Opa! Getting Away in Greece!

We finally made it to Greece! And after all we went though to get there we were pretty excited to say the least.

I’ve always dreamed of going to Greece. Ever since I was very little I’ve had this romanticized image of what Greece would be. It had been drilled into me over the years though textbook pictures and endless history classes. But to be honest it was completely different than I had imagined it to be.

I came to realize that my expectations of what Greece as a whole would feel like came mostly from images and movies that highlight the scenery of the Greek Isles. I thought it was all white cliff-side houses with bright blue roofs where daily fish venders ride donkeys up the steep and narrow  streets. I soon realized that this may have been the case if we had visited Santorini, but not Athens. Unfortunately, the Isles didn’t make the itinerary this time around but it gives us a reason to return. I still want to see those blue roofs.

When you say Athens you think history. The Parthenon, the vases, the sculptures all come flooding to mind, and yes, these are all still a very key element of the culture, but there is so much more. With all the economic hardship lately that Greece has been battling through, I was beginning to fear that this city might just be buried in the overshadowing allure of its past. But all you have to do is strike up a conversation with a local vendor, take one bite of the food, and inevitably take part in the never-ending night life for proof that this city is still very much alive.

The stunning view of the Acropolis and downtown Athens from our hotel patio.

Some of the local vendors selling a variety of useful and not-so-useful goods on the street below.

There was a whole multi-street flea market just across from where we were staying. There was always something to peruse no matter what time of the day it was. There were vendors lining the street until the wee hours of the morning. When one vendor closed, another would set up shop.


Once we arrived, one of the first things we did was head to the city center to do a little bit of shopping. And since it was such a nice hot day (which of course we were not used to) we took the opportunity to treat ourselves to some delicious Frozen Greek Yogurt – mine had sour cherries with caramel almonds and Matt’s had candied pistachios with caramel almonds. YUM! It was so good we came back the next day and rewarded ourselves again!




As we strolled around the city we came across multiple heath spas and places where the trendy thing was fish pedicures. Now, even after all the walking we have been doing, and the fact that I was in dire need of a pedicure, I just couldn’t get into this. The idea of some animal feasting on bits of my skin while swimming though my toes just didn’t seem right. Thank you fish but I think I’d rather do my own pedicure!

These ladies were so excited about it they even let us take their picture and pictures of their feet.

The view of the lit up Acropolis from the roof-top bar of our hotel.

We had the full intention of starting early for a full day of sightseeing the next day but that just isn’t the Greek way. We ending up staying up way too late sharing ouzo shots on the roof-top bar, sharing stories with a group of fellow travelers, and listing to the local music from the restaurant on the street below. We had perfect clear weather, a great view, and fun new friends to share this moment with. What could have been better! To tell you the truth I don’t really recall what we talked about for so long, after all the ouzo and all, but we didn’t make it to bed until about 2 am. Oh well...that’s how they do it in Greece!

The next day we made sure to see as many of the open air museums, ruins, and historical sites as we could pack in, or that our feet could handle.

Some of the sites atop the Acropolis.

And this is Athena!

Or at least what is left of her…her bust. Danielle this is for you!

Capturing a snapshot of our own history in front of the Parthenon.

After so much travel, we wanted to take the time to appreciate one of the things Greece is best known for – their Beaches. So we headed off to Voula Beach for some much need R&R.

This sleepy pup found a nice comfy stair and he didn’t even move a muscle when I scooted in for the photo. This is a perfect example of the dogs that I talked about earlier that you will just randomly find sleeping around the city. This one even had a collar.

Bread with feta sandwich….and if you look closely it comes with a little bit of Oregon. Mmmm…the tastes of home! Must be popular too as there is only one left. I mean, who doesn’t like a little Oregon on their sandwich?

One of my main goals in Greece was to find the perfect Greek Gyro. This proved to be a bit more of a challenge than I had initially anticipated. They make them all fancy in the states when really it’s more of a fast food option. Like burgers, the come with fries, but they just shove the fries inside the pita.

My ultimate favorite gyro location was a little place we found near the beach with a happy pig mascot called Pita Time. The best part was that you could get two pitas with drinks for 6 Euros, take them across the street and then eat them on the beach. I mean it doesn’t really get much better than that!
 

This was Salty.

The salt and pepper, peg-leg, pirate pigeon friend Matt found while eating lunch one afternoon.

Another one of my goals in Greece was to find the best baklava. I don’t recall what the name of this particular place was but they were in the back making it when we ordered and you could tell they had been doing it a while and knew exactly what they were doing. Their speciality was to make the baklava with almonds instead of walnuts and serve it with a bit of traditional Greek ice cream. Let your mouth water because this was by far the best baklava I have ever eaten!







Mmmmmmm…..Baklava!




We spent the next three days swimming, basking in the sun, and listening to audio books on the beautiful beaches of Greece without a care in the world. 

A couple of chairs, an umbrella, some sandwiches with a bucket of beer on the beach = The perfect lunch zone.

 

This was Blackie.

Matt’s other pigeon friend. Matt was able to feed Blackie by hand and he was the only one Matt would feed on the beach. Needless to say he got a little possessive of Matt and puffed up whenever any other pigeon tried  to come around. Matt and Blackie bonded a bit!

Greece was great and was exactly what we needed to recoup from the Great Train Trip. It was more than I ever expected and probably one of my most favorite places that we’ve been to so far. We will be definitely be coming back some day!

Now time to rev up for a whirlwind couple of weeks through Italy! Off to board the Ferry…