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Thursday, October 4, 2012

A Greek Adventure

Jeffrey and I have really tried to take advantage of living in Europe and do some traveling. We've been on the go so much that I fear this year will seem like some crazy blur and all those details that made each trip so special may get overshadowed by the highlights.  Don't get me wrong, some mental images from our trip to Greece in August will stay with us forever like those crystal-clear, cerulean waters.

Myrtos Beach
Myrtos Beach

Agios Thomas Beach, Kefalonia Greece
Agios Thomas Beach

But will I forget waking up each morning to a homemade breakfast served on our hotel's patio? It included Kefallonian honey and Greek yogurt (yum!) and Jeffrey indulged in the cookies and pastries while continuously shooing away the wasps trying to attack me - oh yes, attack me. 

Agnantia Hotel, Kefalonia Greece
Agnantia Hotel


Will the memory of climbing down to that perfect cove only to discover that a 15' drop was all the stood between us and paradise fade with time?  Jeffrey, always quick to solve a problem, assured me it wasn't that far and we could probably jump down.  Luckily, the only other person we saw that day was on his way out and pointed us toward a safer way down.  We spent our entire afternoon and evening here snorkeling, reading, and finding joy in those rare moments that life isn't a distraction but the main attraction.

Kako Lagadi Beach, Kefalonia Greece
Kako Lagadi Beach




Or the day we rented our very own boat-built-for-two and Jeffrey drove us along the coast?  I wasn't completely sold on the boat idea.  Aside from being an expert tuber/sunbather back in childhood (me) and floating on a pond in a $200 metal raft to fish with friends (husband), we had very little boating experience.  Thank goodness I'm married to someone who encourages me outside of my comfort zone - it was fun!  And aside from a few wasps that tried to attack me (again!) it was a perfect day of beach hopping and fish spotting.  As a side note, it was discovered on this trip that wasps or anything resembling their menacing appearance cause me to go into a panic and they were not actually attacking.  Or so Jeff tells me. 



Foki Beach, Kefalonia Greece
Foki Beach


Would we forget being lost in the woods looking for Dafnoudi Beach?  Usually not one to give up, Jeffrey wanted to turn around but I kept coming up with reasons why we should continue the hunt like "look, there's a blue painted rock over there - that must mean beach!" or "the bushes don't look so think over here, it must be the trail!"  We never did find that beach.  We found plenty of others though!  



Antissamos Beach, Kefalonia Greece
Antissamos Beach

How could we forget being paddled along Melissani Lake, a lake entirely within a cave so the sun creates a burst of turquoise when it hits the water?  We drove about an hour from our hotel to see it for all of 10 minutes but it was definitely worth it.  And that evening we visited Assos and had to pay a waiter in Norwegian Kroner because we ran out of Euro.  We also climbed walked uphill to the castle of Assos but somehow couldn't find the castle (hence no picture).  Sometimes its about the journey (and singing some show tunes songs along the way).

Melissani Lake, Kefalonia Greece
Melissani Lake

Assos, Kefalonia Greece
Assos


Will we recall the heat and dust of Athens? The countless stalls selling Greek eyes and olive oil next to ruins so old it's hard to contemplate?  We flew in to Athens from Kefallonia the day before our return flight to Norway.  Waking up for a 6AM flight created the perfect excuse for a nap before we explored the city.  We spent most of the day walking around the Plaka and eating souvlaki before the trek to the Acropolis - a truly amazing site especially considering its been around since the 5th century BC!  Greece really is magical, not even the shut down of Athens's entire public transportation system due to impending riots could get us down (though we took a cab directly to the hotel after hearing this).






Greece - I don't think we'll be forgetting you anytime soon!  Yamas :)

1 comment:

  1. I thought your fall post was lovely.... but this Greek excursion? Aaah. It looks perfect. Makes me hungry for stuffed peppers and thirsty for retsina. Thanks for sharing it!

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