Greece

A month in Greece from Athens to Crete.

We began our journey in Athens. Initially, we planned to spend the entire month in Athens but we both felt like we wouldn't have given Greece a fair experience if we didn't see some of the islands. After exploring our island-hopping options, we decided a cruise wasn’t for us—it was pricey and didn’t allow enough time to soak in each destination. Instead, we stayed in Airbnbs on each island, hopping between them by ferry. We visited in the shoulder season, hoping for better prices and fewer crowds, but we still went a little over budget. That said, Greece had always been on my bucket list, and the islands were every bit as magical as I’d imagined.

Athens

I was surprised at how much I liked this city. It's big and busy and grungy but there is art around every corner, a neighborhood for every style and some of the best food I've had. We visited the acropolis, the museum, and wondered through several of the trendy neighborhoods catching glimpses of antient structures and quirky cafes along the way.

The restaurants are next level in Athens. Not only are they decorated in every theme you could imagine but the food itself is amazing. And as long as you steer clear of the real touristy strips, it's delicious and affordable.

Mykonos

Unfortunately, when we first got to this island, we started feeling a tickle in our throats and sure enough, the next day we both had a cold. And for a sunny island with typically only 4 days of rain in October, we got 2 of them. But to be honest, it was the best island to feel under the weather. It's quite small and in our opinion a bit overrated so we had plenty of time to see everything on the island and have a couple sick days as well. While the cute towns of Mykonos and Oronos (where we stayed) were certainly adorable and had many good restaurants and shops, it was pretty overpriced so we didn't eat out many times. We did find a couple inexpensive gyros places and couple places out of the tourist zones to eat. It was fun to rent a car for a day and drive around the small desert island spotted with rounded little white buildings and donkeys.

Naxos

This was one of our favorite islands. It had a more casual and laid back vibe, it was more affordable and there was lots to see. We even bought a couple of shirts there (after I accidently dyed Darren's white shirt blue with something in the wash). With one day to rent a car and explore the island, one beach day and a couple days explore the Naxos town, it was a perfect amount of time. We loved touring the mountain towns, having happy hour on our rooftop patio, petting all the neighborhood kitties and enjoying sea food at the harbor. Our Airbnb host was so kind and even surprised us with a homemade cake near the end of our stay.

Santorini

By the time we got to Santorini, shops and restaurants were starting to close for the season and in the area we stayed (a small cave house town called Megalochori) there was only a couple left open. So we rented a car and we were glad we did because there are some amazing little towns and places to see on the island and the views are out of this world. We especially enjoyed learning about and trying the local wines.

Crete

Crete has a completely different feel than the rest of Greece. Our first stop in Heraklion was not our favorite place. There was a good museum and a few neat things to see, but the merchants had that end-of-season vibe, like we’d shown up at a restaurant right before closing. We had some good food there but it is a bigger port city and some of these shop and restaurant owners work long hours all summer and were ready for a break.

As we drove toward our next stop, the vibrant unique landscape and sweeping ocean views instantly lifted our spirits. Rethimno turned out to be a delightful stop, blending a picturesque old town of charming shops with a long, scenic beach lined with vibrant restaurants. We both enjoyed our afternoon there eating mezes, exploring little alleys and shops and soaking up the sunshine. If we came back to visit Greece, this would be a great place to stay for a week.

Our next stop was Chania. We stayed there for 5 days, enjoying the delicious food, taking road trips to explore amazing beaches, caves and old monasteries. We loved walking along the harbor at sunset, enjoying a drink while watching the sun sink behind the old lighthouse. We even got to experience OHI day while we were there that commemorates the day in 1940 when the Greek Prime Minister refused Mussolini’s ultimatum to surrender, marking Greece’s entry into World War II and symbolizing national pride and resistance. It was a treat to see all the Greek families out watching parades and waving flags.

It was a fantastic adventure, Greece is an amazing place to explore full of rich culture, mouth watering food, ancient history and warm, passionate people. Now off to our next home for a month: Turkey.