Why do I write blogs?
It’s an extension of my habit of writing a diary , just that this one is in a digital form where text , pictures and videos can be placed . What hasn’t changed with technology or rather cannot change no matter how advanced tools come up is the unique personal takes and what makes the trip a moment to remember.
Every trip is an experience and would affect you in some way or the other.
To me the highlight of this trip was being able to celebrate my 40th birthday in one of the most ancient towns in history , Athens. But wait before I come to the best part let me scroll back and start from the day we landed in Greece.
On the 6th of May 2023 we reached Athens. We landed in the afternoon so we had half the day left to see around . First thing we did was buy a local sim card. Met our guide and walked around the flea market ,and some streets around the Acropolis, stopping at The little cook for coffee and tea. The decor was all about fairy tale characters , everyone who worked there were dressed as some fairytale character.
For dinner we explored some interesting local food suggested by our guide – We walked up the foothills around the acropolis and settled for this Greek traditional restaurant called “ Anefani” which means “emerged” . Post dinner we walked down the streets and ate gelato ice cream for dessert .
The next morning on the 7th May we left for Delphi , a major Greek archeological site around 3 hours from Athens. So why is Delphi significant – According to mythology, Zeus sent two eagles from the ends of the universe to find the omphalos (the navel of the world), and Delphi is the place where they met. The history of Delphi begins with the myths of the ancient Greeks, that in the beginning the site was sacred to Mother Earth, guarded by a serpent Python. Apollo later killed the serpent and in gratitude a sanctuary was built there to honour him around the 5th century BC . Though the place was mostly in ruins , to be standing there and knowing the stories is an experience in itself for ones to loves history and architecture. We also visited the Ancient Theatre of Delphi , The Stoa of the Athenians , Tholos of Athena Pronaia · and the Ancient Gymnasium of Delphi.
The white walls and blue domes always intrigued me, thanks to the instagram worthy places and pics. Also being a filmmaker and someone who likes to research about the places I visit, I learnt that the film ‘Lara croft tomb raider : The Cradle of life’ was filmed on the island of Santorini . So Santorini was always on my bucket list.
On the 8th May we reached Santorini and the first place we visited was Fira , the capital city of Santorini. And the first thing I did was ask the locals as to why their house walls were painted white and domes with blue color. Some said because white is cost effective and readily available and also reflects sunlight, thus keeping the buildings cool. Some said it was a rule by the government for national pride and to promote tourism .
Though Santorini is very touristy , the view of the sea water meeting the steep cliffs is a site to catch . It’s also fascinating to see long queues to take photos on specific spots .
From foodies to shoppers to photographers this place is for all . I found the town Pygros less crowded than Fira , which also had narrow lanes with cobbled streets and white walls , beautiful doors and windows made each house unique, colorful and picturesque . And in between the laben once could spot some curio / gift shops . I felt like buying everything.
Then , on the 9th of May we travelled in a boat and walked up to the Volcanic Island of Nea Kamen. It was an hour climb up a gravel path to reach the top of the 130 meter high volcanic crater . In the end the beautiful view of the Island from the top was worth all the calories burnt.
On the 10th of May we reached Heraklion, the capital of the largest of the Greek Islands , Crete. Since half the day passed by, we decided to walk towards the Venetian Fortress Rocca a Mare and later went to the Herakleion central market for some window shopping and local food. We ended the day with some strawberry pancakes for dessert.
The next day, 11th may was spent taking a tour of the Knossos which is the largest palace of the Minoan civilisation.
On the 12th May , yes the day I was looking forward to – It began with us visiting the Ammoudara beach in the morning and later we took a flight to Athens in the afternoon.
On reaching Athens , we freshened up and took a guided tour of the Acropolis , which was one of the best part of the trip due to the several ancient buildings of architectural and historical significance . We saw The Odeon of Herodes Atticus which is a stone Roman theatre , The Parthenon-Temple of goddess Athena which is regarded as the finest example of Greek architecture, Temple of Olympian zeus , Ancient agora , Theatre of Dionysus , Temple of Athena and Poseidon and Panathenaic stadium.
So my 40th Birthday, started by going to the beach with brown sand and blue waters, continued with the tour of the iconic Acropolis and ended with an Italian dinner at Athens with my sister and friends.
The last day, 13th May , we took a cruise to the sparsely populated , peaceful islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina . Each of the small islands was so beautiful that I left with the feeling of wish I could settle down in one of them.
And on the 14th May we started missing Greece. I didn’t see as much blue water in my life as I saw during this trip.
