy smoke”. Then we went to the capital of Samos, otherwise known to locals as Samostown. Here, the guides, Rebecca and Dawn, told us about Pythagoras, which we all know from math class in school. They had a Cup of Plenty, which Pythagoras used for his students who became greedy with their wine in his classroom. This cup can successfully be filled until a certain point, but if people are greedy and fill it too full, then it pours out of the bottom of the glass. Our guide, Rebecca, even gave these to her guests at her wedding last year as a wedding favor!
In Kokkari, we walked around the island to the beach, which was beautiful. Then, we walked around to look at some of the shops and cafes. We were still hungry after our early morning breakfast, so we found a spot and grabbed some gelato. Then, we went to Kokkari, which was such a cute little village. We had lots of free time here, so Nikki and I started with lunch with Marc, Schyler, and Anastasia. Then, we did some shopping before we had to get back on the cruise. Once we were back on the cruise, we laid by the pool and took a nap. It was quite windy, but it was still very pleasant on the deck. After our pool time, we showered and joined everyone at dinner. Then....it was karaoke time. First person from our group to go was Tyler Hornaday with “Gangster’s Paradise”. Then, a group of girls (Avery, Schyler, Francis, Alli, Kelsey, Anastasia, and myself) all sang “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease. Alli also sang “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars and absolutely crushed it. She was definitely the best one of the night when we were there. After karaoke, it was time for bed to get a good night of rest before two more excursions tomorrow.
In Kokkari, we walked around the island to the beach, which was beautiful. Then, we walked around to look at some of the shops and cafes. We were still hungry after our early morning breakfast, so we found a spot and grabbed some gelato. Then, we went to Kokkari, which was such a cute little village. We had lots of free time here, so Nikki and I started with lunch with Marc, Schyler, and Anastasia. Then, we did some shopping before we had to get back on the cruise. Once we were back on the cruise, we laid by the pool and took a nap. It was quite windy, but it was still very pleasant on the deck. After our pool time, we showered and joined everyone at dinner. Then....it was karaoke time. First person from our group to go was Tyler Hornaday with “Gangster’s Paradise”. Then, a group of girls (Avery, Schyler, Francis, Alli, Kelsey, Anastasia, and myself) all sang “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease. Alli also sang “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars and absolutely crushed it. She was definitely the best one of the night when we were there. After karaoke, it was time for bed to get a good night of rest before two more excursions tomorrow.
6.21.19. Day 10 was an exciting day for us because we got to board the cruise today! We started out with a quick breakfast at the hotel and then loaded up the buses to head to the harbor. We arrived at the harbor and started the process of boarding the boat, with loading luggage, pat-downs, and lots of standing. Then, we boarded the Celestyal Olympia. There are approximately 800 people on the boat, and 555 of them are EF travelers. Once we got on the ship, we went to the top deck to hang out and relax in the sun. It was an afternoon full of sun, laughter, and relaxation. We ate lunch during this time as well, which was from the buffet. I had pizza and pasta...as if I didn’t already have enough of that in Italy. After our time on the deck, Nikki and I went to get ready for our evening at Mykonos. We disembarked on the island around 7:00pm and stayed to see the sunset around 8:45pm. It was one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen. Mykonos is just an absolutely beautiful place. There is a wide range of shops and cafes, beautiful white buildings and deep blue water. I FaceTimed with so many people back home while we were on the island with WiFi because I didn’t want them to miss out on the amazing scene, even though pictures and videos just don’t do it justice. After our time in Mykonos, we boarded the ship again and ate dinner. Then, it was time for bed, because we have to disembark the boat bright and early in the morning. This trip sure has tried to make morning people out of us!
View of our cruise ship, Celestyal Olympia, from Mykonos
6.20.19. Day 9 began with breakfast at our hotel, and then an early start to a tour of Athens. Our Athens tour guide, Apollo, met us at the hotel and rode with us around the city telling us all about the history of it. Our first stop was at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympics were held. Then we headed to the Acropolis, where we had to wait in a long line, in the heat, with people pushing up against us 🙃 However, we got to see the Parthenon, which was amazing. They have done a great job of restoring it, beginning in 1838 and still taking place today. Then, we had some time for pictures, which were extremely neat since the Acropolis overlooks the entire city of Athens. Some of the views of the city from the Acropolis can be seen in the pictures below. Then, we hiked back down the hills, trying not to fall on the slippery, marble steps, and headed to a Xenia Art Shop, a gift shop that would engrave your name in Greek on a piece of jewelry. After this, we had some free time for lunch. We were on a mission for gyros, because we hadn’t eaten one yet since we had been in Greece. David, Avery, Nikki, Marc, Schyler, Jackson, and I all ate at Byron Rooftop Garden because they were the first place we saw with gyros. Almost everyone at the table ordered a chicken gyro, which also came with salad, pita bread, and tzatziki. IT WAS AMAZING!!! Best food I’ve eaten so far on the trip. After this, we went to the Acropolis Museum and stopped in the cafe for baklava with cinnamon ice cream. It was also so so good. We even danced in the cafe to the guy playing the harp (it sounded like What Child is This but I could guarantee that it probably wasn’t lol). Then, we had a little bit of free time before we headed back to the hotel. The highlight of this time was that I found a Dr. Pepper for me and a Cherry Coke for Nikki! Once we got back to the hotel, we laid down and took a much needed nap. The sun got the best of us today so we decided to just use this time before dinner to rest. At dinner in the hotel, we had spinach pie, salad (with pumpkin in it), beef burger, FRENCH FRIES (!!), and cake for dinner. Then, we packed up our bags and got ready for bed since we are boarding the cruise tomorrow!!! ⚓️
6.19.19. Day 8 started out with breakfast at our hotel in Delphi, the Parnassos Hotel. Then, we boarded the buses to head to the archaeological site and museum in Delphi. We had a guided tour around this area and then we had some free time in the museum. After this, we went to lunch at Taverna Omfalos in Delphi, where I had grilled Formaela cheese and some very delicious bread. Then, we headed to the Hosios Loukas Monastery to look around. Since some of us did not think ahead, we did not have our knees covered, so we were given VERY cute skirts to wear in the monastery (picture below). After the monastery, we drove a couple of hours back to our hotel, Hotel Oscar, in Athens. This room was very nice, and we are glad that we can get a couple of nights here. It gets exhausting having to change hotels every night so this will be a nice change of pace for us! For dinner, at the hotel, we were given a green bell pepper stuffed with rice, a tomato stuffed with rice, Greek salad, fish, potatoes, broccoli, and cake for dinner. It was quite a feast, but it was very tasty! After dinner, we went up to the rooftop bar of the hotel to see a fantastic view of Athens. It was breathtaking! We could even see the Acropolis from there, glowing in the evening sky. Finally, it was time for bed to prepare for our sightseeing in Athens on Day 9!
(L to R: Laura, April, Elizabeth, Kelly, Kim, Avery, Amelia)
6.18.19. Day 7. We arrived at the airport in Athens around 1:15pm (Athens time) and met up with the other half of the group inside. Then, we took a bus to our hotel in Delphi. During the drive, it was the first time we had seen rain, so it was kind of like being back in Greenfield! We stopped for lunch on the way at a restaurant called Agelo’s House. Nikki and I shared a “mixed plate” that had spinach pie, fried cheese, stuffed leaves, zucchini balls, and tzatziki. Then, we drove for about 30 minutes to our hotel to check in and then have some free time. There are many shops and markets, so we bought lots of souvenirs for ourselves and others. Then, at 8:30pm, we ate dinner as a group at Epikouros Restaurant near hotel. We had more spinach pie, veal meatballs with tomato sauce, white rice, and a yellow cake. We had this same cake for lunch too and it was delicious! After dinner, some of the kids were going to a disco but others of us decided to go to a local bar to socialize with some of the others in the group until it was time to go to the hotel for the night. I ordered a Greek Doctor (ouzo, vodka, lime, orange, and orange slice) and it was delicious! Then it was time for bed to prepare for a tour of Delphi tomorrow!
6.17.19. Day 6 started with breakfast at our hotel, which was very good. There were lots of different pastries that were delicious. This tasted very good after sweating all night in our room where the air conditioning didn’t really work 😅 Then, we boarded the buses to head to Pompeii to see the city that was once buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Our tour guide, Roberto (aka the Senator) was AMAZING. He was 84 years old and he came to Pompeii when he was younger to help with the archaeological excavations that have been taking place for many, many years. Then, he worked in other places before he finally decided to come back to Pompeii to become a guide. His insights about Pompeii were unbelievable. Some interesting things he told us about Mt. Vesuvius, which can be seen in the background of my picture below. The
eruption of the volcano is equal to two atomic bombs....woah. It normally erupts every 70-75 years when the temperature inside reaches 1000 degrees. I’ll stop sharing all the fun facts I learned, but I just think that it’s so cool. I remember learning about Pompeii in school, and it was honestly so cool to see it in real life.
After we left Pompeii, we ate lunch at a local restaurant where we had spaghetti AND pizza AND gelato. Speaking of gelato, Diana, our EF tour guide, told us a little bit about gelato (I know, more fun facts.... sorry not sorry).
She told us that the difference between gelato ice cream is that gelato has less fat than ice cream, and it has egg yolk in it. This is why it’s always served fresh because there is a risk for salmonella if it’s not fresh. It is also so creamy, because it’s never actually frozen. There is a minimum temperature that it must stay at so that it stays creamy. Also, the Romans first ate something similar to gelato (not called gelato) when they were sitting in the steam bath and wanted something cold to eat to cool off. So they sent their slaves up the mountain to bring down huge blocks of ice, which they cut into pieces, put honey on it, and enjoyed during their steam bath.
Okay, I’m actually done with the fun facts for now. I’m just learning so much on this trip that I wanted to share it with all of you fabulous people. After lunch, we boarded the buses to head back to Rome to our hotel for the night. We are only staying here for one night because we are flying to Athens in the morning! Our dinner was at the hotel tonight, and we had rotini with spaghetti sauce (with mozzarella cheese that looked like spray cheese), mashed potatoes, pork, and cake. Now it’s time for bed. Goodbye Italy! It’s been real ✌🏼
eruption of the volcano is equal to two atomic bombs....woah. It normally erupts every 70-75 years when the temperature inside reaches 1000 degrees. I’ll stop sharing all the fun facts I learned, but I just think that it’s so cool. I remember learning about Pompeii in school, and it was honestly so cool to see it in real life.
After we left Pompeii, we ate lunch at a local restaurant where we had spaghetti AND pizza AND gelato. Speaking of gelato, Diana, our EF tour guide, told us a little bit about gelato (I know, more fun facts.... sorry not sorry).
She told us that the difference between gelato ice cream is that gelato has less fat than ice cream, and it has egg yolk in it. This is why it’s always served fresh because there is a risk for salmonella if it’s not fresh. It is also so creamy, because it’s never actually frozen. There is a minimum temperature that it must stay at so that it stays creamy. Also, the Romans first ate something similar to gelato (not called gelato) when they were sitting in the steam bath and wanted something cold to eat to cool off. So they sent their slaves up the mountain to bring down huge blocks of ice, which they cut into pieces, put honey on it, and enjoyed during their steam bath.
Okay, I’m actually done with the fun facts for now. I’m just learning so much on this trip that I wanted to share it with all of you fabulous people. After lunch, we boarded the buses to head back to Rome to our hotel for the night. We are only staying here for one night because we are flying to Athens in the morning! Our dinner was at the hotel tonight, and we had rotini with spaghetti sauce (with mozzarella cheese that looked like spray cheese), mashed potatoes, pork, and cake. Now it’s time for bed. Goodbye Italy! It’s been real ✌🏼
6.16.19. Day 5 began with an early wake up call, a quick breakfast, and a bus trip to Naples. On the way to Naples, we were passing lots of olive groves. Diana told us that southern Italy is a large producer of olive oil that is used for many different purposes. Some people even put it on their skin! Diana told us that we should always buy extra-virgin olive oil because this means that it’s oil from the first pressing of the olive. She also said that olive oil should be cloudy, but the clarity of olive oil comes from the acidity of it. Two hundred pounds of olives can only make about 12 liters of olive oil. She has been teaching us so much on this trip! Once we arrived in Naples, we drove around the port area to see part of the city and then we were dropped off at the port to meet our tour guide for the ferry. The ferry was taking us to Capri where we got on a smaller boat to take a boat tour around part of the island. On this tour, we got to see a few caves, some natural arches, and lots of very blue water. It was beautiful! Then we disembarked from the boat and took a cable car up to the top of the island where Capri was. This area is extremely wealthy, with villas on the island costing around 25,000 euros per square meter. Talk about expensive!! Once we got to the town, we walked around the gardens and then ate lunch. We finally were able to have brick oven pizza for lunch! We also had raspberry (or some kind of berry)and vanilla gelato that was very very good. Then, we walked all the way back down to the port, which was quite a haul but at least some of it was in the shade 😅 At this time, we boarded the ferry to head to Sorrento. It was about a 20 minute boat ride. Once we arrived in Sorrento, we had to walk what seemed like a mile up to the town square of Sorrento. It was so many steps but we all made it! At one point we weren’t sure if was going to make it, but we finally did. Between all 73 of us, I’m sure we sweat 10 gallons and the average heart rate was probably 140 beats per minute. But, we made it and that’s all that matters 🙃 Then, we had free time, so David, Avery, Nikki, and I walked around the streets that were full of shops and restaurants. We bought souvenirs, and then ended our time with drinks at a local restaurant in Piazza Tasso. Our day was coming to an end, so we headed back to our hotel in Naples, and we got stuck in terrible traffic on the way there. However, we made the most of it, and we napped and then listened to music with Diana (our EF guide) and Phil (our tour leader) in the back of the bus....and then played it over the microphone which brought everyone back to life after the slow bus ride. Finally, we arrived at our hotel and ate dinner in the hotel. Our room for the night is really nice though! Looking forward to a good night of sleep and then able to sleep in a little bit in the morning!
6.15.19. We started day 4 by eating breakfast at hotel and then went on a bus to the Colloseum. Our tour guide, Barbara, met us and walked us around, telling us lots of facts about the amazing history of this site. I learned that the design of football stadiums are based off the Colloseum. Then we walked to the Roman forum, which is the old city center of Rome. There was lots of walking and standing today, but it was totally worth it to see all of the historical sites that this city still has intact. After our sight seeing, we went to lunch and had pasta, pork (?), potatoes, and custard with a raspberry sauce on it. Then we had to walk 15 minutes to the bus. It’s very warm again today but thankfully we had time at the beach in the afternoon! It was very warm, but there was a nice breeze. Nikki and I took a nap on the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. When we woke up, we were covered in sand so we cleaned off (as best as we could), hung out with some of the others, and had a Coke. Then we headed back to Rome to spend the evening in the city! We were dropped off at Piazza Navona where Nikki and I got pizza and gelato (I got tiramisu again). Then, we went back to the hotel to pack to move on to the next city in the morning!
Before I begin talking about day 3, one funny/memorable moment that happened on day 2 was at dinner when one of the boys got locked in bathroom for over 10 minutes. It took 6 workers at the restaurant to get him out because the key to the door broke off inside the lock. LOL.
Anyways, on to day 3...
6.14.19. We woke up at 6:45, got dressed for the day, and headed down to breakfast in the hotel. I had eggs, oversized cocoa pebbles, and croissant with lemon filling (the croissant was DELICIOUS 😋). Then we went to our cooking class, where we worked in groups of 8 to make fettucine noodles, ravioli, tomato sauce and alfredo. Although we made enough food to feed everyone, we were not able to eat it. Then we went inside to eat lunch, which was spaghetti, some kind of steak with fries, and cake that tasted like rum.
I will also add that it was almost 100 degrees during the hottest part of the day, and everyone was sweating a ton. Fun day to have to cover our shoulders and knees to go to Vatican City! (Not!)
After lunch, we headed to Vatican City. We walked through the museums to get the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. We saw sculpture of a grieving mother that Michelangelo sculpted when he was 24. We saw the actual body of a man who died 400 years ago 😬. Our tour guide was Franco and he was awesome. He had lots of information to share with us. During this time, we lost one of the ladies that was with us in the Sistine Chapel, so they had to send out a search party for her. Good news: she was found! Then we walked outside to the square in Vatican City and saw the tall pole thing. We ended our tour with Franco and went to the souvenir shop and bought a few things. Then we hung out on the streets and listened to a guy play the accordion and his daughter sang along with him to Despacito, the Macarena, and When the Saints Go Marching. Then it was time for dinner! We had salad, pasta, and lemon sorbet. Then we had free time to walk around, so Avery, David, Jackson Smith, Nikki and I walked to Brandy Melville, one of Avery’s favorite stores. Along the way, we saw lots of buildings with amazing architecture and many different shops and boutiques on the street. Then we headed back to the hotel for the evening.
Fun fact: We learned that Rome does not have very big subway system because every time they dig for it, they find ancient architecture and other historical items, and then the site is marked off and nothing can be built on it. It’s crazy to think that there’s a whole world underneath this city! Since the traffic is bad and public transportation is not great (just two short metro lines and a bus system), many people drive Vespas (motor scooters) and Diana, our guide, calls them “organ donors” because they weave in and out of traffic and pay no attention to the danger that they put themselves in. It’s kind of scary to watch them drive through the streets and see how close they get to the cars and buses that are also on the road.
Time for a good night of sleep to prepare for a busy day tomorrow! And some time at the beach 🌴
Anyways, on to day 3...
6.14.19. We woke up at 6:45, got dressed for the day, and headed down to breakfast in the hotel. I had eggs, oversized cocoa pebbles, and croissant with lemon filling (the croissant was DELICIOUS 😋). Then we went to our cooking class, where we worked in groups of 8 to make fettucine noodles, ravioli, tomato sauce and alfredo. Although we made enough food to feed everyone, we were not able to eat it. Then we went inside to eat lunch, which was spaghetti, some kind of steak with fries, and cake that tasted like rum.
I will also add that it was almost 100 degrees during the hottest part of the day, and everyone was sweating a ton. Fun day to have to cover our shoulders and knees to go to Vatican City! (Not!)
After lunch, we headed to Vatican City. We walked through the museums to get the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. We saw sculpture of a grieving mother that Michelangelo sculpted when he was 24. We saw the actual body of a man who died 400 years ago 😬. Our tour guide was Franco and he was awesome. He had lots of information to share with us. During this time, we lost one of the ladies that was with us in the Sistine Chapel, so they had to send out a search party for her. Good news: she was found! Then we walked outside to the square in Vatican City and saw the tall pole thing. We ended our tour with Franco and went to the souvenir shop and bought a few things. Then we hung out on the streets and listened to a guy play the accordion and his daughter sang along with him to Despacito, the Macarena, and When the Saints Go Marching. Then it was time for dinner! We had salad, pasta, and lemon sorbet. Then we had free time to walk around, so Avery, David, Jackson Smith, Nikki and I walked to Brandy Melville, one of Avery’s favorite stores. Along the way, we saw lots of buildings with amazing architecture and many different shops and boutiques on the street. Then we headed back to the hotel for the evening.
Fun fact: We learned that Rome does not have very big subway system because every time they dig for it, they find ancient architecture and other historical items, and then the site is marked off and nothing can be built on it. It’s crazy to think that there’s a whole world underneath this city! Since the traffic is bad and public transportation is not great (just two short metro lines and a bus system), many people drive Vespas (motor scooters) and Diana, our guide, calls them “organ donors” because they weave in and out of traffic and pay no attention to the danger that they put themselves in. It’s kind of scary to watch them drive through the streets and see how close they get to the cars and buses that are also on the road.
Time for a good night of sleep to prepare for a busy day tomorrow! And some time at the beach 🌴
6.13.19. We made it!! We arrived in Frankfurt around 5:30am (European Time) and left for our flight to Rome at 7:30am. We landed in Rome at 9:20am and Diana, our tour guide, met us at the airport. We got on our bus with her and headed into Rome for the day. We met up with the other half of the group at the Spanish Steps. From there, we went to the Pantheon, where we went inside to see all of the intricate architecture in there. We ate lunch during this time at a small pizza place, and then got gelato at Della Palma, which has 150 flavors!! I went for the tiramisu gelato, and it was so good! Next we made our way to Trevi fountain, which is one of my favorite places! Finally, we walked to Piazza Navona and had an hour to walk around to the shops, but we were worn out so we decided to sit down and have a drink somewhere. We went to Solo Gastronomia e Vineria, where we enjoyed a delicious, but very strong, Osprey Spritzer (we think this is what it was called). It had half a bottle of champagne in each of our drinks! 😬 Finally, we made our way back to the hotel and dinner. For dinner, we had salad, pasta with meat sauce, and a custard/mousse for dessert. Then we headed to the hotel for the night, very eager to take a much-needed shower and then get to sleep early. We are heading to bed now so we can get up early to go to our cooking class! 🍝
6.12.19. And we’re off! Today was day 1 of our trip, and it has been great so far. We started the day by getting dropped off a the Indianapolis airport at 2:45am (EST) (shout-out to my awesome fiancé for the ride!) for our flight at 5:50am (EST). Since we were all very sleepy still, we talked to keep each other awake and kept the Starbucks busy, getting our morning coffee and breakfast. We left at 5:50am (EST) from Indianapolis to head for Washington D.C. where we had an 8-hour layover ahead of us. We arrived around 7:30am (EST). For the first half of the layover we were scheduled to receive a guided bus tour of the beautiful city, but the bus was pulled over by the police (yikes!) so this delayed our tour. However, they finally came to pick us up and we were able to see many of the popular sites and even made a couple of stops at some of the monuments. I have always had a love for Washington D.C, so this was really enjoyable for me. After the tour, we came back to the airport to prepare for our flight to Frankfurt that leaves at 3:25pm (EST). We are hoping that this flight is a little bit warmer than our morning flight and bus ride! 🤞🏼