Grecian Yearns

A trip to Greece to explore, eat, celebrate love & have a whole lot of pun.

VINTAGE/MODERN ATHENS

Fueled by espresso freddo, enormous salads topped with feta, and 100° F (or 38° C) days, we tackled Athens in four days. We started our mornings on American time, eating huge breakfasts of cheese, Greek yogurt and fruit (provided by the amazing Psirri-based A for Athens hotel) and seemingly had the whole city to ourselves, or at least Monastiraki Square. Athens is immensely walkable, and we logged about 10 miles a day bouncing between coffee shops, ancient sites and outdoor cafes.

ATHENS GOLD

Being so walkable, we felt like we were constantly discovering new sides of the city. Statues, columns, and Byzantine churches surround the city, and luckily bakeries and espresso machines do as well to keep you going and provide shelter from the August sun. The people were friendly, spoke English, and welcomed us into their cafe, gallery or open-air theater with open arms and very little sign of economic turmoil.

OUR RUINED DAY

The Acropolis is impossible to miss from most locations within Athens. At night, the Parthenon (and most other ancient sites throughout the city) are lit up brilliantly, and throughout the day there are ruins to be explored around every corner. We started our day at the Acropolis early to beat the crowds (having purchased our passes the day before also saved us a line at the ticket booth), and ignoring the selfie-stick craze had a great time exploring the ruins, cropping most of the tourists out of our ‘grams.

TOPPING ATHENS

We celebrated our last day in Athens by visiting the impressive National Archaeological Museum of Athens, walking through the Exarchia and up a mountain (Lycabettus Hill), but were greeted by deserted streets, amazing views, and a cafe serving the best tasting french fries I’d had all day. Perhaps off the beaten path, we’re immensely glad we made this trek.

SHIPPED OFF TO MYKONOS

A labyrinth of narrow and winding streets taking you past clubs, restaurants, luxury boutiques, junk shops and handfuls of souvlaki from noon until four AM Mykonos truly was unexpected at every turn. The beaches are breathtaking, and the charm and beauty of the seaside dining, Vespa Apes, and authentic Greek Fishermen (in hats) made Mykonos memorable. Our AirBnB situated directly overlooking the sea (see white porch with blue shutters below), and amazing host made the stay that much more special, and helped us forget about the lack of potable water or the ability to flush anything down the toilet.

SUN-BEACHED

The beaches in Greece are unbelievable. €5 to €15 for a pair of lounge chairs, waiters, shade and the greenest-blue sea ever seen. White sand, black sand, and red sand beaches dot the coasts of the islands and all offer something different. If you get the chance, try to explore them all and make your own decision on which was best (Jackie O‘ Super Paradise, Mykonos gets our vote).

SANTORINI DREAMS

For a place decimated by a volcano, Santorini looks pretty good. White-washed, cliff-side houses and churches dot the caldera-side of the island (Volcano view), and overlook the emerald waters of the Aegean sea. High season meant the roads were crammed with local and luxury tour busses, as immortal tourists wove through traffic on ATVs, scooters and Honda SuperCubs. The meals continued to excel, with Santorini exclusives like white eggplants, fava (not fava bean, but a hummus-like spread made from a local legume) and renowned perfectly sweet tomatoes invading every menu we encountered. Standouts include: Cave of Nikolas, Red Beach, White Beach, Black Beach, and dining with a view at Galini Café in Firostefani. Evgenia Villas & Suites in Fira was the perfect place to stay and return after long days of exploring and celebrating.

THE NUPTIALS

Finally after miles of travel, planes, trains, busses and ferry rides, over 120 guests converged for #LamelGiavos. A seaside dinner, cliff-side wedding with fireworks and to-go souvlaki, a boat cruise around the island and through the volcano, and a lamb roast at an authentic Greek taverna all became the perfect excuse to celebrate the union of Rachel & Dean.

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