Mykonos, Greece – Image taken by me

I got the amazing opportunity this past April Vacation to visit Greece. I was able to travel with my sister along with many of my friends. On this trip I got to spend four days on the mainland and then for the rest of the time we were on a cruise which sailed around the Aegean Sea. This was one of the most memorable events of my entire life and I think I will recall this trip for the rest of my lifetime.

The general structure of the trip was waking up pretty early, traveling on a bus, going on an excursion or two, eat lunch with friends, explore the area we are in, and then head back to the hotel/cruise for free time.  Honestly, each day varied but that was the average structure.

Athens was incredible, there were so many historical sites along with diverse food, shops, and activities. I have to say I did not favor Athens as much as the islands, however, I am definitely not someone who you would turn to to go into the city with, as I like a more quiet environment. The street art along the walls of the city each told some sort of story. area

The famous ancient city of Delphi settled on a high mountain was dedicated to the Greek God Apollo and home to the Delphic Oracle, to the ancient Greeks, it was considered the center of the world. In order to reach Delphi, we had to drive for a very long time along the winding roads of the mountain, we saw villages and all sorts of rural lifestyle, exposing me to something I had never seen before. With my friends, I hiked up to the Stadium, which  could seat 6,500 people, the Stadium is considered one of the best preserved ancient stadiums. After hiking, we shopped around in the village of Arachova then ate some lunch where I had the best butterscotch ice cream topped with the freshest strawberries

Mykonos was a dream, the white shops and restaurants along the beach wall, as I walked along the stoned pathways it was just clear blue water, and off into the distance I saw the famous windmills. I got to spend three hours shopping with my friends eating gelato and gyros while watching the sun go down. I truly shopped until I dropped, I was exhausted and it was finally time to head back to my cruise ship where I went to karaoke with my friends and ordered some milkshakes.

Overnight, the ship sailed to Kusadasi. After eating at the amazing all you can eat buffet, I got off the ship and entered Turkey. Dogs and cats were roaming the streets, coming up for belly rubs. I got to explore the ancient city of Ephesus, which was absolutely wild because so many of the remains were greatly preserved. My tour group got to see how Turkish rugs were created, it was so interesting to see the effort and personality that went into each rug. The rugs were smooth and soft, and the designs were unique, we then went to a Turkish market where I found some great deals and got to pet some more dogs.

Patmos was a cute little island, another Greek island with stores and perfect spots for pictures. The day we went was simple, the sun was going down and we were looking for a spot to eat. We found a delicious pizza place and after eating thunder struck and all of a sudden it was downpouring, I then took an uncomfortably rainy tender ride back to the ship.

My personal favorite island – Rhodes, the water was crystal clear and I basically spent the entire day laying on the beach, and on the way back, I stopped at stores that were literally inside of boats that were docked at the Marina.

I got to see very little of Crete, however I did visit the cite of the ancient civilization of Minoans, we then shopped and went back on the boat to sail to Santorini.

Santorini was truly Instagram worthy island.  We got an hour and a half to explore the island, the water was a gorgeous deep blue, and I even saw an underwater crater. I scored some stunning jewelry and got to try a delicious vanilla frozen yogurt ice cream contraption which I can confidently say I enjoyed. Nobody ever says how those blue domes and white-washed houses on the cliffside are not the only things in Santorini, there was rural areas and small neighborhoods everywhere. As a matter of fact, did you know the white paint on the trees, plants, and houses is sort of like a wildlife repellent, however it is completely natural and totally harmless to wildlife. You learn something new every day! 🙂

All that’s left for me to say is that I will 100% be back.