If you google Greece, you’ll see a healthy mix of articles talking about the “economic crisis” and “top tourist destination” in the world. Nicholas and I didn’t really have any expectations going into Greece, which we’ve decided is the best way to travel, because then you’re never disappointed! The only stories we had heard were from Nicholas’s grandparents, Papa Reuel and Grandma Mary, when they described Mars Hill and climbing the steps to the top of Oia, Santorini. For those that may not know, Santorini is a greek island south of Athens in the Aegean Sea. I have always dreamed of visiting Santorini; as it has always sounded so romantic!
As most of you know, we had flown home for Nicholas’ grandfather’s funeral. We spent 2 weeks in Minnesota, most of the time near Grandma Dolly to keep her company. Returning home was challenging, especially for Nicholas, as he has had to accept the loss of both his grandfathers in a short period of time. The funeral was beautiful and the time with family was sweet. We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
We started our journey to Greece on May 1st and arrived at 2:15 am on May 3rd. Being unfamiliar of the area and it’s safety, we felt it would be best to stay the night in the airport until day light, which would provide a safer walk to our hostel. About 6:30 am, we jumped on the metro, which took about 45 minutes to get to our stop, then had a 10 minute walk to Pella Inn. Let’s just say we were slightly tired and ended up taking a 4 hour nap…it’s also safe to assume we did nothing that day. The next day we felt refreshed enough to venture out, and decided to go to the Acropolis and Roman Agora. One of the things that consistently amazes us is that in the middle of modern cities, there are ruins that are thousands of years old. Our hostel was an 8 minute walk from the Roman Agora, so that was our first stop. After reading online, we decided to buy a pass that covered all of the main archaeological sites. (Here is the link if you’re interested.
https://archaeology-travel.com/travel-tips/buying-tickets-for-the-acropolis-and-other-ancient-sites-in-athens/) We made the most of our day and pass, visiting: The Ancient Agora, Acropolis—which includes the Parthenon, Erechtheum, and North and South Slopes— Kerameikos, and Areopagus, which is Mars Hill. There are no ruins left on Mar’s Hill, simply the rock, but it was interesting to stand where Paul had once preached! The Acropolis was very crowded, but impressive. The other sites were quieter, which we tend to enjoy more.
The next day we decided we needed an actual breakfast and found a little place called Brezel. For 7 Euros we got (and I’m not kidding): coffee anyway we wanted it (with unlimited refills), freshly squeezed orange juice, a pretzel with jam and honey, two eggs, two slices of bacon, a tomato and a 15cm pretzel sandwich. That 7 Euros covered breakfast and lunch! Even better was the young woman we met who worked there. Maria was SO sweet. She made such an impression on us we told her we’d come back after visiting Santorini. After breakfast we visited Hadrian’s Library, the Roman Agora, Olympieion, and the Lykeion. Out of all of these the Olympieion (Zeus’s temple) was the most impressive, due to the size of the columns. Pictures don’t do them justice. By the end of the day we were ready to be done visiting ruins though. Just like the temples in Asia, looking at the same thing over and over tends to get a little boring, even if it is amazing in and of itself. We walked through the Plaka Neighborhood, which is a very pretty and wealthy part of Athens. There is a lot of touristic shopping and many restaurants. There was one stop we wanted to make though, and that was Brettos Distillery. This particular distillery has been open since 1925, and distills their own Ouzo, Brandy, Whiskey and other liquors. You walk into a small old room, filled with many colorful bottles covering 2 of the walls on aged, imperfect wooden shelves behind the bar. The room itself told the story of Brettos and your nose was greeted by a slightly sweet, liquor smell from the distillery. The old holding barrels are on the right and the seating area is in the center of the room. Nicholas tried Ouzo, which tastes like black licorice and is 42% alcohol, and I had a glass of local wine. Both were very enjoyable, as was talking with the owner. He acquired the distillery approximately ten years ago and you can tell he loves his job; he helped us choose our drinks and explained a little of the history behind Brettos. We chatted with him for a while and also learned he loved tennis and had attended the US Open 25 times. It was a fun afternoon.
We went to bed around 10 pm that night because we had a very early morning ahead of us. One thing I learned in Athens, Greece is that the airport takes an hour to get to unless you take a taxi, which is around 55 Euros and still takes 30 minutes. We utilized the 24 hour X95 public bus, which took 40-60 minutes and was only 6 Euros. However, in doing this, you quickly realize that in order to catch a 5:15 am flight, you must wake up at 2:30 am and take a 3 am bus. YIKES. Note: never book early flights out of Athens; you WILL regret it. I didn’t sleep at all that night (nerves, dorm life, weird roommate, who knows really), so was exhausted, but Nicholas slept a little, so he thankfully was able to lead the way. Our destination was one of my dream vacations; the island of Santorini! Santorini is 73 km2 (28 sq mi) and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. Many of the pictures you see of greek islands are taken in Santorini; the white dwellings built into cliffs, blue roofs and bright flowers make for a stunning scene.
Our flight was only about 40 minutes long and the bus ride to our hotel 10 minutes, so we were in the hotel lobby by 7:30 am. There was a bakery across the road (which we later learned was the most popular in Santorini), so we popped in there for a coffee and some pastries. Honestly, we have no idea what they were, because it was all written in Greek. One of them was an apple pastry and the other a sweet cheese pastry topped with powdered sugar. Both were good! After our breakfast we decided to just wait in the hotel lobby until reception opened. I was pretty miserable from the lack of sleep, and fell asleep on the couch. This trip has been one of many firsts for me. I, generally, would never sleep in a public place. I don’t want people to see me while sleeping and I tend to just feel weird. Let me tell you, all sense of decorum flies out the window when you’re so tired you want to die. We were able to check in early thankfully, and by that time I had slept 2 hours on the couch, so we decided to do some grocery shopping and sight seeing. Our room had a mini-fridge, so we bought some waters, milk, cream cheese, fruit, turkey and gouda cheese for sandwiches. Making your own lunch, if possible, tends to be cheaper than eating every meal out. We then attempted to take the bus, but it proved to be a semi-unreliable system and we didn’t want to waste any of our time, so decided to rent an ATV for 3 days (which excited Nicholas because he got his toy fix). We drove our 150 CC ATV to Akrotiri, a Minoan Bronze Age settlement that was destroyed in the Theran volcanic eruption in 1627 BC and buried in volcanic ash. One thing that struck us is that the island has no fresh water, and scholars still don’t know how the islanders got it. We went to the Red Beach after our visit to Akrotiri. Because the Island is the product of a volcano, the earth and rock varies from black to red to white. Red beach is located beneath a cliff of red rock on the east side of the island. We walked on the beach and then went on a hunt for some food. We found a delicious little restaurant right down the road from our hotel called Katrina’s Traditional Restaurant. Nicholas ordered a pork kabob with veggies and I had a pork fillet with feta sauce and rice. Oh. My. Tastebuds. Both dishes were amazing. The restaurant is family owned, which is always fun as well because you get to talk with people who actually enjoy conversing. It was a good introduction to the island!
I slept 12 hours that night, from 9 pm to 9 am, was up for maybe 45 minutes and then took a 4 hour “nap.” By 3 pm I felt ready for some adventuring, so we drove to the Black Beach in Perissa, walked for a little while and then rode to Fira (the capital of Santorini) for dinner.
Our third day in Santorini was our favorite day. We took a bus to Oia and then hiked from the city to Fira. The hike is about 10km long and goes along side the cliffs on the eastern side of the island. We enjoyed seeing all the different kinds of flora and fauna and breathtaking views. This hike is a must-do for anyone who visits. For dinner we decided to splurge. Like I stated earlier, Santorini was one of my dream vacation spots and we wanted to make the most of it, hence the private room with real towels and a romantic dinner. :) We made reservations at a restaurant in Amoudi Bay, OIa were we sat right on the water, had a nice glass of wine, and fresh seafood. As we’ve traveled we slowed down quite a bit; the people around us don’t rush about and it’s rubbing off on us. Americans seem to do everything so fast, but it’s actually extremely enjoyable to take time and focus on each other while walking, talking or eating. After dinner we bought a bottle of wine and enjoyed it on our balcony back at the hotel. It was a wonderful night, and the quality time we are getting as a couple on this trip is something I will always be grateful for.
Our final day in Santorini was spent driving around on the ATV (note: some form of eye protection is a must while driving the ATV as it is very windy on the island causing for lots of bad dust that pelts you in the face while driving…even wearing sunglasses, we got dust in our eyes…I think they need to rent science goggles with the ATV)—we were trying to use all the gas we put in the thing—walking around Fira and catching up on some blogging. Our flight back to Athens left at 9:15 pm and we were back at our hostel and in bed by half past midnight.
Our last day in Athens was a quiet one as well; we worked on some itinerary updates, played some cribbage, shopped in Plaka and walked in the National Garden. The garden is very pretty and a nice place to escape the loudness of the city. The best part of our day was breakfast at Brezzos though! We walked in, said hello to the woman working and she said, “Ahhhh Americans?! Maria told me! I’m her mother! Please, sit, sit!” Maria came into the shop at 1230, so we were able to see her as well. We even connected with her on Facebook in order to keep in touch when away.
One of the reasons we had such a wonderful time in Greece was because of all the kind people we met. The city is nice, filled from head to toe with graffiti due to the economic downturn, but is not a cause for concern.
At the end of our time here, I honestly can say Greece did not disappoint and was a WONDERFUL introduction to Europe! After struggling somewhat in Israel, Greece was refreshing. The people were kind, friendly and helpful. The country has since been added to our “return to someday” list.
