Honeymoon part 1: Athens

slowly but surely I’m getting around to these :)

Our Honeymoon kicked off with a red eye flight from Boston to Athens the day after the wedding.  Because we’d be travelling to 3 different places over the course of the trip we decided it would be best to pack the small “carry on” size suitcases.(our gate!)

Now let me start out by saying I am notorious for over packing!!  I can fill a huge suitcase for even 3 days, so this was a big challenge for me to pack for 12 days in a small suitcase!!! 

We arrive at the airport in Boston, wait in line to check in, and only then are we informed that the plane we are on is smaller than normal and our suitcases are too big to carry on!!  @*&#(*@&!!  Figures.  Then, obviously our suitcases do NOT arrive when we do in Athens…fabulous. 

It was too hot to comfortably spend the day in my comfy pants, so first thing we did was hit up the H&M in Athens (yay!) haha…I bought a new skirt and top, and later found a great place for cute gold sandals.  P.S. Athens is sandal HEAVEN!!!

We stayed at the Athens Gate hotel, which was very conveniently located across from the Temple of Zeus on one side and the other looked out at the Acropolis!

Our room had a view of the Temple of Zeus

We didn’t waste time unpacking (…clearly since we had no suitcases at this point), and set out on foot to explore!

We walked by the Parliament just as they were doing their Changing of the Guards ceremony.

When they walk, they lift their legs about hip height then at the top, flex their foot up before stepping back down.  They have these huge pom-pom type things on the tops of their shoes.

Later that night, after dinner in the hotel which consisted of this beautiful chocolate soufflé:
(the ice cream looks like a rose!)

Our luggage finally arrived at 11:30pm!!

I was SO PUMPED for breakfast the first morning.  There was a lovely breakfast buffet up at the rooftop restaurant

The first thing I grabbed was a bowl of yogurt.  Super thick creamy Greek yogurt and this was definitely NOT fat-free!

Muesli, yogurt, fruit, and a little honey:

I had a similar bowl EVERY morning on the whole honeymoon…unfortunately in Rome it was regular yogurt not Greek. 

Mini flaky chocolate croissant and little piece of a French toast-like dish

Can’t beat the morning view either…

The Acropolis:

The rest of the day was a visit to the Acropolis/Parthenon

Lots of walking, climbing hills, and taking numerous pictures of the breathtaking views and structures

  

            

All that walking worked up an appetite.  Good thing there was no shortage of cafes serving afternoon pick-me-ups and some delicious food.  I swear EVERYONE in Greece (and Italy for that matter) sits at outdoor cafes and drinks afternoon espresso drinks :) 

I never got tired of ordering Greek salads…oh my feta. 

Under that pile of feta, cucumber, green peppers, olives, and capers, was a huge pile of chopped red ripe tomato and olive oil!!

We were also lucky enough to visit the new Acropolis museum that just opened in June.

Temple of Zeus:

We were only in Athens for a day and a half, and had an early EARLY flight the next morning to Santorini! 

We did get to see a spectacular sunrise sky in the plan to the island

I really liked Athens.  Before I left, I had heard that a day and a half is more than enough time..etc, but I thought it was a beautiful city and could of spent more time there. 

Next up…the island of Santorini :)