Babymoon Part 3: Outside Athens

Timmy and I love to get outside of big cities and feel like we truly experience the culture of a country when we immerse ourselves in rural life. So after our one touristy day in Athens, we were more than ready to get out and see the surrounding countryside! 

 
We spent one day taking a ferry to a nearby Greek island. The island of Aegina wasn’t quite what we expected, but Tim enjoyed driving down narrow, uneven country roads in an old rickety jeep and getting lost and I enjoyed eating fresh pistachios and seeing olive groves bump by… but I especially enjoyed the ferry ride with air conditioning and a strawberry slushy. 

We spent the rest of our trip in a little seaside village, Napflion. Our hotel was luxurious and cozy, hugging the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Our time in Napflion was relaxing, and we purposely only planned one major activity for each day. 

One day we drove to the ruins of an ancient theater in Epidaurus. Tim enjoyed climbing on high walls and I enjoyed photographing a Greek dandelion and meeting a Grecian lizard. 

We also accidentally drove up a mountain and were astounded by the gorgeous views. 

The best, most exciting part of our stay in Napflion may have been the first day we discovered a little gelato shop that also carried sorbet – sorbet is dairy free! We visited that shop many more times before we left three days later.

Another day was spent visiting a ruined fortress that once boasted huge walls hundreds of feet tall and fifteen feet deep! 

It was also our “beach day” but the weather was rainy, so we just drove for several hours on a winding road that clung to the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Greece is gorgeous when it’s raining, and the air feels steamy and fresh. I didn’t get my day of splashing in the sea, but we did make sure to at least put our toes in for a picture.

(top left: the Bema, bottom left: the Christian church)
 
On our way back to Athens we stopped at Ancient Corinth and got a glimpse of the city we hear so much about in 1st and 2nd Corinthians. It was insanely exciting to walk down old streets, full of history – the same streets the Apostle Paul traveled. We got to see the building that was the Christian church (!!) and also the Bema, where Paul pled his case before the Corinthians and Roman rulers.

Our last night in Greece was spent at the Sofitel Athens, a luxurious hotel located IN THE AIRPORT. That is possibly the most genius idea ever, and it worked perfectly for us as we had to catch a 6AM flight the following morning. 

Up next… Switzerland! 

Greece: Day One - Athens!

Since we flew into the Athens airport at 12AM and finally got to our hotel at 2AM, my first true glimpse of Greece was Sunday morning. We stepped out of our hotel room into a crowded street smothered with extreme heat and extreme sunlight. The air felt electric, surging with currents of sweltering warmth. We bought tickets for a “hop on, hop off” bus tour (our favorite way to see cities) and began our “touristy day”. The big red tour bus took us all around Athens, stopping at The Temple of Zeus, the National Gardens, the Olympic stadium, the Acropolis and Parthenon, and more. 

The bus would stop, and we would hop off, excited to explore each stop. We walked and wandered and climbed all over Athens that morning. The landscape was so arid and the air was so hot, even in the shaded gardens.

After assessing the situation and my swollen feet (thanks to the heat and pregnancy), we wisely took a break mid-day to return to our hotel room and rest. After a cool shower and quick nap we set out for the Acropolis. Of course, like everything in Greece, reaching the Acropolis required a long walk up many, many stairs. (My poor feet!) Once we reached the top, the views of Athens were stunning. 

We spent a long time wandering around the gorgeous ruins, taking in the detailed architecture and marveling at the history found in a place like this. In America, our oldest buildings are brand new compared to ancient buildings created in 500 B.C.! If you look closely at the columns, they are actually huge circular disks stacked on top of each other. Incredible.

Day One ended with dinner at street café. I had the only thing I could eat on the menu, a Greek Salad: tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and basil mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (This would prove to be the first of many. Greek Salads were just about the only thing I could ever find to eat for the entire vacation. I’m surprised I can still face a cucumber…)