Recap: The Highlights

In the event that someone should stumble upon this website some day — perhaps a friend or one of the Olympian gods (read: Zeus) wondering how exactly I journeyed home — I wanted to list out some of the major highlights of this trip:

• Most importantly, I successfully retraced the path of Odysseus in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

• In Turkey, I visited the ruins of Troy and sailed along the Bosphorus Strait.

• In Malta, I kayaked through the caves of Gozo; went jet skiing for the first time; and went swimming and snorkeling in the Blue Lagoon.

• In Sicily, I trekked Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe; explored the Trapani salt pans; had the best gelato of my life in the historic medieval town of Erice; and ate the best pizza of my life in Palermo.

• In Kefalonia, I relaxed and read Bengali poetry on the coast of Paliki.

• In Athens, I visited all of the ancient temples and sites, went to the thermal hot spring at Lake Vouliagmeni, and explored one of the top-25 bars in the world.