caitlynobrien04

[caitlynobrien04]

[caitlynobrien04]

The Piraeus Chapter 🌸🍞

June 7, 2025 – First Full Day in Greece

We woke up in Greece today. Actual, real-life Greece. It still doesn’t feel entirely real — a whole new culture, new flavours, new sounds, and a brand-new chapter of adventure waiting to unfold.

Today was our one and only designated chill day (bookmarking that for future appreciation), so we allowed ourselves a slow morning. After breakfast at the hotel, we took a peaceful stroll around the local cove.

The scene looked like something straight out of a postcard: rows of white houses perched on green hills, yachts bobbing gently in the ocean, and those iconic pink-flowered trees adding a dreamy pop of colour. The water sparkled in shades of aqua, and the whole thing felt like someone had pressed play on a Grecian film.

Oh and we also saw the weather stone, check out the picture for that one, the perfect dad joke of a monument! That one’s for you dad!

We stumbled into a charming little bakery, where the bread was genuinely the best bread I’ve ever had, it was almost damper like and so soft. Next door was a two-storey grocery store — which, at the time, had us all thoroughly impressed… until we kept walking and found a four-storey one instead. With a full-on mini restaurant inside. Trolleys parked in the corner while locals paused for lunch.

I had bought and tried a Grecian choclate which tasted like a Cadbury Easter bunny and was actually very good. Would recommend!

We wandered back to the hotel for a casual lunch before setting off to the shopping district. Browsing through boutiques, taking in the buzz, and soaking up the afternoon light felt like the perfect way to settle into this new rhythm. On our way back, we found ourselves gawking at the amazing architecture — ornate churches, grand stone buildings, and glimpses of history lining every street.

As the sun dipped lower, we headed out for dinner to a beautiful little spot where they made the pasta in a machine right in front of you. Dessert, of course, was ice cream (as it should be).

Bellies full, bags a little heavier, and hearts even fuller — we headed home to get some rest before tomorrow’s Acropolis adventure.

One day in, and we’re already in love.

[caitlynobrien04]

[caitlynobrien04]

The Takeoff Chapter ✈️🐾

June 6, 2025 – From Australia to Athens

After months of planning, dreaming, and day-counting, it was finally time. Equipped with our travel necklaces, travel kits and mountains of advice. Our Europe adventure had officially begun.

We said our sweet farewells to family — hugs, photos, last-minute reminders — and I cried more than I care to admit saying goodbye to my dogs. (Truly, I love you Mum and Dad… but the paws got me.)

Jada’s goddess of a Mum, Karen, kindly drove us to our airport hotel. There were a few classic Sydney detours and some “are we going the right way?” moments, but we made it — tired, giggling, and buzzing with excitement. After a quick dinner at the hotel restaurant and a chaotic Taylor Swift treadmill strut (naturally), we started preparing for the long-haul ahead.

Sienna and I, in peak chaotic form, decided to skip sleep altogether. With a 3am alarm for our 6am international flight, we kept each other awake with silly games and chaotic dancing, quietly losing it from exhaustion.

At the airport, the excitement properly kicked in. We passed through security with our passports (a first-time thrill), and right on cue, the airport shenanigans began. We found a bag of Tim Tams the size of my head (no exaggeration), and Jada and I unofficially adopted the roles of Mum and Dad of the group.

This was Abbey’s first flight ever — and it just so happened to be a 21-hour long-haul journey. Absolute legend. Despite a few waves of travel sickness for both Abbey and Sienna, we pushed through, stopped over in Dubai, and before we knew it, we were touching down in Greece.

After a quick shuttle ride and a bit of a trek with our suitcases, we arrived at our hotel in Piraeus — where we were welcomed by the kindest soul: Valadish, the hotel manager. Within minutes, he became one of our favourite people.

That evening, we walked down to the local cove for dinner. The warm air, the sound of the ocean, the realisation that we were actually on the other side of the world — it all hit in the best way.

Showers were had. Bags were dropped. Eyes closed. The best sleep of our lives.

Now it’s day one in Europe, and we are SO ready — for laughter, late nights, slow mornings, new memories, and the kind of moments you look back on forever.