Greek Update #2

We are home! It was a trek, and we've been super busy since our arrival back in London - but I need to finish the Greek update posts, both to share with readers and so that we can remember the details of our trip. We had such an incredible time, and we can't wait for the next vacation which (luckily!) is happening in a month or so (Palm Springs here we come!). After that trip it might just be another five years before we escape again... We'll see! Here, Greek update #2:

Day 4 (Monday)
With very few days (and hours) in Patras during business hours, I knew I had to get up somewhat early - and early means 10:30 in this case, having gone to bed just before the sun came up (4:00? 5:00?) - to get some shopping in. I cruised the crowded pedestrian streets and made a few purchases (for the kids and for myself), and then met up with Steve; we made for Rio, a small beachy town just outside of Patras, for a swim and a coffee with a friend from the team Steve played on last year. After a refreshing dip in crystal clear waters, we met the Litwiniuks and Nik for an "early" dinner - which still turned out to be late, but it was all good; we went to a small town on the other side of Patras for yet another feast - the table was covered with plates and dished of food and drink, and though we left the table feeling pretty full, most of us saved room for dessert. Earlier in the day Steve and I stopped to buy sokolatopita (chocolate pie/chocolate cake), baklava, and portokalopita (orange cake/orange pie) to share with everyone. Back to the hotel we went where the adults (most of us) dove into dessert. We made it to bed by 3:00, which is one of the earliest nights of the entire trip; according to Steve, we were just trying to stave off jet lag. One thing I forgot to mention - the candles that we put in the car on Sunday night after the ceremony totally melted and warped in the car; it was too hot hot hot for them, and they left a few marks. Delivered after dinner to Constantina's mom's house, they were a sorry sight!

on the ferry over to Zakynthos

at Gerakas and Daphni beaches

Shipwreck beach and Blue Caves

Shipwreck, Agios Nikolaos, and Daphni Beach

Day 5 (Tuesday)
I found time on Tuesday morning to meet up with not one but two of my favourite friends from our time in Patras, and I wish we'd been able to see each other more in our 10 days there. I met Elly through our friends at the bakery across the street from where we lived last year, and it was so good to see her! We met towards the end of our time there but really connected - and it made me wish that somehow I'd met her sooner, maybe even the first time we lived in Greece! We went for coffee and she had her daughter Dimitra with her, and there were so many things to talk about! The hour flew by quickly and we both had to get going. I headed back to the hotel where I met up with Nantia, a friend I met at a yoga class at Body House Club, the gym I went to religiously (once upon a time I had time to work out). It's too bad there are so few blogs from our first year there - 2004-2005 was the first season I started blogging (from Patras!) which is a loooong time ago! Anyways, we picked up right where we left off, and we could have spent hours talking and laughing and joking, it was so so so so great. We hung out quite a bit last year, and the kids would have (I think) recognized her as well. Anyways, she didn't have a ton of time (work!), and Steve and I were on a schedule; we left by 1:00 to catch the 2:30 ferry from Killini to Zakynthos for a three day vacation at this ah-mazing hotel. The ferry ride was smooth but the loading and unloading process was total chaos; no lines, no safety gates, and no apparent order. But despite the fact that cars AND trucks either have to back on or turn around (on board) and squeeze themselves into small spaces prior to departure, there were no accidents and we were both very impressed by the fancy interiors (they put BC Ferries to shame). We felt like we were in a lounge, not a ferry. It cost us a total of 44 euros to get to the island (8 euros p/p and 28 euros for the car), and it was smooth sailing. With a bit of trouble we found our beautiful hotel and were blown away by the newly renovated rooms and premises. If you go to Zakynthos, stay here! The owner was such a nice guy (of course) and recommended his favourite beaches and restaurants. We didn't linger at the small hotel but made for Gerakas beach and then Daphni beach where we saw a baby loggerhead turtle crawl out of its nest and head for the sea. Many of the island's beaches are protected nesting areas of the turtles, and close at sunset. Areas are roped off so that nests and babes don't get inadvertently squished by tourists - and there were lots of people on-island with us: Greeks, Italians, French - but we didn't come across any other North Americans. It was a great day five!

baby loggerhead!

Day 6 (Wednesday)
This turned out to be the most touristy day of all - we took a boat tour to see the Blue Caves and the famous Shipwreck Beach, and we had to get an early start. We were up by 7:30 and on the road by 8:00, getting lost just a few times on our way north to Agios Nikolaos where we were to catch a boat. We had to wait a while before our departure, but finally got going on a wavy sea and joined a few other boatloads of people at what is apparently the most photographed beach in the world. It did seem like the most photographed beach in the world just while we were there; people were posing, selfie sticks were everywhere, and the people and cameras and posing was more of a spectacle than the beach - but it was really neat to see. Back at the Blue Caves we swam in some of the clearest ocean water I've ever seen. The whole trip took between two and three hours, and back at the port we planned to tour the north end of the island before cutting through the mountains on our way back to the hotel in Argassi. A highlight of the trip was a return to the Blue Caves from the shore; there are no pictures of this amazing stop (everything was bound to get wet, so we left all devices in the car), but it was one of our favourite places. There was a swimming platform and a diving plank at the bottom of LOTS of stairs, and we stayed for quite some time - swimming, getting too hot in the sun, and swimming again. Steve bought a snorkel and a mask and ventured into some caves, and we spotted fish and people fishing with spear things and of course there were boats and people coming and going. We toured the north end of the island, spying on the Shipwreck Beach from up above, and bought some village wine and oregano on the long way back to the hotel. After some snacks on the patio (hearties!), we decided on an Italian dinner and actually went to bed EARLY. It was early even for Canadian standards, before 10:00. 'Twas another memorable day!

from greece! (days 1 - 3)

We are in Greece! I'm writing from the top deck (top shelf!) of our incredible (and small - 7 rooms only) hotel in Argassis, Zakynthos where we are vacaying post-wedding for three days. The weather is amazing; there are way too many beaches to visit and the water is warm - warm warm in some places and cooler (but still lovely for swimming) in others, with different shades of blue and turquoise waters everywhere. Where to start? I've been writing brief outlines of each day in my planner so that we can remember what we did and when, so I might let the days guide me. Here, days one through three:

Day 1 (Friday)

Our departure from Toronto was uneventful - the kids didn't fuss or seem disappointed that we were leaving, and Steve and I found ourselves checked in and wandering the airport totally uprepared for a 12 hour journey of plane, train, bus and car: no snacks, no magazines, no movies. We did download the Air Canada Rouge app (minutes before we left the house) and ended up watching a few flicks on the plane - A Theory of Everything and A League of Their Own (which I hadn't watched in years - what a GREAT movie, and so aligned with my thoughts and intentions these days [women and girls in sport]). The flight was long (9+ hours) and we slept more on the train after we arrived. The train ends in a small town halfway between Athens and Patras (near our final destination of Kavasila), and from there we took the bus to Patras - upon which we met a very grumpy bus man who got very angry with me for eating onboard for which all the passengers around us got very angry with him for being so rude to me. Nik and Constantina met us at the bus stop in Patras, we had a coffee (of course) and took off for the village right away. There were wedding jobs to do and preparations for the two-nights-before-the-wedding party (happening that night at Nik's parent's place in the village) to be made; it was great to see the Mixalopoulos family - it was like we never left! We got a chance to steal Nik away from the jobs jobs jobs to hit the beach (Kourouta) for a swim and a cerveza before checking into a little room in the village next door (Andravida). We made our way back to the village for 9:00ish and met up wit several other Canadian wedding guests including the Litwiniuks (Steve's sister Erin's in-laws) and several Greek family members we'd met over the years. There was a TON of food, lots to drink - no surprises there - and dancing dancing dancing; we went to bed close to 1:30, well before the party ended after 5:00. Even though we arrived in Patra with just half the day ahead of us, we managed to make the most of it!

Day 2 (Saturday)

We had one of the longest sleeps in recent memory - near 11 and a half hours! I woke up and was shocked that it was 12:30 - but know now that time lost in the morning is made up for late at night - we weren't going to make it to bed before 3:00am for a few days. After a coffee and toast (a pressed ham and cheese sandwich) we picked Nik up (we've hijacked his car) and headed for Castro beach, where the sand is buttery and the water is downright clear and warm (/amazing). We swam and lounged and ate souvlaki (still full from the previos night's feast) and then visited the Litwiniuks at their hotel nearby. Our late afternoon routine was much like the day before: we dropped Nik off in the village and went to our hotel to shower before returning to the house to eat and drink. The greeks sang along to Nik's guitar, and there was some dancing before we took the party to the beach bars of Kourouta. We were home at 4:00 for the last village sleep - Day 3 took us to Patras and then south again, for a wedding ceremony on a hill looking over the south shores of Patras.

Day 3 (Sunday)

This was the first day we woke up to an alarm and things to do; the first order of business was to pick up the groom's suitcase and then do a Litwiniuk luggage run. Marianne, Larry, Todd, Ashton and Holly followed us up to what was once our home town, and we checked into a lovey hotel right in the centre of the city. With everything shut down (Sunday), Steve and I had to wander a bit before we found a lunch place - and we had our first (of many) pita/gyro. With another late late night looming, we scheduled an afternoon nap before our 6:30 rendez-vous with the Lits; they followed us just south of the city to a small chapel perched atop a hill - the view was incredible. Nik was there when we arrived (he was part of a convoy of cars that we stopped to follow for most of the way) and he mingled and chatted with guests until horns signalled the impending arrival of the bride. Constantina look beautiful - I loved her dress... and her relatives did something that must be traditional - singing and walking together to pass her to her future husband. The two of them went into the hot-as-an-oven and tiny-as-a-bun chapel to do their wedding thing (there was chanting and there were prayers and fans going like crazy to keep them cool), and they emerged to a barrage of rice thrown in their faces and stuck in their hair and clothing - married! We stayed to help with a bit of clean up and put two of the biggest candles we'd ever seen in the car and then stopped at a bouzoukia place that looked like a greek Vegas venue before heading to the reception. Neestled among olive trees in a large garden with lights hanging from trees and the open, starry sky above, we ate and ate and ate; there was more food than two or three Canadian weddings combined, and with the exception of one set of North American music (mostly oldies - that only four of us danced to while the Greeks watched), Greek music and dancing reigned supreme. We joined in here and there and by 4:00 we were ready (I was ready) to call it a night. It was an ah-mazing day!

More to come soon - here, a few pics! 

(Blogging on the balcony, wedding wedding and wedding!)

in short, with video!

It's safe to say that in the summer, blogging is not high on my to-do list - wait, let me rephrase; in the summer blogging is not high on the crossed off checked off done and done list of activities. Coaching, yes; kid stuff, yes; anything outdoors, yes; I've been all over the place and in the gym too much and in the city without kids too much to set aside time to write. We've had an awesome week in London, even though I was in Toronto for most of it. Steve sent me pictures on a daily basis of the kids at a blueberry farm (/amusement park - there were bouncy pillows, flying foxes, pedal cars, animals and more) or the kids at Storybook Gardens or hitting balls at the driving range after a round of mini-golf. I was half expecting the two of them to ask me to stay away upon my return last night! I was in Toronto coaching with a great crew of women, and got to enjoy the Toronto restaurant scene with some good friends after our daily coaching duties wrapped up. Whilst away I registered for school and amassed a decent list of things to do before school starts BUT... we leave for Greece in less than a week! And you better believe I am NOT taking anything that requires work or responsibility on our voyage - and that includes children. Steve and I are traveling solo, and it will be so so weird to not think of diapers or snacks - and no whininess? YAY! I will miss the kids quite a bit - having spent two weeks away from them in the last month, missing them is what's most on my mind. (I'll get over it.) We are heading to a ParapanAm sitting volleyball game tomorrow and then up to the cottage to meet up with the Brinkman-Tukker clan, and we are ALL looking forward to some good, quality time together before we take off. I'd better get packing - we're trying to get things done before the last minute, so as to not forget anything. Should I put the kids in the car now?