Our Travels in Greece

Greece is a beautiful country and an amazing, historical experience. Here is a fraction of our experience.

 Our view looking out on The Parthenon as we dined our first day – surreal since we were here a year ago…

Bruce and I easily got our covid vaccines in September 2022 and went to Germany and Austria staying well. We have been wearing a mask on the plane since covid. Last year – September 2023, the government gave the Covid vaccine to insurance companies to get to the people; instead of continuing to give it directly to the people. Bruce and I weren’t able to get the vaccine in September 2023. We kept hearing “it’s coming, it’s coming.” We decided to go on our tour to Greece October 1, 2023 anyway. As usual since covid, we wore masks on the plane.

So weird to think about how happy we were here (pictured below) in October 2023 not realizing I had Covid in this picture last year. We had just climbed up to the Parthenon and were in the moment –

We didn’t know that night I’d be coughing almost continuously, and though the Covid test would then be negative – we knew that night, after just being in Greece a couple of days – we’d be flying back over the pond by morning…it’s difficult for me to remember more than bits and pieces as I was so beyond exhausted – HATE that beyond exhausted feeling – so very thankful we didn’t have any lasting covid effects and that’s the only time we have had covid. 

We arrived in Athens Greece October 1, 2023 and were back home October 5th 2023.

Bruce and I easily got the covid vaccine March 2024 before our April 2024 trip to France and we stayed well; so, we were very encouraged with our upcoming October trip to Greece. We got our covid vaccines in September 2024 and stayed well!

Greece October 2024. I am totally IN the moment…

 Delfoi, this stunning scene was the window by us at dinner.

So much color in Greece – this rainbow of planters caught my attention

The path is painted like this to help people see the steps and uneven walkway more easily; especially at night. Note the brightly painted door at the end of this path – LOVE all the color in Greece!

I took these pictures in Hyrda, pronounce Eeeedra.

One evening Bruce and I enjoyed a fresh salmon sandwich for dinner while  watching the sunset over the sea…

All the vibrant colors just make me happy!

Opens the website for Hydra

Very cool Rio-Antirrio Bridge with interesting history:

Oranges growing in gardens or along walking paths are rather common

Our tour group – our guide standing all the way to the right – Ioanna (EOAnna)

Kardamyli

Ioanna with an amphorae originally used for oil or wine, now sometimes serving as a plant container.

There are cats wandering around everywhere – hotels, streets, city, country – cats all over – whenever we ate, cats appeared because usually someone fed them –

sad and annoying –

I heard people in our tour group talking about how they had heard efforts were being made to neuter the male cats – apparently, not too successfully

In this outdoor restaurant overlooking the sea – people were tossing some of their grilled fish to the cats

Ancient music – ***THIS was played at the end of the 2024 Olympics on piano – HOW cool is that!

The water is beautifully clear

Churches / religious items are all over the place. 

This is in the convent in Mystras. These are souvenirs the nuns make and sell. Rick Steves says in his guide book that the nuns pray for him and his guides – what about those of us buying their goods…

In another town, when I bought some cards in a shop the shopkeeper gave me some vintage postcards as a gift. When I bought my currents at the winery, I was given an extra bag of currents as a gift. When I went to buy some little cloth bags from the nun, she took one out of my hands and put it back in the for-sale pile and she took all of the money in my hands.

I had fun playing with the dog at the winery (missing Hope our border collie…) I bought several packages of  currents at the winery but the package made it difficult to eat ‘on the go’ as a snack. I’ve mostly enjoyed them at home in my oatmeal though sometimes with nuts or yogurt as a snack.

Gefyra is also known as the New Monemvasia because it has developed

around the bridge that connects mainland with the huge rock of Kastro Monemvasia.

We went up and all around the rock which is a good size town

(at least for living where we do I think it’s a good size town!)

Such happiness to find (close to) the only person in this little Greek seaside village who speaks English! She found the just delivered dark chocolate in a packing carton for me!

My other new friend gifted me with an extra package of currents at the winery!

A Greek salad and fish wrap and our view at the seaside café:

Julie and Bruce in Greece

<!

A cactus bloom – flowers, familiar and never seen before were all over, as if it was summer instead of October.

Interesting yellow blooms and the hot pink flowers within flowers

Nafpilo – breakfast on the rooftop with a stunning view which was dark when we first arrived shortly before sunrise. Breakfast changed a bit as we traveled through Greece but usually: yogurt, cheese, eggs, spinach pie, some fruit, in Athens I asked for  porridge (similar to the oatmeal I eat every morning )

My breakfast at the one place that had watermelon! I do enjoy good watermelon! That’s yogurt with honey in the dish. Most of the time the eggs were boiled – easy to cook that way I guess, though we got tired of boiled eggs; as that’s how the eggs were usually prepared throughout our travels in Greece.

The ancient theater – a wow moment for me with a degree in theater – these people were so smart – too much to write here on how brilliant a still working theater it is – look how high I walked up these steps.

The women’s WC at one stop – there was a woman at the entrance handing out toilet paper

Sophia Loren was the star of the first Hollywood movie ever shot in Greece on the majestic island of Hydra (Eedra).

The Boy on a Dolphin was shot in 1957 and is now considered a classic.

Hydra pronounce Eeeedra – no vehicles allowed except garbage and emergency – donkeys are used for transporting goods (and people) – we’d be walking and hear the click-clack of the donkey’s hooves on the cobblestones – note how some owners ‘dress up’ their donkeys – different lifestyle to be sure – can hardly wrap my mind around just being there…maybe I’ll write picture books about our travels – 

Greece is beautiful and such a different lifestyle than anywhere we’ve seen on our travels. I know you enjoyed the pictures – any favorites? Questions?

“Walks in nature are hugs for my soul.” Julie A R Stephens
julie@handsbestrong.com

Living in the Mountains

FacebookInstagram