Athens and the Greek Isles

Our family vacation this year was to Athens, Greece and the Greek Isles.

I'm finally getting around to finishing up editing our photos from our vacation this June.  It's been a really busy summer and once back from vacation, it kind of got put on the back burner.  Now that the kids are heading back to school, I'm able to start checking some things off our to-do list!  One of those things was getting this vacation post out to you guys!  After last year's adventure vacation in Africa, we really got bit with the travel bug, so after a lot of deliberation, we decided to go to Greece.  it's a place that my husband and I have been dreaming of going ever since we were married. It definitely did not disappoint!

Athens and the Greek Isles

Our first four days of our trip were spent in Athens.  We rented an apartment there which was more economical for our family of five then a hotel suite.  It was centrally located so we could walk to most of the sites.  We eventually learned the tube which gave us an additional transportation option.  We found that the cabs would only take four people so that wasn't our best option.  We spent lots of time at the Acropolis and the Parthenon.  This was probably our favorite thing to see. It was simply amazing.  It's quite a walk up and it was steaming hot that day, but worth every painful moment, lol. The Acropolis Museum is a must see.  It was recently redone and it was fantastic.  Many of the ruins were brought in and restored to be displayed.  You can also see archeologists excavating below the museum floor!

One day, we took a day bus trip to Delphi.  This is the ancient site of the Oracle.  You can tour the ruins and visit the museum which we did.  We enjoyed the guided tour as a way to hear more about the historical significance of the site.

The Plaka was a really amazing spot for lunch and shopping.  There were open market shops and lots of restaurants to choose from. We loved the authentic Greek food and even my children were happy with many of the dishes they tried.  A fun excursion we booked was an authentic Greek dancing lesson.  Along with our guide, a dance teacher taught our family a variety of Greek dances from the regions of the area.  It was fun and afterward, we got a tour of some local neighborhoods and a sunset dinner.

After time in Athens, we boarded a sailboat and sailed through the Cyclades Islands for 7 days. This was chartered through Greek Seas.  Our captain and his wife were our host and hostess for the week.  Breakfast and lunch were served each day as we sailed from island to island.  Each location was between 3 to 6 hours of sailing time away. While at sea, we played cards, hung out on the net, or relaxed in our cabins.  During each travel time, the captain would find a cove to stop so we could swim or snorkel.  Once on the island, we docked and were able to spend time touring and relaxing on land.  The islands we visited were Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, and Syros.  Each island had its own flavor and scenery.  My favorite was the island of Serifos.  It was mountainous and had the white and blue architecture that you often think of when you see images of Greece.  

It was an amazing week and definitely a trip that we will remember for a lifetime!

Have you been?

You can read more about our vacation to South Africa (link) and Capetown (link) if you are interested.

To life feeling like home!

XO,