December 2021: Impromptu Greece Trip Recap
Since we first started dating, my husband and I have always talked about Greece and how much we have wanted to go. Neither of us had been and it was a big item on our travel bucket list so when we considered going in the time between Christmas and New Year’s, although on average pricier to travel – that is our only time off when Tristan for sure, will get NO WORK CALLS. It is the ideal time of year for us to take a real vacation.
We just thought we would browse options for a Greece trip, knowing that these trips are usually planned weeks if not months in advances – but we also knew we were just looking for “fun.” Although we wanted to go, a lot of things had to line up in our favor to do so.
Flights
We live in Houston, Texas – which means the best international airport for us to fly out is IAH – however the direct flights to Athens, Greece were incredibly expensive, no surprise considering we were planning on flying out next week during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. I read on Scott’s Cheap Flights to considering looking at other airports to fly out if you want to travel internationally – top of the list was Newark Airport [EWR] in New Jersey. We searched flights from Newark to Athens and found significantly cheaper round trip fares for the both of us to fly to Athens, with a layover in Germany. And with that savings, we had to book an additional set of round trip flights from IAH – EWR. In a world where flights were getting cancelled and delayed regularly, we were taking A MASSIVE risk – like I said, a lot of things had to line up in our favor to make this happen.
With a 3-hour flight to EWR, we landed on time, and could check into our flight to Athens with our Negative COVID tests [at the time needed to be within 72 hours of travel] and vaccine cards – after 10 hours of travel [it was an evening flight, so we landed in the morning to Germany for our layover], we made it to Athens, Greece [which is 8 hours ahead of CST].
Athens Arrival
Prior to boarding out flight we did have to fill out an “passenger tracker” form online which is your borders/customs form – you [and traveling party] will be given a QR code to be scanned upon your arrival into Greece. You cannot board your flight without this. We were selected for random COVID testing upon arrival [only one person from your party must do the nasal swab], did a quick currency exchange, and had an Uber Taxi within 20 minutes from landing – which Tristan booked through the Uber app on his phone so he could still use his forms of payment already connected.
Hotel
Athens airport is about 30 minutes outside of the Athens metropolitan area. Depending on where you are staying in Athens – it could take up to an hour to get to your hotel with traffic in the city. After a forty-minute ride from the airport we arrived at Grecotel Pallas Athena. Which was incredibly chic boutique hotel upon entry we were greeted with the kindest front desk staff. We made it to our room which was small – however we knew we would not spend much time in the room. We could open the windows and get some fresh air, took some hot showers, and just laid in bed for a moment to take it all in, we had made it to Athens, Greece! The TV had all Greek Channels, but we did bring a laptop with us, so we were able to enjoy some Netflix while we were in the room
My favorite part about this hotel was they have a FULL breakfast buffet was included in your room rate, and this was easily the best complimentary hotel breakfast buffets I have ever had – from fresh fruit, olives, cheese, meats, breads, delicious hot foods, fresh pressed juices, coffee, fresh baked pastries – I could go ON. We ate there every morning we loved it so much. It was the perfect way to start our mornings in Greece.
The room service was equally as AMAZING – we ended up ordering more room service than anticipated because it was THAT GOOD. Everything about this hotel from staff, food, room service, turn down service, location, convenience – the hospitality. This hotel was also in a very central area of Athens; we were about a 20-minute walk from the Acropolis of Athens. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Greece.
Athens, Greece
After resetting in the hotel we decided to grab some food at a local spot, Αλεξανδρινό Κεμπάπ – Μοναστηράκι (Alexandrino Kebab – Monastiraki) which had great kabobs, gyros, sausages, salads and more. They had outdoor seating, which was preferable for us with the rising Omicron cases. We continued down Athinas Street towards Monastiraki Square which was a 15-20 minute walk depending on how fast you walk. Monastiraki Square at night was filled with people specifically targeting tourists selling flowers, bracelets very “passionately” – if you walk with a purpose they will not bother you. However, if you are looking at your phone, looking around searching your surroundings – you are a very easy target for a “sale” – they will “gift” you with items however they will ask for a “donation” – do not accept the gifts, keep walking. There are plenty of stores surrounding the square. At this point this is where you would begin your walk up the hill to the Acropolis of Athens.
Acropolis of Athens
The star of Athens is the Acropolis which dates to 5th century BC – is truly a must see in this lifetime when in Greece. You can buy tickets online at https://www.acropolis-tickets.com/ or in person. You’ll get 50% off the individual ticket price at all ancient sites during the winter months, but not the combination pass. Since the lines are shorter in winter anyway, you may as well save money and buy single passes as needed if that’s when you’re visiting.
Be prepared to walk up a large hill – but the sights and views will NOT disappoint – if you have a chance before you enter the Acropolis, you can climb up a hill that overlooks all of Athens, and is one of the most breath-taking views of the city, also a great place for photos before beginning your historical tour.
Because we visiting during December, the off season, the Acropolis was significantly less crowded during the off season. It was completely different than the Greece you see in the summer. It was incredible – no crowds and we could take as much time as we wanted at east monument, not to mention take as many pictures as we wanted. We made our way up the final hill to the gem of Athens, the Parthenon. The ground is very smooth, so be mindful of your steps especially if it rains/drizzles. Whatever the weather, wear enclosed shoes with plenty of grip and padding. Sneakers with decent tread are much better than flip-flops or high heels (the Instagram picture will be FIRE regardless of your shoes I promise).
I recommend starting from the top and walking tour way down to the bottom – but at the end of the day the history and wonders will be incredible no matter how you chose to view it. This entire experience was incredible.
The Panathenaic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium remains one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. And is known as the home of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and remains the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marble. The stadium dates by to 5th Century BC [YEP] the great orator Lycurgus sought to build Athens an appropriate venue to host sporting events as part of the Panathenaic Games, one of the city’s major celebrations.
In the 2nd century AD, during the period of the Roman Empire and under the rule of Emperor Hadrian, Athens acquired many new and extravagant buildings as part of several public work projects. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Panathenaic Stadium, were both largely funded by the wealthy Athenian aristocrat Herodes Atticus – over the years it has gone through numbers design updates and changes but still stands today as one of the many historical wonders of Athens.
The normal cost to enter the stadium with a self-walking tour is 10 € – BUT if you arrive an hour before closing [which is how we found this information out], you can pay 5 €. To be honest it was one of those sights you had to see, I climbed the stairs to the very top [without Tristan, he was happy on the ground] – was incredibly tired at the top but got a GREAT view, and slowly made my way down, because the stadium is entirely made of marble, one slip, would have been a wrap for me.
Mykonos, Greece
We already knew considering our short visit to Greece, we could not make a full trip of one of the many beautiful and well visited islands of the Cyclades – however we decided to at least visit one for the day. We booked a flight on Olympic Air to leave in the morning and fly back in the late afternoon – the plane ride was 25 minutes from take-off to landing and was easily the most beautiful and scenic flight I had ever been on.
Upon landing at the Mykonos airport we rented a car to tour the island – it cost us $32.00 for the whole day. It was a small car, but it got us around easily considering the small and narrow roads around Mykonos.
First stop, the Mykonos Windmills
The Mykonos windmills are iconic feature of the Greek island of the Mykonos. The island is one of the Cyclades islands, which neighbor Delos in the Aegean Sea. The windmills can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos, the island’s principal village, which is frequently called the Chora. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but their construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the 20th century.
This was 5 minutes from the airport, we parked took in the views of the islands and windmills took our pictures and moved on into town.
We ventured into the infamous Little Venice, beginning in the 13th century, Mykonos was an important part of Venetian trade routes. That ultimately changed in the 18th century, when the Ottoman Empire took control of the island, but by that point, Venetian culture had established a clear influence on the city. Wealthy merchants constructed Venice-inspired buildings, paying tribute to the Italian city with sweeping arches and colorful facades. This was such a charming area and considering it was December – the off season – it was in fact a ghost town. For many who do [and should] travel to Mykonos for the parties, glamour, luxury, and its beauty – we truly saw Mykonos and its few locals in its true form. We could mingle with locals, view a few shops, and truly enjoy the sights that are normally so obstructed and crowded in the summer/fall which is Greece’s peak season.
Armenistis Lighthouse
The Armenistis Lighthouse is ideally located in Cape Armenistis, an area of Mykonos. This old lighthouse stands like a sentinel over the Armenistis area and stands as mute testimony to the rich maritime past of Mykonos. The drive up took about 15 minutes from little Venice.
In my opinion, it was not the lighthouse that had us captivated – but the area behind the lighthouse – which is a rocky terrain that takes you to the EDGE of the island to face the Cyclades in the most BEAUTIFUL view we had both ever scene. We stood there for a long time, taking in the scene, reflecting on our year, expressing gratitude and setting out intentions for the next year. This was one of those moments you just cannot believe you are experiencing it, but you are. Pictures cannot do this view justice…
To finish the day…
We drove around Mykonos and visited the various beaches, of course it was empty and cool we loved every moment of it. And the locals were so nice, incredibly welcoming and overall we were so happy we went for the day. It was an amazing experience, and we very much look forward to visiting in the peak season to see it full of all its wonder glory!
Let’s “Greek Wrap” it up (get it…?)
I planned the itinerary for the trip in about a day with nothing but old fashion GOOGLE. I did not stress myself over details, I knew what we wanted to see and where to go to see it, and what we needed to pay. The hotel was also helpful in recommending places to go. However, if we had gone in the peak season – we probably would have had to plan for crowds, but in the off-season, we could just show up without an issue to a lot of things.
In terms of money, the trip was on budget- financially things pretty much cost about the same if not a little less than in the USA – and the exchange rate is close. We did not go OVERBOARD on 5 star restaurants but stuck to the local spots, we enjoyed everything Greece had to offer and felt good about the money we spent when we got home – ZERO regrets. We were in Greece for 3 FULL days, which is not a lot of time in the grand scheme of it – it was a last-minute trip, and we do have a child at home we are still not at a place we want to leave him for TOO long with the grandparents. We had an incredible time and cannot wait to go back!
