Save Water, Drink Wine: A Week of Greek Island-Hopping

Alyssa Little
Jul 4, 2022
9 min read

Traveling abroad without speaking multiple languages is extremely daunting (and embarrassing -- come on America, teach our kids some Spanish!). Traveling to a country that uses an entirely different alphabet only exacerbated this problem. So when my husband and I found a group of Buckeyes headed overseas, we jumped at the opportunity to join them. This was our first time traveling with a tour group, but I think most people brought at least one familiar face with them to ease the stress of traveling with strangers. Throughout the course of a week, we got to know each other pretty well and I was grateful for the kindness and good energy that was shared among the group. It didn’t hurt that the trip was specifically for Ohio State Alumni, so at least we had that to fall back on to get the conversations started. In coordination with AESU Travel, we had the best experience island hopping Greece with other excited Buckeyes.

Santorini

Our adventure started on the beautiful island of Santorini. Covered in grape bushes low to the ground, we tried as much wine as possible, enjoying easy walks to the square and straight-forward bus navigation to the ancient ruins of Akrotiri and beautiful “black sand” beaches of Kamari.

After over twenty hours of traveling, we arrived in Santorini and climbed aboard the Buckeye-filled bus waiting for us at the airport. We had a quick five minutes to check into our rooms at Blue Suites Hotel and Spa, gasping at the view from our balcony before meeting by the pool. Already, this vacation felt like a dream, and it only got better with our views of the sunset during dinner at Lithos Restaurant.

Our next morning and first full day in Santorini included a bus tour of the island and guided tour of Akrotiri, a prehistoric settlement that had been covered and preserved by volcanic ash in the 17th century BC (even earlier than more famous sites such as Pompeii, Italy). We walked through the “streets” and marveled at the recreations of this civilization’s elaborate wall paintings (which we viewed up close and in more detail at the Museum of Prehistoric Thira once we returned to town later in the day).

Venetsanos Winery was next on the itinerary and included appetizers and (of course) wine tasting. I've never been to a wine tasting in Ohio, so I don't have anything to compare to this experience, but I have a feeling Greece would knock anything else out of the water. I'm used to my $2 Aldi wine, which I honestly thought was pretty good until this trip. But their Liastos wine is all I ever want to drink now, although all three of our samples were incredible, especially when paired with the fresh cheeses, meats, and (my favorite) sun-dried tomato paste spread.

Honestly, I would have been happy to sit there the rest of the day taking in the view and sipping my wine from the shade. But soon it was time to leave our seats overlooking the deep blue waters and head back to Thira. Drunk on wine and the scenery, we were more than ready for lunch (pitas, anyone?).

Although it was our first stop, we were advised to do our souvenir shopping in Santorini (and we're very thankful that we did). There were stores everywhere selling beautiful, hand-crafted items from jewelry to olive oil. As the time change (and delicious lunch) caught up with us, we headed back to our hotel on foot before relaxing by the pool. The only thing left on today's itinerary: a sunset dinner "On the Cliff". Our drinks, pita bread with tzatziki, and Greek salads made with fresh feta, cucumber and tomato were enough to wrap up a perfect day. But the pesto pasta and watermelon "dessert" truly made it a day in paradise (and unforgettable second anniversary with my love).

So maybe I lied a little...as much as I love fresh fruit, I don't necessarily count it as dessert. To truly wrap up our perfect night we had to make one quick stop for our banoffee gelato before walking back to the hotel for the night.

Our last day in Santorini already! I couldn't believe how the time was flying by. With so many things to do and see, we made the decision to skip out on the optional Catamaran excursion and try our luck with the local buses. Fortunately, for only a few euro, we went straight from Thira to Kamari without any hassle. The pebbly, black "sand" of Kamari's beach is unlike anything else in the Aegean thanks to a little volcanic activity. It makes for an uncomfortable walking path, but fortunately we remembered to pack our water shoes.

With the necessary foot protection against hot, jagged stones, we jumped into crystal clear waters right next to the mountains. For fifteen euros, we rented a set of chairs and umbrella belonging to Varkes Cafe, where we paid an additional fourteen euros for AN ENTIRE LITER of barreled white wine (don't worry, we consumed it over the course of almost an entire day, I promise). Soaking up the sun far into the afternoon, we shared the cafe's volcano pizza, wishing for another 5 days at this beautiful beach. But before we knew it, we were enjoying our final dinner (and gelato) in Santorini. Although the sun had left us a little burned and dehydrated, we chugged our liters of water and thoroughly enjoyed a traditional Greek dinner of saganaki, souvlaki, and moussaka.

Mykonos

While beautiful, the “party island” of Mykonos did not, upon first glance, appear as family friendly as Santorini. Even getting to Mykonos was a crazy rush on and off of a huge Seajet alongside hundreds of other travelers.

With seats like airplanes, this two to three hour "ferry" was complete with a bar and concession stand offering “Spinach pie”, or spanakopita, that we enjoyed with our pastries and coffee.

When they called for the stop at Mykonos, our tour director gathered everyone as quickly as possible and told us to stick together. We scrambled to our luggage and followed the herd of people off the ship and onto the busy street, crossing through the wave of people trying to get aboard at the same time. Insanity.

Luckily, our hotel in Mykonos was a quiet oasis overlooking the Marina from its salt water infinity pool. After a quick dip, shower, and outfit change into clothes fit for the designer island, we left for our walking tour of the winding streets of Mykonos, designed to confuse pirates back in the day (and tourists in the present age). I was completely lost by the time we made it out to see Little Venice and the iconic Mykonos Windmills.

Our elaborate, three-hour dinner followed complete with three appetizers, a sea-bass entrée and lemon dessert. We were stuffed and exhausted by the time we were heading out to explore the infamous night-life of Mykonos.

Starting slow, we stopped at Notorious for a few drinks in their quiet alley before heading over to Skandinavian Bar and Disco, where we tried Mythos Greek beer and danced to American pop music from the early 2000s. Completely aware that the dance club was full of tourists, Mykonos started to lose a little bit of its charm for me at this point, but it was still unlike anywhere else I've been before.

Even though Mykonos is known for having an insane night lift with bars that often stay open until four or five in the morning, their Sea Bus that takes you from the New Port (where we were) to the Marina and/or Old Port by our hotel stops running at midnight. So we made the 40-minute walk along the cliffside--in the pitch black darkness--back to our hotel around 2am with a few friends, leaving the rest of our tour group to live it up for (we heard) a few more hours.

After sleeping in, we enjoyed spanakopita, fresh fruit, and rich espresso while overlooking turquoise waters. Our excursion to the island of Delos started with a late morning transfer to New Port via Sea Bus (no 40-minute walk for us this time!). Once there, we caught another boat to Delos, where we trekked in the boiling sun for a tour of the ruins and mythological birthplace of Apollo.

We were wiped out, dehydrated, and dripping with sweat by the time our boat arrived to take us back to New Port, where we attempted to find a lunch spot in the winding streets. When we realized we had circled the same shops about three times, we did our best to quickly get out of the maze and back to the Sea Bus stop, where we waited in the sun to catch our boat back to the hotel port. Hangry and exhausted, we grabbed the most delicious gyros yet at Cantina restaurant right next to our hotel. No longer hungry, we spent the next few hours at Olia's salt water pool before going back for additional gyros (hey, the first ones were just a late lunch) at Cantina, enjoying the kebab pita on our balcony to watch the sunset.

Mykonos had its own adventures to offer, very different from the island of Santorini and maybe a little less our pace (I think I'm getting too old to be out past 11pm...). So although our fellow "young alumni" went back to the bars that night, we decided we were content to sit on the balcony, read, and sip our orange Fanta that, for some reason, just tasted better in Greece.

The next day, we had a lazy morning and quiet breakfast with the stray cats of Mykonos, briefly walking down to the sandy beach of the Marina before checking out. We had a few hours to kill before our bus picked us up, so most of us lounged at the pool with a book, shade, and maybe even a glass of wine or two.

Athens

Similar to our transfer from Santorini to Mykonos, we mentally prepared ourselves to board another large Seajet. Surprisingly, it was WAY smoother this time, and we were each able to take our time dropping off luggage and finding our seats. However, the sea was pretty rocky this trip and very few of us had the sea legs necessary to confidently make it up the stairs without a few close calls. The Dramamine was passed around, and salty snacks were purchased to avoid seasickness over the next few hours to Athens. Since the boat would be staying in Athens overnight, we didn't have to be in such a mad rush to grab our bags and leave the ship like in Mykonos. Instead, we each found our luggage and regrouped onboard before exiting together and walking to our bus. Much less insane.

The drive to the hotel reminded me that Athens is definitely a city: very busy, lots of tourists, and a little dirty. But unlike most American cities I've visited and lived in, you could immediately tell that Athens was full of rich history. Our hotel once again provided a quiet oasis, complete with a beautiful view of the Acropolis from it’s rooftop "garden", which we quickly peaked at before freshening up for dinner.

Meeting the group and walking a minute down the road, we made it to Grillhouse Arachova Psiri, a restaurant with live music, delicious wine, and cozy plant-filled outdoor seating. Our waiter recommended the seafood pasta and some red wine, but I didn't realize that I was going to be served full shrimp: heads, legs, tails and all.

After poking at it for a few solid minutes, I toughened up and removed the non-edible portions, careful not to directly touch the creepy legs. I was skeptical at first, but it'll probably come as no surprise that it was the best, freshest shrimp I'd ever tasted, and I was grateful for the recommendation. After dinner, we had the slightest bit of energy left to explore the surrounding area, running across shops, bars and Little Kook café.

After what felt like just a few hours of sleep, we were up and moving early the next morning. Covering ourselves with sunscreen and donning big hats and sunglasses, we prepared for a cram-packed tour of the Acropolis of Athens. Flooded with tourists, it was difficult at first to truly take in the majesty of the ancient Parthenon. Not only its size, but its detail, condition and history added to the grandeur of this monumental temple to Athena.

Astounding to see in person, the Parthenon would not be complete without its one beautiful, thriving olive tree sacred to Greece (and maybe even a descendant of the tree planted by the goddess Athena herself).

After a few hours in the sun, we said goodbye to the striking views of Athens and made our way inside the Acropolis Museum. Crowded with tourists, we had a brief time slot to try and absorb as much history as possible, examining original sculptures, tools and pottery discovered atop the rocky Acropolis. With archaeological recreations, we were able to visualize the Parthenon in all its glory over many centuries. I would have loved just a little more time in the museum, but our tour was coming to an end. With so much more of Athens to see, we declined the bus ride back to our hotel, instead opting for a tad more walking along the streets lined with art galleries, shops, and cafes.

Still dreaming of our 'Kamari beach pizza', we stopped at Crust for a few slices and then moved on to "Ta Serbetia stou Psyrri" for milk chocolate baklava (I got a little excited to try the chocolate hazelnut topping so please ignore the fingerprint in the picture below). With a few hours to kill until our farewell dinner with the group, we relaxed on the hotel rooftop, soaking up the scenery that we would be leaving very early the following morning.

Once the sun began its descent, we walked together as a group one final time. As we ate, listened to live music and enjoyed the dance performances, it was hard to believe that the week was already coming to an end. We had barely had a taste of all Greece had to offer. This was truly unlike anything we had experienced before, so we tried to soak it all in one last time with our new friends.

Until next time, Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens.