Goodness Gracious Greece!
I have been fortunate to travel to 50+ countries but Greece was one of the last major European ones I had not been to yet. This trip was originally planned for summer 2020 for my brothers 40th and dad's 80th. Fast forward two years later and it was finally happening. And to say I loved Greece would be the understatement of the year! The week we left for Greece it was very hot in Stockholm which set us up well for going to Greece I must say! It was in the low 30's most of of the time we were there with thankfully no humidity and very pleasant evenings. I didn't wear a cardigan or jacket all 12 days.
We set off early the morning of the 26th and arrived in Athens around midday. We booked the hostel we had planned to stay in 2 years ago and wonderfully our private room was ready when got there. It was a wonderful place to stay and I would happily book it again. After dropping off our bags we set off looking for lunch. I have always liked Greek food but this trip definitely made me love it. We did not have a single bad meal and the price point is fantastic. We spent a few hours walking around the city before heading to a Greek craft beer bar and then a very good dinner at a place that did very modern Greek food. We had an early night as were tired from our 4AM alarm clock and we had to be up early again the next day as we had decided to book a day trip to Delphi. It was a bit of a shit show with the tour company the next day the first few hours but it all worked out. Once we left Athens we were amazed to see how mountainous Greece is and were amazed to learn that the country is 60% covered in them! It was a really pretty drive and at times you would have thought you were in the Alps. Delphi was very impressive and we had a great guide. We got back to Athens in the early evening and met our Bromma friends who happened to be in town at the same time! We had drinks up on our hostel rooftop and then finally after a nightmare of travel my parents arrived! The 6 of us headed out for dinner. My father and Gotland have quite a lot in common so it was great they could meet. After we put my parents in a taxi we hit up a few bars together. Athens has some really great rooftop bars and the views of the Acropolis never get old. The next day we had to be up early yet again (never as early as the first day thankfully) as we were going on a food tour. A 2 year belated Christmas present to the hubby. This was our 5th food tour in the last 6 years. I am so glad we started doing them as they are such a great insight to the city. After a much needed nap and shower I nipped out to get a pedicure. Later we headed to a very fancy rooftop bar to meet my parents for a cocktail and then just an hour later ELVH joined us! I found somewhere for us to go for dinner. We were still pretty stuffed from our food tour so just had a utterly delicious lamb skewer. Once we put the parents in a taxi hubby and I headed to one of the best cocktail bars in the world and it most definitely lived up to its reputation! Guess what? The next day was another early start! We were meeting my parents to get to the Acropolis before it opened at 8AM. It was well worth the early start because by the time we left a few hours later it was crawling with people and starting to get very hot. Whilst waiting in line a woman offered to take us on a private tour and which we agreed to. She was great and also even got some great shots of us up there. It was pretty incredible to see a place I have read about my whole life. After a few hours we made our way down and slowly to the Acropolis Museum. It is an absolutely phenomenal museum and we were all blown away by it! It was then time to meet ELVH for a late lunch. It was then very much time for a shower and a nap again. Later we met our Bromma pals for a cocktail. It ended up being a bit of a cocktail crawl that night because after we met them we checked out a fantastic mezcal bar nearby and then met my folks at the bar from the night before. They absolutely loved it and it was a treat to share the experience with them. We finished our wonderful day with a late dinner and leisurely stroll back to the hostel.
On the afternoon of the 30th we all headed to the ferry terminal to head out to our next adventure. Shortly after we arrived my brother and his wife joined us!! The first time the family had all been together since 2018 and we were about to spend a week together on a beautiful island in Greece. We were staying on Aegina about just over an hour from Athens. Anytime we told Greeks that week in Athens we were going there next they were very impressed. It is not somewhere typically tourists go to except for my a day trip to the harbour. The incredible house we rented was about 30 minutes from there and we were truly in a wonderful authentic low key area. There were a few hiccups with the house throughout the week but really overall it was perfect. The highlight being the incredible terrace where we spent most of our time. The first 3 days we settled into a comfortable rhythm of sleeping in, leisurely breakfasts (I got hubby hooked on Greek yogurt and honey), swimming in the beautiful sea, late lunches, cocktail hours on the terrace and feasts prepared by my talented brother. We also did some meals on our own too. There was a very good taverna within walking distance of the house. There was one night hubby, chef brother and his wife stayed up way too late and got into a blazing drunken row. It was not pleasant and I was so cheesed off with the 3 of them. Luckily that was the last of it.
On the 3rd we decided to peel ourselves away from the house and rent a few cars for the second half. We drove to the closest town that evening for a lovely dinner. Did I mention how well we ate?! The next morning my parents, hubby and I hopped in one of the cars to head to the Temple of Aphaia which which mostly had to ourselves! We then took the very scenic route through the mountains to a restaurant that was closed...! But luckily the backup place we found down by the water was open. We then met ELVH for a swim at the beach they had been at all day. Over by the house you needed swim shoes as it is very rocky in parts. Over on this side of the island it was sandy but not as deep so both sides have their plusses and minuses but both a total dream to swim in. That evening for 4th of July chef brother made us absolute feast. It was a really wonderful evening and my personal highlight was seeing H and Irish Ski Bunny well and truly bonding. He is a great kid! We also brought out a cake for the belated birthday celebrations 2 years later. The next day we drove to another nearby town for lunch and we both bought much needed new straw hats. Late afternoon of the 6th hubby and I set off for a walk to a cove to spread some more of my MIL's ashes. She loved the Greek Islands and had been a handful of times back in the 90's. My mother had picked fresh flower petals for us to scatter with the ashes, we listened to her eulogy play list and sipped a dram of whisky. That evening we had one final supper at the taverna. We were all so sad to be leaving this special place. The last time my immediate family took a holiday together was in 2001 when we rented a villa in Tuscany. It is unlikely we will ever get the chance to again but what a magical week we had.
On the 7th we headed back to Athens for our last night and a half. We originally were meant to leave the morning of the 8th but SAS earlier in the year hand changed it to a very late flight so we booked an AirBnB for 2 nights even though we only stayed in it for 1. It had an enormous rooftop with great views of the city and we could see the Acropolis when we laid in bed! It was in a different part of the city where we stayed earlier so it was nice to see somewhere new. We were within spitting distance of two great microbreweries that we explored that evening. At the second one we met this great gay couple from Ohio and spent a few hours talking to them. One of the highlights and joys of travelling is the people you meet right! The next day we went around the city picking up some food products we wanted to bring back, had epic 90 minute massages and one final drink on our rooftop. We landed in Stockholm just after 1 in the morning.
Greece I adore you and I will most certainly be back!
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