10 nights in Greece
"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." -Jacques Cousteau
We just returned from ten days in Greece with my family and wow, just WOW. We were fortunate to book direct flights overnight from Washington Dulles to Athens and then immediately hopped on a quick flight from Athens to Santorini via Aegean Airlines. It was a long day but I personally like getting the big travel day out of the way up-front. We spent the first three nights in Santorini at a Villa in Exo Gonia. While there we enjoyed a private tour around the island which included a stop in Oia, the island's famous village perched on the cliffs of Santorini's northern point, as well as stops at other lesser-known villages and lookouts to admire the gorgeous and iconic blue and white architecture. We also enjoyed a farm tour and an AMAZING farm-to-table lunch at Kissiras Farm in Fira and a wine tasting at a local winery. While in Santorini we also loved our sunset Catamaran ride which included dinner and a unique view of the sunset over the caldera. We all agreed that three nights in Santorini was just right. It's an iconic and popular island for a reason but we were ready to head to the island of Paros where we spent the next five nights. We took a one hour ferry from Santorini to Paros using the island ferry system. The ferry system in the Greek islands is very easy to navigate and very inexpensive. Highly recommend for inter-island hopping. More on this in a later post.
The island of Paros is just special. It is the second largest of the Cyclades and has a rugged and relaxed beauty that is unmatched. We stayed on the northern coast of the island near the picturesque fishing village of Naoussa. Our time here was spent enjoying amazing views from our villa pool, exploring Naoussa, hiking and adventuring to different villages on the island, enjoying incredible meals, touring a local farm, enjoying a very special cooking class (one of the highlights of our trip, IMO), and lounging on the beach at a private beach club. The island really has something for everyone.
During our time in Paros, we decided to take a 30 minute ferry ride to the island of Naxos which was a fun way to get a taste of another island for the day. We were met at the Naxos port by a tour guide who gave us a cool tour of the island including a stop at a local farm where we enjoyed animals, donkey rides, and archery (my girls put us all to shame!). We also had lunch in the village of Halki and a stop at a distillery for a tasting of Kitron, the liqueur that Naxos is famous for.
After five nights in Paros we flew back to Athens and spent our last two days touring the city and appreciating its rich history and iconic sites. We stayed at the Athens Capital by Mgallery in downtown Athens and it was perfection. Its convenient location, rooftop pool and terrace with views of the Acropolis, and luxurious accommodations made it the perfect spot for us to land for our final two nights. During our time in Athens our group did a half-day private tour of the Acropolis and Acropolis museum and our tour guide Alonso was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about the history of the city. He gave us an amazing tour experience and we were grateful to have been paired with him. While in the city we also explored the historic Plaka district, watched the changing of the guards at the Parliament square, and walked thru the National Garden. On our last night we enjoyed dinner at a traditional taverna in the Plaka neighborhood with live music and dancing. Super fun.
And just to keep it real, it seems these days no trip would be complete without some kind of travel snafu and this trip was no exception. Flight plans weren't kind to us and after cancellations, unplanned connections, and weather-related delays, we got home 36 hours after originally planned. BUT, we made it home nonetheless and I'm choosing to focus on the highlights of the trip, not the trip home :). Shout-out to amazing Grandparents for making this dreamy trip a reality!
