omGREECE. I am back, I am as a red as a lobster, and as a happy as a dolphin doing flips with endless fish to eat. What a place…what a wonderful, ethereal, magical land where the locals are sweeter than honey and the view is to die for. I can’t even begin to express the love I have for Greece because this article would never end. But, I am going to do my best to condense it down for y’all.

And of course, I thought I actually knew Greek because I could say Kappa Alpha Theta, but nonetheless, I didn’t, so I just played it safe and threw what I knew.

The whole trip, all around, was marvelous. I am smiling from ear to ear as I sit on my plane home, and wondering when I can go back and how I can relive this past week all over again.

I am beyond grateful for Margs and her totally cool momma, because, I was going to be spending all of my time in Greece by myself, but then we found out that we would be in neighboring towns at the same time, so we decided to join all of our adventures together. I am so elated that I got to spend my week in Greece with this gal because no trip would have gone as wonderfully nor would our bond have been deepened.

So, what did we do, you ask? Oh, if you didn’t ask…bye…get outta here you goonie. But, we had the best time. If you follow me on Instagram (if you don’t then you should) you know that I am currently hosting a Flat Stanley on my trip which is totally cool because the boy that I am doing it for is going to blow all of the other Stanley’s out of the water. So, Stan and Han went to Athens first for an afternoon.

Unfortunately, we only got to go to the bottom of the Acropolis, but none the less, one day I will go back and see it all, and who knows, maybe I’ll go with my kid’s Flat Stanley.

“After plodging uphill for many weeks, I am now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine.” And you can quote me on that.

Now, this was one of my favorite days. To start the day off, Margs and I went to the port of Fira, Santorini and dipped our toes in the wonderful water. It was so refreshing and yet slightly bittersweet because it made me miss Malibu beaches terribly.

But, then, so we wouldn’t have to walk back up the hundreds of steps to the town, we rode donkeys. I was the happiest I’ve ever been. I can’t remember the last time I saddled up on a horse…or mule…or donkey but it was so fun and adventurous. Honestly, riding a donkey is the only acceptable form of transportation when in Greece, in my humble opinion.

To catch our breaths and quench our thirst, we then went to a wine tasting. I learned so much, honestly it’s amazing. If you have the opportunity to travel to Santorini, you must try the Assyrtiko. It is home to Santorini vineyards and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Move over Riesling, there’s a new wine taking over my cellar.

We then wandered around the coast to the highest point in Fira and hiked down and around the massive boulder atop the hill. The view was breathtaking. If I can say anything about the vie w in Santorini, it’s that you never see the same thing twice. The sun changes and the water is a different type of blue and the whites are a different hue.

I do not believe it would be appropriate to go to Santorini and not go boating – whether it’s a pontoon, yacht, or sail boat, you must travel the coast and soak up the sun. However, remember your sunscreen, or you’ll end up a lobster like me.

We took our yacht to the active volcano that is parallel to Santorini and disembarked the boat to hike it. Now, I have explored my handful of active volcanoes in Costa Rica but this one had steam erupting from the core crater. It was so crazy and wild, but truly jaw-dropping. Thankfully, it didn’t erupt and we boarded the vessel and headed around the coast of the volcano island.

Later, we caught a cab and went to Oia, Santorini. This was EVERYTHING and by everything I mean my whole Pinterest board was entirely brought to life. I’m not going to say much, but instead show some pictures, because beauty cannot be described, it must be experienced and felt.

So, that’s my time in Greece. It was the best time of my entire life. I finally got to see a part of the world that I have been dreaming about for years, I got to catch some sun before going back to Germany, and I was blessed to find a best friend in Margs – and who knows if that would have happened if I hadn’t gone.

Thank you Greece for showing your beauty to me, and thank you God for making the beauty.

 

 

 

Hannah was a guest of Airotel Parthenon, Central Pyrgos Hotel, Austrian Airlines, and Swiss International Airlines. As always, my opinions are my own