Matt & I were married on August 29, 2015. It was a beautiful day and we had the best time with our family and friends. I'll remember every detail of the wedding for as long as I live. Fast forward almost two years and we FINALLY went on our honeymoon. At the time of the wedding, Matt was starting a new job and moving from Atlanta to NYC and I was essentially doing two jobs in Chicago. We decided to postpone our honeymoon to the Greek Islands until we had time to take a dream vacation. It was worth the wait!
In June 2017, we flew business class on United from EWR-ATH and Matt hired a driver from Welcome Pickups to meet us at the airport with a sign that said, Welcome Gers. Our modes of transportation made us feel like VIP. I highly recommend Welcome Pickups for their friendly and informed drivers; we took the service to and from the airport numerous times on our trip.
Our epic Greek honeymoon began with a stop in Athens. Matt and I are city folk so were looking forward to a few days exploring Greece's capital city. The history, the colors, the people, the FOOD; the city did not disappoint. Matt is a Starwood guy, so we used points to stay at an awesome Starwood affiliated property right in downtown Athens, AthensWas. The hotel was bright & modern and perfectly located for walks around the city. I'm a sucker for travel guide books and Lonely Planet has some great walking tour suggestions. We used their tours as the basis for our itinerary and we were able to see many of the city highlights in 2 days (20,000+ steps each day, thank you very much).
Neither one of us had been to Greece prior to this trip, despite our love of Europe. We picked the perfect time to visit since the colors & flowers in early summer were so enchanting. I love the combination of old Europe grunge plus the beauty of nature.
Our favorite neighborhood in Athens was Plaka (located off the northeast slope of the Acropolis) because of it's shop lined streets, historic architecture and most of all, the famous restaurants of the "Plaka Stairs" on Mnisikleous Street. We didn't research the restaurants, but just picked one that looked the most crowed and hoped for the best. Traditional Greek restaurants line the stairs and each has a patio that overflows onto the steps. Our first Greek meal, and every meal there after, started with Greek salad, marinated olives, and a carafe of wine!
I love art, architecture, and anything old with a story, but Matt isn't really interested in museums. European cities are basically outdoor museums, so walking around the monuments and ruins gave me a museum fix, but without Matt being stuck inside for 4 hours! You can see the Acropolis from almost anywhere in the city but nothing compares to being up close and personal. The city views from the mountain were breathtaking and it's fun to imagine what life was like back in the days of the Greek Empire!
Besides the Acropolis & Parthenon, there are ruins in historic sites and parks all over the city. You can be on your way to breakfast and have to step over a fallen marble column from 800BC (okay, that's not true, but it feels like that!).
Athens was beautiful, full of history and everything we could have wanted for the first few days of our honeymoon.
When given the choice, Matt always goes for iced coffee, so we were excited to try the Greek version, Espresso Freddo (shots of espresso mixed in a blender with a few ice cubes and poured over ice). Greek yogurt shops and gyro stands are all over the touristy areas of Athens. We were not afraid to be American tourists and ate Greek snacks morning, noon, and night!
Our last night in Athens was one of my favorite nights of the entire trip. When researching patio bars in Athens, we learned that our hotel had an alluring rooftop restaurant so we wandered up for a sunset cocktail. Matt and I were shocked when we saw just how good it really was! The views were incredible and it felt like we were right next to the Acropolis. With a glass of champagne in hand, a view of the beautiful sunset behind the Acropolis and my new(ish) husband across from me, I could not have been happier :)
Check back for honeymoon, part 2 (Santorini) and part 3 (Crete). In the meantime, see more wedding & honeymoon pics on Instagram #GersJustWannaHaveFun and #GersJustWannaHaveFunInGreece
Comments
Post a Comment