nancyandsimonshoneymoon

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon Trip to Greece. Day 1 - Heraklion, Crete

We looked around the old port fortress called The “Castello a Mare” which was built by the Republic of Venice in the early 16th century. It’s very close to our hotel - handy.

Had a little walk around the centre of town where there was a lovely old church called the Church of Saint Titus.

Stopped off at a fantastic restaurant called Peskesi that specialises in traditional Cretan food. They have a farm outside the city and we ate manarolia (a “forgotten” legume), chips with tomato - best I’ve ever had, a greek salad and sage smoked pork. We ordered way too much and are currently eating the leftovers on our hotel balcony.

After lunch we looked around the huge Heraklion Archaeological Museum and now all I want to do is paint pots.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon Trip to Greece. Day 2 - Heraklion, Crete

Today we caught the local bus and headed off to explore Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete. It’s also been called Europe’s oldest city - cool. Apparently a minotaur lived in a labyrinth there once.

Ate at a really good cafe for lunch aptly named Minotavros. We had a Greek salad, deep fried sardines and spinach pies. I think we’ll be eating a Greek salad at every restaurant this holiday.

Went for a little walk while the other tourists baked in the sun waiting for the bus back to the city. Found a tiny church, stole some figs. The ground was incredibly arid but we found orange trees, grape vines, courgettes and lots of olive trees - I was very tempted to steal more fresh produce.

We’re now packing ready to board our ferry to Santorini tomorrow morning. We’re gonna have dinner in the same place we had lunch yesterday as the food was so good there.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon Trip to Greece. Day 3 - Emporio, Santorini

We boarded our ferry from Crete early in the morning and headed to Santorini. Our guidebook described the volcanic island as looking like “a layer cake, topped with pastel coloured icing” but we think it looks like a large poo rearing out of the sea. The crush of tourists and stress of leaving the ferry left us with a feeling of dread and regret.

Luckily the small medieval village of Emporio where we are staying is magical and very very beautiful. We’re staying right next to the castle which has an amazing tower. I wandered around and took many photos of Emporio’s winding streets. We ate lunch at the local bar which served a couple of very good and simple Greek dishes. There are basically no other tourists staying in Emporio, it’s like a little private haven away from everyone else on the poo island.

We headed out for a swim at around half four but the local buses are slightly unreliable. When we finally got there we discovered that the beaches of Santorini aren’t as idyllic as we imagined but it was nice to have a swim all the same. The sand was black which was pretty cool.

That evening we headed to the local supermarket and picked up some supplies to make a basic dinner consisting of white beans with tomato, greek salad (as always), a greek version of salami, grilled peppers, plums and some greek chocolate biscuits. I later discovered that the biscuits had a racist illustration on the front which ruined the taste a bit. The rest of our dinner was delicious though. Whilst we ate we watched “The Storyteller - Greek Myths”.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon trip to Greece. Day 4, Oia & Thira, Santorini

As of yet we weren’t convinced by Santorini so I dared Oia and Fira to prove us wrong.

We hopped on a bus and headed to Oia first - spoiler, it’s not for us, as predicted. It’s definitely a good holiday spot for some, but it’s not really right for me and Simon. I missed our pretty little village of Emporio (which feels a lot more “real” and Greek). Got a few nice snaps of the pastel coloured buildings and had a good explore though. The bookshop called Atlantis Books is totally great and made the visit worthwhile; definitely head there while you’re on the island.

We found a really good place for lunch that was off the beaten track - stay off the main streets as much as you can in Oia to avoid the naff tourist shops and restaurants. Like I said, there are some nice places in Oia but the heaving tourists kinda ruin it all.

We then headed to the capital of the island - Fira. This town suited us much better as we could tell that actual real people lived there. Oia was like a bad version of Disneyland Greece but Fira felt legit.

We accidentally went to the most expensive cafe in the whole of Greece for a drink, my juice cost €10. Oops. Despite that we enjoyed our early evening walk around Fira and found the vibe and design of the town so much more appealing than Oia. Great views of the sea and you avoid looking at the barren island (literally nothing grows here except for some rosemary bushes) as Fira is nestled in a bit of a bay.

To end the day on a high we had an absolutely delicious meal at Mylos. We opted for the 8 course tasting menu with local wine parings which was marvellous. What are honeymoons good for if not a little outlandish eating?

Santorini - you’re weird and we don’t understand you but thousands of people visit you so we’re clearly in the minority.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon trip to Greece. Day 5, Sifnos

We arrived into the main port on Sifnos. its very small and clean, there’s a beach about 400m away backed by traditional tavernas that look out to sea. There are pine trees and cedars and their scent permeates the air. It’s already perfect.

A short drive through the slightly mountainous valley to Apollonia (the capital) to our little house. It’s a converted dovecot in a small olive grove, around a 20 second walk from the town. We’ve made two cat friends and the dark one follows us around everywhere. After unpacking we then explored Apollonia which is just the right sort of quiet and the right sort of pretty.

That evening we fancy trying out the local Italian restaurant. As it’s named “Mamma Mia” we assume it will be a cringey, cheerful Italian place but it’s actually very stylish and upmarket. It’s run by real Italians and there are a few tables with Italian families all drinking San Pellegrino, so for a moment I forget we’re in Greece.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon trip to Greece. Day 6, Sifnos

We enjoyed a very lazy morning after a well deserved lie in (all this island hopping and ferrying really takes it out of you). We drank our coffee and played with the cats on the terrace before heading off to the beach.

Vathi beach was recommended to us and so we headed there for a swim and an afternoon drinking and eating. When we stepped off the bus and walked down the short boardwalk we noticed that the sea came right up to the edge of all the tavernas lining the shore. It was such a tranquil beach and so lovely to have the sea right next to you. After a swim and a read we headed over to the prettiest spot for lunch. You’re forced to take off your shoes and walk in the sea to reach your table of choice, so we sat with wet sandy toes whilst we dug into our anchovies and salad.

We decided to get some really good take-away souvlaki for dinner and we came home to watch The Mummy (I also fed the kittens my chips).

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon trip to Greece. Day 7, Sifnos

Yesterday we walked from our dovecote to Narlis Farm to join a traditional cooking lesson run by a lovely couple. Their home was gorgeous and full of old fashioned cooking equipment like a mill stone, clay pots, and a wood oven.

We were welcomed with a delicious breakfast, but our favourites were the warm goat’s milk with honey and home grown sage tea. It’s worth mentioning that George grows everything on his farm WITHOUT ANY WATER which leaves his produce with the most intense flavour.

We got down to the cooking and learned how to make various Sifnean dishes like chickpea stew cooked for 24 hours (the best thing on the table), mastelo - lamb washed and cooked in wine for 7 hours, herby chickpea fritters, smoked aubergine salad, greek salad, fava beans (a bit like hummus) which is served everywhere on Sifnos - it’s topped with capers and it’s amazing, and lastly honey pie. All the ingredients were grown and processed on the farm, including the cold pressed olive oil. We also learned how to make our own vinegar which was so interesting.

In the afternoon we walked from from Apollonia (where we’re staying), the capital of Sifnos, up through a few villages until we reached Artemonas which was so beautiful. There were some incredible mansions up there, they had real Manderley vibes. By the time we got to the top we were very hot and tired but it was worth it to gaze out at the sea surrounded by beautiful white houses. There was a little church at the very top so we rested there for a while.

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

[nancyandsimonshoneymoon]

Honeymoon trip to Greece. Day 8, Sifnos

We decided to explore a little more of the island yesterday so we headed to Chrisopigi Monastery - a breathtaking church surrounded by water. We had a look around and enjoyed some swimming and rock bathing. I love swimming off rocks.

We then walked the short distance to Apokofto beach which has soft golden sands and a lot of Tamarisk trees which line all the beaches on Sifnos. We found a few cuttlefish skeletons and figured out which stones make the sand so incredibly glittery. We had lunch by the sea in an 75% good taverna (the squid and the price were disappointing). We then discovered a much better taverna down the beach, oh well.

We enjoy the prettily paved cliff side walk to get to Faros and its two beaches, that’s where the bus leaves back to Apollonia. These high walks over the sea remind me of Northern Spain.

That evening we head back up to Artemonas to see if Theodṓrou’s Sweet Shop is open. We fear it’s shut for the winter season but, third time’s the charm! An ancient Greek woman greets us and we take a little look around her charming shop that’s been trading since 1933. They make all the sweets over a wood stove in copper pots. We buy some bergamot and almond sugar pastes shaped into pyramids. They’re quite refreshing despite all the sugar. She lets me take lots of photos of the shop which looks a little bit like she lives there!

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