Greece - Sep-2022

Sep 2

Emirates flight, 9 hours, supposed to enforce masks but said nothing when we took ours off. I slept through most of the flight, thanks to ambien.

Sep 3

Landed in Athens, luggage came out really quickly. Taxi ride to hotel took about 30 minutes. Checked in and went exploring.

First went to Syntagma Square and parliament. Tomb of unknown soldier in front of the parliament with guards engaged in elaborate ballet like marching motion every few minutes.

Strolled through a nice park and some stalls selling books, which turned out to be a book festival. Looked at Hadrian’s Arch. Went to a nice seafood place called Sea Wolf for dinner - had anchovies, fava beans with a grilled sardine, grilled bluefish, and tuna steak.

Hadrian's Arch

Sep 4

Breakfast in the hotel with a view of Acropolis. Went to explore Acropolis, Roman Agora, and Ancient Agora. Had a really good but haphazard lunch at Atlanticos - anchovies with fava beans, Greek salad, grilled sardines and octopus. Then went to Acropolis Museum and explored its collection of ancient artifacts and adjacent archeological dig. Fortified ourselves with iced double espresso and went back to hotel, navigating old school via paper map since Wi-Fi device ran out of charge. Jumped into hotel rooftop pool and had drinks on the terrace.

Great dinner at Αιόλου 68 - Greek salad, smoked eel, and pick-your-own grilled sea bream.

Sep 5

Today we had our private day tour to Delphi. The drive took about 2 hours and first stop was at Hosios Loukas monastery. It was raining and windy with cats making all kinds of sounds. The place is still a working monastery with nice views of the valley below.

Then in another 30 minutes we passed through village of Arrachova - a popular with Athenians ski resort - and got to Delphi. Very impressive ruins of the temple of Apollo and surrounding structures, including an ancient stadium.

Then we went for a nice relaxing lunch at a restaurant with views of massive olive groves in the valley below and blue gulf of Corinth further out. I had deer and Sofia had lamb, both prepared country style.

After getting back to Athens, we went for a walk around Plaka, and to see Hadrian’s Library and Kerameikos - both large archaeological excavations. For dinner we went back to Atlanticos which was bustling and a lot of fun. I had tuna souvlaki which was excellent. And finished the day with drinks at our hotel rooftop bar with views of lit up Acropolis.

Sep 6

This morning we took a taxi to Lycabettus Hill to enjoy 360 degree views of Athens. Then walked down and strolled through the upscale neighborhood of Kolonaki, past a bunch of embassies and towards Syntagma square. Walked around there a bit and then headed to Central Market. It was very clean and well organized, with separate sections for meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Then we went for lunch at Kapamanlidika deli that’s been around since 1938. Both eggplant and beans appetizers and the cold cuts board were excellent. Afterwards we stopped by the hotel and headed to Athens Contemporary Art Museum, which was really not worth visiting. We ran through and left pretty quickly, caught a taxi back to hotel and relaxed by the pool until our pick up at 17:30. Alexander, same driver as yesterday, drove us to see the Temple of Poseidon and sunset at Cape Sounio, which were beautiful. Then we went for an excellent dinner at Marida - a local family run restaurant - where we selected branzino and calamari to be grilled and made friends with a couple of cats.

Sep 7

Relaxing easy day… We first went to see Olympikon - ruins of Temple of Zeus constructed under Roman emperor Hadrian. Then we took a Beat (Greek Uber) to Glyphada where Sofia did some very successful shopping. Met our friends for a long leisurely lunch at a restaurant by the seaside. Got back to Athens around 5:00 pm and went for a bit more shopping around Plaka, then relaxed by the pool. Finished the day with drinks on the rooftop, with the views of Acropolis.

Sep 8

Took 9:00 am Bluestar Highspeed 4 ferry to Naxos, which actually stopped in Paros on the way. The ferry boat was huge, loading a bunch of people and cars. One guy even towed a boat onto the ferry, which took some effort.

The ferry took almost 4 hours but was on time. Our car rental guy Sakis from Naxos Auto Rent met us at the port as promised, and he had our car waiting for us. The car Fiat 500L was larger than I expected, but our luggage fit fine. Sakis provided some useful info about public parking in town, gas stations, and restaurants. We drove to our Liana Beach Hotel and went for a late lunch of quinoa salad and grilled salmon salad on the beach. Sofia was complaining that the water is too cold, and compared to Caribbean or even Florida it sure was. Good to jump in, swim around and come out, not good to just sit and play in the water.

After spending a couple of hours on the beach we went for a quick workout at the hotel’s gym. Then drove to Naxos town to walk around and get lost in the narrow walkways and alleys full of little shops and restaurants. For dinner we went to an excellent seafood restaurant called Sarris Fish Tavern, where we each got our personal grilled branzino, as well as appetizers of marinated sardines and raw shrimp.

Sep 9

Woke up early and decided to skip breakfast and head into the hills for a hike. Stopped by a nice little bakery on the way for coffee and pastries, and continued on driving to the village of Filoti. The hike to the top of Mt Zas took about 2 hours. The views from this highest point in the Cyclades at 1,004m altitude were absolutely stunning.

The hike down took another hour and a half or so. Back in Filoti we went for lunch at Karras Tavern, which was somewhat disappointing. My plate of souvlaki and kebab sampler was not bad, bad Sofia’s lamb chops were too fatty, not butchered right and not marinated at all. Fortunately there were a few cats more than willing to help us.

Driving back we stopped by the village of Chalki and explored its few narrow streets and alleys. Bought some gifts for the folks back home and got back on the road. Went for a swim and relaxed on the beach in front of our hotel, and enjoyed happy hour drinks at sunset. Had a light and highly unremarkable dinner at Barbounis restaurant a few steps from our hotel.

Sep 10

After quick breakfast at the hotel we drove to the village of Ano Potamia for a hike to the ruins of Byzantine castle Apano Kastro. The hike involved some rock scrambling and was pretty nice. The castle was largely in ruins but we could still see towers, church, and a couple of other structures. There were also a bunch of goat trails and goats, so on the way back we got off the hiking trail and spent extra time following some goat paths.

Getting back to Agios Prokopios, we went for a workout at our hotel gym and then for an excellent lunch of Greek salad and kebabs at Souvlaki and Kebab House next door. Afterwards we relaxed a bit in the room and headed out to Kastraki beach to find paddleboards. The surfing and SUP place called Ride with the Gods was a 30 min drive away through some unpaved roads, corn fields and a bamboo forest. The beach was huge and secluded with hardly any people. I got the board for an hour while Sofia walked on the beach.

Back in Agios Prokopios we got drinks and watched the sunset, and then drove to Naxos town for an outstanding dinner at Boulamatsis with the view of the port and waterfront. I had grilled sausages and Sofia had grilled liver - both were excellent. After dinner we walked a bit more on the waterfront and explored Temple of Apollo in the light of full moon.

Sep 11

This morning we drove to Plaka Beach, considered one of the best beaches in Greece. It’s a 4km stretch of sand with some restaurants and beach bars. Water here was warmer than on Agios Prokopios so swimming was very enjoyable. Lunch at Tohu Beach Bar was excellent - marinated anchovies, smoked mackerel, fava beans and quinoa salad. After lunch, more swimming, walking and relaxing on the beach. Excellent dinner seaside at Nikos and Maria’s on Plaka Beach.

Sep 12

Woke up early and drove through Chalki and Filoti to the village of Aperanthos, stopping by our favorite bakery for coffee and pastries. Hiked the trail from Aperanthos to Fotodoti Monastery, past old ruined St George church. After about an hour and a half, the trail completely devolved into dusty goat tracks, so we turned around and walked back. Explored Aperanthos a bit - a really quaint village all carved into a hillside with stone hapless and narrow maze like streets. Then drove back to Plaka Beach and parked right at our yesterday’s favorite Tohu. The beach is almost empty today - all the long weekend Athenians are gone.

Swimming, then tropical drinks, followed by lunch at Tohu - marinated anchovies, quinoa salad, fried calamari and meatballs. More swimming and relaxing… then back to hotel to shower and pack. Back to the beach for another gorgeous sunset. Dinner of Greek salad, kebabs, and falafel at Souvlaki and Kebab House.

Sep 13

The ferry to Paros was 30 minutes late but the ride itself was short and enjoyable on the open upper deck. It took less than an hour. We found our car rental office just steps from the boat, left our luggage with them and went to explore Parikia. It’s yet another pretty little port town with winding streets, whitewashed buildings, and sea views. We had lunch on the waterfront at Mouragio, which had fava beans with caramelized onions and local specialty gouna - sun dried grilled mackerel. They actually do dry it in the sun as we saw the next day.

After lunch we went to pick up our luggage and rental car - a little white Peugeot 208. It was a bit clunky but fun to drive with clutchless manual and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Drove to Naoussa and checked into our Hotel Senia - a very nice little hotel with sea views. Quickly changed and drove to Chrisi Akti aka Golden Beach. The beach was very nice although the water was a bit shallow. I took a stand up paddle board out for an hour and we made friends with Theodore, the owner of the Sunwind water sports establishment. He recommended a few nice restaurants and advised to avoid tourist traps in Naoussa. After hanging out on the beach a bit more and relaxing with a couple of drinks at Rebel Beach Bar, we followed Theodore’s recommendation and went for dinner at Anna and Giorgos Restaurant. Spicy meatballs and eggplant were excellent and there were lots of cute funky little kittens running around.

Sep 14

Breakfast at Senia Hotel was excellent - poached eggs, pancakes, pastries, fruits - on the terrace with sea views. Then we drove to mountain village of Lefkes about 15 minutes away. Went on a 4.4 mile hike from Lefkes called Agios Ioannis circuit. It was a nice and fairly easy hike, although AllTrails rated it moderate. After the hike we explored Lefkes and saw a big church of dubious architecture built in the 1800s. Then we drove to Logaras Beach and had a great seafood lunch at Fisilanis Seaside Restaurant. Walked on the beach a bit, then drove to Kalogeros Beach where people were covering themselves with supposedly healing mud. Then we drove to Santa Maria beach, which felt a bit like a construction site. Went for a swim, dried off and drove back to our hotel. Hung out by the pool a bit, then went to explore the town of Naoussa. It felt very touristy, with faux upscale restaurants and shops selling clothes and trinkets. For dinner we drove to Blue Oyster on Ampelas Beach. The food was good, especially French oysters and my swordfish souvlaki, but the service was too fussy.

Sep 15

After another nice Senia breakfast we drove to Pounta and onto the ferry for a short ride across to Antiparos island. Driving onto the ferry guided by the crew felt a bit like playing giant Tetris.

The ferry ride across narrow channel between Paros and Antiparos took only 5 minutes. We first drove to the Cave of Antiparos, getting there right before the 10 am opening. The cave was deep, with beautiful stalactites, and had a lot of renaissance graffiti - people writing their names on the walls going back to 1600s.

After the cave we went to Soros Beach, which was very nice despite the name. It had sand which seemed to be made up of tiny shell fragments. We stayed on Soros Beach for a couple of hours, and then headed for lunch at Captain Pipinos Seafood Taverna. The food was solid but not in line with it being so busy. The setting right on the water was amazing however. After lunch we headed to St George beach and relaxed there for a couple of hours. Then drove back to the town, explored it a bit and got back on the ferry at 17:45. Back on Paros, we strolled around Parikia a bit and went for a nice sunset dinner at Taverna Mouragio where we had lunch the other day. I had lamb shank and Sofia had grilled sea bass - both were outstanding.

Sep 16

In the morning we went for a short hike in the hills above Vigla and Kolympethres Beach. Then back to the Golden Beach where I took a windsurfing lesson. It’s harder than it looks - I spent more time falling off the board than riding it. Lunch at Fisilanis, then back to the beach where it got even windier. Relaxed a bit and had drinks at Rebel beach bar. Drove back to hotel and finished our bottle of sparkling wine by the pool. Then went to Parikia for a sunset dinner at Mira, right next to Mouragio. Sofia had stuffed tomatoes and I had pork chops. Both were good, but the food at Mouragio was more interesting.

Sep 17

Morning walk through quiet streets of Naoussa, not yet filled with tourists and with shops and restaurants still closed. Then a swim at Piperi Beach in front of our hotel, another breakfast with a view, and 30 minute drive to Paros Airport. Quick flight to Athens, a 3 hour break in Athens airport, and Emirates flight back to US.

Bye Greece! Until next time.