Day 1
The beginning of my trip to Italy & Greece marked the end of my visit to London. I said goodbye to my English friends and headed to the airport for a morning flight.
First stop: Rome!
When I landed in Rome I met up with a friend who had been exploring the Amalfi coast while I was visiting England.
As part of the travel package we purchased, I was picked up at the airport by a very nice driver and transferred to our hotel in Rome.
Since a half day walking tour was in our stars, we decided to find a nearby restaurant for dinner and wine then head back to our room to get some rest.
Day 2
Exploring Rome:
Our day started by getting ready then catching an Uber to our walking tour starting point.
The Ancient Rome & Colosseum walking tour started at a meeting point by the Colosseum. During the tour we heard the epic story of 2 brothers and the birth of Rome, we viewed the Roman Forum from a spectacular vantage point, and we got expedited entry to tour the inside of the Colosseum! Our tour guide was fantastic and witty. Great start to our visit to Rome.
At the conclusion of our tour, we decided to continue to explore Rome. We got in some major steps as we hiked to the Mouth of Truth. Then we made our way to the magnificent Trevi Fountain.
Day 3
Vatican City: Smallest country in the world
We were up bright and early to start out Day so we could head to the Vatican. The Vatican is a very special place so if you have a chance to visit, I highly recommend you add it to your itinerary. While at the Vatican we toured the museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Copula (the dome). You’re no longer allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel, but I can assure you it is marvelous! Check out some of my pictures of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Copula.
After our trip to the Vatican we got some exercise as we walked what felt like the entire city center including areas along Via del Corso. We enjoyed a late lunch and gelato at Café Vitti (http://www.vitti.it)
After our late lunch break, we continued to tour the city. We saw awesome street performers and break dancers, sidewalk chalk artists, even an artist who made 3 dimensional art using sand and water! As we continued our makeshift, impromptu walking tour we landed back at the Trevi Fountain where we caught some laughs while people watching as the fountain guards policed the area blowing their whistles non stop at unsuspecting tourists who sat on or touched the fountain. We threw in our coin and took one last look at the fountain before heading to dinner.
Time to pack. Greece starts tomorrow.
Day 4
Goodby Rome. Hello Santorini!
Rise and shine. Time to grab breakfast, check out of our hotel, and load up the car for our ride to the airport. When we landed in Santorini, we were picked up by Panos the person who made all of our arrangements! He drove us to our hotel and gave us an overview and brief history of the area along the way.
While in Santorini, we stayed on the beach in Kamari. After settling into the hotel, it was lunchtime so we explored our area to find the best place for our first meal in Greece. We selected Amalthia Tavern (http://www.amalthiatavern.com/index_uk.htm) because of the charming ambiance and the awesome restaurant host who walked us through some of the menu items. We sat down and relaxed over a glass of rosé before ordering dinner.
Day 5
Santorini: Blue domed chapels and white houses. Yay!
We wanted to explore Santorini so the gentleman at the hotel front desk advised that we travel to Fira using the local bus system. The ticket was extremely inexpensive and the ride was about 20-25 minutes long. The bus to Fira was jammed packed. So much so that people stood in the center aisle and I had to sit in the very front on one of the steps inside the bus. Luckily for me, some seated passengers in the front exited after a few stops so I was able to sit in an actual seat.
After arriving in Fira, we followed the buzzing tourists into the bustling area. There were restaurants, gelato shops, and boutiques all over the place. We picked a lunch spot, tried some awesome Greek beer then started our tour of the area in search unique gifts for our friends and family members as well as awesome views and photo opportunities.
We wrapped up our first night in Greece with dinner and Ouzo!
Day 6
Beach mode to Glam mode: Kamari Black Beach to Oiá
Time for a little relaxation. We walked from our room straight to the beach in no time flat as our hotel was adjacent to the smooth black pebbled beach adorned with cute thatched umbrellas and lounge chairs.
Caution: if you are visiting Kamari black beach, be sure to wear your water shoes as the black beach is HOT and there are some extremely smooth, slippery areas as you walk into the water.
Double caution: once you enter the water, you may never want to leave. The calming sounds of the water rushing to the beach then quickly receding will put your mind at ease while floating in the cool crisp waters can lead to some seriously pruned fingers.
I would have stayed at the beach all day had it not been for a planned outing that was scheduled to start in a few hours. My friend and I had planned a photo shoot and island tour with a local photographer. Knowing it would take us some time to get dolled up, we had a nice fruity drink, some snacks then hustled back to start the glam process.
Our awesome photographer picked us up promptly and took us on a spectacular tour or the island stopping along the way to show us and tell us about local plants on the island like tomatoes, grapes and capers. Check out a few of the awesome photos he captured for us.
To see more photos and get all of the details of the photo tour, click the link below.
https://norisknorewardblog.com10-photo-shoot-tips/
Day 7
Ferry over to Mykonos
We had such a spectacular time in Santorini, but the show must go on. Next stop: Mykonos!
Our first day in Mykonos was pretty chill. We caught some zzz’s on the smooth ferry ride then checked into the hotel.
Late lunch on the beach comprised of oysters that I fished myself from a tank, wine as usual, and entree and mastika on the house.
Day 8
If you like to party like I do, Mykonos is the place for you, but plan carefully because the major party venues on the island close around the end of August/beginning of September for the slow season.
For our second day in Mykonos, we spent a wonderful day at the beach. I can’t say enough about the beach in Mykonos. The vibe is great and the water literally sparkles. If you ever find yourself stranded on one of the beaches in Mykonos, consider yourself lucky (at least fit as long as your money lasts).
We ventured into Old Town for dinner, and we were instantly in love with its charm. Little did we know that after a fantastic dinner we’d be able to dance away the calories at some seriously packed but fun bars.
Day 9
Our night (early morning) spent in Old Town left us wanting to explore the area more so on our last day in Mykonos we made it back to Old Tour to see what treasures we could find. Old town is a place you can easily fall in love with and the delicious Da Vinci’s gelato makes it that much easier.
Day 10
Say it ain’t so. Our time in Mykonos went by so quickly. I would have been perfectly fine with another day at the beach in Mykonos, but as they say all good things must come to an end.
No need for dismay just yet because our journey continued on to Athens!
By the time we made it to our hotel and checked in, it was that time:Dinnertime! We walked all around our area and lucked-up on the rooftop restaurant at the Grand Bretagne Hotel. Spectacular food, excellent service, and the view of the Parthenon is unbelievable! We couldn’t have picked a better place to see the Parthenon for the first time!
Day 11
The moment you’ve all been waiting for. The Parthenon atop the Acropolis!
As part of our tour package, we went on a half day tour of Athens. We visited many sites around the city, learned about the origin of the marathon, and visited the crowning gem of Athens - The Acropolis! The last stop of our tour was the Acropolis Museum. Being that close to so many historical treasures, and having the stories from Greek mythology retold alongside the represented figures really made the visit to the Parthenon and Greece come alive. Side note: Did you know that athletes used to participate in events while nude?!? Shocking right?!? I thought so too. You learn something nude everyday.
After the tour, we sat down for lunch at a cute open-air restaurant. Our waiter gave us a wonder little orange flavored cake for dessert then we were off to our final round of souvenir hunting (after Da Vinci’s of course. Don’t judge).
With less than 24 hours of vacation time in Greece, we decided to get into as much as possible without going overboard and missing our flights. We started with Brettos. The colors and atmosphere we way too cool to pass by without stopping. We met some interesting and entertaining people who we laughed and drank with for hours.
When we finally decided to call it a night, we got a tip that we needed to try some more local bars. Very glad we took the person’s advice as it led us to a place where we got to hear singing and typical Greek dances.
Day 12
Time to head home to the good ole US of A!
