An Affair Fit For Aphrodite

Do you ever have a moment where you just feel like you truly belong somewhere?   Something about a place speaks to you, and makes you feel at “home.”  I’ve had that beautiful feeling with Greece each time I have visited, and my love affair with the country just grows exponentially. 

Like a siren call, I keep getting pulled back to the country on the sparkling Aegean Sea.  Family vacations, a semester aboard, my three years aboard a cruise ship, and soon my own wedding this coming September have ensured I keep returning to this magical and special place.  

After seeing it was Greek Independence Day on March 25th, I've been reminiscing all week about my time spent in Greece, and wanted to share ten special and funny memories.

10. ​My 25th birthday coincidentally falling on the day Seabourn docked in Mykonos.  I spent all day exploring each beach and every every nook and cranny of the island on an ATV.  It was magic.

9. Being put in a different Mykonos hotel with my fiance on vacation because the hotel we booked wasn’t actually ready for the season yet.  At check in, there was a gallant attempt to distract us from this error by the Receptionist's constant promotion of their not one, but TWO shopping boutiques on the hotel premises!

8. Celebrating Greek Easter with my family during my first trip to Greece, and feeling fascinated and familiar with the country all at once. ​​

​7. Finding ourselves adrift...Navigating the ferry system in Athens to find a way to Santorini with my best friend.  We had booked a flight, but the planes were grounded due to...what else? A strike!

6. ​Testing out bathrobes at three different hotels with my fiancé while trying to determine where we should have our wedding.  By the way, we did not make our decision solely based on this criteria. 

5. The many school trips while studying abroad, including a visit to Meteora which ended in us stranded on the mountaintop for hours after the bus broke down!

4. Strolling along the Thessaloniki boardwalk on a nearly daily basis during my semester there.

3. Discovering the port of Spetses with my mom, when she visited me while I worked on Seabourn. 

2. Needing to get back the ship when the shuttle bus was nowhere to be found, and hitching a ride on the back of a local Myconian’s trailer.

1. Hiking the caldera in Santorini, then swimming in the Sulphur pools.

Many more memories to come, especially after the very exciting event happens this September!  Maybe one day I'll end up running an inn there like Donna in Mamma Mia....here's hoping!