Greece: Athens and the Islands

BEST TRIP EVER. That is how I think I will always refer to these twelve days in Greece. It easily exceeded all of my expectations.

We flew from Stuttgart to Athens, where we met up with my parents, and then we all took a high speed ferry to the island of Paros, where we had rented a villa for the week. We usually rent apartments or homes when we travel and we have learned to expect that the photos of the properties are often much nicer than the properties themselves. Imagine my happiness and surprise when we arrived and the villa was just as nice, if not nicer, than depicted. Even better, it was in walking distance to the beach and a short car ride to the center of town.

We spent the mornings swimming and the afternoons exploring. We feasted daily on fresh fish, calamari, octopus, Greek salads and yogurt, and my favorite, spanikopita.

One day, my parents kept the boys and CM and I took a ferry over to Mykonos. What an extraordinary island. Paros is much more family friendly, while Mykonos is perfect for a couple or a group of friends looking to rage all day and all night. Definitely the party island. The landscape of Mykonos is unbelievably picturesque: the famous windmills, white stucco homes, crystal blue water. We spent the day pretending we were kid less, eating and drinking and soaking up the culture.

After spending a week on Paros, we checked out of the villa and headed back to Athens.
I have learned that having children means you stay at hotels that have pools. The Athens Marriott has a rooftop pool that overlooks the Acropolis. Quite a view.

Athens was hotter, dirtier, and not as beautiful as Paros but we had just as much fun. We walked to the top of the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon, and also toured the city, stopping to eat, shop and people watch.

I know that our travels will take us to many other places, all with wonderfully rich cultures. However, our nearly two weeks in Greece will be hard to top.  And until proven otherwise, this remains the BEST TRIP EVER.

Triberg

Triberg is a quaint little town in the heart of The Black Forest. It boasts that it has the largest waterfall in the country as well as being the birthplace of the cuckoo clock. The town itself is a little on the touristy side, with many places to buy your very own Black Forest cuckoo clock and handmade wooden music boxes but the waterfall and the many hiking trails surrounding the fall, makes this a great way to spend the day.

If you ever find yourself in Triberg, lunch or dinner at the Parkhotel Wehrle is not to be missed.  We were a little leery taking a three year old into this relatively high-end and famous restaurant known for its intelligent cuisine and presentation of its dishes, but G proved once again that he enjoys the finer things in life. We had a wonderful lunch that started with the first course pictured below. A kurbis (pumpkin soup) accompanied with a savory pumpkin sorbet. Beautiful and delish!

Zurich

Christopher and I continue to make our way down our list of desired travels. We were able to take a little two day childless get-away when my mother-in-law came over from the States for a couple of weeks. For this trip, we chose Zurich, Switzerland.

Zurich is gorgeous but very expensive. The tree-lined streets downtown are filled with amazing high end shops; name a designer and they have a shop in Zurich.  It sits along the Zurichsee (Lake Zurich) and the weekend we were there, the city was hosting a water sports fest. The waterfront was packed with spectators and the competition as well as the people watching were great!

As with all of our little trips, we had some great food, great wine and overall wonderful time just hanging out with each other. 

Show me your waffles..Spring Break in Belgium

We just returned from a wonderful week and a half in Amsterdam and Belgium. Having mentioned my husband is a planner in a previous post, this trip was no exception. He planned each day's activities: Keukenhof to see the tulips, Trappist breweries to taste and purchase their goods, Calais, FR where we could see the ' the white cliffs of Dover', and both a carriage ride and a boat ride through town. This isn't including the multiple walking tours of Brugge itself, where we rented our vacation house. It was wonderful. The beer, the food, the history, the chocolate, the beer..oh, did I already mention that?