The second* country on our Honeymoon Tour was Greece. We are using this time we have to travel to explore places we haven't been, or that have been on our "list" for quite a while; and that uniquely blue water viewed over a landscape dotted with little white buildings was calling. I also thought the land of hummus was calling, but now understand that I have been duped by Americanized Greek food because this is definitely not a staple. The eggplant salads made up for it though. (*Technically 3rd since we had a 7 hour layover in Copenhagen, Denmark where we grabbed a coffee, ran a touristy loop around the city, and had an early dinner and drinks with my good friend Nora. But, details.) We decided on Mykonos and Tinos - and then there was a ferry strike. So we ended up staying on Mykonos the whole time. I don't hate that this happened. I think it's a testament to how well Erik and travel together - and how much more laid back I am when I'm with him - that when we found out about the strike, while already on the island, we didn't even flinch. We simply got a refund from our Airbnb reservation on Tinos and the Ferry refunded our tickets, then we snagged an amazing Airbnb right on the waterfront of Mykonos town for the two days we should have been elsewhere. When life gives you lemons... just add ouzo. So we had 6 days to explore the Island and we definitely made the most of that time. The first three nights we stayed in Ano Mera - which is the only other "official" town on Mykonos island outside the main town on the port - in the center of the island. We rented an Airbnb from a guy that owned a couple properties on the island and this studio was perfect. He was also an amazing host that met us at the airport and arranged our scooter rental for us. {Side note: If you have not yet used Airbnb, do it. Click here. Book a place. Traveling can be so much better for you!} The other assumption I had about Greece (aside from the mountains of hummus that did not exist) is that it would be inexpensive. This was unfortunately not the case. Mykonos definitely relies on tourists and they certainly capitalize on it. Our stay outside the main town did help with this, however, as it had more of a local vibe. Ano Mera also offered something else - proximity to so many beaches! We spent several days exploring nine different beaches and eating every version of eggplant salad we could find (and other salads. and stuffed grape leaves. and seafood...). Erik drove us around on a scooter which was slightly terrifying for me but a great lesson in trust and just letting go and enjoying the moment. Speaking of enjoying the moment...all of the beaches on the southeast and north side of the island were very laid back and we took advantage of the ability to layout and swim naked. It was refreshing - in so many ways! We discovered a winery less than a mile from where we were staying, which was also an organic farm. We may have gone there twice. Oh, and the cats! There were so many of them. Some of them were so friendly, aka good at begging for food, and we took full advantage of the opportunity to snuggle them a little. There was a lot of running involved - for me - during our time in Greece. The week we were there was my first week of taper for the Portland Marathon training block and I needed to get in some speed work, a tempo and a couple easy runs. For the speed work, I ran down to a beach where there was a dirt road about 1/4 mile long and I did 200 meter repeats. My tempo (unfortunately not super successful - couldn't hold the sub-7:20 pace) I ran along a reservoir. And the two easy runs included sweeping coastal views and hanging out with some goats. There was also hill training involved - with every run - there was no choice! The final two days we spent on the Island were in Mykonos town - staying in that last minute gem of a location. We wandered through the narrow, cobble stone streets and had a relaxing couple days. It was here where we finally found hummus. Of course in the touristy area... for people like me that thought it should be on every menu in Greece. I'll play tourist for an hour if that's what it takes to get me some hummus! We had to be out of our rental by noon on our last day, but our flight wasn't until 10PM. So we found things to keep ourselves busy... So, the place lacked hummus, but it did have beaches, delicious salads, challenging running routes and adorable cats. Oh, and sunsets. Breathtaking sunsets. This is why you come to Greece.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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