Our Greece Trip! PLUS What to Know

Birthday trip for the Mr. and I

Trip of a Lifetime

If you've been following my blogs these past couple of months, you'll see that my husband and I went to Greece to celebrate our birthdays (his being September 28th and mine being October 3rd) and, lucky for us, this time of year was the best time to go.  The weather is still nice enough that we could get our tan on but cool enough that we wouldn't be burning up.  

Travel Time

Flying over Europe

Vuong has never been overseas and I've never been to Europe so this year's birthday trip was somewhat of an easy decision.  All he wanted was to go somewhere "good."  I've wanted to go to Greece since I was a teen - the first time I saw a photo of the white buildings and watching movies based on or set in Greece (i.e. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, My Life in Ruins, Mamma Mia, etc...), I knew this was the perfect place. 

It took us about 9 hours to fly to Paris for our layover (which lasted about 3 hours) then another 3 hours or so to fly to Athens.  We wanted to sleep on our first flight but we were so excited that we stayed up the whole time watching movies on the plane and eat all our meals...is it just me or has plane food become good over the years?  I remember it being mushy and somewhat lacking flavor.     

Athens, Greece

Staying at the Aethenaeum Hotel in Athens

Arriving in Athens felt somewhat like we were still in Seattle.  I was warned by a few friends that Athens was the most westernized out of all the islands and I couldn't agree more.  I saw a bunch of "American" restaurants and cafes (like McDonald's and Starbucks) as well as graffiti on many of the buildings.

We also were welcomed by crazy rain - we found out later that a hurricane just passed through the island and we arrived at the tail-end of it.  Needless to say, we were a bit disappointed because we wanted to visit the ruins...at least we got a good view of it from our hotel window.

Views of the Acropolis and Parthenon

Since we couldn't go anywhere due to the downpour, we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant.  There were already a few patrons there and it was about 45 minutes to closing time so we tried to eat fast...much of the menu consisted of pasta and fish dishes.  

One thing to note about this hotel is that although it was a nice establishment, the property is flanked by a strip club on each side of the building.  In fact, the whole street we were on had adult clubs (Stripclub Row, if you will).  I remember getting out of the shower and hearing porn music (haha) and realized upon check-out why that was...hmm, if only we had known beforehand!  

Taking the FAST Ferry

At the ferry docks in Athens

To get to the other islands, there are ferries to transport you from one to another.  I believe there are flights available in the summer but during the time we went, the ferry was our only option.  And, although, they're called "fast" ferries, it takes a few hours to get to your destination.  It took us 5 hours to get to the port in Santorini!  Not too bad, though, because the views of the other islands were amazing!  

Arriving at the port is a little...shall we say...CRAZY.  Be prepared for the crowds and the strong smell of gasoline.  The traffic is nothing you've ever seen before (or at least it's nothing you've ever seen in the states before).  If you ever visit, just keep your eyes open for who you're supposed to meet (there are people with signs waiting for you) and keep your luggage close.  

Arriving at the port in Santorini

SANTORINI

Finally arriving in Santorini felt like a dream come true for me because it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips people take.  For Vuong, he was just so fascinated with the way people were driving on the cliffs and how bad-ass they seemed to do so. 

​The following places are towns we spent time in during our week there...  

AKROTIRI - South Santorini

You always get a good view of the sunset wherever you are

If you want a more relaxed setting, South Santorini is where you should be.  It was perfect for us - the air felt fresher and we feel like people were a bit friendlier.  Also, parking is easier to find and the beaches here are a lot less busy (it takes about 15 minutes away to get there if you don't have direct access to a beach).

We stayed at a wonderful cliffside resort overlooking the caldera.  To learn more, check out my entry here, ambassador-aegean-luxury-suites-akrotiri-santorini.html    

FIRA

A panoramic view of the islands of Santorini

Fira (pronounced Fee-Ruh), the capital of Santorini, is a busy place and probably best suited for those looking for the night life.  We spent half a day there and parking was crazy - people double parked, blocked entrances, made up parking spaces...you name it.  We ended up walking most of the time and it was pretty tiring.  We mostly hung out at their town square and did a little souvenir shopping, which, was somewhat unpleasant.  We ended up leaving the city shortly after.  There were so many people around that it was a bit overwhelming.  I must admit, Fira wasn't our (or maybe my) favorite place but it was a nice experience nonetheless.  

OIA

Our last stop - Oia (pronounced Ee-Yuh)...is the place you see on postcards. Think blue domes and white buildings built into the cliffs. It is more beautiful in person than in photos...as a friend said to me, "Basically everywhere you look, it's Instagram-worthy."

The crowds were gathering in spurts throughout the day and it was hard to take a decent photo at times (see below lol)...

Waiting...

And SMILE!

It was starting to get hot and I was ready to go home but, thankfully, my husband talked me into staying since he felt it was (again) a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.  We found a space at a rooftop bar and sat there for a few hours just watching the sun go down. 

​The crowds were starting to get bigger and our waiter was being a bit aggressive to patrons coming through.  I was a bit irritated with his attitude but I wasn't going to let it sour my mood.

Chillin' on the rooftop

Finding a good place to sit and relax is key for sunset viewing

AAAAND...SCENE.

Heading Home

Our ferry back to Athens was an adventurous one and NOT in a good way. There was a storm and the ferry was aggressively bobbing up and down every half hour midway through the 5 hour trip. The staff was trying to secure their equipment and people were falling over - needless to say it was crazy. I felt sick to my stomach and, miraculously, I didn't throw up. When we arrived at our port, we met our driver and he took us and a few other couples to the airport hotel, Sofitel, located across the airport...maybe about 300 feet away.

Accommodations were pleasant and we were kind of bummed that we were only staying for a few hours...we had to be at the airport at 3 a.m.! We had dinner in one of the restaurants at the hotel and were pleased with the dishes we ordered.

We were sad we were leaving...our week went by so quick - if we could do it again, we'd go for at least 2-3 weeks.  To be able to do more things and visit more islands...who knows when we'll be back.  But, of course, we needed to get back to our children and our lives.   

Cafe in the Paris airport to bide the time

Arriving in Paris, we found out our flight was delayed a few hours so we did what we could to keep busy until boarding.  The flight didn't seem to last as long this time around but, then again, we slept most of the time because we knew our jet lag would be bad coming back.  So, better to train ourselves beforehand!

What to Know...

If you ever visit Greece, here are some tips and also a few things we learned during our short stay there:

1. Tipping isn't expected but they won't say "no" if you do. They appreciate it very much - it's best to tip in euros if you can.
2. Exchange your money at the bank - the rates are better as opposed to doing it at the airport. Cash is key in Greece because some places don't accept credit cards.
3. Water is always served in bottles. You'll notice that water from the tap is salty - taking a shower or brushing your teeth with it is a bit of a surprise especially when you're not used to it.
4. Wear flats, sandals, sneakers - most of the roads are made of cobblestone or dirt, so probably best to leave your fancy kicks at home.
5. Toilet paper is expected to be thrown in the trash rather than flushed...the sewer system isn't the best and pipes could get clogged easily (these are 2" in diameter as opposed to the American 4" from what I'm told). You'll always find mini bins next to the toilets for this purpose and will need to be emptied daily. To be honest, this was a hard one for us to follow.
6. When eating out, ask for your check...your waiter/waitress will usually leave you alone to enjoy yourselves and relax.
7. There is a stray cat issue in Greece. Packs of random cats are everywhere. I'm not sure why this is but leave them be and go on your way. No need to try and feed them. We were visited by a few strays at different times during our stay.
8. Speak a little slower to get your point across. We noticed other tourists speaking extremely fast or using advanced words. To us, they just came across looking kind of like a know-it-all or obnoxious doing so. There's a language barrier so speaking a bit simpler and slower helps a bit with communicating.
9. Get yourself a plug adapter. Electrical plugs are different in Europe than in the states.
10. Pack a light jacket for any windy or chilly nights. Leave the heavy, winter clothing at home.

I hope that the short list above helps you during your travels should you ever visit Greece. ​

​So this is the last of my entries of our time in Greece. I still miss it but, alas, I must move on. Also, If you're ever interested in learning more about their food, check out my entry on where we dined, yummy-eats-in-santorini-greece.html

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my entry on our trip and that it gives you a reason to want to visit this beautiful island someday.

~XOXO, Mari