Greece
We eagerly counted the days until arriving in Athens to reunite with our best friends Doug and Paula, whom we hadn’t seen since leaving Newton over a year earlier. They arrived full of energy and many warm hugs, but soon lagged and needed a long nap.
Staying in the Makriyanni district, a quieter residential area on the unfrequented side of the Acropolis away from the more trafficked shop- and restaurant-lined streets of Plaka and Monastiraki, we enjoyed intimate corner brasseries and breakfast cafes. Of course, we did sojourn into Monastiraki’s lively lanes, each with its own personality, browsing shops overflowing with all sorts of knickknacks from jewelry to t-shirts to refrigerator magnets and so much more, a treasure trove for anyone looking to bring home memories of Athens.
Our food tour consisted of two families from Georgia and one group from Tennessee!
Food tours are a perfect introduction to a new area. Over the course of an afternoon, we stopped at five different locations, each offering a taste of Athens’ rich culinary traditions starting with a generous charcuterie board of local cheeses, olives, and cured meats and finishing with perfectly grilled skewers of smoky and tender souvlaki (Greek for small skewer). Dessert wasn’t the predictable Baklava, a tasty phyllo dough treat filled with chopped nuts and drenched in syrup, but instead Loukomadies, fried dough balls dripping in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. Along the way, our guide shared stories about the history and culture of the area, turning the experience into more than just a meal.
Built in the 1600s, this Ottoman-era Greek Orthodox church honored Agia Kyriaki, a Christian saint martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian
One of the many, many, many Greek Salads we ordered … yum!
A mezze plate of Greek cuisine
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We made our way up to the Acropolis, a place that sits firmly on nearly every traveler’s bucket list (except for Gitty). Standing among the ruins, it was not hard to imagine the breathtaking grandeur this ancient temple must have held thousands of years ago looking down on Athens from high atop a hill.
The nearby Acropolis Museum houses an extraordinary collection of artifacts gathered from the site. The Parthenon Gallery on the top floor contained a chamber the same dimensions and orientation as the iconic temple. On the outer walls of this core display hung actual relief-carved blocks of the temple’s Ionic frieze in their original positions, but mounted lower for easier viewing. It was, for me, the most stunning exhibit in the entire museum.
The inside room of this display contained more interesting exhibits about the Parthenon. There I learned a striking piece of history: in the late 1600s, a Venetian cannonball ignited an Ottoman gunpowder cache hidden inside the Parthenon devastating the structure and leaving it largely in the ruined state seen today.
The west frieze of two galloping riders is preserved almost intact as the bombardment of the Parthenon by the Venetians in 1687 under the command of general Francesco Morosini did not affect this side of the temple
Hestia, Dione, and her daughter Aphrodite carved from one block around 438 - 432 BC were part of the frieze adorning the Parthenon
Fortunately, only a decade earlier, French artist Jacques Carrey had sketched the temple in remarkable detail.
Drawing by Jacques Carrey of the pediment sculpture on the Parthenon, 1674
His drawings, dare I say an early form of urban sketching, now serve as a priceless record helping us envision the Parthenon before its destruction.
Gitty and I have continued sketching since Poland this time sitting at the rooftop restaurant of the Acropolis Museum drawing the Parthenon while drinking raki, a clear Greek spirit that turns translucent milky white when adding ice and water. Similar to ouzo, it tastes of anise and it is the essential oil anethole in both liquids that triggers the color change.
The Architectural Museum, which we visited on another day, proved to be an adventure in itself. The layout was disorienting, but every turn revealed something remarkable. The collection spans thousands of years, with artifacts dating back to the 5th millennium BC, offering a sweeping journey through Greece’s architectural and cultural evolution. Despite the confusing layout, the museum had a raw and authentic charm.
Bronze statue of Poseidon sans trident
Artemision Jockey, a dynamic Hellenistic sculpture dated around 150 BC
Fragments of the Antikythere Mechanism, an ancient analog computer
Of some note was a bronze Artemision Jockey (found in a shipwreck off of Cape Artemision, hence the name) and the Antikythere Mechanism, from around that same period, used in seafaring navigation to track celestial movements and predict eclipses.
The Roman Forum in the Plaka district at night
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We dedicated a day to Vouliagmeni Beach, a seaside escape a short drive from Athens. With its crystalline waters and golden sand, it was the perfect place to unwind. We swam, lounged under the sun, and let the salty breeze erase any lingering traces of city bustle. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was our last chance soaking in warm Mediterranean water before heading to the Cyclades Islands where the water temperature cooled a few degrees due to the notorious Meltemi Winds.
The town of Imerovigli with its blue domes and white washed stucco homes
Santorini was formed by a monumental volcanic eruption around 1600 BC that destroyed a thriving Minoan civilization, forming the iconic caldera seen today. With high cliffs and cities gleaming white with prominent blue domes, it is considered one of the most beautiful islands in Greece, and possibly, in the world.
A view from our rental towards the center of the village
We based ourselves in Megalochori, a charming village tucked into the island’s center with its winding roads and quiet church square. Our villa was tucked away behind a stucco wall on a peaceful side street.
From our little haven, we explored two villages famous for their white washed stucco churches topped by blue domes glinting in the shining sun.
Wandering along a coastal walkway through Imerovigli, we lunched at a cliff-side restaurant and later enjoyed dinner in the town of Oia watching the sun set from the northern rim of the caldera before meandering the narrow streets bustling with bars and boutiques.
This 3,400 year old city had 3 story residences and proper sewage
The ancient ruins of Akrotiri, preserved beneath volcanic ash from the explosion that formed the Santorini Caldera 3,400 years earlier, was unearthed in the 1960s by Professor Spyridon Marinatos who discovered streets, multi-story buildings, frescoes, pottery, furniture, and advanced drainage systems. We read briefly about this “city of modern conveniences” when visiting the Architecture Museum in Athens, but standing among the actual ruins was an entirely more captivating experience. I didn’t realize functioning toilets existed in the 16th century BC.
A wall painting from Akrotiri dated to the 16th century BC transported to Athens from the ruins on Santorini
Each residence had an indoor toilet (left) which drained through a pipe system into the Mediterranean
I loved walking through the main town of Antiparos with its uncrowded pedestrian zone
Antiparos is a charming island with fewer visitors. Although our villa had a pool, as it was late in the season, the water was more refreshing than I would have liked. However, soaking in the calm waters of Sunset Beach, a short walk down the road, while enjoying the sunset was quite pleasant.
Doug and I drove to the Antiparos Cave famous for its unique rock formations and huge stalactites. Having visited many caves, I really didn’t expect much on this small, remote island, but I was blown away by the beauty as I descended deeper into the mountain.
This is only one simple example of many interesting formations in this cave
I love knowing that tourists in 1876 were as obnoxious as they are today
Spending a day on a Bavaria Cruiser 40 sailboat piloted by Captain Dubi and his first mate, Ariel, was a highlight for all of us.
Despite the photo op, I wasn’t piloting the boat
We enjoyed lounging in the sun on the deck, swimming in Faneromeni Bay, visiting the ruins of Apollo’s Temple on Despotiko island, and snorkeling the Blue Lagoon of Paros, famous for its crystal-clear, Caribbean-blue waters and serene atmosphere. The strong Meltemi Winds picked up the next day making such a sailing adventure impossible, so we definitely lucked out having had booked the cruise a few weeks earlier.
Our last few days in the lively village of Naousa on the larger neighboring island of Paros seemed to fly by quickly.
Walking through a charming beach to get to downtown Naousa
We drove to the sleepy town of Lefkes where I strolled along the Byzantine Trail, an ancient path dating back to around 1,000 AD.
Downtown Naousa
Naousa port
Having had a wonderful time in Greece with the perfect balance of exploration and relaxation, none of us looked forward to leaving the warmth and sunshine for cooler climes, but our final destination together still pulled us onward.
