Here we are in beautiful, yet somewhat quirky, Greece. We’re actually midway through our trip, but I’ll back up and start from the beginning. There was much debate in where to go, and what to do, for our first vacation while living in Europe. We wanted to relax (ok, sure, that’s relative with a 2-year-old) but also wanted to explore. We wanted to experience a new culture, but nothing too extreme. Most of all, we wanted to do something we likely would never have done if we were living in the U.S. So here we are in Greece!
We flew straight from Brussels to the island of Crete (about a 3 ½ hour flight). The landscape of Crete is very rocky and mountainous - like a desert in the middle of the sea. We spent two days unwinding, playing in the pool with Grayson, and soaking up the warm Mediterranean sun.
Perhaps the 2 most unflattering photos ever!
Grayson only required “rescuing” from the deep part of the pool twice. Once Tony jumped in to “save” him and once I did - still wearing my flip flops and cover ups! (Tony managed to have the camera handy for this rescue).
Tony didn't take long to unwind - on our first day in Crete he fell asleep by the pool.
By day 3 we were ready to explore, and ventured out to the Minoan ruins of the Palace of Knosos. Grayson wasn’t exactly enthralled with the ruins, but he loved the wild peacock!
Later that day we went to the tiny fishing village of Agios Nikolaos to enjoy the ambiance and authentic Greek food (lots of olives, feta, olive oil, and tomatoes).
[Photos of Knosos and Agios Nikolaos to follow - our camera died and we had to use a disposable]
The Greek Island of Santorini
After a really wonderful stay on Crete, we packed up and headed to the port to catch a ferry to Santorini. We had decided that the 2-hour boat ride to Santorini on the small, but high-speed, catamaran would be preferable to the 4-hour boat ride on the much larger traditional ferry, given Grayson’s 2-year-old attention span which is essentially nil. Boy did we choose wrong!
I have lived my entire life with the propensity to get motion sick on almost anything - carnival rides, cars, buses, trains, boats, and even staring at a moving computer screen for too long will make me sick! So before boarding the boat for Santorini I took a DOUBLE dose of Dramamine - just to be safe.
What I never counted on was that Grayson - poor, helpless, Grayson - would have inherited my propensity toward motion sickness. I had assumed that since he looks more like Tony, is a boy like Tony, and (in my opinion) acts more like Tony, that he - like Tony - would never get motion sick. Wrong! About 30 minutes into the trip, which was filled with bumps, jerks, turns, ups, and downs - - ick! - - Grayson starts saying “tummy hurts, tummy hurts” and I notice he is white as a ghost. I immediately know what is wrong - I know it by heart having lived through it many, many times myself. And I also know because the entire time I’ve been staring at the horizon, praying that I would not get sick and praying that the 2 doses of Dramamine would be enough to save me from what seems to be inevitable suffering given the tossing and turning of the boat.
About 10 minutes later, Grayson starts throwing up and screaming (Tony - the only stable person at this point - is holding him, and takes the brunt of the mess). Yes, it is true, he takes after his Mom and gets seasick. No more boat trips for Grayson without children’s Dramamine. Poor baby - I would have never wished this on him - never!
Afterward he fell asleep exhausted and slept the remaining 1 ½ hours of the boat trip. I spent that time using every ounce of energy to fix my gaze on the horizon, despite my head wanting to spin. I managed to make it to Santorini just dizzy, not sick or falling over, just dizzy and exhausted from staring and clenching my hands and teeth and praying for the sight of land (and I’m not exaggerating here).
So here we are in Santorini. It has to be the most uniquely beautiful place I have ever been to. The photos speak for themselves. The island comprises a dormant volcano which erupted in 1450 BC, with extremely high cliffs on one side and black volcanic beaches on the other.The town of Fira, Santorini
On our first day visiting the town of Fira, which is high on the cliffs overlooking the caldera (the center of the volcano), we lucked out and Grayson fell asleep in his stroller right before lunch. Tony and I enjoyed a very long, peaceful lunch at a cliff top restaurant staring at the mountains and the sea. It was breathtaking.
Being on the side of a cliff, Fira is not exactly the most child-friendly town (in fact, most hotels in Fira will not accept children for safety reasons), but we managed anyway, pushing Grayson up and down the cobbled streets.
Kamira, Santorini
Written Friday, May 11, 2007
We spent two of our days in Santorini at the black sand beach in the town of Kamira (as this is the "flat" and more child-friendly side of the Island, it's also where our hotel was located). The “sand” is really black pebbles ranging in size from tiny grains in some places to rocks the size of your fist in others. Since we were visiting at the very start of the tourist season, the beach scene was very calm - we loved it! The water was still too cold for swimming but the air was warm with a gentle breeze - it was very pleasant.
The Greek people are, in my opinion, a bit quirky in a nice kind of way. I kept thinking back to the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and you know - it’s quite similar. As we’d walk along the street in the beach town of Kamira, all the restaurant owners would start talking to you, trying to get you to take a table. When we finally sat down, ordering was sometimes a challenge. They are very persuasive, you see, and want to make sure that you order well. At our favorite restaurant in Kamira (the only one with highchairs) the Greek “Mama” (as she called herself) simply stood outside talking to current and prospective patrons. We bought it, totally, took pictures with her, and promised to come back (which we did).
The Greek Orthodox churches in Santorini are beautiful. This church overlooking the Kamira beach was no exception.
One night we left Grayson at the hotel with a babysitter so that Tony and I could watch the famous Santorini sunset from the town of Oia. It was beautiful, as were the views of the caldera and the blue domed Greek Orthodox churches.
Athens, Greece
After an amazing stay in Santorini, we flew to Athens, the birthplace of European civilization, for a quick visit. Unfortunately, I arrived in Athens with a bad case of tonsilitis, so all I saw of Athens was the inside of the hotel and views of the Acropolis from the hotel rooftop patio.
Tony and Grayson hiked (actually, Tony hiked and carried Grayson) the Acropolis to view the Parthenon (built in 447 BC).
Other sights in Athens, including the Parliament and its changing of the guards ceremony
Mr. Independent, had to stand alone on the metro in Athens (his new favorite word is "self" - meaning - stop helping me, I'll do it myself)
My time in Athens was less than glorious
Bye bye Greece - it's back to Brussels!
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