Life does a pretty good job in trying to make you feel like you should have your entire life figured out right before you turn the big 3-0. But, in all honesty, I’m really content with the person that I am today- even if not all the boxes had been checked off my ’30 before 30ish’ bucket list.
I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do to celebrate my special day, but did know that I wanted to start this new decade in true Ale fashion- traveling, and preferably to a new country. After endless Google searches of “countries with magical sunsets” and “countries open to U.S. citizens during the pandemic” (this trip was taken during the pandemic), Greece was the winner.
“It takes a lifetime to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her.”
We packed all of our cute bikinis, gladiator sandals, white summer dresses and off we went, ready to conquer the Greek islands. We arrived in Athens, a city that completely blew us away. Every street was filled with history, culture and insanely delicious food. Prior to the trip, Nati read Edith Hamilton’s classic Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes to freshen up her Greek mythology knowledge so she would fill us with fun facts as we discovered the birthplace of western civilization. We did various tours and obviously had to see the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and the Parthenon. Without a doubt our favorite dinner spot was at Ozizontes Lycabettus, a lovely restaurant located on the hill of Lycabettus- the highest peak of Athens which overlooks the capital from 277 meters (take the cable car ‘furnicular Lycabettus Hill’ to the restaurant, you won’t regret it.) We purposely made sure to book an ‘earlish’ dinner so we could see the sunset and to our surprise, a gorgeous full moon. Make sure to leave room for sweets and order the baklava, they do a modern twist to the classic dessert which was so good!
After Athens, our next stop was Mykonos. We had done lots of research and booked a beautiful hotel that had a jetted tub where we enjoyed multiple glasses of wine as we overlooked the rich, blue sea and the town of Mykonos every night that we were there. As soon as we arrived, we devoured our included breakfast and quickly went to explore Chora (or Mykonos town) to see the picturesque white painted walls and blue doors and, of course, the famous windmills. Mykonos was breathtaking, every spot was more magical than the other. We really enjoyed Niko’s Tavern for dinner, ordered the red snapper which was perfect for three people and grilled veggies- delicious! Our favorite spot for sunset drinks was Galleraki since all cocktails were made with fresh fruit juice. On the following day, we decided to do as the locals and go to a beach club to enjoy the Mykonos beaches. We went to Platis Gialos and reserved sunbeds in Yialo Yialo where we also had an incredible lunch, homemade Greek pizza, salads, piña coladas and lots of cold beer. Some would say, a perfect Greek day.
Our final part of the itinerary was Santorini, I made sure to plan this island for the last part of our trip since watching the sunrise in Oia was where I wanted to ring in my 30th birthday. We took a quick ferry from Mykonos and arrived to this magical place. As soon as you arrive, you feel a special something in the air, life sort of pauses for a second so you have a chance to really take in all the beauty that is around you. We booked an Airbnb that was truly AMAZING! If you go, please do yourself a favor and stay there. We unpacked our bags, did a quick tour of our place and went out to have lunch at a spot recommended by our Airbnb host, Lotza. It opened in 1982 and is a local favorite spot that is known for its fresh food and breathtaking views. We then walked, wandered the narrow white alleys, took SO MANY pictures–because everywhere you looked was just too beautiful– and really tried to soak in the present moment to the fullest.
Watching the sunset in Oia is ‘a thing’ and gets so packed so make sure you secure a spot early. We made sure we had front row seats to watch it every night that we were there and all I can say is wow, I will forever remember those orange and yellow skies with little hints of pinks. That night we walked the many stairs to get to the Ammoudi Bay and had an exquisite dinner at Ammoudi Fish Tavern (we recently found out that the restaurant is temporary closed). We had a delicious meal, ordered the 1.5 kilo snapper which was prepared at the table with olive oil, salt and pepper, grilled octopus (one of our favorites, ever) and had sliced feta with honey and black and white sesame seeds…so good!
My birthday was just perfect, I watched the sunrise from our private terrace at our Airbnb, ate a delicious breakfast at Karma (also, sadly closed due to Covid) and explored a different part of the island, Imerovigli, which was a bit more calm than Oia but just as beautiful. We had lunch at Onar with an amazing view overlooking the caldera islands, walked around the village and then headed back to Oia to get ready for dinner and watch the sunset at Ombra. I remember that night, as I was getting myself into bed, just pausing and thanking the universe for having the most incredible day ever surrounded by my family and so much love.
So, to summarize all of this, my 30th birthday is one that I will always remember. I traveled to a magical place that I will forever remember and will always hold a special place in my heart. Please do yourself a favor and travel to Greece, get lost in its tiny streets, emerge yourself in history, eat delicious fresh fish, drink yummy, buttery local white wine and enjoy every sunrise and sunset…you won’t regret it.
