Santorini and Crete

I remember learning a long time ago that the color green has a relaxing effect on our brains, which is why walking through nature is so good for us. I wonder if there is something similar about the color blue. When I look out at the deep blue ocean, and the bright blue sky, I can’t help but feel that my heart is lighter. My worries are reassured, and something in me heals. Winter is a hard time, and here I finally feel like it is over and summer is back! I really sympathize with the game of thrones warning that “winter is coming”, because winter is really awful. I hate the cold, and by February I am looking forward to the end of this horrible season, which in Geneva doesn’t seem to really end until May. They have something awful which they call the “bise”, which means the kiss—it’s a nasty, biting wind that bullies you along the street, threatening to tip over your stroller and slapping you in the face with its icy sting. I hate the bise. You may have a glorious sunny day and you walk outside and realize that the bise is here. It apparently lasts for either one, three, or six days.

Anyway, in Greece there is none of this unpleasantness. We stayed at an airbnb overlooking the water in Santorini. It is a cave house, so it is carved into the mountain. We celebrated my son's first birthday here, at a restaurant that I can't remember anymore. I remember that all of the restaurants were really good. There is a shopping area with a mix of tourist items and artisan goods. We made reservations at a restaurant where we could eat and watch the sunset. We met a pair of doctors who were volunteering at a refugee camp in Lesbos. 

Unfortunately, I am writing the last of the post a year later, and am having trouble remembering the details. We also went to Crete, which involved more driving. I realized that as my dad has gotten older, his driving has become faster. Or maybe I am the one who has changed, since now I am a mom and worry more about safety. Crete had some really nice beaches that my son enjoyed playing on, though it was very windy. We stopped by a wonderful seafood restaurant where they let you pick the fish that you want to eat. Most of the fish is just grilled and lightly seasoned, but because it is so fresh, that is all that is needed. 

Delphi and Meteora, Greece

I went to Athens again, this time with a baby in tow. I did a bit of research on traveling with a baby—not that this is our first time. Greece will be the 12th country that my son has visited before his first birthday. Greece however, would be our longest vacation away from home (excluding our trip back to the US, which I count as home). 

I was debating which stroller to bring, and am glad that I brought our light travel stroller. He doesn’t sleep as well in that one, and it is not as good on rough terrain, but there are many places where a stroller isn’t even feasible so it’s easier to just have a carrier and a light stroller that can be easily carried too. 

We began our trip with a four day land tour. I don’t really remember the first two days. We went to Olympia and something else. My son is now obsessed with rocks and pebbles, so whenever we go to a place with rubble (which is pretty much any ruin), he wants to squat down and play with rocks and refuses to do anything else. I pretty much just migrated from site to site, putting him among some rocks here and there and dealing with a tantrum during the transitions since he protested being moved away from any particular site.  

The last two days of the tour were spectacular. We went to Delphi and Meteora. Delphi’s is supposedly a sacred place with a divine energy that facilitates fortune telling. Our guide was very thorough, but with a squirmy toddler we decided to go ahead and walk to the top so that we could take our time coming back down and let him walk for part of the way. According to myth, Zeus released two golden eagles and declared that there would be a sacred place where the eagles met. The eagles met over Delphi, so Zeus threw a stone there—and today there still stands an egg like statue commemorating this. There was also a wall with carvings, supposedly 3,000 names of freed slaves, along with their gratitude, for being granted their freedom in Delphi. 

I enjoyed the sites because I was really interested in Greek mythology as a child. Delphi is the home of Apollo, god of music and the sun. There are of course, many myths about him raping women. The guide commented that Greek Gods, unlike the Gods in many other religions, were flawed and often also had negative characteristics. The hike to the stadium at the top was not easy with a 25 pound baby strapped to my chest, but the way down was really pleasant. He had so much fun walking a few steps and playing with stones along the way. 

The food on the tour was not bad. I think that perhaps I really am old since I go in tour groups now. I used to do all my travels independently, with the exception of a few trips. Anyway, the other people on the tour (mostly old people) were very friendly and nice to my son. 

Meteora was spectacular, and apparently where a James Bond movie was filmed, and part of Game of Thrones. The rock formations are majestic, and the site for several monasteries and nunneries. The places of worship require women to wear a medium to long dress or skirt, though men can wear whatever. It does look like a magical land from a fantasy book series. On the way, we saw both coast and mountains. The bus rides were a bit longer than I thought they would be, which was a challenge with a baby. 

I had come to Athens 10 years ago, and the city changed a lot since then. It has gotten cleaner, and there are even more restaurants now. I had the best olive oil in Greece, so was happy to have a tasting during the tour. I leaned that Kalamata is a famous place for olive oil production. In Delphi, there are 2 million olive trees. I bought a bottle of fragrant olive oil, a light green color with a bit of bitterness. Ten years ago, I remember there was olive oil on every table of every restaurant that I went to.  Now you have to ask for it. Not sure why that changed, probably due to price.