A Great Getaway to Greece.

Day 1 and 2- A looooong and tiring flight that lasted from 9 PM ET on 6/1 and ended at 10 PM (Greece Time) on 6/2 that included a 2 1/2 hour delay in CDG as we sat on the plane at the gate awaiting to take the last leg of our flight.  We arrived at the hotel, checked in, ordered room service, showered, and crashed.

Day 3- Our first full day in Athens.  We slept in until after 9 AM, had a leisurely breakfast, walked to the square, and picked up some coffee and wine for the room.  After our walk, we relaxed by the pool and enjoyed some cocktails on the hotel's rooftop.

We walked over to the Artist's Rooftop for dinner.  The photo of the Parthenon was taken from our table at the restaurant.  The restaurant lives up to its name...each plate was a work of art, beautiful to behold, and the food was just as delicious as it looked.

After dinner, we enjoyed cocktails on the rooftop of our hotel, where we had this perfect view of the Parthenon lit up in all its glory.

Day 4 - Our day started early, with Manolis picking us up at 8 AM for a full-day tour of Athens.  Our first stop was the Acropolis, the ancient city atop the hill, which contains an arena still used for concerts, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena. 

Our next stop was Ancient Angora, the outdoor marketplace where everyone gathered to shop, hear political speeches, socialize, and more.

We stopped by Parliament to watch the Changing of the Guard.  Each Guard spends an hour without moving, speaking, or reacting.  Their shoes were cobbled with metal to mimic the clop of horses as they marched briskly in the mountains, making their enemies believe a large army was approaching.

Lunch was provided during the tour at a local restaurant, where we enjoyed a traditional salad and souvlaki.  We then visited the Acropolis Museum and finished with some shopping in a modern agora.  We were all pretty spent by the end of the tour, and I took a nap before we headed out for dinner at a Traditional Greek Tavern, Enastron, where I enjoyed a delicious lamb in parchment.

Day 5- We slept in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before packing up and checking out of our room.  Our time in Athens had come to an end.  We had about an hour-long drive before getting to the SunJet Ferry for the 2 1/2-hour ride to Mykonos.

We were met at the Ferry Docks on Mykonos by Spyros, our concierge for the week, and his crew, who transported us to the amazing Villa that will be our home for the coming week. 

We settled in, ordered burgers for dinner and some groceries for breakfast, and relaxed with a bottle of wine while enjoying the amazing view.

Day 6- Started off quietly.  We relaxed, explored the property, and geared up to head into town for lunch and shopping.

We went into town and enjoyed lunch at Kava's, a seafood restaurant right on the water.  The food was as spectacular as the view.

I had the seafood spaghetti, chock full of octopus, mussels, squid, and shrimp.  It was absolutely delicious.

It was a short walk to town.  We shopped and hit all the stores on the first strip.  As we were going around the bend to another strip of stores, we spotted a bar.  Jim, Sharon, Frank, and I veered into there as Chuck and Chris continued on their shopping spree.

On the way back to the Villa, we stopped at the grocery store where I bought the ingredients for a simple dinner of Salad with Grilled Chicken Breasts.  Lynn and Sherry were unable to join us on our excursion, so I wanted something quick to put together, since I knew they would be hungry.

Day 7- A complete day of relaxation.  I made breakfast sandwiches, then we headed out to the pool, where we spent the day visiting, swimming, relaxing, reading, and napping.  

We finished up leftovers for lunch and remained poolside until it was time to get ready for dinner.  We went to the Mamalouka restaurant on the advice of our concierge, Spyros, who has tirelessly and effortlessly met every need and wish of ours.  He was spot on with this recommendation.  The food and service were excellent.

Day 8- Today, we headed to Mykonos Farmers for a cheesemaking and cooking class.  It was an excellent time.  Our host, George Syrianos, was personable, knowledgeable, and humorous.  He was an excellent teacher, starting with the history of the farm his father started and passed down to him, but not before he spent many years as an electrical engineer, until he realized that his heart and passion were farming and cheesemaking.

It was a wonderful experience.  One I will treasure forever.  After learning about the cheesemaking process and making some cheese that was set aside for 1 hour before tasting, we were taught about the fermentation time and given a taste of the cheese at each stage of fermentation.

After the cheesemaking presentation, we made filo dough, which we turned into many different dishes.  There was so much delicious food served with a crisp, dry, white wine made by George's brother that we couldn't eat it all.  It was packed up and enjoyed for dinner.

After the dinner of leftovers from Cheesemaking, Max, Lynn, and I took a walk to the Aegean Lighthouse.  The views were breathtaking.  

Day 9- This was a great day.  It started off quietly, with relaxing by the pool and a leisurely breakfast.  In the early afternoon, we headed to the other side of the island to take a sunset/dinner cruise.

We were taken by tender to the Eclipse, a 50-foot catamaran, fully equipped with sleeping quarters, a galley, a head, indoor and outdoor dining areas, and tons of space to kick back and relax. 

Once we were loaded on board the Eclipse, we were offered refreshments and headed over to Paradise Beach, where we enjoyed our cocktails/wine/beer/soft drinks, listened to the music from the beach, people-watched, visited, and played in the water.

We left the beach area and headed to a beautiful, serene cove where we were served up a feast of delicious food.  Greek Salad, Pasta Salad, Curry Chicken, Sauteed Calamari, Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Eggplant and Zucchini, Bread, Tzatziki, and Spicy Feta with Tomatoes.

After dinner, the Captain instructed us all to go to the bow of the boat.  He and the crew arrived shortly after with a birthday cake, and we all sang and toasted Chuck's 50th.

 

We then headed to our final stop, where we watched an awesome sunset, and our outing was complete.

When we returned to the Villa, we enjoyed one last cocktail in the hot tub with the Luth's before calling it a night.

Day 10- Quiet morning and afternoon.  I made a French Toast casserole using up all the leftover bread, fruit, and eggs from each person's refrigerator.  We enjoyed a communal brunch and lounged around the pool, reading and relaxing. 

Max.  Chuck and I went for a walk, where some mountain goats came over the ridge to say hello.  We had arranged for 2 masseuses to arrive in the afternoon.  Frank and I were the first to enjoy our massages before getting ready to go into town with the Luths.  The others were going to LIO tonight for dinner and the show.  It doesn't open until 9 PM, and that is bedtime for this old lady.....

Spiros, our concierge, recommended Nice & Easy for our restaurant choice.  As usual,  he was spot on.  The staff was a lot of fun, the setting was gorgeous, and the food was amazing.

Frank and I shared an order of spanikopita spring rolls and the fresh grilled sea bream, presented whole, then boned, and served at the table.  We knew it was going to be a great time when we asked our server to take a photo, and she returned the camera after taking a shot of herself with a couple of other servers.

Our driver returned us home in time for the others to load up and head to LIO.  I can't wait to hear all about their experience.

Day 11- I can't believe this is already our final day.  What an amazing trip it has been.  Chuck outdid himself in planning and executing the entire vacation.

We headed back to town and enjoyed a second lunch at Kavos since we enjoyed our first visit so much.  Then we walked to the other side of town to see and learn about the famous windmills built by the Venetians in the 16th century, which gave Mykonos Town the nickname "Little Venice".

After our outing in town, Max took some of the others out on the ATV he had rented, while I swam and then napped.  We had a private chef and waiter come in to celebrate our last night with an exquisite 7-course meal.  Early to bed, as we had to be ready for our transportation to the airport at 7 AM. 

We are now on the loooong flight from Athens to Atlanta as I finish this post sharing our amazing Getaway to Greece.