Colin Donihue

Well, I’m in the airport getting ready to leave Greece. Hard to believe how quickly this trip has gone by. Let me share a few of the stories from the last couple of days.

I left Rome very early Sunday morning to take the 4.5 hour drive to Bari and to the ferry that would take me to Greece. I arrived with plenty of time to spare! Such a welcome difference from my last sprint to catch the ferry.

The ferry ride was smooth but long. We left only about 15 minutes late, but we were very late getting into Igoumenitsa. That lateness though had the side perk of allowing me to watch the entire eurocup soccer final. In case you missed it, Spain dominated the Italians much to the discontent of many of my fellow travelers.

I arrived in Igoumenitsa just minutes before my hotel was set to close for the night but I was able to call them and let them know I was on my way and they waited up for me! It was so nice! Tired I flopped into bed and slept very well.

The next morning I set off for Athens. I took the ride nice and easy without the pressure of making a deadline. I decided, this close to my goal it’d be an incredible shame to get pulverized by a semi truck, so I kept the speed down, was passed by nearly everyone on the road and soaked up the scenery.

I had a delightful hotel in Athens about 20km from the airport. The evening was spent cleaning the car and getting packed again. I did have one more delicious Greek dinner at a nearby restaurant.

I left the hotel this morning and had an easy drive to the airport. I’m finally feeling good about following signs, navigating on my phone and staying clear of traffic, pedestrians, parked cars and other road hazards. I arrived at the airport very early because I was worried about returning the car. In the end the process was easy. They were apologetic about the break-in but not so much so that they didn’t charge me for the replacement window. Oh well, a bit more money but at least minimal stress. That car and I went through a lot together. All tolled we racked up 4,275 km or just over 2600 miles. Not bad for a couple of weeks of driving given all that I saw.

It’s almost time for me to check in for my flight, first to Istanbul and then to JFK. I’m expecting to land in NY around 10:00 pm EST tonight.

Stay tuned to the blog over the next little while. I’ll be posting a few big ideas about what I learned about the lizards and study sites while in Europe and what my plans are for the future. I’ll also be posting pictures and videos once I get back on my computer and can upload them!