Oh Greece your sunshine, your food, your summers, how I miss you during a November afternoon in Berlin!
After a year of traveling to see friends and family in the states we made the decision that maybe it wouldn't be too selfish to have one relaxing vacation just for us to soak up the last weeks of summer. We took a quite flight in and out of Athens and reveled in the fact that we needed a much smaller toy and snack bag for Ava! We spent the weekend in Athens staying at the Hilton (our go to hotel in new cities). Ben had been to Athens before but this was a first for Ava and I. We really only had one full day to take in the city so it was packed with attractions. First up was hiking up to the Acropolis and Ava, a true darling, napped the whole way up in the carrier. After taking some time to check out the Parthenon and other sites, we spent the afternoon at the Acropolis Museum. In between we wandered through shops and markets while always in search of the best local meal.
We left early the next day for our ferry to Folegandros. The trip was fairly uneventful, like the Staten Island ferry but longer and with food that left just as much to be desired! We arrived on the island and were welcomed by sunshine and a driver to take us to the hotel. It took us a little while to take in the scale of the island (it was so tiny) and definitely off the beaten (rock) path, but soon we adjusted to the rocky landscape and began to take in the views of the sea and discovered the charming village of Chora. Being on a short 3-4 minute walk from the edge of the village we found tiny shops, restaurants, and even a cocktail bar. We spent most of our days playing by the pool, laying by the pool, or trying to keep Ava from falling in the pool. Sometimes we think Ava stands out in Berlin due to her obviously American parents, please imagine a toddler in Greece covered in sunscreen, a sun hat, her UPF 50+ long sleeve sun shirt, AND a US Coast Guard approved neon pink life jacket, you can't be too careful.
The week was truly full of relaxation! We quickly realized in the first day or two that we could walk from one side of the village to the other, up the small mountain, and back around in less than an hour. Perhaps we would have to think about how to "relax" more, as this was very much and island were one should just "be" and "take in" and less about doing. However, after talking to the hotel we realized that we could rent a car and hike to many of the beaches on the island that are not accessible except by boat or hike. This seemed right up our alley. One of the most memorable days is hiking to the Agios Nikolaos beach. Taking the stony foot path down towards the water and seeing all of the shady trees just 50 yards from the water. Taking Ava down in to the water and then eating fresh fish, beet salad, and 2 euro glasses of white wine for lunch in a tiny restaurant with no electricity right on the beach. Ahhh, it was a change for us to spend so much time relaxing, but reflecting on it the week was fabulous.
We capped off the trip with a terrifying windy day of travel on the ferry from Folegandros back to Athens. We witnessed 20 foot waves smashing into the sides of the boat and felt ourselves free fall as the boat smacked into the water below. As the hours stretched on we worried less and less about missing our evening flight from Athens to Berlin and just hoped we would arrive safely. It was one of those life experiences that one will likely never forget and luckily for us doesn't seem as terrifying now that it has passed.
Wishing you sunshine in November and only small waves,
The Aylesworth Trio