Our Greece Trip Highlights

Okay, we arrived home from our trip to Greece and let me tell you, it was amazing. Now that my Jet Lag is finally subsiding, I have a sane moment to type up my thoughts. We did so much and slept so little. I would have to look at every photo and ticket stub to recall everything, but I will do the best I can to jot down my perspective on what we experienced.

Places Visited:
1. Athens
2. Mykonos
3. Santorini
4. Crete

Exciting Adventures:

1. Got tear gased in Athens...well, went to the square oblivious to what went down until I saw everyone, including the cops in masks with white paint all over their faces... Then, it hit me... the pain on my skin, my runny nose and burning eyes...That was just the beginning of a very wild and humbling ride in Athens...
2. Visited the Palace of Knossos in Crete, The Acropolis, The Ancient Agora, Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Apollo in Delphi and many other ruins sprinkled throughout Athens. I'm telling you, you can just stroll down the street after shopping and stumble into some gated ruins. It's amazing.
3. Swam a 1/2 mile from the ocean to the hot springs in Santorini. There is this red mud that is good for your skin, so I just smeared it everywhere, including my face :)
4. Jet Skied in Crete into the middle of the ocean - it was so amazing. 
5. Climbed up to the summit of the Santorini Volcano
6. Rode up the narrow path of Oia on Donkeys (had a great view of the famous Oia sunset as well)
7. Partied in Mykonos.. with tons of crazy people! It was an adventure.
8. Did I mention taking London by storm overnight on our layover?

Modes of Transportation:

1. Plane to London and then Athens
2. Hydrofoil speed boats in between Islands
3. Taxi's (Mercedes taxis, if I may add) in Athens, when we were not on Tour buses. We also walked a ton, since we were in the square with the protests and no one would drop us or come near our hotel.
4. Boats and Donkeys in Santorini (otherwise, we walked...a ton...)
5. Crazy party buses and boats in Mykonos
6. Rode in a small auto with our driver Vigari to our hotel in Mykonos. There was no room in the front, but no room in the back either with Sam and our luggage. So, I sat up front while Vigari smoked and did not hesitate to take up all of the space, possible; including my lap.

(example of the auto)

Food:

1. Big on seafood, and certain fish that I've never even heard of.
2. Souvlaki is very popular
3. Mousaka is also pretty popular
4. I ate a ton of Greek salads and they are so delish!!
5. Good luck asking for Pita, Gyros, or Hummus... you will get strange, confused looks...

People:

1. The people are great! So nice and in the tourist spots, they expect that you speak english, so there is no confusion. Not the case in Crete where we really struggled, but it was okay.
2. The women are gorgeous... I mean... why is Greece not more popular for hot models? I loved to people watch on the beach.
3. Many men looked alike. I kept feeling like I saw the same guy walking around, but they just have this look. Especially the younger guys.
4. Oh, and no tipping in Greece... They are great to barter with and sometimes give you discounts even when you are trying to give them more money

Hotels:

1. Hermes Hotel in the Plaka district in Athens
2. Hotel Kamari in Mykonos
3. Theoxania in downtown Fira in Santorini
4. Lato Boutique in Crete overlooking the port and Venetian fortress

People we met:

1. We met many cool people on tours, but I do not remember their names, here are the people that we spent the most time with.
2. Jenny - lives in Hong Kong, but was on a post grad trip with her Columbia school mates
3. Glenn & Brian - Great guys from LA. They were with us in some of the videos in Athens. 
4. Jennifer & Russ - Were on their honeymoon in Greece and are a super-cute couple from PA. We tried our best to find a party together our first night and failed. But it worked out better, since we got to chat and get to know each other.
5. We met many cats and dogs... they all run wild, but are fed by the locals. One interesting dog was, well, let's call him Sparta. He was a beautiful reddish haired dog who visited us in our outside restaurant in Chania (Crete). I tried to feed him, but he would only eat the chicken that Sam put out. He sniffed my food and looked away. I mean, aren't you hungry? My dog would eat a piece of paper if I handed it to her and told her it was good. But this dog was the most spoiled beggar I had ever met! Oh, and to mark his territory (Sam) he peed so other dogs would know that he was his!!! No joke.

We had a great time. We have great memories and are more enlightened as a result of this trip. We are extremely grateful for the time, but even more grateful that we arrived back home safe and that our house and animals were cared for by my mom. It's good to be home!