We left Italy for the first time since April and headed to Crete.
After picking up a car at the airport we drove to Agios Nikolaos to a family-friendly resort on the coast. I woke up early the next morning to enjoy the sunrise over the water.
And then managed to acquire a companion for an early-morning coffee in the town.
We spent the next couple of days relaxing in the water.
And doing some more extreme activities.
Then it was time to pack up and catch the ferry to Santorini.
The next morning I went for an early-morning jog along the beach.
And enjoyed another sunrise.
Followed by a game of chess before breakfast.
We decided to rent a car to explore the island a bit. We headed up to Pyrgos - one of the highest points on the island. It was a beautiful little town.
We ran into (almost literally) donkeys again in the tiny streets.
And the kids continued to search for the perfect souvenirs.
After that, we considered going to Oia to watch the sunset (which is what everyone seems to do) but after hearing the horror stories about how crowded it gets we opted for Thera instead. It was still mayhem at sunset, with almost every viewing spot crammed with people but I was still able to enjoy a few unspoiled vistas.
The next morning, since we still had the car, I decided to try my luck and see what sunrise in Oia was like. It was fantastic.
And mostly empty.
That afternoon we decided to do a boat trip to see some of the sights of Santorini. The first item on the itinerary was a boat ride to hike up the volcano. As always, I had an enthusiastic companion.
From there we cruised to an underwater thermal spring for a swim.
And then finished off the day with dinner off the coast of Oia (which was a far less crowded way of enjoying sunset there).
The next day we caught the ferry to Naxos. Audrey had been desperate to try a quadbike and we finally got to satisfy her.
We spent the following day at the beach.
And riding the quadbike.
That evening we caught a taxi into town to have dinner. Audrey and I (along with hundreds of other people) walked to the port to watch the sun set behind the Temple Of Apollo.
The next day we rented a car to explore some of the local villages.
Enjoy some of the mountain vistas…
And have a drink at a cafe with one of the most incredible views I've ever seen.
We headed back to the beach to watch our final Naxos sunset.
The following day we took the ferry to Athens. We had a surprisingly good Thai dinner (our first since leaving Australia) and went to bed early so we could get to Acropolis when it opened the next day.
We’d bought tickets in advance so we managed to skip the huge line and follow the honour guard as the gates opened.
And then spent the next hour or so exploring the Parthenon and surrounding structures.
The rest of our time in Athens was spent eating at hipster Mexican restaurants…
Mary Poppins-themed desert bars…
And cruising around the city on electric scooters.
Then it was time to pack up again and say goodbye to Greece as we headed to Croatia.
