As I headed to the Frankfurt airport at 8 pm for my 6 am flight to Athens, my mind couldn’t help but think back to two weeks ago to when I told myself I would never sleep in the airport again. Fortunately, I managed to not sleep on the floor this time- VICTORY! Overall, the night went smoothly and once we landed in Greece, we kicked off spring break with mimosas.
Our Airbnb was in a very old historic neighborhood called Plaka and it was located at the base of the Acropolis. The neighborhood was so charming and lively, and I especially loved how everything was in walking distance. We also explored Monastariki, a nearby area where there was a big flea market and we did some shopping. For dinner that night, we tried a bunch of different Greek pies and watched the sun set over the city. Pure bliss!
On Sunday, we woke up early to head to the Acropolis! This was definitely the highlight of my time in Athens. While we were there, I kept geeking out because I totally have a fascination for old architecture and it was so cool to see the ancient buildings I first learned about since 7thgrade art history class. It is one thing to read textbooks about Ancient Greece, but being there was impressive on another level. It was really incredible to see where the Greek artifacts I have seen scattered in other museums came from, so this definitely felt like my basic knowledge of Greek civilization had come full circle. Just last year, I saw the panels from the side of the Parthenon in the British Museum in London. I thought it was interesting how the Greek and British perspectives differed in how Lord Elgin brought over the panels and why they were stored in the England rather than Greece. Seeing all of the ancient temples sparked my interest in learning more about Greek history, so I’m very excited to explore more of that part of history.
Another highlight of my time in Greece was the FOOD! Of all the cuisines in the world, Greek and Mediterranean food is my absolute favorite. I tried Moussaka for the first time and found my new favorite dessert/breakfast- Greek yogurt with honey. I also ate so many kebabs and gyros too, which are delicious and cheap! Something that caught me off guard, but a tradition that I quickly got used to was when the waiters would bring us a round of shots after almost every meal. I will admit that Greek liquor is not very good, but it was a tradition that we still definitely partook in.
On Monday morning, we got on the ferry to our first island, Paros! I would totally be lying if I said I didn’t listen to the Mamma Mia 1 and 2 soundtrack the whole way. It took about 4 hours to get there, but once we got there, I was so giddy because it was so warm enough to wear shorts and short sleeves. We went to Livadia beach, where the clear water and green hills were breathtaking. Although I wanted to swim, the water was still cold, so I just enjoyed the beautiful day from the shore. We went to town that night, but since we were travelling during low season, most of the shops and restaurants were closed. Being there in the low season was very enjoyable because there were hardly any other tourists on the island. The next day in Paros was very stormy, so we mostly relaxed in the hotel and the perfect girls evening cooking dinner together and watching Mamma Mia!
On Wednesday, we took a ferry to the second island, Naxos. This is the biggest island in the Cyclades, and it is known for its incredible scenery and hiking. We walked around the old venetian town, then saw landmark called the Portara. This was an old stone gate made by Emperor lymphedema in 506 BC that was supposed to be part of the construction of a huge temple, but it was never completed. It rained for a little, but once it stopped, hiked to a small chapel carved into the side of a mountain. It was so windy that I was genuinely scared to be blown off side of the mountain, but the view was 100% worth it!
The next morning, we took a taxi Agios Prokopios, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. When we got dropped off, we noticed that there was not another soul in sight, so we asked the cab driver about the best way to get home and he said “no bus, no taxi.” Thankfully, he gave us his phone number so we could get a ride later and not be stranded. It was a little overcast, but we sat on the beach for a few hours and soaked up the little bits of sun that would peek through the clouds. Once we made it back to the mainland, we ate dinner at a cozy restaurant and headed back to the apartment where we thought we were going to continue our easy-going night. WRONG! Right before we were going to sleep, the bed collapsed. After putting together the minds of 1 engineer and 4 biomedical scientists together, we were able to put the bed back together.
The next morning, I went on a walk around the Naxos town and soaked in the beauty of the empty and quiet streets. I went back to my favorite café on the island, Lemon, from the day before because the Greek yogurt with honey was THAT good. It was the perfect morning before boarding the ferry back to Athens. The afternoon was easy-going To celebrate our last night in Athens, we found the perfect rooftop bar and reminisced over our adventures in Europe over Greek cocktails and a magnificent view of the Acropolis.
Overall, it was the best spring break- good views, good food, good company- what more can a girl ask for? In the future, I’d definitely love to spend more time island hopping and hiking. It is silly to admit, but I have wanted to go to Greece ever since I watched Mamma Mia and it was so awesome to finally have the opportunity to go. This trip definitely increased my desire for adventure and made me more confident in being able to go to places that I want to go. I had never heard of Paros or Naxos before planning this, but it was cool to explore places where I had no idea of what to expect.
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