GREECE: in 14 days {Ancient Ruins & Island Hopping}

I LOVE traveling. I am also a huge fan of traveling with tour groups. Some people love it and some people hate it. I think depending on the trip - it is so worth it! Yes, it can cost extra money, but it takes all the stress off of planning everything from transportation, what to see and where to stay. So when my best friend, Kelly, and I were discussing a girls trip to Greece we decided the best way to go was through Contiki. It is a tour group for people under 35, which pretty much guarantees a young, fun, active and outgoing group. In hindsight, this specific trip was a bit too “party” for me as it was a lot of drinking and very much a party scene during our island hopping. With that being said though, we still had an amazing time and met some life long friends that we often would break off with from the huge group and explore the history of the islands. I guess one could say you make the most of any adventure you take part in - and we definitely mastered that! Below is the itinerary Contiki set up for us and italics is my personal opinion on each city. Greece was BEAUTIFUL!

DAY 1 ATHENS // Channeling our inner Grecian god, we'll arrive in Athens ready to soak up all things Greek; souvlaki & anise flavoured aperitifs in particular. Uniting with the crew after checking in to your hotel, the adventure will begin with a local Greek dinner. In the morning we’ll explore the Acropolis before heading to the next city. // Absolutely loved all the history in Athens and seeing the Acropolis. Make sure you give yourself a lot of time to explore the ruins and get there early before it gets too busy! Food is cheap and tasty everywhere - you can’t go wrong with just jumping into a random restaurant.

DAY 2 & 3 OLYMPIA // Dancing through history & ancient architecture, we'll take on the gritty urban soul of Athens before breezing across the historic Peloponnese region en route to Olympia. Guided tour of Mycenae & the Palace of Agamemnon See the impressive Corinth Canal. See the Acronauplia citadel at Nafplio. Once we've ogled at the site of the very first Olympic Games. Here we'll take in what was once the centre of the ancient Greek universe, attempting to fathom the magnitude of its history. Guided tour of Olympia including the Olympic Stadium & Temples of Hera, we'll cross the Corinthian Gulf & arrive in Delphi. // If you have the time I highly recommend leaving Athens and exploring this city to see al the ancient ruins of the Olympic Games. It was was quite impressive and had so much history I was unaware of. Make sure you get a tour of the property and museum!

DAY 4 DELPHI // Guided tour of Delphi site & museum & Zeus. // Plan accordingly so you don’t get “ruined” out. If you are a huge fan of history then make sure you put this on your list as well. I mean, you are in Greece!! Take it all in.

DAY 5 ATHENS // Today we'll take a step back to Athens so we can go a little deeper into this time capsule of life on earth. From ancient relics to modern cafes, we'll absorb this city & all it's grilled halloumi to boot. // We spent the beginning part of our tour near the acropolis and this end part when we returned to Athens we stayed near the water. This gave us easy access to the ferry to island hop. It was also a nice change from the city and ruins!

DAY 6 to DAY 8 MYKONOS // Having opened the lid on Athens & its intricacies, we'll pack our bags & get ready for some island time. From the old iconic windmills near Little Venice to the peppering of cute cafes, this island has no shortage of Greek charm. For those not inclined towards slow paced days, you can sip organic lavender cocktails at the world renowned Buddha Bar. // Mykonos is extremely popular and very well-known. It is always VERY windy - and we were told it is almost always like that, they just don’t talk about it because they don’t want to scare away the tourists. The wind made it a bit uncomfortable, but it was our first major island we got to see and the white washed look was absolutely breathtaking.

DAY 9 to DAY 11 SANTORINI // After a short bout of play at sea, we'll pull up in the port of Santorini, finding white-washed vistas & blue dome churches. Sign up for a tour that may see you swimming in an active volcano or peruse the streets snapping tumbling bougainvillea. With other days at black or red sand beaches eating local specialties like domatokeftedes (fried tomato balls) life doesn't get much better. // Santorini was literally a dream - I can’t stop saying or thinking that. We stayed on the black beach and took a bus into town. Fira was my favorite part with outrageous views and cute restaurants and bars along the cliff sides to take it all in. We also took an afternoon to do Santo Winery - which was AWESOME!

DAY 12 to DAY 14 IOS // Our final destination in our trio of islands – Ios will greet us with a rugged back drop & island charm. When the sun sets, this place really comes to life, which means day sailing trips on the water are essential. Sign up for some watersports & chow down on some grilled octopus at a local café & your Ios stint is complete. // Most people don’t know about Ios when I mention we went here, but it was a super cute town. Make some time to hike to the top of the mountain with the church to get panoramic views of the adorable island.

I have been making scrapbooks since I was in high school - I know total dork - but now I have started printing books from each trip I do. Below is the final book from Greece!!!