Eurotrip!

In just under two months I will be heading to Europe to visit the countries where my grandparents were born. I have never traveled to Europe so I am very excited to see where my heritage began and also to meet some relatives. My trip will take me to Spain, Italy and Greece. My paternal grandparents were born on a tiny Greek island near the Turkish border called Kos. Although not as big or well known as other Greek Islands such as Santorini or Mykonos, from what I have heard Kos is still a popular tourist destination with beautiful beaches, a chilled vibe during the day and a pumping nightlife. When visiting Kos, I hope to also visit a watermelon farm that my grandfather's family used to own and run. I have also been made aware that an uncle owns a popular nightspot in the main town which should also be fun to visit!

After visiting Kos, I am travelling to the east coast of Italy to visit my maternal grandparents' home town called Francavilla. I have met some of these relatives before when they visited Australia two  years ago. It will be an awesome experience to see them in their environment rather than as tourists in a distant country, especially their interactions with food (they were very critical of the pizzas we cook here, particularly the notion of using pineapple as a topping). Unfortunately none of the relatives I will be visiting speak English which will make communicating difficult, but a part of the experience all the same.

My leg in Spain will be to visit my girlfriend's family and relatives. She is hoping to achieve the same objectives I am with regard to seeing where our ancestors are from. I have always been fascinated by Spanish culture and it will be interesting to compare the Italian and Spanish way of life. It will also be exciting travelling to Spain in July as the World Cup will be finishing and with some luck, could result in me pretending to be Spanish and supporting the team with thousands of other Spanish (except if its against Australia, Italy or Greece!).

The countdown has begun and I can hardly contain my excitement to be visiting the motherland and see where my family came from.