We started with a drive to Málaga airport (perfectly timed to coincide with taking Eric's buddy Joey to catch a flight after his visit to Granada) and 2 flights to get to Crete, with a 2 hr layover in Germany. Of course, trying to save some money, I had booked the legs on 2 different low-cost carriers, and they don't transfer bags for you. So we needed every minute of that layover to get the suitcase and stroller collected from baggage claim, get back to check-in and drop them off, get through security again, take a potty break, and get to our gate. Between the hassle of that and the cost to check bags on each leg of a journey, I think I'll try to be a little more choosy about flights in the future...even if it means spending some extra money up front. Anyway, we made it to Crete, figured out how to ride the bus from the airport into town, and made our way to our hotel. It felt great to get settled in, and we had a lovely dinner right across the street on the water where we could admire all the lights on the hills up and down the coast. Maybe we should've been spending a little less time staring at the scenery and paid a bit more attention to what Coco was doing, because she decided to take a shot of ouzo...thinking it was water in a cup that was just the right size for her! Needless to say, she wasn't a fan and it ended up sprayed all over me and my plate :(
The next couple days were for exploring Crete - Palace of Knossos was a huge site that you could walk around and get a feel for the Minoan civilization that was there 4000 years ago, Heraklion Archaeological Museum gave more insights to what life would've been like there, and a drive from the north side of the island down to the southwest side to enjoy Matala beach. The beach was lovely, but the drive was a little hilly and curvy and unfortunately Coco's carsickness surfaced. Either that, or maybe she was still feeling the effects of the ouzo from 2 nights before?!
From Crete we took a ferry up to Santorini, about 1.5 hr ride that was thankfully pretty smooth. Colette and I did spend most of the trip right next to the window trying to keep our eyes on the horizon...decided that we'd need to find some motion-sickness meds for future travels :) Santorini was gorgeous, as you would expect, and we spent every dinner in a picturesque spot staring at the setting sun. But I really was not a fan of how touristy and crowded the main town (Fira) was during the day when cruise ships were inundating the island with people. Tried to avoid that by doing a boat trip out to the volcano/hot springs and renting an ATV and driving around the island, which was an excellent experience since we could get off the beaten path a bit. Felt a little like Hawaii and a little like Spain on the rest of the island.
Next was a quick flight up to Athens followed by a long bus ride into town...I think we actually may have spent longer on the bus than on the plane. Our hotel was right next to the Cathedral of Athens and beyond that it wasn't too far to the Acropolis. By this point, I think we were starting to take the amazing vistas for granted. Besides all the beautiful landscapes/seascapes, one of the most memorable things about our time in Greece will be how everyone was gaga over Coco (and I'm assuming other little kids in general, but especially Coco!). At our hotels, at restaurants, at random shops along the road, at ancient ruins, everywhere! It usually takes her a little while to warm up to new people, so most folks didn't get too much response from her, but they sure tried :) Saw a "train-bus" in Athens that was similar to ours in Granada, so of course Coco insisted that we ride that. We were also able to hit the Acropolis and museum, Nat'l Archaeological Museum, Ancient and Roman Agoras, Mt Lycabettus, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Central Market, as well as stroll through the Plaka, Monastiraki and Anafiotika districts of Athens. The gyro in the pita was by far the most-consumed item of the trip, over a dozen in Athens alone, I'm sure! Also got to sample lots of the local beer - Mythos, Alfa and FIX, along with some micro-breweries like Volkan.
Looking back, it would've been a very different trip without a small child along...I'm sure we would've gotten to see more of the museums and nightlife, and less of Peppa Pig, but I don't think we would've gotten the same level of interaction with local people if we were just another middle-aged tourist couple. It also forces a bit more downtime and makes you get more selective about which things you really want to see. At first that made me feel limited, but it sort of drove the need to research places ahead of time, which really helped us get the most out of our time there and experience each site a bit more deeply I think.
The next trip is just a few days away, and hopefully it will go just as smoothly. This will be the only time that we're traveling with other people (my sister Lauren and her hubby Ryan, yay!!) so that will be extra fun. There will be many hours in the car (where's that Dramamine?) but this time our 3 flights are all direct so hopefully the airports will be less stressful. We'll also be staying in a few AirBnB apartments for the first time, as opposed to just mid-budget hotels. Looking forward to the extra space that will afford, and not needing to sit in the dark hotel room quietly in the evenings after Coco falls asleep :)
