Greece - CHECK!

Visiting Greece and seeing its wonderful landscape and ancient historical sites first became a lifelong dream for me during a grade 10 history class.  The name of the class was Ancient Civilizations and I found it fascinating learning all about the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Sumarians, Mesopotamians and a whole host of other groups who helped shape the world we know today.  It started with finding Lucy, an Australopithecus Afarensis (basically the remains or much of them of the 1st upright humanoid) and ended around the Feudal times - I was hooked.  Now several of those ancient civilizations and their old cities and historical sites are now on my list of must sees.


Honeybunny and I decided to head to Greece for our first official vacation together and spent MANY hours online planning, checking prices and finding hotels.  After much anticipation, we met each other at Athens Airport (aka Eleftherios Venezelos International Airport) near the end of March and with packs on our backs we headed into the city of Athens on the metro.  It was about a 40 minute ride but we were dropped at Monostiraki Station which was only a couple of minutes walking to our hotel.  We stayed at Athens Center Square hotel.  It was a small hotel but very nice and affordable.  The one drawback was the overwhelming odor of the fruit market outside of the hotel.  The smell didn't get inside the hotel so it didn't ruin our visit in the least other than when we were entering and leaving.


We spent our two days there wandering through Plaka, looking in shops and stalls at the flea market and eating in small, outdoor cafes.  The people were so friendly and we learned that in Plaka the price is never the price...there's always room to negotiate at the stalls.


We took time to visit the Acropolis as well and it was fantastic!  The view of the city sparked a question I heard from my beau many times that day...What do all these people DO for a living??


I'm sure Honeybunny thought I was crazy but I became very overwhelmed while I was there.  When I stood there and thought about how long those structures have been standing there and all of the great Greek minds who may have walked on the same ground that I was now treading on.  Those thoughts and the realization that I was standing in a place that I had begun to believe I would never get to, was all just a bit much for me.  For those of you who know me very well...you know that the tears don't need too much encouragement to come welling up and sliding down.  Honeybunny, being the great guy he is recognized what was going on and started to tell a few little jokes to bring me back to normal. (I know...I'm a few sandwiches short of a picnic...)


At one of the restaurants we visited we were given a light dessert of Greek-style yoghurt with pieces of peach mixed in and honey drizzled over top.  It was quite tasty and we'll have to find the right yoghurt at home if we hope to try to duplicate it.  Another restaurant we visited was the Hard Rock Cafe.  Since Honeybunny had never been there, I decided to indulge him in the experience.  The meal was decent but like all HRC's a bit pricey.  In memory of the occasion though we did break down and buy t-shirts.


On the way home from dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on the second night, we fell victim to pickpocketers.  Everyone we've spoken to seems to have had this happen to them in Athens and other large cities in Europe and I can easily see why we were targeted.  We looked the part of tourists.  Luckily nothing irreplaceable was taken like our passports or other types of ID - just a bit of money and a smartphone.


Day 3 saw us jetting off the the mountainous island of Crete and a very luxurious accommodation.  We chose a beautiful, small hotel in a small Cretan village about an hour and a half from the airport.  This allowed for lots of time to appreciate the rugged coastline and hills.  Most of the way to the hotel, the road followed the north coast.  We stopped for pictures and snacks and to listen to the goats...you could hear their bleating and their bells but you for sure couldn't see them.


En route, we detoured to the CretAquarium where we toured the exhibit and saw many strange fish and sea life common to the Mediterranean area.  The ugliest thing we saw in my opinion was the slipper lobster.  I took lots of video because I think you need to see how the fish move to appreciate them.  There were sharks, turtles and many brightly coloured fish.  It was interesting to look in a tank and to see what you could see.  I had always thought aquariums were kind of dull (never having been to one before this trip) but now I have a new found appreciation.


On arrival at our villa in Argiroupoli, we were blown away.  There was a full kitchen, a jacuzzi tub in the bedroom and a fireplace.  It was definitely a very romantic place.  The grounds surrounding the villa were not quite spring ready yet but we could tell it would be beautiful.


Since we had a full kitchen, we decided to venture out to the local market and gather some provisions for supper and take a quick look around.  The market was quaint and had lots of things to choose from including fresh fruits and veggies, deli meats and cheeses, as well as frozen food, household items and liquor.  We enjoyed a modest dinner of grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches and a drink in front of a roaring fire.


Every morning, the older Cretan couple who take care of the villas and their residents brought us a superb breakfast which consisted of eggs or omelets, grilled sandwiches, spanakopita, phyllo cheese triangles, a tray with meat and cheeses, fresh sliced bread, fresh fruit, and even chocolate filled crepes - YUM


We spent 1 day walking around the village and seeing what life is like there and taking more pictures of mountains and trees than we can count.  The next day we drove through the mountains to the south coast and a town called Plakias.  Along the way we saw lots of goats and were almost stampeded by a flock of sheepies (so cute).  We walked along the boardwalk and admired the Mediterranean Sea.  A great little lunch was served in a beachside restaurant.  We enjoyed saganaki, french fries, cretan sausage and spaghetti bolognese in the company of the friendly proprietor and a kitty cat who, alternately,  begged for attention from the side of our table and chased birds on the beach.  That's the life of Riley for sure!

We spent the next day in airports all day, first on Crete then in Athens and finally landing in Santorini around 4pm after which we made our way to our hotel in Imerovigli (about a 20 minute walk - UPHILL from Fira).  Shine Hotel was set into the cliffs facing the caldera.  What a spectacular view!!  Since we arrived in the evening our first order of business was dinner.  We asked our host for a recommendation and ended up in our favorite restaurant of the entire trip - Naoussa.  It was a traditional family style Greek restaurant, simply furnished with delicious food.  The staff were super friendly and genuinely interested in us, where we came from and what we've seen and plan to see.  Afterward, the 20-minute walk back up the hill to the hotel seemed a bit harsh (it might have to do with the 3/4 litres of wine and lemoncello I had a dinner) but we made it...


Our first full day on Santorini dawned overcast, so we walked back down to Fira and walked around town taking lots of pictures and doing a little shopping.  We spent some time in a great souvenir shop where the owner made his own backgammon boards and chess boards.  He also had chess pieces that were various Greek Gods and Godesses.  That day I wished I played backgammon or chess so I'd have a great reason to buy one.  Honeybunny and I scoped out all the souvenirs we wanted to buy and went back later and spent our money on some souvenirs, mugs, and clothing.


Dinner that night was at a nice little Italian restaurant with terrific food.  The veal marsala was delish, but while it was nice and the food was great, it just wasn't our restaurant...We missed Naoussa.

Day 2 in Santorini took us to Oia (pronounced ee-a) which is a must see for anyone who goes to Santorini.  Oia is a quaint little village built into a cliff.  I'm told the sunset is spectacular (unfortunately we didn't see it as we were there in the morning).  Most of the village was preparing for the Easter holiday which tends to be the start of tourist season for most of Greece so the shops and restaurants were busy being painted and officially opened.

We ventured into a small Greek Orthodox church while we were in Oia as well.  Everything inside was gold, we were in awe.  Honeybunny said it was the first time he was ever impressed by viewing the inside of a church.


After touring Oia in the morning and having lunch, we took the bus back to Fira and roamed around some more.  The view draws you to the edge of the cliff every time you are near by.  On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a supermarket/bakery/convenience store that had homemade baklava.  Of course we purchased some and tried it when we finally got back to the room.

Did I mention that our room had a 2 person hot tub on the balcony?  We spent a little time relaxing in it during the afternoon before deciding to go back to Naoussa for dinner.  We were welcomed with open arms...The hostess remembered us from the 1st night.  She recommended great dishes, we met the chef (twice) and were even given some free items.  I would definitely tell anyone I know to find this restaurant if they ever find themselves in Fira.  We can't wait to go back and eat there again.  I know it will be just like we're family they haven't seen in a while.

The next day, we headed back to Athens for our last night.  We had booked into the Sofitel hotel, a 5 star luxury hotel, located at the airport in Athens.  We did this so we didn't have to get up early or go very far to check in (about 50 meters to be exact).  We had a wonderful surprise when we checked in...free upgrade!  cha-ching!  

We had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel but I didn't find that there was a large choice in options and it was expensive for what we received.  We went to the departures terminal for dessert.  We got a selection of mini desserts to share and took them back to the room while we relaxed for the evening.

The next day it was back to the airport fly home to our own cities.  It was sad and I know I sure didn't want to see him go.  As soon as we both got home, we started planning our next trip...Thailand at Christmas!