6 months/6 weeks/6 days (oh my!)

Hello friends and family!

It's been a little while since we last posted on the blog -- we apologize for the delay, but it turns out that this working thing takes up a lot of time (surprise)! However, today is a special day, and it deserves a very special blog post, because...

Incredibly, it's our 6 month traveling anniversary! Additionally, we've been in Athens for just over 6 weeks... and it's 6 days until Christmas! Hooray! 666... hmmmmmm.....

Let's start with our anniversary, the biggest of the 6's. 6 months ago we were flying to Tokyo, with too much stuff in our bags and our hearts pounding in our chests. We were naive, excited world travelers... and today, we have been on the road for 6 months. We have gained a lifetime of experience, and still so excited to have this opportunity to learn from the world. It's amazing how far we've come, and we look forward to what our continuing travels have in store.

Of course, we had a massive celebration today to mark this momentous occasion. We decided to go all out on some traditional Greek food... so we ordered a pizza and a cheesy garlic bread calzone and washed it down with a few cans of beer (Heinekin and Amstel). At the same time, we played a rousing home-made game of Scattergories, and needless to say, it was amazing. Em got the World Traveler of the Day award when she suggested that, following this incredible feast, we get gelato for dessert. Which we did. And it was good.

Traditional Greek Food. Not what we ate.

We've also made a very important decision regarding our future careers as World Travelers. We were going to tell you earlier, but then today came, and we really don't know how to break this to you, but... we're getting a divorce. We're breaking up, going our separate ways, tried to stay together for the kids but it just wasn't working, yadda yadda....

In all seriousness, we have contemplated and talked about this decision for a while, and we have decided to go our separate ways post-Athens. Here are some of our reasons (briefly) for making this decision:

-- We've both grown a lot on this trip, and we're ready for new experiences in the months to come. We each had different goals for this trip, and we've realized that the best way to continue to approach these goals is separately.
-- Also, we'd like to follow different travel routes. The summarized version: Em wants to stay in Athens for an extra month and then complete an abbreviated tour of Europe before returning home the end of June, while Jess is heading off at the end of January to see the middle east and Africa, followed by a short tour of Europe and the estimated return date of September. Following this, she will bike one-way across the US, work for a few months, and through-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2011 (with 1-5 companions).
-- Even after 6 months of travel, Jess's attempts at playing the harmonica have not gotten any better. Em just can't take it anymore.

This decision is great for both of us, and we're parting on very good terms. We may have the chance to meet up again in London in May/June, but if not we will of course catch back up with each other and all of you when we get back home. Logistically, in light of this decision Em will be getting a new blog, the address of which we will post once it...forms. Em also got Facebook (exciting, I know), so everyone friend her! And we'll both continue to be safe and responsible travelers, so please don't worry about us being off on our own... too much anyway :).

Moving on, 6 weeks ago we arrived in Athens! Since we haven't told you much about our jobs, here's the scoop (gelato reference): We live at Hotel Dioskouros, where Emily works the graveyard reception shift. We have a basement room with no windows, but our own bathroom, a trade-off we're satisfied with. Our room is split into two smaller rooms, providing us with privacy and ensuring that our conflicting sleep schedules don't bother each other. Speaking of sleep schedules, Jess likes to sleep a lot. Like, 10 hours a day, because there are no windows and she can't see the sun and she only works 6 hours in the evening at her hotel, Hotel Fivos (20 minutes walk from HD), and her new knitting hobby doesn't take up that much time... and on the other hand, Em sleeps maybe 6 hours a day, because she wants to be awake when other people are awake. This means that on Saturdays, her one day off, she sleeps all day. The fact that she's awake right now shows how much she loves you guys. That about wraps that up.

Mural at Dioskouros

Finally, we thought we'd take a moment to wish you all the happiest of holidays and a very merry Christmas (6 days from today). We wanted to thank all of you who continue to support our trip, and have put together packages to send to us here in Greece -- a little bit of home has been lovely as our time on the road progresses. We want to remind you that our address is on our previous blog post, and that you don't have to send us things just for Christmas -- any time is fine :). However, be aware: the deadline for getting things to JESS is approximately January 26th, and to EM is around March 7th. Also, if you wanted to take advantage of sending things via Jess' courier service, they must reach NYC by Dec 31st. Thanks in advance :).

Syntagma Christmas Decorations (ponies not included)

Yep, that's about it. We probably won't write again until next year (ha ha), so keep sending the love... and anything else that fits in the box! Peace to you and your family this holiday season!

Love,
Jess and Em, World Travelers Extraordinaire (WTEs)