A Grecian Dream
You know those moments where you’re exposed to something and you instantly know that’s going to stick with you for the long haul?
It doesn’t happen all that much to my ADHD ass but when it does, it’s etched in there real deep.
As a junior (or senior, I can’t ~exactly~ remember 😅) in high school, I had an internship at the Waldron Arts Center. I loved the space, I loved the people, I loved the kids, I loved the mundane tasks, I loved it all.
One afternoon, my supervisor, Kariana, showed me pictures of her trip to Greece. I hovered over her shoulder as she was clicking through the photos and I thought to myself ahhh okay okay okayyyy—that’s it; that’s THE place. I was infatuated immediately.
So there it stayed in the back of my mind for years and years.
Unsurprisingly, the art history curriculums at IU were loaded with Greek culture. I was tested on the architecture, sculptures, paintings, pottery, terms, and theories. Although I can hardly remember what day it is, let alone the components of an ancient frieze, it only fueled the fire.
I’d sit in class, daydreaming about hopping around the Aegean Sea like:
At some point in time I told myself I wanted to visit Greece before I turned 30. And like the planner I am, I reached out to my inner circle in 2022, giving them a heads up about the trip to Greece I’ll be planning over the next year. And if they wanted to join, they had a year to decide/save up/plan. I turn 30 at the end of 2023 soooo, it’s prime time, baby.
So, over the course of the year, I did my due diligence and mapped out my dream vacation. It was a win/win because my sisters and friends who came with didn’t have to plan anything (except getting themselves there) and I could construct a trip to exactly how I envisioned.
I spent hours on hours on hours of researching, back-and-forth emailing, spreadsheet-ing, calculating, etc. and I loved (almost) every minute of it.
November 1st rolls around and we all set off from our respective cities to meet up at the Athens airport.
Did we have a driver waiting for us at the airport to take us to our Airbnb? Why yes we did, I’m so glad you asked. Because, remember, this trip is fulfilling over a decade-long dream build-up and we are crossing off all of those details.
If you remember in my Scotland trip recap post, a spreadsheet is an absolute must for me when planning vacations. I’ll walk through some key things we did but if you’re dying to know the details, which I’m sure you are, then have a lookie loo:
The site that I used to book the drivers didn’t have specifics (besides like how many people they could take, bags, etc.) until the scheduled time. So, I knew we had a van, I didn’t know the first ride would be as swaggy as it ended up being. An excellent surprise.
The driver from the airport to the ‘bnb shared a lot of cool info as we would pass by different things through Athens. We were also like ok sir, we wanna talk with each other and not just listen to you.😅 But all in all, it was a lovely introduction to the city.
We bookended the trip with a night in Athens for logistical ease. I was able to coordinate staying in the same ‘bnb the first night and the last night which was yet another win. Like I mentioned before, I spent time searching and comparing places like it was my job. The key components I was looking for:
Within budget for everyone on the trip
A beautiful space (aesthetics are IMPORTANT!)
Great location
Enough beds/bedrooms for all 6 of us to be comfortable
Bonus points if it was unique
It was a challenge but one I created for myself and, no surprise here, I killed it. ;) This first place was in the PERFECT location in city center, within budget, totally stunning, and everyone got their own bed except for 2/3 of the sisters.
After taking a load off and relaxing for a bit, we went out to explore the area. There were the cutest shops, restaurants, bars, and galleries within a stone’s throw out the front door. We wove in and out of the spaces, practically floating from spot to spot.
We headed back to the Airbnb so we could get ready for our dinner reservations😋. The restaurant was STUNNING and was a minute and a half walk from our house. HA! Planned to perfection, I tell you!!!
Night one dinner was 10/10. We were in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the area, looking fine as hell, and indulging in the deliiiiicious meal.
Here’s a recap vid of the first night:
The next morning we headed to the Athens port for our ferry ride to Mykonos. It was *supposed to be about three hours, but we missed our stop. To our defense, the stop was announced, like, once. Quietly. And before we knew it, the ferry was moving again. We were like wait…what just happened?? There were six of us, we all knew the plan, and none of us heard to get up. It was annoying but we got over it and made the most out of the hiccup. We sat outside at the top and it was our yacht party. ;)
Finally, after a few hours extended to the ferry ride, we made it to Mykonos!!! We were able to coordinate with the driver, so everything still worked out. He dropped us off at the Mykonos airport so we could pick up our rental car.
Three of us went to get the car and the other three went to the grocery store next to the airport to load up. The car was smol but we were able to—barely—squeeze all of us, our luggage, and the groceries into this wee little car.
The ride from the grocery store to the villa was right around 20 minutes. We pulled up, emerged like the ultimate clown car of Americans, and were greeted by the villa manager, a lovely local woman. She gave us the lay of the land and let us be. She was probably like…stupid Americans. LOL! Kinda kidding.
This spot was what I was looking forward to the absolute most. It satisfied all of those bullets on the list above. Exceeded, actually. And it was OURS for the next four nights.
I had left a lot of open space in the schedule to chill and not over-commit to things, so we had flexibility. Sunday was supposed to be a boat day but the winds were too strong and the captain said he didn’t feel comfortable taking us out. Sigh. But we ended up having an amazing day, so it wasn’t too much of a bummer.
There was a perfect blend of photoshoots, alone time, charcuterie-board-making, swimming in the pool, hiking down to the water, taking in the view, and whatever else floated everyone’s boat.
Some meals were made at the house, and most dinners out. Also so many snacks. :D It was a good balance and we all contributed in our own ways. The synergy was bootiful.
You can probably guess how incredible the food was. Superior to the food we’re used to that’s for DAMN sure. It actually is really crazy the quality difference. And high key unfortunate how our (most accessible) food is littered with sugar and processed shit. It is what it is.
Image from kazarmamykonos.com
One evening we were walking around in the downtown area, deciding where we wanted to go for dinner, and landed on this place called Kazarma.
It was one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had in my entire life. And I think it’s safe to say we all felt that way.
Not only was the food absolutely incredible, but the energy, excitement, and all around bliss that was filling the space was electric.
We loved it so much so that we went back two more times LOL! One for breakfast and another for dinner (again). Not a single regret.
We even befriended one of the hostesses, who was the coolest in the land.
It was the best, best, best, best, best.
Our time in Mykonos was over before we knew it. We packed up, shared our gratitude with the villa, and headed back to Athens for our final night before heading back home. *TEAR
As been made very obvious, we took our food experiences very seriously. ;) Our final night together was spent at a restaurant called Amber. For some, it was the best meal of the trip. I’m still undecided on that one because it was just banger after banger after banger; and how do you compare pristine apples with pristine oranges???
Amber and Erika were flying home three days later. That schedule made the most sense when they were booking, so they planned to stay in Athens. Given the fact that I work for myself, I don’t have any kids or anyone relying on me, I decided to extend my trip and stay with Amb and Erika. Yahoo!
Although we were pretty tired from the dreamiest of trips, we made the most out of our final few days in Athens. We visited the Acropolis, of course. Checked out a few different neighborhoods. Shopped. Continued the tour of delicious foods. Watched Hercules. And got tattoos! The perfect ending to the perfect trip.
I am still processing it all. This vacation was satisfying the teenager in me. The artist in me. The foodie in me. The planner in me. The adventurer in me. It was achieving something so monumental for my spirit that it’s hard to accept that it came and went.
Ultimately, I am inCREDibly proud of myself for pulling this off. I set my mind to this shit, saved, planned/coordinated, and I made it happen. Not only for myself but for five other people, too.
Looks like I’ll just have to continue dreaming and following through because I’ve given myself no other choice. ;)
