Today we had our longest day of travel, with a total of five hours on the bus. In short, it was absolutely worth it. First, we stopped at the Corinth Canal, which was absolutely beautiful, and then we toured both Nafplio and Epidaurus, two towns outside of Athens but with rich history. In this post, I’m reflecting on my visit to Nafplio and a lesson I learned there that I will carry with me beyond this trip: Never let fear deter me from seizing opportunities. During the tour of the village, we came across the Fortress of Acronauplia, a beautiful structure that served as both a prison and a fortress in the past. After touring the village, we had two hours of free time to explore and get lunch. Right after learning about the fortress, I knew I wanted to tour it; however, the only problem was that 999 steps stood between us and the fortress location. I knew I wanted to climb to the top, but I wasn’t sure if it was feasible in the time allotted. I turned to my friend, Michael Timm, and he immediately signaled his ambitions to climb the mountain as well. Due to this, I decided to climb up with him, and soon after, two more of our classmates joined us. In the end, we sacrificed lunch and shopping to climb up, but in retrospect, I can say that it was completely worth it. In life, scarcity will never allow you to do everything you want to do; thus, you might as well spend your time doing the activities that excite you the most. Climbing to the top of the Fortress of Acronauplia was one of the best decisions I have made in my life, and I am so thankful that I took the risk. We made it back with 10 minutes to spare, and we experienced most likely the best views I will ever see in my life. Beyond this trip, I will make sure to continue resisting hesitation in regard to opportunities presented to me, because you never know when an opportunity could turn into a life-changing moment. I am thankful for this lesson, and I can’t wait to continue pushing my boundaries in the future!
