Our 6S Full Life

Athens

Our cruise ended and we made our way off the boat and into the city of Athens. Our first stop was to our apartment where the host was generous enough to let us drop off our bags before our check in. Freed from our luggage we made our way to the Acropolis Museum. The museum is fairly large and filled with all of the great archeological finds from the area. It had displays of countless statues, pottery, and reliefs. Below the museum were the excavation sites protected by the building and walkways. After our very informative trip through the rise and fall of the Acropolis we were starving. On our walk back to our apartment we found Tarantino Burgers Athens. It felt like a burger place back home, especially since the vibe they were going for was LA. They nailed it and the burgers and fries were amazing! C kept asking to go back for every meal. We bought some groceries and headed home to rest. We went back out to explore as the weather cooled in the late afternoon. With no plan we ended up at the Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Zappeio Roman Baths, the national garden, and the zoo set inside the garden. The zoo surprised us and although not much, some birds, turtles, and goats it was fun. We came out of the park to find it was almost time for the changing of the guards at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. This is a must see in Athens. Every hour the guards change and this change is done in traditional uniforms with a slow methodical march that is part dance part march. It was fascinating! We finished our evening with ice cream from Goat It, we definitely could not pass a goat milk ice cream parlor without trying it.

The nest day we decided to head to the beach. We caught a bus and went to Waterfront of Flisvos. This beach has multiple public umbrellas set up. We camped out near one and the women using it was kind enough to let us join her shade. She was from Albania and spoke very little English but we enjoyed light conversation and the opportunity to get out of the sun. The beach was rocky, seems to be a Europe trend for us, the air was hot but the water was nice. B was not feeling well so she stayed home and missed out on the fun. The waves were nice but every now and then a big one would hit and you had to be careful about what was close to the water. After a few hours we went back to our place for a late lunch and to rest during the hottest part of the day. When it got later and cooler we went to dinner at Ydria Cafe. The seating was out in a garden filled open square the food was wonderful the atmosphere amazing, but even to European standards the service was slow particularly at the end of the meal. From there we continued our walk around the Acroplois area which is a must see lite up at night.

We started our day at the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Acropolis as they can close by the afternoon during the summer months. The marble makes it exceptionally hot so if the day gets above 100 F they shut down. It was hot in the morning, but not as hot as the middle of the day. We brought our fans and made the best of it. We were happy to have our grippy hiking shoes as we made our way over all the slippery marble. We have learned ancient cities are not where you want to wear your flip flops. We watched many people slip and one go to the hospital not the way you want to spend your vacation. The joke of our day was that Tennessee did a much better job on their Acropolis as it had four walls, a roof, and the Athena statue still in place. Ha Ha!

Went home for lunch, rest, and to wait out the heat it really is the perfect plan to be out in the morning and the evening on these days. We left for dinner at To kousoulo, a recommendation from our host. It was the perfect non tourist Greek meal the chocolate sausage dessert they brought out at the end was amazing. It was the perfect end to our Europe trip. We finished our evening like all the others wondering the streets and shops taking in all the local atmosphere.

After 5 weeks our great Europe trip was ending and we were both sad and excited to get back home. It was a long haul of 26 hours of travel to make our way back to California. Our Athens flight was 3 hours late leaving and we raced through the Chicago airport to get to our connecting flight. Thankfully it was 20 min late or we would not have made it. That was a story we will tell for years as we raced past people and made a hail-Mary run to get to our flight. We did not want to be stuck in Chicago for another 12 hours. We were greeted in Sacramento by A who had dropped us off, watched the house while we were gone, and then made his way back to pick us up.

Santorini

We did very little research into our Santorini stop so everything was like a big surprise as we went through the day. Santorini is an island circling the caldera of a volcano. The cruise ship sail into the caldaera and you take a tender boat to the Old Port of Fira. From there you can take a cable car, ride a donkey, or walk the trail with 500plus stairs to get up the caldera cliffs to the city of Fira. We were surprised at how high up the city was from the water. When we arrived in Fira by cable car the streets were crowded with venders, shops, and tourists. Almost every building was painted white which gave it the quintessential Greek island feel. We saw a few of the blue church domes and walked around the city to get a better view of the most famous ones of Fira. Those postcard views of the domes were mostly unavailable from the town but we did see them in the distance. Our first stop was in a small museum all on women in Greek history. Everything was translated to English which was perfect for us. The transformation of women through history was fascinating. The juxtapose of how they portrayed goddesses in Greek stories and how they treated real women during the time was called out again and again in the information. The small amount of Greek history we are exposed to in the US led us to feel their may have been better treatment of women during that time but alas it was pretty much the same as everywhere else in the world.

Walked to the church of Three Bells of Fira and then the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. Went in the Cathedral the messages on all the walls was one of love for all. Loving others and spreading that love through your actions is how we try to live everyday. Stopped at Veranda Restaurant for a Greek lunch of moussaka, gyros, and pork skewers, mojitos, and a special shot of local liquor for the parents and cranberry juice for the kids. Everything was delicious, although the kids were kind enough to say they enjoyed the moussaka, but their favorite moussaka is the one mom makes. We love that in Europe it is normal to bring guests little surprises before, during, or after the meals. A small tough that makes you feel seen and loved goes a long way. We walked the area a bit longer and did some shopping although most everything there was pretty touristy. It was a very hot day and a bit windy by early afternoon we were ready to head back down the cable car and take the tender back to our boat. If Santorini is ever in our travel plans again we will avoid Fira and take a trip to a red or black sand beach or hike the inner Tholos Naftilos.

Turkey

Ephesus was our first stop right after the boat docked in Kusadasi. We booked a private tour which included transportation and a guide. It was going to be a very hot day and booking in the morning was a great decision as it is the main attraction in the area and gets incredibly crowded. It was busy while we were there in the morning but as we were leaving the lines of busses and vans coming in was insane.

The ruins of Ephesus were exceptional. The area was expansive as they are working to uncover the entire city. It was a rich city and almost everything was made of marble. We walked the old roads where St. John once walked and wondered why anyone would make roads out of slippery marble. There were a lot of buildings being excavated and their pieces put back together. These were pretty amazing, it is hard to imagine how incredibly painstaking it must be to first dig up all of these broken pieces and then match them together to form a building they may or may not have a 2,000 year old drawing of. The library of Celsus and Hadrian Temple were breathtaking. To see the amount of work and complex engineering that went into them so long ago was inspiring. We took a special tour of the 6 houses they are currently unearthing. These houses are being protected in an enclosed building so they do not get destroyed by the elements like the first set that was uncovered. Incredibly wall decor, floor tiles, and water pipes were all still there. They had indoor plumbing and private bathrooms. Stopping by this extra area definitely brought home how much money was in the town and how advanced their technology was.

Before leaving we went through the Ephesus Experience Museum. This was a audio tour through multiple rooms in which videos immersed you in the rise and fall of this great city. It was interesting to think that the fall of the city corresponded with the people move from worshiping Artemis to Christianity. When two major earthquakes and then the river filling in with sediments the city was no longer on the port and then a plague brought on by mosquitoes caused the people to leave the great city and move to the higher mountains. We think of our lives being filled with chaos and uncertainty but living in Ephesus at this time was just as chaotic.

We went to the Temple of Artemis which was once one of the 7 wonders of the world now it is in ruins with only part of one column left. It was something to see but at this point we have seen a lot of columns.

Our tour included a few extra stops of Turkey made goods. The first one was Turkman Carpet we had lunch at the restaurant which was a traditional Turkish spread. Then we visited the rug school where they taught the kids how silk thread is made and then they explained their double knot rugs. We learned the difference between cotton, wool, and silk rugs and gave us a demonstration of how the rugs are made. They then offered us apple tea and showed us many beautiful rugs in an effort to get us to buy something. We were not interested in covering our gorgeous wood floors with rugs so we were moved on to another area with lots of jewelry salesman. It was all interesting and a bit comical as we were in no way interested in rugs or jewelry.

Our next stop was Aldag, a pottery training center and shop. We were shown the Turkish wine decanters and watched a demonstration on how they are made on a pottery wheel. It was amazing watching an artist make such amazing pottery. Then B tried her hand at the wheel. Even with some help her bowl needed some work and she needed a lot more practice. Like at the rug shop we were again shown many many beautiful pieces and this time we were a little more interested. We left with a small cat for our memories of pottery and all the cats we have seen during our visit.

We finished the day by walking through a few shops near the cruise dock, but being hounded by people is not the most relaxing shopping experience and we needed nothing they had to sell. So it was back to the ship and our beautiful balcony view.

Mykonos

Mykonos has some wonderful views and great quirks that make it unique and fun. The main area was crowded and busy but the side streets were nice ad often empty. It felt like a movie set in those uncrowded places. Around every corner there were picture perfect spots of white building, blue, red, and green doors and adorable churches. The streets were super narrow and confusing as they twist and turn which made our adventure getting from one side to another a little more enjoyable. We visited the windmills, enjoyed all the stray cats, saw the pink pelican (an unofficial mascot of Mykonos), and did some shopping. Although all of the shops carried just about the same items it was still fun to peruse them. If we went again though we would probably only stop at one. B found a Greek dress and Stephen a shirt so it was not a total time waste.

We enjoyed the chance to look over the castle ruins on Mykonos, it was interesting and has a lot of potential to be a great tourist spot. Unfortunately we were very disappointed to see piles of trash around. This became a theme of our time in Greece. They were beautiful places with amazing history that are not taken care of well.

For a late lunch we found Vegera a Greek restaurant along the water. It was a perfect way to end our Mykonos experience we enjoyed Spanish pie, pork skewers, zucchini balls, Greek salad it was all delicious. It was a hot day so by the afternoon we made our way back to the boat to cool down, enjoy the pool, and rest.

Malta

Honestly before our cruise we had never heard of Malta but now we would be excited for a chance to go back. Malta is an small island country with an active cruise port in Valletta. It is a walled city from the port you have two choices to get into the city pay a small fee for the elevator or take a walk around the walls. We choose the elevator for the unique experience. We excited the elevator in to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. We walked around the city to St. John’s co cathedral. It was very ornately decorated apparently the knights had lots of money to spend and used it to lavishly decorate the co-cathedral. We added the tour of the belfry to our tickets with only 99 steps to the top it seemed a lot easier then some of the others we had visited. They only take 10 people up every hour with a dedicated guide. There were hundreds of people at the co-cathedral and most were in tours which do not include the belfry. For us this was a highlight of the co-cathedral and we would recommend it highly. Our guide stopped at the different rooms as we went and explained what everything was used for and how they were built. We also got an exclusive look from the walkway above which we thought was the best view of the alter and room. The clock system was designed in the 1800’s and still works today by using cannon balls to change the time. It keeps track of the month, the day of the month, and the time all working on a 6 hour system with chimes every 15 minutes. If you learn the simple pattern you will always know what time it is inn Valletta by listening to the chimes. It was super interesting to learn about and the guide was very passionate about the clock system. After we walked down the 99 steps back into the cathedral we continued our audio tour. There was a ton to see and learn about but the belfry was our favorite.

The boys were not done learning about the history of the knights in Malta. So after we left the co-cathedral they went on to visit the Grand Master’s Palace and specifically the Armory. The collection of knight armor and weapons is vast and full of information. C loved it this is what he had been waiting for rooms and rooms of shinny weapons and armor.

The girls had their fill of knight history and decided to walk through the small town to shop. Every street had clothing, jewelry, lace, and souvenir shops. The Malta is famous for their lace and filigree jewelry and metal pieces. We found shops filled with both.

Once we all met up again it was time for a snack. Mom and dad enjoyed a take away Bajtra spritz while the kids had rolled ice cream. Although B makes rolled ice cream at home finding it in the wild was fun and the kids loved every bite. The Bajtra liqueur is a Malta specialty made from prickly pear.

After taking in a little more of the town we headed back to the ship for the evening. The view of the city from our balcony was wonderful as we backed out of port. We had another beautiful sunset as we set off to our next destination.