HELLO from the beautiful island of Corfu, Greece!
June 21, 2024
We woke up in our beautiful pink house after a wonderful night’s rest. We fueled up on some breakfast at the house before heading down the road to meet our boat captain for the day! We found our boat captain and guide and followed them to the dock. Our guides were already cracking jokes, so we knew we were in for a real treat today! After loading up the boat, we jetted off gliding over the crystal clear waters. Our guides took us to some cool landmarks around the isles, including some caves. In one cave there were hundreds of fish that our guide jokingly told us were vegetarian piranhas. Wyatt, believing him for a second, looked so concerned and was not about to get into the water anytime soon until discovering our captain was completely kidding. We continued our boat tour before pulling up to a gorgeous rocky beach. We hopped out here and sat up shop for the day. Claiming our beach spots, the group laid out towels and sunscreened up! Caroline and Brooke enjoying laying on beach chairs in the shade reading. Caroline read nearly 200 pages in her book! The boys took hackeysack to new levels when they started playing in the water. Meanwhile, Mary Sterling and Ryder tanned on the rocks chatting about life. After everyone was feeling extra toasty in the sun, we geared up for a snorkeling tour. Our guide took us through the crystal waters and into a dark, cold cave. It was so cool! Clara had these giant flippers on and could hardly maneuver herself around, it was so funny. She exclaimed that kicking those things around was giving her ankles a workout! Meanwhile, Boy Parker took some awesome underwear pictures and videos of our snorkeling session on his GoPro. We then enjoyed a delicious lunch on the beach of sandwiches, chips, veggies, watermelon, and juice! Our guide handmade hummus for the group and we all devoured it with delight. After lunch, we explored the island more and went over to the other side. Boy Parker, Brooke, and Jake walked all around the island checking everything out, and even found an old war bunker. We swam, played, read, tanned, and all things beach! We were soaking up every ounce of sun possible. Eventually, in the late afternoon our captain retrieved us from our island and we headed back to the pink house. We showered up for dinner and made some Mexican bowls as a group. After dinner, Eli and Izzy led us in Moonup where we talked about our hidden talents and where we want to be in ten years. Some super memorable hidden talents consisted of Kate demonstrated a fabulous pigeon noise and Eli jumping over his legs. Ruthie shared with us where she wants to be professional, physically, and emotionally in 10 years and we were impressed with her lofty life plans. After Moonup, we headed to bed anticipating sea kayaking the next day.
After a goooood night of sleep we woke up for another day in Corfu. Today’s activity was sea kayaking! The crew rolled out of bed and up to breakfast where we had our cereal, toast, fruit, and yogurt. After breakfast, we also made our own sandwiches for the day! We had cheese, turkey, cucumbers, tzatziki, and hummus. There was also some jams, peanut butter, and nutellla. The group went down the line, loading up their sandwiches with their favorite toppings. Once we were all packed, it was off to sea kayaking! We met our driver, George, who would be taking us to a new part of the island. We rolled up and down and twisted and turned all throughout the island of Corfu. We stopped at an outlook for a quick picture before arriving to our sea kayaking destination! It was gorgeous! We met our guides, collected our gear, and hit the water eager to get out there. Eli and Wyatt were a powerhouse on their kayak, showing everyone how fast they could move before quickly tiring out. Emmie had a “motor” in her kayak (aka Hudson). This duo was quite hilarious on the rafts and kept themselves entertained that’s for sue. Girl Parker and Ruthie were cool, calm, and collected in their kayak. They looked like professionals as they calmly skimmed over the water! We moved along the coast and past a rock outcrop, the views were stunning! We headed towards an island where we jumped out and hiked up to the top to see a church built in the early 1500s. It had recently been repainted, along with some of the benches there. It was beautiful! Ruthie and Kate got a great picture just in front of the church! We had some snacks at the top before heading back down to get back in our kayaks. Our guides were taking us to a cliff jumping spot! We paddled back to the rock outcrop and our guides showed us the jump. It was CRAZY! One by one the group climbed to the top to leap off into the beautiful blue water. Emmie and Clara conquered their fears yet again and headed up for a jump! They even looked fearless while jumping! Boy Parker shouted his usual “They don’t know me, son” before departing from the rock. We had a blast! We headed back to shore for lunch. Ryder and MS were caught in a wave that took them all the way to shore! It was awesome! We dropped our stuff and headed up to our bags for lunch on the patio. The beach was beautiful. The group all sat on the patio on the high chairs overlooking the ocean. Another fantastic view for lunch! Definitely going to miss these views. We finished up our delicious lunches and headed back to our home sweet home at the pink house. We came back to freshen up, take a quick nap then hit the town for dinner and shopping! Dinner was at an Italian place just down the hill. It overlooked the beach we went to on the first day! Ruthie, Clara, Abby, and some others got the pesto gnocchi and it was AMAZING! They ate and left no crumbs! Some of the guys got bolognese and pizza. We learned once again that food in front of this group does not last long! Everyone loved tonight’s meal! After dinner, we found a great shop for everyone to buy some souvenirs for friends and family back home. Ryder was especially excited to find a ring that was Boulder colors in honor of her heading there soon! When we wrapped up our shopping spree, we headed just next door for some ice cream to celebrate our last night in Paleokastritsa! Ryder and I (Jake) got the hazelnut that no one had touched. Little risky move but it paid off, it was delectable! We made our final march up the hill to the pink house for one last Moonup before an early morning to head to rock climbing! We talked about our “embarrassing” TV shows that we enjoyed. We learned Wyatt loves Gilmore Girls, Clara has watched almost every reality TV show known to man, and Kate said she watched How It’s Made because of her dad and that the intro music hyped her up! After sharing laughs with our embarrassing TV shows we got deep and talked about what motivates us, there were lots of amazing answers. Eli and Abby both mentioned how much their fathers motivated them in life and encouraged them daily. We went to bed feeling inspired, ready to attack our last day on Corfu tomorrow!
We woke up bright and early again in the pink palace and whipped up a quick breakfast. We then loaded up the vans and headed to the top of the mountain for rock climbing. When we pulled up to the spot, we were in awe at the beauty of it. The rock walls we climbed were surrounded by the most beautiful ocean views. It was truly breathtaking. We split up into groups, one group started with rock climbing and one group swam down below. Bear took off on the rocks, climbing to the top with speed. He completed all of the ropes set up and the guides were so impressed! Emmie and Hudson strapped on their gear and hyped each other up conquering their nerves. They both impressed us so much with their ability to encourage each their and conquer their fear of heights together. Meanwhile, down below Mary Sterling and Ruthie were swimming around the water like mermaids and discovered you can open your eyes under the ocean water and it doesn’t hurt! Back up top at the rock wall, the guides set up another line for Bear to tackle! He and Izzy raced each other to the top, encouraging each other to make it past the hardest part. Also, it’s worth noting that Jake rock climbed for the very fist time and completed four different courses with ease! After feeling so accomplished and proud of ourselves, we left rock climbing and headed to Old Town Corfu. Here, we fueled up on some yummy tzatziki, bread, and an assortment of lunch orders. Afterwards, we explored the town, which was so cool. It was a beautiful coastal town with lots of lively streets and old ruins. We sat down for dinner on a beautiful and bustling cobblestone street, where we were treated right. We had delicious chicken, meats, pastas, breads, and veggies, and went through 18 liters of water! After dinner, we trekked back to our hotel in Corfu Town where Caroline and Clara led us in Moonup. Our silly question this evening was about what brand we would want to be sponsored by. Boy Parker said CVS because of its practicality, Abby said Target for obvious reasons, and Izzy said Celsius for an endless supply of energy drinks. Afterwards, we fell fast asleep anticipating our flight to Athens the next morning.
It was an early morning for the group in order to make the most of our last day in Athens! Parker and I (Jake) woke the group up, and they grabbed their stuff to load up the bus and head to the airport. Our guide Martina was leaving us this morning, so we all shared a hug and said goodbye to her. Everyone was so sad to see her go and wished she could join us on our exploration day in Athens! We had a very short drive to the Corfu airport where we checked in and dropped our luggage. Emmie had to be escorted to the basement of the airport because her bag straps would not tie up, so she had to drop it at the special luggage carousel. Not even on the plane and it had already been an adventure! We made it through security, and found a place to post up by the gate. With sometime before boarding, we gave everyone time to work on their letters to themselves and 25 things they want to do in their life. Boy Parker got right to work while some others wanted to grab some coffee before diving into some paperwork. There was a Starbucks near the gate, and Ryder and Mary Sterling SPRINTED to get some coffee. The rest of the crew followed closely behind. We stood in line chatting about our Starbucks orders before getting some coffee and heading back to hangout with the group. Girl Parker and Emmie kept doing their new favorite cheer, “You ain’t got a suitcase but you travel,” giggling about it the whole time we were in line. Boarding began, we scanned our passes, hopped on a bus, and were outside on the runway headed up the stairs to our seats on the plane. Emmie and Clara ended up sitting next to each other, and were being the silliest of geese in their seats before take off! Hudson and Eli immediately cracked open the plane magazine to pass the time while MS and Ruthie started some games of hangman. After a short flight, we touched down in Athens! We headed to baggage claim to grab our stuff and hit the metro to town, but while we were waiting the group received a wonderful compliment from a stranger. This lady walked up to our group and told everyone how impressed she was with them! She said they were some of the most well behaved teenagers she had ever seen! Parker and I were so proud of the group! We collected our duffles and headed outside to catch the train! We had a quick stop to buy some tickets, then it was down the stairs and onto the platform to board the train! We found a nice spot to circle up in, and we hunkered down for the trip into the city. At one of our stops, a guy playing an accordion stepped onto the train and started serenading the whole crowd. Ruthie was in shock! We loved the little concert from him. We rolled into our station and quickly stepped off and headed up to street level. We had one more leg of our travel before arriving to the hostel. We waited for the bus for a few, when it arrived we piled in, eager to drop our stuff and get exploring. We arrived at our hostel a few minutes later, dropped our bags, and ran out to head to lunch. We found an AWESOME gyros restaurant on one of the streets. While walking up, we even caught a glimpse of the Parthenon! We stood in line, and one by one ordered our gyros and platters. Abby and Ryder were first to get theirs, and when they took a bite, their eyes just lit up. The food was AMAZING! The restaurant even gave us a few dolomas and they were also fantastic! Ruthie devoured them as soon as they hit table! After lunch, it was time to explore! We walked towards a popular street with shops everywhere you looked. The group needed some souvenirs for themselves as well as friends and family back home, so this was the perfect place to get some! Kate made hands down the best first purchase, a fan and lanyard. Bear and Eli purchased new wallets. Abby and Ruthie each bought a new purse! Emmie, Caroline, and Kate all bought some wooden key chains for their dads! Brooke found a dress to wear for our banquet dinner tonight! We shopped till we dropped (literally), so we found a place to grab a coffee or cold drink before heading out to sight see. We headed towards the Temple of Zeus, and took a load off for a second. Boy Parker started a game of hackysack while a few other snapped some pictures of the temple and surrounding area. All of a sudden this man in a Moondance hat and poncho walks up to our group. It was none other than Hayes Hitchens! The group was so surprised! We walked and talked while heading to the gardens and parliament. We took a brief stroll through the gardens, found a strip of palm trees that looks like Florida! Caroline said she felt like she was back in Tampa! The boys stumbled upon a sun dial and could finally know what time it was! We walked past parliament and the tomb of the unknown soldier. We haded back to the hostel to freshen up before dinner. Walk to dinner was a nice stroll through the streets of Athens, the girls in their beautiful dresses and the guys in matching Moondance shirts. Hayes even decided to join us for dinner! We went up some stairs and arrived at our restaurant. We expected to eat right there in the pathway, but our waiter took us up a flight of steps and onto this outdoor patio. We could see almost the entire city! We even had a view of the Acropolis! The group was so surprised! We were seated and immediately started checking out the menu. The group ordered pasta, risotto, chicken skewers and fillets, salads, and pork chops! We also (of course) had some fresh bread and tzatziki. Best dinner yet! Ruthie was the first to clean her plate! After dinner, Parker and I (Jake) raised our water glasses to toast to the trip. The rest of the crew followed our lead and toasted to all our inside jokes from the last few weeks. Such a special moment! We finished up dinner and headed to catch a glimpse of the Parthenon and Acropolis while the sun was setting. We RAN up the stairs and through the cobblestone streets, all laughing and giggling as we raced to catch the last few minutes of daylight. Our view was STUNNING! We snapped lots of pictures and just took it all in. We headed back down the hill, on the hunt for a sweet treat. We found a great spot and indulged ourselves in our final ice cream stop. We headed back to the hostel for our final Moonup that Kate and Brooke led. Kate had a hilarious nug jug story and somehow managed to open all nug jugs from the last 16 days! We talked about our favorite memories from the trip and what we learned about others and ourselves during our time together. We closed out with a big group hug. Tears were shed about having to say goodbye tomorrow, but the memories we made will last a lifetime! We went to bed one last time to rest up before the big travel day home.
We woke up bright and early with the sunrise on our final morning together and packed up to head to the Athens airport. We had a tearful goodbye on the outside of security, as the group headed to their gates. Our hearts are full with the incredible time and memories we have shared together the past 17 days. We feel incredibly lucky to have had each of your children join us on this wonderful Mediterranean adventure. It truly was a blast! Although, we are sad to see it come to a close, we are incredibly excited to watch each of them from afar continue to shine as the head off to school in the fall. Thank you for believing in the Moondance magic. We are forever grateful!
With lots of love,
Parker and Jake
Geiá sou (Hello) from Greece!
June 18, 2024
Hello again! Picking up right where we left off, we feasted on some pizza at our lunch stop in the capitol of Montenegro. It was a short drive from our lunch stop to the border, and the group received yet another stamp on our passports. Emmie and Clara were chatting everyone up in the bus. Girl Parker connected to the speaker and played some sweet music for us to enjoy while we cruised through Albania. For a mid drive pit stop, a playground with the most stunning backdrop of the Albanian Alps. Izzy, Mary Sterling Caroline, Kate, Emmie, and Clara all took turns on the swings. Wyatt, Hudson, and Eli hung out on the seesaw. Boy Parker eventually got a game of hackysack going and everyone joined in. We had such a blast. Most of us were new to this game but all picked it up so quickly. The final four was me (Jake), Brooke, Caroline, and Boy Parker. Boy Parker ended up winning the whole thing! As a few of us started getting out of the game, a boy staying at or near the hostel was playing with a soccer ball on the concrete pad next to the playground. Izzy and Ryder joined him and started a small 1v1 game with him. Our unexpected pit stop became such a memorable moment, we could not be more thankful for the time we got to spend there! We crossed over the mountain, and when I tell you everyone’s jaw hit the floor…EVERYONES JAW HIT THE FLOOR. The view was INCREDIBLE. The peaks were steep and jagged. The setting sun offered the most amazing lighting to take all of it in. We were in total shock. From that moment, we knew Albania was special and could not wait for what was in store in the days ahead. After dinner, we headed off for Moonup. LODs Eli and Ryder picked amazing spot near the church in a meadow. At Moonup we talked about some of our proudest moments over these past few years. Overall, one of our best Moonups yet! Wyatt and Ruthie were named LODs for tomorrow to kick us off for trekking!
The next we woke up beneath the beautiful Albanian Alps excited for our first day of trekking ahead. We set off in search of the famous Blue Eye waterfall and swimming hole. We followed the rocky trail down the valley and then took a sharp turn and headed up hill, gaining 2000 feet of elevation. Meanwhile, Mary Sterling made sure to capture everything we passed and saw on her camera, and got lots of group shots too of course. We finally made it to the Blue Eye and settled down for some much needed lunch! Afterwards, some of the group decided they were going to swim, despite the water being absolutely freezing. We wrapped up our time at the Blue Eye and began our hike back to our hostel. Emmie kept us all entertained with her ridiculously funny stories. Jake and I (Girl Parker) tricked the group into hiking 15 extra minutes to a local ice cream stop in Theth to grab some much needed frozen treats after a hot day on the trail. They were beyond excited! After a long 13 miles, we finally made it back to the hostel and showered up for dinner. Afterwards, we settled down for Moonup by a church meadow. We all fell fast asleep in our beds excited for another day of hiking to come!
We woke up in our beautiful mountain hostel one last time before heading out to our next accommodations. We were headed to Valbona! After breakfast, the group packed up their duffles, packed the essentials in their day packs, and we waved goodbye to our duffles that would eventually meet us at our new hostel. We snacked on our lunch in the shade to cool off from the hot sun. Everyone was so pumped to finally have a Birds Eye view of the mountain town we just came from. We finally reached the top and (of course) the view was CRAZY. There were huge mountains and another valley we would eventually descend into, but not after lots of pictures. The guys and a few girls hiked up a ridge and found an even crazier view. It was epic. Everyone wanted to just sit and take it allllll in. Sadly, we had to leave our phenomenal view of the Albanian Alps, and make our way to our next hostel. After arriving, We ran off for Moonup led by our amazing LODs Caroline and Emmie. We laughed about the day and talked about our B+ super power. Brooke and Clara were named LODs for tomorrow. After Moonup, it was off to bed for some much needed rest.
On our final day of trekking, we woke up in the beautiful town of Valbona. One of the hostel owner’s sons, Fabian, tagged along with us for the day. He was infatuated with Bear and wanted to hike next to him the whole time, asking him countless questions and telling him about his own life. We then explored an outdoor terrace nearby overlooking the valley and town of Valbona for a while before heading back down the mountain. Halfway back we stopped for a swim in the river. The hostel employees kindly built us a fire in the meadow nearby and we loved hearing the crackle of fire beneath the stars that evening. Our LODs Clara and Brooke led us in Moonup talking about our favorite childhood memories and what we would want our hair to be made out of if it wasn’t hair. We loved hearing the debate over which would be better for hair: sour candy straws, money, or fire. The group loved reminiscing on childhood memories such as family beach trips, holiday traditions, and stories from school. As the fire dwindled, we heading up to bed and fell asleep to the new sounds of the rain and storms outside.
After falling asleep to the mountain thunderstorms that rolled through last night, we woke up for one last morning in Valbona before heading to the capital. Before leaving, we had a very sad goodbye to our new friend Fabian. Fabian was really sad to see his new best friend Bear leave him. Not long after hitting the road, we rolled through a longggg tunnel. With no warning at all, our bus driver flipped on the party lights! We were officially in party bus mode. After a short drive through the city we pulled off and found our hostel for the night. We freshened up quickly and headed out to walk around town then head to dinner. Martina took us to the town center where there was a Euros watch party happening. We walked past a merry go round and ferris wheel, then up to a small concert. We stopped by there to dance along to the music before continuing on. Martina brought us to a popular attraction as our last stop. It was a pyramid built for one of the former rulers. We hiked up the stairs and had an awesome view of the city. After hanging out on top for a while, some of the group realized a proposal was in the works. Eager to watch it unfold we sat down, chatted with the friends and family of the couple and waited for their arrival. It was such a sweet moment to witness! It was such a great end to our short but sweet night on the town! We came back to the hostel for Moonup, where Abby and Hudson were named LODs for our last big travel day before hitting the beach!
The next morning, we woke up in the Tirana and enjoyed a quick breakfast of cheesy pastries, eggs, and fruit before loading up the bus to head to the coast! We drove for a while with the most beautiful views outside our windows. We settled into our beachside hotel for the evening in Sarandë, Albania. Within 10 minutes of checking in, the group was in bathing suits ready to hit the beach. We all went running into the Ionian Sea water. Ruthie and Izzy dove into the water like mermaids, beyond excited to finally be at the sea, and appeared out of the water beaming from ear to ear. We swam, we tanned, we read books, and the boys, OF COURSE, played hackysac. After our beach time, we showered up and went out to explore the town for dinner. We wandered around the waterfront shops and some girls purchased some fun sunglasses! Parents get ready to see these sunnies when you pick Kate up! Once back at the hostel, we settled down for Moonup in the patio. Afterwards, we all could hardly sleep that night eager to venture to our 6th and final country, Greece, of the country!
The next morning we woke up, eager to head to Greece! And we were off- bye Albania and hello Corfu, Greece waiting for us in the distance! We chatted, played games, enjoyed chocolate croissants as a snack, and looked out at the beautiful scenery around us. The group wandered around the ferry and got to venture out onto the decks! Eventually, after about an hour and fifteen minute ride we pulled into the port. We cheered with excitement to be in Greece! We passed customs, received another stamp on our passports, and jumped in a van to head to our house. After lunch, we secured a spot at a beach and hung out there in the afternoon. The boys and Jake went cliff jumping in the cove we were at and the girls enjoyed watching them from ashore! After lots of beach and swimming time, we headed back to our pink house! We are cooking our meals in this house for the next few days so we divided up our cook and clean crews and got started on dinner. We circled up for moonup, beneath the beaming moon. Bear really impressed us this evening, as he came up with creative ways to bond the group together even more. He really stepped up as a leader tonight and encouraged everyone to open up in the safe space we’ve been cultivating throughout the last 2 weeks. It was an incredible Moonup filled that truly bonded us together even more. We headed to bed, and dreamed about our boat day and snorkel adventures to come.
Thank you’s
Happy late Father’s Day dad, I hope you had the best day, I was thinking about you all day while I was traveling to Greece, you are the best dad ever I’m so glad yall given me the opportunity to go on 6 Moondances and this last one is amazing! Love you Chad the dad cant wait to see you! -Ryder
Happy Father’s Day dad, hope it was awesome. Excited to see you and go surfing. Greece is really cool but definitely different from anywhere I have ever been. Thanks for everything, this trip has been incredible. See you at the airport Friday. -Eli
Happy belated Father’s Day dad! I hope you had a great day and time in Tahoe. I am excited to see you and tell you all about Greece. You are the best dad ever and I’m so grateful to have you as my father and the opportunity to go on trips like Moondance and soon Taiwan. Love you so much! -Brooke
Happy late father’s day Dad! I hope y’all have had a great trip wherever y’all decided to go. The trip has been amazing and I can’t wait to tell y’all about it. I’m excited to see y’all Friday! Love y’all. – Bear
Happy late Fathers Day Dad I love you so much and hope you had an amazing day! Greece is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been thank you so much for signing me up. Thank y’all for these amazing opportunities can’t wait to see y’all at the airport! I love you!! -ms
Happy late Father’s Day Dad! I love you so much and I hope you had the best day! Also, Happy birthday Wade!! I love you, have an amazing day! Thank you Mom and Dad for allowing me to come on this amazing place! I cannot wait to see y’all! I love all of you so much! -Abby
Yooooo momma I miss you so much. Dad happy father’s day you are absolutely theeeeeee mannnnnnnn. I love both of you to the moon and back. The kid is livinnnnnnn sonnnnnnn. Thought I would throw in the tan is getting there! -From THE MANNNNNNNNNN (Wyatt) to the best parents a youngen could ask for
Hey fam! Happy late Father’s Day dad! You are the best!!! Thank you so much mom and dad for sending me on one last Moondance! It has been amazing! And I’m not burnt at all don’t worry. Albania was gorgeous and I’m so excited for all of y’all to see how beautiful Greece is!! See y’all soon! I love y’all!!!! – Kate
Hi fam! Happy late Father’s Day dad! Thank you so much for sending me on Moondance and the opportunities Moondance has given me! I love all of y’all so much and can’t wait to see y’all! I’m having the best time ever!! -Emmie
Hi y’all! I’m truly having the best time ever, and I’m so grateful to y’all for letting me go on this trip! It is absolutely gorgeous here in Corfu, and I’m having a blast! We have eaten so much Mediterranean food and Dad, I know you’re at least a little jealous! Happy Father’s Day (again)! I love y’all very much and I will see you soon! – Ruthie
Hi fam! Happy late Father’s Day and late birthday! I love y’all and miss y’all but I’m having the best time! Greece is everything I thought it would be. Thank y’all so so much y’all are the best ever – can’t wait to see y’all so soon. – Clara
Hi y’all! Happy late Father’s Day! Greece is awesome and I’m having so much fun! Today we went to the beach and I have read 300 pages of my new book, Fourth Wing, and I’m still going. Thank y’all for sending me on this trip and I can’t wait to see everyone! Please let Ava know that we need to go to Yogurtology as soon as I get home! I love and miss y’all so much! – Caroline
What’s up mom and dad happy Father’s Day! I’m in Greece now and I’ve gotta say this is pretty neat. We hiked through the Albanian alps and I’ve now visited 6 more countries. Thank you for giving me the opportunities to experience life-changing experiences like Moondance and giving me the opportunity to be the best that I can be. Thanks for always believing in me and I won’t let you down. -Parker
Happy late father’s day!! You’re the best dad I could ever ask for! We hiked a marathon in 2 days and now are exploring Greece! I’m typing this out in a really cool pink beach house that our group is staying in, and we just got back from a boat day! Can’t wait to tell y’all stories! See y’all soon! -Izzy
Whats up guys hope y’all are doing well!! We are in Greece right now and it’s real cool. We have been at the beach for the past like 2 days it’s been awesome. And HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD SORRY I COULDN’T BE THERE TO BE WITH YOU!!! I love you so much! Strange situation it’s Monday night and I’ve got no clue who won the US Open. Anyway I love you guys im having a great time. Tell Nev to text Lexie and tell her I said hi. -Hudson
Magic in Montenegro!
June 10, 2024
HELLOOO Mediterranean families and welcome to your first update! This is Parker (nicknamed Girl Parker) and Jake reporting live from the beautiful Montenegrin Tara River Valley. Below you can catch up on what our amazing group has been up to the past few days!
Goooooooooooood morning from Dubrovnik, Croatia! Our overnight flight had us landing bright, early, and promptly at 7:45 a.m. Thankful to be up and moving around, we shuffled our way through customs earning our first of many passport stamps for the trip. We met up with our guide, Martina, who will join us for the next two weeks. She even surprised us with fresh chocolate croissants to snack on while we headed to our lunch stop! Quickly after taking off from the airport, we received our second stamp crossing into Montenegro! The drive through Montenegro was stunning. We drove on the coast for the first half, followed by a cruise through the mountains. We arrived at our lunch stop, which offered an awesome view of the Montenegrin countryside. We ordered a group meal which included fresh salad and veggies and a meat platter with fries. The food was insanely good. We wrapped up and hit the road again, taking in the new, breathtaking landscapes around us. We finally ran into the lake/river we would eventually raft over the next few days. The canyon is BEAUTIFUL. None of us have seen anything like it. We arrived at our accommodations for the night and had to wait for our rooms to open up, so we quickly headed down to the river to jump in. The water was FREEZING, but it felt sooooo good. It definitely energized us for the rest of our afternoon and night. The boys of course found a large boulder rock and climbed up to the top. This was the first of many of their rock hangouts. We hung out by the river for a while getting to know each other, soaking in the sun, and taking in our spectacular views. Not long after, our rooms opened up, and we headed up to get settled. We all had showers and put on some fresh clothes, just in time to get fitted for our rafting gear! Our guides for tomorrow passed out wet suits, life jackets, and helmets to all of us. We regrouped and played a quick game of Hot Seat to help get to know each other more. Shoutout Eli for sitting in the middle of the circle and randomly kicking off that game. It was a great icebreaker. It was time for dinner, so we headed down the steps to eat on the restaurant patio overlooking the river. We had rice with chicken, a roll, something similar to cheesy bread, and salad. It was delicious! Wyatt was the first to go back for seconds! To top off our first night we also had a cinnamon apple cake topped with chocolate frosting. It could not have hit the spot any better! We finished up at dinner, and headed up to the field for our first Moonup! Girl Parker and I (Jake) led a phenomenal first Moonup by passing out journals and gifts to all the students and quickly jumping into a deep Moonup sesh. Abby and Boy Parker were named LODs for our first rafting day tomorrow and the group could not be more excited! After closing out Moonup, it was off to bed for some much needed sleep and to prep for our first full activity day tomorrow!
The next day we woke up in our cozy riverside cabins and headed to breakfast. Our first breakfast spread was nothing but amazing and included eggs, a selection of meats and cheeses, cereals, homemade bread and honey, breakfast pastries, and more! After, we hopped in vans to head to our drop-in spot on the Tara River for rafting. We drove through the rolling green hills of Montenegro which is the most stunning Durmitor National Park mountain range. We learned a lot of fun facts, one being that half of the mountains we were seeing were actually part of Bosnia! We stopped mid-drive for a necessary photo shot and to frolic in the grass for a minute. Upon making it to our destination we fueled up with a delicious lunch near the river. We dined on chicken, vegetables, bread, and an apple turnover dessert! Next, we geared up in wet suits and lifejackets, ready to hit the water. Split up into 3 teams, we grabbed our paddles and jumped in the rafts! This rafting was surrounded by the most insane views of the canyon. We had some splash wars and paddling competitions along the way. Wyatt being his adventurous and competitive self took the splash wars incredibly seriously and jumped from his boat to another boat. It gave everyone a good laugh! We continued down the river and found a good cliff jumping and swimming spot! Everyone enjoyed the thrill of jumping from high above and landing in the freezing cold water below. Clara, at first, was hesitant to jump because of the height, but after encouragement and chanting from the group, she made us all proud by overcoming her fears! After finishing off our rafting section for the day, we pulled our boats to shore and found our home for the evening, a riverside camp site. We changed into dry clothes, set up our tents, and built a fire. It was awesome seeing everyone pitch in to help set up camp. Our raft guides whipped up some pipping hot goulash on the fire and we enjoyed that with bread and salad. After dinner, one of the girls asked if we would have a cake to celebrate Abby’s birthday. We tricked the group and told them that unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to considering our remote location. But, Jake and I (Girl Parker) had a plan in place. We snuck up the hill away from camp and grabbed a birthday cake we got from our guides. Then we came down the hill with the cake and candles lit. We surprised her and the group and all sang Happy Birthday not once, not twice, but three whole times! We loved celebrating Abby’s 19th birthday in the Montenegro woods! It was a birthday she will never forget. After cake, our LODs, Boy Parker and Abby led us in a Moonup by the river where we chatted about our happiest moments in life. Boy Parker was the most prepared LOD of all time and demonstrated LOD responsibilities wonderfully. After an amazing first full day of activities, we all climbed into our sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the river nearby.
The next day, we woke up bright and early alongside the Tara River. Our guides prepared a hearty breakfast of eggs, bread, hummus, sausage, marmalade, and apples while we broke down camp. It was a chilly morning, and everyone huddled by the river to soak up the rising sun after packing up camp. We indulged in our delicious camp breakfast then ran off to get back in our rafting gear. The group was split up into rafts, and we were off! The canyon continued to amaze us. It was one breathtaking view after another. Raft talks became more rambunctious. Jake and Emmie realized they are basically the same person (shout out Momma Gs and Bizilias). Wyatt became best friends with our raft guide Auggie and could not have asked him more questions. After a scenic route for the first few kilometers, we pulled off at a beautiful overhang with a waterfall. It looked like a scene out of Avatar. It was INCREDIBLE. Our guides took us to the top, and we got an amazing view of the river. We climbed on some more and found a cave! The cave had a super deep pool that you could swim to the other side. All the girls started writing their names on the wall with the mud. Kate even wrote Moondance! Bear and Wyatt explored the dark side of the cave before heading back to join the group. We snapped a group photo and headed back down. This time we went under the waterfall. Boy Parker, Wyatt, Hudson, and Eli headed down to stand under the water. Izzy, Brooke, and Kate joined too. Boy Parker took lots of awesome pictures while lying down, getting those good angles. Meanwhile, Izzy danced under the waterfall. Then, everyone took their helmets off and felt the full force of the water. It was honestly a pretty nice head massage! We then took off to head out to enjoy the canyon once again. Ryder started a game on Girl Parker’s raft called Wavelength that kept us entertained for an hour. Our guide Auggie even contributed some! Just before we hit the bigger rapids, we made a pit stop in a new country. We pulled off on the right side of the river, landing in Bosnia! Our third country of the trip in just a few days, how crazy is that! After our Bosnia pit stop, it was time for the real rapids. We took off and prepared for an exciting last few kilometers. Everyone was locked in. Our guides had us spinning the boat through a few of them. It was AWESOME. We had a second pit stop at a jumping rock. Everyone climbed up and leaped off into the freezing cold water. We quickly loaded up the rafts and headed back to the rapids. The last half of the rapids was WILD. Everyone was getting soaked. We were doing 360s with the boat. Easily the best part of rafting so far. We had one last calm rapid that our guides said we could jump out and free float through. Everyone jumped in, eager for this crazy experience. It was like a swift lazy river. It was awesome. Boy Parker recorded the whole thing on his GoPro and we could not wait to watch the footage when we got back. We rounded the corner and spotted our rock outside camp and all swam back to shore. We cheered and hugged each other. Smiles all around for such an awesome experience. Everyone was starving so we headed straight up to have lunch. We had chicken, rice, chicken noodle soup, salad, and of course bread. The chicken noodle soup was a big hit. Definitely warmed us up after our free float through that ice-cold water. We indulged and chatted about how crazy the last half of our route was. We finished up at lunch and headed up for some much needed showers and a little bit of R&R after our night by the river. We all regrouped on the porch, the girls were getting a journaling session in and Boy Parker started a hackysack game with the guys. We came back together and continued hanging out on the porch before dinner. Dinner tonight was a delicious pasta! After many conversations about chicken Alfredo and pesto pasta, the group was pumped for this dinner! Almost everyone joined the clean plate club tonight. The dessert was a lemon cake with chocolate frosting. Delicious! After dinner, it was time for Moonup, led by Izzy and Hudson. They decided to do it by the fireplace. Our first question was about our spirit animal. Brooke had the best answer ever, telling a story about a seal interaction when she was only a couple of months old. Bear and Mary Sterling were named LODs for tomorrow for our last day of rafting!
We woke up to the beautiful sun shining on our 3rd morning of rafting excited to explore the Tara River one last time. We grabbed a delicious breakfast and headed out on the rafts again. The energy this morning was unmatched and silliness was spreading like wildfire among the group. The groups sang songs the entire way down the rapids and played game after game. On my boat (Girl Parker’s), we took turns sitting at the front of the raft holding onto the ropes and trying to balance through the rapids. Emmie had us all dying laughing as she was slipping and sliding like crazy trying to win the competition. Meanwhile, Ruthie and I kept singing songs and trying to balance standing up on the raft. Jake’s boat, with Kate, Abby, Mary Sterling, Wyatt, and Eli got extra creative and stood up on the edge of the raft through a rapid. The other rafts of course copied this brilliant idea. Considering it was day 3 of rafting, our raft guides were our new best friends. They too were feeling extra silly this morning and kept trying to flip the rafts and give us all a good laugh. We ended our rafting feeling bittersweet, as we were sad to be wrapping up our time in Montenegro but excited to head to Albania the next morning. For our last Montenegrin afternoon, we swam and played by the river, and Ruthie found the perfect riverside hammock to read in. The boys continued bonding on their favorite rock and practicing their hackysack skills. Caroline led some girls to a pristine reading and journaling place in the shade. Izzy practiced different braids on other girls and Martina, and everyone enjoyed reading and journaling in the late afternoon sun. For dinner, we dined on some curry chicken and rice, salad, bread, and amazing apple pie for dessert. We enjoyed Moonup by a fire and talked about our biggest role models in life and our favorite places. Caroline told us about her memories from Lake Toxaway which put smiles on all of our faces. Many students mentioned their family members as some of their biggest role models which we were excited to share with y’all! Eli and Ryder were named LODs for our big travel day. Excited to see them lead tomorrow! After Moonup, we shared some late night conversations by the campfire and headed up to bed to get ready for our travel day to Albania!
Monday morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast once again and hit the road for Albania. The views were nothing but spectacular on our drive. We stopped halfway in the capital of Montenegro for some much needed pizza and continued to Albania. We are beyond excited for the days to come trekking in the Albanian Alps! We’ll chat with y’all again soon!!
With love,
Parker and Jake
Shoutouts
Yo what’s good mommy and daddy. I love you so much. Kisses and hugs from THE KID. -The Wyatt Cooper
Hey Mom & Dad, love y’all. Can’t wait to tell y’all about the trip when I get back. – Bear J
Hi Mom, Dad and the boys! Love and miss y’all so much, so excited to see y’all! – Abby
Hi Mom and Dad! I love and miss y’all so much and can’t wait to see you! -Caroline
Hi Mom ,Dad and JB! Rafting in Montenegro was so much fun. I love and miss you so much and can’t wait to tell you all about the trip when I get back. – Brooke
Hi fam! Hope y’all had fun on y’all’s trip. I love and miss y’all! Also, can you please text Mrs. Middi because I forgot to tell her I wasn’t with my phone. -Clara
Hi fam! I miss y’all so much! I’m having so much fun! I can’t wait to see y’all! I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! – Emmie
Hi Mom, Dad, George, and Townes! I’m having so much fun on Mediterranean! I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I love y’all! -Ruthie
Hi mom and dad! I love Europe and would love to live here one day! Miss y’all bunch and I love rafting- also Mom could you check out how to get the Auburn game day tickets while I’m gone please! Happy Father’s Day dad you’re the best!- Izzy 🙂
Hey mom and dad. I’m in Montenegro. This is pretty neat. We take showers. Like a vacation compared to Alaska. I’m having a great time. Look up the Tara Canyon we rafted there it’s super cool. I got some super cool footage on my GoPro. People don’t believe me and Parker are cousins it’s funny. Love you. See you soon. Happy Father’s Day dad. – Parker
Hey everyone!!! I’m having so much fun; Montenegro is so pretty! Please get me good tickets for game day on June 20th. I love and miss y’all! – Kate
Hey y’all omgg this place is amazing and I absolutely love my group and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but I do really miss my protein (tofu) but love y’all and hope y’all are having a great time, happy Father’s Day! – Ryder
Hiiiii everyone! We are driving to Albania for trekking right now. I have been having the best time and my group is so cool!! We do get to shower it’s so nice. I hope you guys are having fun at home without me. Happy Father’s Day dad!! I miss y’all! – ms
What’s up mom and dad hope all is well we are having fun! Happy Father’s Day dad!!! Also… the LIV event is that Saturday I get back could you guys get me a ticket to go and also David and Toby please tell me you ordered my clubs!! Love you guys so much thanks for dealing with my requests!! We rafted the Tara River look it up! – Hudson
Hey mom and dad, I am thriving. Hope y’all are doing good. Happy Father’s Day Dad! Hudson and I would very much like to go the LIV event on the Saturday we get back. The people on my trip are a lot of fun and our leaders are cool. Montenegro was awesome, (look up the Tara River, very cool) we are otw to Albania now, then ending in Greece. Love y’all see y’all soon! – Eli
Safe arrival for Mediterranean 1A!
June 6, 2024
Hello Mediterranean Families!
All students have landed safely in Croatia and the group is headed to Montenegro for their first activity! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
