#katnissgoeswest

Adventures out west (and beyond)

[katnissgoeswest]

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[katnissgoeswest]

Ah, our last day in Greece! It was the only completely cloudy day we had the entire trip, which was fine because we spent the first half of the day in the spa! I have officially created a monster, Sean loves the spa more than anyone I know. Above he can be seen floating in the saline pool just before his massage. After the spa we had lunch pool side and then packed up all our stuff. We headed into Mykonos Town (essentially their downtown) to walk around and site see before dinner. Mykonos Town is SO CUTE. All the little tiny streets are stone and white concrete and this is actually the only part of the island with local residents so all the little white houses with colorful shutters and doors are homes to local Myconians. We wandered through the little corridors and went in some shops. Eventually we made our way to Little Venice, which is the portion of town where restaurants and shops back right up to the waters edge, the waves splashing into the balconies, very similar to actual Venice. We found the famous row of windmills and took some photos. There was a storm coming so the winds were really high, waves super choppy and the clouds were crazy so we actually got some amazing photos because of all that! I found a tiny little alley where I could spot the windmills and noticed inside there was the most perfect table for two, next to the balcony over the water. We went in with intentions of just having a drink but ended up staying for 3 hours and enjoying the view and chatting with the manager. It was such a wonderful way to end the night and the trip, feeling very fulfilled both physically and mentally. I'm writing this from the Athens airport, we are waiting on our flight to JFK. After that it's back to Seattle, hopefully we make that flight, it'll be a close one. We are definitely sad to leave Greece and all it's wonder, but ready to be home and start planning our next adventure! Thanks for reading this, whoever you are!

[katnissgoeswest]

We are so glad we spent yesterday at the beach! Today is the first completely cloudy day we have had, and funny enough it's our last day! Yesterday we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. If you know me you know I love breakfast. They had just about every breakfast/brunch item you could think of. Grape leaves, smoked salmon, all manner of egg dishes, french toast, fresh fruit and breads. A million pastries! And unlimited fresh squeezed orange juice 😻. After breakfast we made our way down to the beach! They have a whole section of sun beds right on the shore that are wonderful. We lounged and drank Piña Coladas and Mai Tai's. Sean swam a bit but I just dipped my toes in, it's not quite warm enough for me to jump in. An adorable old man came by selling fresh donuts, which we enjoyed watching because he was hilarious. We eventually made our way up to the pool where we had lunch at the underwater bar! It is one where you're sitting in the pool but the bar is above the water, pretty fantastic. Due to severe day drinking we promptly passed out for a "nap" which was actually 2 hours long. We had every intention of going into the town to go to the infamous clubs and bars, but we ended up just going to dinner and then back home because we are old farts and we were so tired. Dinner was great though! A very trendy sexy restaurant with lots of interesting people. We had a local fish that is similar to red snapper called Common Dendex. Sean finally found a Mezcal cocktail too! Today's post should be great, we go back into town to actually explore and we should be there for sunset :)

[katnissgoeswest]

Minimal photos for yesterday. We didn't do a whole lot, we traveled from Naxos to Mykonos by high speed boat. Our hotel here is definitely the nicest of all our hotels so far, but also the most American feeling one. After we checked in we lounged by the pop and got ready for dinner. We had sushi which was a little change up from all the Greek food, it was pretty good but we like Momiji in Seattle better :) I really wanted to post about the people of Greece today. We have met so many wonderful, hard working, salt of the earth Greek men and women during our trip and they all were so kind and generous and friendly. Almost everyone we have met works 7 days a week, for 7 months of the year without a day off. They frequently work the equivalent of a double shift, EVERY DAY. That's like 7:00 am til 10:30 pm. Without weekends off or any real type of a break. They do this because that is the busy season here in Greece. The islands are basically empty during the off season so they all have 4-5 months where they don't work at all and get to travel and relax a bit. However, some of them take a month or two off and then go somewhere else to work until the busy season starts back up here. We have really enjoyed getting to know all of these people and learn about their dreams for after this point in their life, hear their stories, and laugh with them! I think this has been one of our favorite parts of the whole trip. So shout out to all the Greek hustlers out here, doing way beyond a 9-5, never complaining, always smiling and busting their asses. They are wonderful and we love them.

[katnissgoeswest]

Yesterday was wonderful! We had the best breakfast at the hotel, we have become friends with the bartender and we chat a lot with him. His name is Kostas. We had fresh fruit and juices, pastries, omelettes and Greek yogurt! After our meal we drove the rental car about 90 minutes north of the beach into the mountains! We drove through some adorable little towns and ended up at Mt. Zas and Zas Cave. We explored the cave which was very dark but I managed to get a few photos. I made it almost to the top, Sean made it to the summit. It had sweeping views of the beaches, the towns and all the mountains. And there we're domestic goats EVERYWHERE! It was actually so serene because the only sounds we heard were the wind and the bells the goats were wearing. After the hike we drove to the town of Koronos, a small village deep in the mountains. We went to a traditional Greek tavern called Matina & Stavros, who are the owners. We ended up sitting next to a big table of locals and enjoyed trying to understand each other. They made jokes and we did the same, mostly a lot of laughing! We had the most wonderful home cooked meal! This sweet old lady, Matina, prepared lemon chicken and rice, Greek salad, bread and local Naxian cheeses! It was such a wonderful meal and my favorite experience so far. We really felt immersed in the Greek culture for a couple of hours in that small little tavern. We also perfected the phrase "Yassas" which means hello and goodbye. We are now trying to use it as often as possible because it's so fun to say. After our adventure we enjoyed the wonderful cocktails at the hotel and watched the sunset. Today we travel to Mykonos for our last three days!

[katnissgoeswest]

I think it's safe to say Naxos is my favorite island so far. I really thought we couldn't top Santorini but boy was I wrong. And we haven't even explored this huge island yet! Yesterday we arrived via highspeed ferry ⛴ and when we got to our hotel we were told to sit and enjoy a cocktail while they took our bags. You can see our drinks above, they were SO GOOD. Sean's was a local drink called Mastika, which is very earthy tasting due to it being made of resin from the Mastic tree. Mine was a passion fruit cocktail with vanilla vodka and it was THE BEST DRINK IVE EVER HAD! I had a problem drinking them slowly because they were like crack. We also had Sturgeon Bruschetta and the best Greek salad we've had the entire trip. Our hotel is wonderful! Very much my style and taste, it's bohemian and beautiful! Everything is white mixed with the wood slats and barn wood tables, it's so stylish. We have a hammock on our balcony, next to the hot tub, overlooking the ocean. For dinner we drove for the first time, well Sean did. A little rental car we got for our time in Naxos. It was definitely an adventure navigating the map which was in Greek...but we made it to dinner in the town of Chora! Once again Sean made friends with a little kitty and gave him some dinner of his own. We walked to the Temple of Apollo and watched the sunset, also probably one of the best we've seen. We ended the evening strolling along the waterfront. Today, we drive into the mountains to see the local villages, visit a tavern and hopefully do a hike!

[katnissgoeswest]

Our last day in Santorini was definitely a day of indulgence. We layed by the pool sipping Caipirinhas, Aperol Spritz, and Margaritas. We enjoyed lunch by the pool and after about 6 hours of being straight up beached whales we waddled upstairs to get in the hot tub and have Rose and local grapes. Literally pretending we are Greek gods and goddesses 😂. After our lazy day we went to the most wonderful restaurant! La Maison was a short walk from our hotel, perched on the side of the cliff with a wonderful view. We enjoyed shrimps with a cuttlefish ink sauce, white and black truffle risotto with mushrooms, and sea bass which had the most wonderful presentation ever! It came out on a plate with a glass top, which he removed as he explained how all the smoke was flavored with different herbs and woods and spices and it filled the air around us with the aromas. Everything was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. To finish we had fun cocktail that came out with berry caramelized pineapple and rosemary sprig, and twin citron mini ice cream cones! It was my favorite restaurant we have been to, but I have a feeling they will only get better as we explore Naxos and Mykonos! Goodbye Santorini, you were a dream!

[katnissgoeswest]

Ohhhh Santorini! I feel like we really got to experience the true Santorini I've always dreamed of yesterday! We took a local bus to the town of Oia (pronounced EE-YA) and it was everything I've ever wanted! We had lunch with a view (of course) and walked up and down the town which is paved with marble slabs for a large portion of it! This town is where the famous windmills are so we got to walk to see those. They were magical! They have converted all of them into hotel rooms, which kind of made me sad because I couldn't go inside them! But I really wanted to get some wonderful photos that truly captured Santorini and I feel like Oia was the perfect place for that! It was so beautiful walking and seeing such breathtaking views everywhere we turned. After a very interesting bus ride back (driver yelling in Greek at passengers to hurry up and driving literally in the MIDDLE of the road) we got back and ready for dinner. We ate at a local place called Mezzo, with a beautiful sunset view. I finally ordered an entire fish like I've been wanting to do and Sean had steak that he loved! After we watched the sunset we met up with some USA friends we had met earlier in the evening. It just so happened they were both from Raleigh! She went to NC State and he went to UNC. So wild how small our world can be sometimes! We had Aperol Spritz at a local wine bar, eventually they kicked us out because we were annoying loud Americans. I told the bartender we would be back tomorrow to which he said " well we close early" and I said "no just the 2 of us!" And he said "oh come by anytime" 😂😂😂 Tomorrow we head to Naxos !

[katnissgoeswest]

WOW. Santorini! It is definitely everything we hoped for and more. Yesterday we had our breakfast on the terrace overlooking the caldera! Santorini was a volcano 3,200 years ago that erupted causing a 300 foot tsunami. They found pieces of the island as far as Africa! It is now a crescent moon shape with the center of the volcano in the middle. We got to explore all of this on our catamaran sailing adventure! Sean snorkeled, I swam out to the hot springs which were really interesting, very yellow/orange colored from the sulphur. We had the most wonderful freshly made meal by the chef on board, enjoyed Greek wine and mimosas and watched the sun set over the Aegean. Oh, did I mention we had massages before this with local olive oil and herbs? Needless to say our stay here so far has been nothing short of a dream.

[katnissgoeswest]

This is definitely my first super lazy post. We didn't do a whole lot today besides drool at this ridiculous view. We hopped an early ferry from Crete this morning, it was super fast and we were surprised to find out we had first class seating which was AWESOME. It was so luxurious and comfortable. The ferry was a high speed ferry which was super fun, but a lot of people on the boat were getting sea sick which was gross. We arrived in Santorini to the best views I think either of us have ever seen. And our hotel! Basically stuck in the side of the mountain, our own hot tub, patio, big spacious room, and of course amazing views. We lounged by the pool most of the day and snoozed, eventually we ordered room service and decided to just take the lazy blob day to a whole other level. Tomorrow, hopefully if this insane winds (gusts up to 40 mph I'm estimating) die down, we will go on our catamaran cruise and get massages! Oh also, breakfast is delivered to our room every morning, they have to walk up 200 stairs to get to us 😩Anticipating better photos and post tomorrow!

[katnissgoeswest]

Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove about an hour outside of Rethymno to the town of Heraklion (still on the island of Crete). We visited the ancient ruins of the palace Knossos, the largest archeological site on Crete and the oldest city in all of Europe. Knossos was home to a Minoan King during the Bronze Age, about 2000 years ago. They had very advanced sewer and food/drink production methods. They housed their wine, olive oil, water and food in these huge jars in a cellar like grid system under ground. They had enclosed clay pipes for sewage, an aqueduct system and toilets! The palace was destroyed by earthquakes multiple times and ultimately excavated by a British archaeologist named Sir Arthur Evans. Next we drove to the Boutari Winery, about 20 minutes from Knossos. We learned about how they make the wine, what their production times are and a lot about Greek wine and why it's kind of the worlds best kept secret! We tried several, Sean loved the red and I had the best Rose of my life. We also enjoyed a dessert wine which surprised us both! The photo of the food above is their version of "a light lunch" which we were pleasantly surprised would very much fill us up! After the winery we took the 90 minute drive back to Rethymno where I napped and Sean took photos of the beautiful coastline. We finally did the fish spa! Where you put your feet in fish tanks and they eat all the dead skin. It tickled a lot and felt like little vibrations all over. Sean already wants to go back and do it again for longer. We ended the night with dinner overlooking the fortress and the water and a visit to a local bar known for its Greek craft beers! We had some really great IPAs and a Greek version of cheetos, which really needs to become a US staple as bar snacks in my opinion :) Now we take a boat to Santorini!

[katnissgoeswest]

Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove about an hour outside of Rethymno to the town of Heraklion (still on the island of Crete). We visited the ancient ruins of the palace Knossos, the largest archeological site on Crete and the oldest city in all of Europe. Knossos was home to a Minoan King during the Bronze Age, about 2000 years ago. They had very advanced sewer and food/drink production methods. They housed their wine, olive oil, water and food in these huge jars in a cellar like grid system under ground. They had enclosed clay pipes for sewage, an aqueduct system and toilets! The palace was destroyed by earthquakes multiple times and ultimately excavated by a British archaeologist named Sir Arthur Evans. Next we drove to the Boutari Winery, about 20 minutes from Knossos. We learned about how they make the wine, what their production times are and a lot about Greek wine and why it's kind of the worlds best kept secret! We tried several, Sean loved the red and I had the best Rose of my life. We also enjoyed a dessert wine which surprised us both! The photo of the food above is their version of "a light lunch" which we were pleasantly surprised would very much fill us up! After the winery we took the 90 minute drive back to Rethymno where I napped and Sean took photos of the beautiful coastline. We finally did the fish spa! Where you put your feet in fish tanks and they eat all the dead skin. It tickled a lot and felt like little vibrations all over. Sean already wants to go back and do it again for longer. We ended the night with dinner overlooking the fortress and the water and a visit to a local bar known for its Greek craft beers! We had some really great IPAs and a Greek version of cheetos, which really needs to become a US staple as bar snacks in my opinion :) Now we take a boat to Santorini!

[katnissgoeswest]

Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove about an hour outside of Rethymno to the town of Heraklion (still on the island of Crete). We visited the ancient ruins of the palace Knossos, the largest archeological site on Crete and the oldest city in all of Europe. Knossos was home to a Minoan King during the Bronze Age, about 2000 years ago. They had very advanced sewer and food/drink production methods. They housed their wine, olive oil, water and food in these huge jars in a cellar like grid system under ground. They had enclosed clay pipes for sewage, an aqueduct system and toilets! The palace was destroyed by earthquakes multiple times and ultimately excavated by a British archaeologist named Sir Arthur Evans. Next we drove to the Boutari Winery, about 20 minutes from Knossos. We learned about how they make the wine, what their production times are and a lot about Greek wine and why it's kind of the worlds best kept secret! We tried several, Sean loved the red and I had the best Rose of my life. We also enjoyed a dessert wine which surprised us both! The photo of the food above is their version of "a light lunch" which we were pleasantly surprised would very much fill us up! After the winery we took the 90 minute drive back to Rethymno where I napped and Sean took photos of the beautiful coastline. We finally did the fish spa! Where you put your feet in fish tanks and they eat all the dead skin. It tickled a lot and felt like little vibrations all over. Sean already wants to go back and do it again for longer. We ended the night with dinner overlooking the fortress and the water and a visit to a local bar known for its Greek craft beers! We had some really great IPAs and a Greek version of cheetos, which really needs to become a US staple as bar snacks in my opinion :) Now we take a boat to Santorini!

[katnissgoeswest]

So today after the beach we had a walking tour of the town of Rethymno, which is where we are staying in Crete. The guide was amazing and told us a lot of history of Rethymno which was originally part of the Ottoman Empire and was conquered by the Venetians, which is evident much of the architecture and structural styles of the town. We saw so many adorable little streets with cafes, restaurants and shops almost all the roads are pedestrian only and made of stone. We tried some delicious cinnamon sugar donuts, walked along the marina/harbor where there was a pirate ship bar! We also visited the fortress that was built to protect the city during invasion. After the tour we stopped for a wonderful meal at a place called Lemonokipos, which means the lemon tree in Greek. We sat under arches of lemon and pomegranate trees and enjoyed prawns, Greek salad, garlic dip, Pana Cotta with sour cherries, and shots of a local liquor called Raki. So far Crete has been wonderful and so rich in culture and beautiful sights and delicious food! Tomorrow is a packed day so stay tuned for more :)

[katnissgoeswest]

So this post is a little jumbled because I couldn't post last night due to extreme exhaustion! The first photo is me being grumpy about our 1 hour delay for the flight to Crete, followed by a very uncomfortable plane and bus ride. However, the payoff was immense! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful, the most lovely traditional little spot on a winding small alley with outdoor restaurants all over the place. We had the most wonderful meal in their courtyard, I had stuffed calamari and sean had veal and aubergine (eggplant). We had goats milk Madagascar vanilla ice cream with local fig preserves on top (looks like jalapeños but is not!). We crashed almost immediately after dinner. This morning we started off at the beach! We took a 20 minute walk through all the amazing winding corridors with shops and cafes and spend several hours under an umbrella on the beach. The water was warm enough to swim in, which Sean did, but I haven't gone all the way in yet! More on today in the next post!

[katnissgoeswest]

I'm a day late on this post because we were exhausted getting over to Crete last night and pretty much just ate dinner and went to bed! Yesterday we woke up in Athens and had a walking tour of the Acropolis! We saw the first theatre in the world, sweeping views of the city, another theatre where the Foo Fighters have played, and of course the Parthenon. It was amazing to see what Sean called "the bedrock of civilization"! We went from that tour to a walking food tour of Athens. We saw tons of amazing little tiny narrow neighborhoods, tried so much food we were waddling back to our hotel 5 hours later. Some of our favorites were Spanikopita, Souvlaki, Greek Mountain Tea, olive oil tastings with local bread, and Greek coffee (not my favorite but Sean liked it). Apparently it's actually Turkish coffee but the Greeks got mad at the Turks for some reason and decided to call it Greek coffee and market it that way. We also walked through a huge open air market that had every kind of body part and inside organ of goat, cow and chicken. It was....a lot. And then we saw so much amazing seafood! Squid and octopus, shellfish, tons of fish! Our guide showed us how to tell the good from the bad and what specifically to order if we see it on a menu. All in all it was a very exhausting but wonderful day and we are so glad we did it, because now the food is even better knowing what goes into it! We arrived in Crete last night, and are just now waking up to start the day. More later!

[katnissgoeswest]

We finally made it to Greece! After almost 9 hours on the plane (see photos above of boarding and during 😂) we landed in Athens! We were pretty exhausted after being up for almost 24 hours but after a short nap we walked around the "old town" of Plaka. It is about 5 minutes from our hotel and sits just below the Acropolis. We enjoyed fresh olives and bread and probably the best octopus we've ever had. We walked around the outdoor markets a bit and then after another nap, we woke up and ate some more! This time on the roof top restaurant at our hotel. It had amazing views of the Acropolis and St. George's Church (also on a very big hill). We were so tired but as soon as we walked out to the rooftop we were in awe. It's only our first night and already spectacular. Tomorrow should be more than just eating and sleeping, we have a walking tour of the Acropolis and a Taste of Athens tour! Then it's off to Crete for a few days!