Part 2 - Greece - March 2018

We took a short flight from Athens to Mykonos. A little "toy" town, we had to walk with our luggage from the main road to the Carbonaki Hotel. After checking in, we went up to the waterfront and had a sumptuous meal at Captain's, our first time tasting and enjoying anchovies.

Although it was a bit cold, we decided to walk up to another part of the island called Ornos. It was raining, and we were on a twisty, winding main road up the hill, for almost an hour and a half. There was nothing to see at the end of it, so it was quite a disappointing hike, but thankfully found a cab back to the room. Quite hungry after that walk and a hot shower in the room, we stepped into Sugar & Salt, a cozy little place for some lovely pizza and wine.

We woke up to a sunny day, clear skies, and the blue blue sea. Our plan to go to Delos had to be cancelled as the seasonal boats were cancelled for the week. Though, the good food and beauty of the white and blue island totally made up for the disappointment we felt.

After some hot egg sandwiches at Trio Bambino, we walked all day through town, stopping to take pictures, having some coffee, some whiskey, some hot chocolate (yes it was sunny, but cold winds needed something to keep us warm) some hot snacks at Attica bakery and returned to our room. We also managed to watch Cars, yet again! We stepped out to view the sunset, had some authentic Greek food at Appaloosa Bar & Restaurant before calling it a day.

We took a Super Sea Jet to Santorini the next morning and checked into Aura Caves in Thera. Grabbed a sandwich nearby, a rental car from Spiridakos and drove around the island. We saw the red beach, black beach, a wasted effort to see the white beach and finally to Oia to see the sunset. It is truly one of the most beautiful sunsets, the expanse of the Mediterranean waters, many islands in the distance, blazing red sky and the sun going down. A spectacular sight indeed.

We also saw the full moon's reflection on the surface of the water on our way back. Stopping quickly at the crowded Jaipur Palace Restaurant for some roti, dal and chawal, we returned late to the room.....I mean, cave!

The next morning began with walking through the village on the hill, Pyrgos Kallistis. After a bit of shopping, seeing some lovely views from the top, we climbed down to have a refreshing brunch at Franco's. Our next stop was at Santo Winery to taste some wines and cheese, which ended with a puncture (probably from the failed white beach trip on that horrible path downhill). After fixing, rather replacing the Tyre, we drove to Oia to see that part of the island.

We saw the bright white and blue buildings, hotels with pools, the famous blue domes and bell towers, and climbed down 300 steps to view the Ammoudi beach. The highlight of the evening was of course, our visit to the Atlantis Bookshop (by far the cutest we have seen) and returned to the room with sandwiches from a street side stall.

We flew to Athens the next morning to take our flight to Crete. We drove out in our Auto Rentals car from the Airport. Disappointed with our booking at the Erofili Apartments, we checked into Sundance Apartments & Suites.

We then drove through Mountain ranges, to view canyons, gorges (did not attempt hiking though.... I could come up with some excuses, but I know I won't buy them). We then went to Plaka, to see some great views of the sea, the small island of Spinalonga from a distance and to our destination....Delphini. A family run restaurant where, in true Cretan style, we chose fresh fish from their kitchen and got them to cook it for us. Needless to say, it was divine.

We left really late, and it was a very dark, eerie drive back through the mountains to the room. The only company we had was the full moon reflecting the sun's red hue from its surface. It was gorgeous.

We woke up with a long list of things to do, which began with a visit to the laundromat, freshly baked croissants from a bakery nearby, a drive to the Lasithi Plateau, up the hill towards the Cave of Zeus. This was a 40 minute exciting hike up and down, that ended with the most refreshing glasses of orange juice. We then went to Knossos & Phaistos Palaces both a couple of hours from each other. Saw some Ruins of the Temple of Apollo, picked up our laundry and a sandwich in between.

When the evening ended early, we were happy to return to the room, pack, shower and go for a relaxed dinner and beers at Mythos next door. We were up the next morning, heading back to Athens, this time to see the city and not just the Airport.