We did it again. We left Stuttgart mid-PCS--wait, not mid.
End. Definitely at the end of our PCS. Ironically, we were a little over 2 weeks from flying back to the States with no orders and we went to Greece. It's a little funny, eh? Greece was one of our big bucket list trips but it's not a weekend trip so we squeezed it in at the end. To give you an idea of how these last few weeks played out:
May 30th: Mike's last day at work
May 31st: Going-away party
June 2nd: Luxembourg to visit Will and Anita one last time
June 4th: Fly to Greece
June 15th: Fly back
June 16th: 1-day pack out/load (Last crate sealed at 9:38PM)
June 17th: Ship Mike's car/Sell the Jeep
June 18th: loads and loads of crap
June 19th: Fly to Norfolk.
That was 21 days if you didn't feel like counting. I was highly motivated to make Greece happen and it did but let's start with the going-away party….
It wasn't just us. Shannon and Christian were also moving…….to Beijing, China! Our little village group has been simply amazing. It's difficult to describe what a solid, tight group of people we had there in Ehningen but I will miss it terribly. I could not have asked for a better village or better village people to experience Germany. We've had friends who have lived all over the Stuttgart area and none of them have a groups quite like Ehningen. It made a difference in our daily life. A big one. I'm so thankful.
Thank you to Beth and Rich for not only hosting this gathering for all of us moving but also for allowing us to squat in their spare bedroom those few days we were homeless. One great family--
Real people which is a rarity to find and just good people.
Michi, Shannon, and Max!
This picture is ridiculous. Everyone succeeded in looking special except Beth who just looks cute.
Going to miss these guys but excited to plan a trip to Beijing for a visit.
Malaysia and Thailand are on that list also!
Anyone interested in joining me? Not sure Mike will make this one...
Thanks Lisa for all those selfies you left me on the camera. It was quite the selection as usual.
I wish I had taken a picture of the amazing monogrammed cake plate Lisa made for us. I was able to enjoy it for about 10 minutes before it was packed but I cannot wait to use it. It's so special that my favorite British potter made it for me. :)
I will miss our Biker Gang. I fell off my bike a lot and these ladies still liked me.
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Luxembourg
We were flying out of Frankfurt Hahn so we decided to stop in Luxembourg a few days before the flight and visit Mike's cousin, Will and his wife, Anita one last time before we moved back. We also had to deliver my beloved espresso machine to its loving new home.
Always good to see them and good to get a last glance at Luxembourg.
Going-away party: Check.
Visit family: Check.
What's next, what's next….oh yeah!
Greece.
Greece, ohhh Greece!
It was an early morning flight but landing at 10:00AM made it worth it. Flight time from Frankfurt was about 2:40. We flew into Crete where we stayed for the first 8 days of our trip. We rented a beach villa down in Agia Marina. Roof-top pool, gym, and lots of balconies. http://www.thehotel.gr/beach-villas Agia Marina is a little beach resort town about 15 minutes from Chania. It's not as Greek as some of the other cities or towns but it's set up perfect for all things beachy. Despite the fact this is a tourist hotspot popular with Scandinavians, Brits, Germans, and Italians, we were very surprised at how great the food was and not pricey--actually fairly inexpensive!
We cracked the coconuts ourselves and cut fresh pineapple for these delightful pina coladas. The blender needed a little assistance, though.
Little beach bar around the corner
You can make BIG splashes in your own pool!
A few days in, we had a rental car delivered to the villa. Yep, we went all out this time. I wanted to see a few of the famous beaches on Crete and perhaps visit the Samaria Gorge. I am happy to report we were so happy doing nothing in our sweet villa, we only took one excursion to Elafonissi Beach. We couldn't decide between Balos Beach and Elafonissi but people told us Balos is a difficult drive--most dirt roads uphill for about 45 minutes down the peninsula. Many said you should only take a 4x4. So we found the drive to Elafonissi extra interesting because well, it wasn't easy at all. Most of the roads had us wondering if we were in the right place….it was up and over a mountain, many unpaved or poorly paved roads and lots of sheer drops with no railings. It was like being on safari--or so I would imagine. I loved it. I drove it myself which was a change of pace since of course, Mike always drives. This trip was intended to be a true break for him so I decided to take on the driving so he really had to worry about nothing.
Beautiful, yes but a bit unnerving to drive
Elafonissi Beach
I borrowed this arial view of the beach area to give you a better idea. It's a huge area and so shallow with so many sandbars. This is really a non-swimmer or kid haven because there is so much water to play in that only comes up to your ankles to knees. And it's all different colors. Very neat to see!
We took the coastal road back in lieu of back through the mountain. Both routes are fantastically scenic but the coastal road was a little easier to drive.
See the goat?
Ha! This is in one of the mountain villages so we were driving extremely slowly and this guy made me giggle so we stopped to snap a picture.
Swim-up bar, now that brings back good memories while we were making new ones
He looks unhappy but trust me, he is very, very happy spending all day lounging, reading, enjoying beers and gyros. The island you see in the distance is called Thodorou Island. It's uninhabited and is a nature preserve for several endangered animals. There is actually an armed guard on the island at all times because you are not allowed to go ashore.
After 8 awesome days, we headed to Heraklion early AM to catch the ferry to Santorini. It was a 2+ hour drive. Easy and scenic.
the White Mountains. Unsure if that really needs to be capitalized and I'm too lazy to look it up but the locals speak about them as if it's a formal name. We of course, kept yelling "White Mountains" like …..White Walkers! Winter is coming! GOT people will get this.
They really were quite beautiful
The ferry port is easy to find, well marked, and plenty of parking for your rental car or you can drop off your rental car here, or you can load it up on the ferry and take it with you. We opted to leave it. Driving in Santorini didn't sound appealing to either of us and now the trip is over, we know we made the right decision although, we could've driven Santorini but it did look a little hairy. If you're planning on touring the island, you might want your car. If you're planning on sitting. eating. sleeping. looking at water. beverage consumption. etc., you're fine without a car.
Do you homework on the ferries. There are several to choose from--some with great reliability and some, horrible. Some fast, some slow. We took Hellenic Seaways http://hellenicseaways.gr. It's one of the fast guys and the best reliability! We experienced that live. It was crazy how fast they herded and seated everyone. These people are incredibly efficient. I didn't know what to expect but it was so comfortable. Big, comfy seats--plenty of legroom (we were in the cheapest seats available also) easy to access the bathrooms and a great little cafe in each cabin area with high-end espresso machines, pastries, ect. You get a lot but it costs a lot too. Roundtrip Heraklion --> Santorini 2 people, 224€.
See Mike? The group in front of us were German college students and they were headed to Mykonos because, well you know….that's the Spring Break party island. They had their video camera rolling during the ferry ride, interviewing each other. Fun to watch.
Because this is a high-speed hydrofoil, you are not allowed out on the deck during the journey. I read these high speeders are rough rides but we didn't find that to be the case at all! It was perfectly comfortable and 1:40 verses the slow ferries that take 5-6 hours for the same route, no brainer.
As the ferry approaches the destination, they open the back deck. People are piled outside trying to get the first few glimpses of Santorini. (The ferry doesn't just stop at Santorini although that is the first stop. It continues on to Mykonos for sure and a few others)
You might have to look closely here. You can see the zig-zag road with the buses going up. Yeah, I think it's best we didn't bring the car…. But, it was all with railings.
Hard to believe we are here! We decided to skip Fira and the other villages and just head for the best, Oia. There's a reason it's the most popular/expensive.
But, we found a gem of a place that didn't break the bank. Angel Cave Houses. Family owned. Only 5 rooms I believe, built into the mountain. Could not ask for anything more (except a pool!). The family lives on the entire lower level and their father built the entire place over 15 years. Great people..You knock on their door in the morning and they cook you breakfast, hot, and bring it to your balcony. Can't be beat--especially for the price because we were looking at some of the higher-end places and I just couldn't justify the extra because this place was so great! An excellent location too. As we learned, this place is attacked during the day by folks from the cruise ships and Fira day-trippers and it's a madhouse. This place is located at the end of the pedestrian area but still away enough from gawking eyes and 12ft camera lenses. Several of the super high-end places were in clear view of the main walk-way and we talked about how we are so happy we didn't stay at a few of those. So, tip of the day when you book Oia- Understand the locations. There were so many "private" pools in plain view of the main pedestrian area.
Cute little blue shutters open from our bedroom to the balcony and that view, that view is insane.
The next few pictures are just around our cave house room.
Walk-way down to our room
Balcony view. Truly, it doesn't get old. In a cafe in Oia, I overheard a girl tell the waiter "I've just never seen water this blue before!" She just couldn't' get over how pretty it was. I get that. I really do. The running joke during our 4 days here was "Hey, let's take more pictures of the same thing we already have 100 pictures of" because we just were in awe.
Playing with the landscape function because this really is what we saw every day from our room.
On the foot path up to the main street. Lots of random but beautiful doors that lead …to nowhere really.
Catamaran Day
Our one and only excursion during our 4-day stay in Oia. They picked us up from our hotel, food and beer provided, wine with lunch. A lazy, beautiful day on the boat.
Almost a full beard. This man deserved a boat and a beer. I love how happy he looks.
These net loungers were fun!
Red Beach, Santorini
Plenty of wind so they were able to put the sails up. I've never been on a sailboat before and those sails going up is pretty sexy! But, it looked like a lot of work too.
Swimming in the volcano hot springs. Mike and his new bud are the only ones that swam over to the springs. Evidently it smells like boiled eggs and you get rust on your suit. The girls were definitely not excited about that. I skipped it too. I love the ocean. I just don't love swimming in it as much. This looked like shark haven to me. But what do I know?
The 3 other couples were all on their honeymoon. That moment where you feel a little older… When wedding congratulations and introductions went around and it was finally our turn, I put my touchdown arms up and said "10 years baby!" There were way too many "Wowww, ohhh!" Ha!
We walked this every day. But it's this x 6. Seeing the main road at the top is a treat. I would strongly advise any challenged people whether from injury or age to really consider where you are staying in Oia because it's no picnic going up a few times a day.
HA! This guy makes me laugh. He's on the main street, hanging out on his patio above the nail salon.
Hi buddy!
You may have heard the famous Oia sunsets. We never actually saw one. We were walking around and came upon this crowd who were waiting to photograph the sunset with about 100 other people. It's not comfortable. We did not stay and we decided we'd rather Google it. Nothing romantic about a beautiful sunset with cameras poked in your face from every angle. We quickly learned as the sun begins to go down, the buses are arriving from Fira bringing loads of people to do this. We made sure we were secure in a restaurant by that point.
Hey sweet boy. Just hanging out on a wall are ya?
Best meal during our entire trip. I cannot rave enough about the food and the service and although you can't see it, the dry-ice smoke coming from drinks and even, entrees. Presentation was astounding. We loved it so much, we went back the next night.
And just so I didn't forget, I went back the next day and took a picture of the sign. Floga. Go. Enjoy.
Whatever you do, please get the baked feta with pomegranate sauce and the salmon ravioli.
It will change your life.
See the pool on the right? Beautiful of course! But on the main walk way where everyone can just gaze upon you trying to relax.
Another picture taken at breakfast on our balcony…..of the same thing because we just couldn't get enough!
This place knew how to make pina coladas and they had the homemade Turkish desserts. I believe, Kaitaifi is the name. The desserts with the fried noodles soaked in honey or syrup. My apologies--I know it's annoying to be so excited and descriptive about food but they are so, good and they are just very different from common desserts.
Just a little bar serving beer with the greatest view ever. No big deal.
Great little marina with fresh seafood and beach bars but it is a hike so we took a photo instead. ;D
Of course, you can take the donkeys back up but I have issue with that….There was no donkey riding for us.
The pool extends from inside the villa.
Prepare for sticker shock when you start looking at hotels in Oia.
Hey! It's another door that literally goes to nowhere!
I've always wanted one of these Grecian dresses and of course, they sell them in one of the boutiques. Not sure I tied it just right but I'll work on that because I do love it! It was the perfect reminder to bring home… Thank you BluBluBear.
Here's the way tourists commonly get around the island. These quads or buggies. Since the island is very small--The size of Manhattan I understand, it's easy to get around using these guys.
Just another cafe/beach bar with amazing views. We visited this one several times because it was nicely decorated with couches and curtains and the views….
I went out early one morning to take a few pictures without the hoards of people. This is one of those cruise stops that truly, they inundate the place. It's not even comfortable to walk around when the masses arrive. Although this is a wide open walk-way, further down are more narrow, cobblestone areas and that coupled with the heat and all the people….it's just too much for us. We avoided the main areas during the day until everyone left. I really believe they need to give this town a break every couple days from the docking ships. But I also understand the fiscal concern and I get it but, whew--It's overwhelming if you're staying in Oia. But doable! Just go out in the morning, and later in the afternoons, dinner during sunset and you should avoid most of tours and crowds. Due to the intensity of the crowds, I would normally say to skip a place that gets this many people dumped in there at the same time but I can't because Oia is one of those places you must experience. It is that beautiful.
All that above and they have Yellow Donkey beer.
It's a hip hoppy kick-ass ale!
Boom!
Never know who will join you for lunch. He was a scammer for sure but a sweet little food scammer so we gave him a pass and Mike accidentally dropped a little meat on the floor.
Headed back to Fira to catch the ferry once more.
In the van, still taking pictures because it is so pretty!!
It's our last night in Greece. We decided to stay in Chania closer to the airport, booked the night before, and scored huge with this hotel. This is our balcony overlooking the city but the best part was this hotel has partnered with Souda Bay base for 20 something years and the reception area is lined with aviation pictures, squadron mementos, plaques given to the hotel--all sorts of military paraphernalia showing clear appreciation to this hotel for their work with Souda Bay. It was a pleasant surprise and a perfect way to end the trip. the Royal Sun. If you're in the area, check 'em out. Great resort hotel but not in old town Chania. Inexpensive!
Greece: Last European Hurrah
The End.
For now at least…..
For those of you who don't know, we arrived in Norfolk June 19th. We will be here until end of August and head back to Abilene the first few days of September. We now have wheels, have recovered from jet lag and PCS exhaustion, and are cleaning up residual messes that inevitably happen with moving. This is my next to last post, I think. I've been taking notes on my reverse culture shock I'm currently experiencing, things I'm finding interesting--good and bad. I'll do one more follow-up in a few weeks and then I think this blog party is over….
We are so excited to see family and friends. Looking forward to visiting with everyone!
