Our Big Fat Greek Summer Vacation

(Ok, so the title is an obvious pun, forgive me, I had to.) 

After two years of being home, we were delighted to be able to head back to Europe and fulfill Alice's wish to see the Acropolis after becoming fascinated by Greek mythology at school. 

Dave had a meeting in Madrid for a week, so we tacked on our vacation to his trip, picking him up in Madrid and flying together to Athens and then to Santorini. 

MADRID 

We've both spent time in this cool city, but it was the first time for the girls. I was so excited to show them Plaza Mayor and how singularly wild and cool the capital of my "homeland" (as my dramatic father calls it). I have a whole itinerary here. It's a walkable city that's pretty easy to navigate. We only had a half-day to explore but it was enough to sample all the flavors. 

From Plaza Mayor to Plaza Del Sol to Gran Via to the Corte Ingles and, the best spot, Marcado San Miguel. Spain is just the best. 

ATHENS

It was our first time in this very old, very busy city. First thing you need to know: This is a walking city, the traffic is too nuts, there are lots of pedestrian streets and everything is in easy walking distance. Plus, there's a lot of uneven walking, especially up to the Acropolis. Pack. Sturdy. Shoes.

We stayed at the Acropolis Boutique Residence, and for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a kitchen and washer, I found at a very affordable price. It was also in walking distance of everything, including the Plaka district and Acropolis. The neighborhood had plenty of food choices, as well. 

We visited the Acropolis near the end of the day, since it was SO HOT during the day. We entered around 6pm. The guide books say the crowds are thinner, which I can't confirm but it seems less congested. Not a lot of big tour groups. We got great photos with a lower sun, too. This was obviously THE destination and, for me, an absolute highlight.

In other sight-seeing highlights: From above, we peeked at the Agora area and didn't think we needed to buy the tickets. Especially without a guide. The Plaka district was mostly pedestrian streets and shops, and it was wonderful to wander through the streets. We loved the Anafiotika neighborhood, too. Exploring the hilly streets and the white buildings and flowers, it was magical.  

We paid for the hop-on-hop-off tour bus, but I don't think we needed it. The streets car traffic was nuts, and not too fun to drive around. And we quickly realized this is a walking city, and most of the treasures were found on the pedestrian streets. 

The food and the people we met were delicious and extra friendly. We got a great meal almost everywhere we went. And we all were shopping for something special; I wanted a floppy hat, Alice was looking for evil eye trinkets and Leah was hoping to get little souvenirs for all her friends. 

One last thing, late June is HOT in Greece. Grossly hot. So be prepared. And, again, there's A LOT of walking on mostly uneven sidewalks or up steep hills -- so again I say bring sturdy shoes and some agility. 

SANTORINI 

It was a 45 minute flight from Athens to Santorini. After much research, I planned to stay in Kamari Beach on the east side of the island -- the less busy/popular side. I wanted a beach experience and didn't want to deal with all the crowds, especially at sunset. 

I booked us at the Mar n Mar Crown Hotel and it was perfect. The small hotel had a great pool, pool bar (wink wink) and is walking distance to the beach and the boardwalk with all the restaurants. The staff was super-nice and the included breakfast was great. 

We spent the first full day just doing NOTHING. Laying out at the beach and straight chillin'. Reading books and taking naps. It was the best.  

The second day, we rented ATVs (two of them) and drove up to Ancient Thira at the top of the mountain -- a 2,000 year old settlement that was used by ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman people. Then we drove over to Fira, one of the two white-washed villages off the cliff. What a unique experience! We wandered around teeny sidewalks, up and down stairs, and admired the views. Amazing. And the ATVs were extra fun to drive around.

It was an amazing experience being on this beautiful island in the blue Mediterranean sea. And the views were special in every direction we went. Other than one dinner, all our meals were excellent and there was plenty of things to do. 

Overall, we had a great 10 days of vacation. While there was a lot of travel days to contend with -- and the airlines lost our luggage for a few days -- it was a fun time.