Home from Norway, via Greece

We arrived home two weeks ago.  In some ways, it feels like we never left.  Life got back into it’s familiar routine rather quickly, with Kaleb’s schoolwork taking precedent over the rest of our lives.  We are all, thankfully, over jetlag.  It took longer than usual, but we’re no worse for the wear.

It’s so good to be home.  The rain hasn’t even been depressing, as it’s something we expect and are used to living with in the Pacific Northwest.  I have so many things to do in the house, so many projects waiting to get completed, that some days I’m bummed if the sun is shining and I have to go outside.  I was raised that if it’s sunny, we are supposed to be out in it. I’ve actually been thankful for the dreary days that keep me indoors, completing my new to-do list and getting settled back in.

Our time in Greece was well spent, and much cheaper than I anticipated.  It wasn’t without a bit of concern over the infrastructure there, but in the end, we had no real problems.  All our flights between the islands were on time, and thankfully, the air traffic controllers went on strike the day BEFORE we were heading home, so we never missed a beat.  The day we arrived, there were huge riots in downtown Athens near our hotel, so the subway station was closed.  We just took the metro one stop past our stop and took a $20 cab ride back to the hotel and we were fine.  As is often the case, the news media makes things out to be much worse than they really are and life goes on as usual in most places.

The two days in Athens were all about antiquities, in museums and at the ruins.  Kaleb understands Greek mythology much better than Kory or I, so he was quite the little encyclopedia of information on all things from the past.  We toured the Acropolis (top photo), read scripture while sitting on Mars Hill (above Kaleb's hand) and took photos at the temple of Zeus (two photos above with the Acropolis in the background up on the hill).  We took a city bus tour, walked around safe neighborhoods and ate incredibly good food for very cheap.  We also enjoyed the sunny days and warm nights, sidewalk cafes and affordable souvenirs. 

We flew to the island of Rhodes, which I’ve been to before, but Kory and Kaleb had not.  It’s got a very old walled city that makes it quite unique.  We did a lot of walking, shopping, dog petting and eating.  Our hotel overlooked the ancient harbor and was the same one where I’d stayed five years ago with my friend Cathy when we took a chick trip to the Greek Islands for my 50^th birthday. 

Kory wanted to spend a day at the beach so we took the local bus an hour south to the city of Lindos.  The beach there reminds me of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, as it’s protected so there are no waves and the water is crystal clear which makes it easy to see the fish.  Kaleb enjoyed snorkeling all day while Kory snoozed in the shade on the beach (below).  I bounced back and forth from the water to the sand and tried not to get antsy that we were spending an entire day in one location.  I’m more of multi-tasker kind of person so it was a sacrificial day for me.  Dinner beachside made it all worthwhile.

It was impossible to keep up the fat free vegan life for Kory, but he tried the best he could, just ordering salads with no dressing and vegan dishes – stuffed peppers or pasta with amazing sauces.  He cheated occasionally and ordered grilled fish.  They weren’t without oil, however, but we had to trust God no damage was being done.

After three days on Rhodes, we flew to the island of Crete (below).  Our airplane tickets were less than twenty bucks, so I didn’t complain about the fact we had to fly all the way up to the mainland of Greece and land in Thessolonika for a few hours before flying south again to Crete.  It was kinda cool to see another city and our layover was long enough we went outside the airport and walked around in the warmth of the evening.

We got into Crete after dark.  We’d rented a car for our five days there as I got it for free with points I used from my credit card.  We found a hotel near the airport and crashed for the night, as I made no reservations for the five days on Crete, wanting to get bargains as we went.  I learned this from our last trip, that the cheapest deals are in the off-season with no pre-booking.  There’s never a worry of places being full as there must be 1000 hotel beds for every local on Crete.

I’d never been to Crete before so it was my biggest thrill.  The islands each have their own distinct charm.  Since Crete used to be it’s own country, and just joined Greece 70 years ago, it’s particularly distinct.  We drove from one end of it to the other and I was so thankful Kory did all the driving.  All traffic signs are merely “suggestions” and they somehow make four lanes out of two.  I would have had a heart attack driving on the freeways, but Kory handled it like a champ and got us everywhere safely. 

On our furthest adventure west, we found a five star resort with a nice swimming pool next to the sea.  We splurged and stayed there for $85 a night.  Other places were only $40, including breakfast, so it was a real treat, as was their breakfast the next morning.  It’s incredible how cheap things are there, and it makes vacationing all the more enjoyable.  As opposed to Norway, which makes it hard to enjoy when the prices are so high.  In Crete, we ate dinner, including wine and extras for around $30 a night for all three of us.  We came home with cash we didn’t spend.  Incredible.

We had several opportunities to lie on the beach and relax, which made Kory happy.  Kaleb enjoyed skipping rocks and collecting cool ones, which made our luggage anything but “light.”  One day we took a ferry up to the island of Santorini (above) just to have a look around.  It’s the location Greece advertises the most, and it is an unusual island, since all the buildings hang off the edge of a caldera cliff.  One day was enough as it’s a small place, but a “must see” when in Greece.

Our bones got warmed, our skins got tanned, our feet got nibbled on by fish and our bellies got full of wonderfully fresh Greek food.  We so needed that time as a family and away from our usual routines, but now all we have to show for it are the thousands of photos we took, as our tans have faded fast in the Pacific Northwest autumn.  Good things there’s still a little color on the trees.  Life is good.