A dream of mine since I was a little girl was to explore ancient Greece. The land where all my favorite mythologies were born. In September 2015 as a 30th birthday gift to myself, I embarked on my first solo trip abroad to both Greece and Turkey. I wish I was blogging back then while my trip was fresh on my mind and I remembered all the great restaurants I visited but, I wasn’t. When I go back, solo, I promise to share every detail.
In the meantime, below are the many destinations visited during my two solo weeks abroad. I feel so blessed that I was able to explore so many different parts of Greece and a bit of Turkey.
- Athens
- Nafplion
- Olympia
- Mycenae
- Delphi
- Mykonos
- Crete
- Santorini
- Patmos
- Kusadasi, Turkey
If you want to dive deep into the history of Greece here is a list of sites I visited on my trip. I am a history nerd and these stops did not disappoint.
- Acropolis – Athens
- Parthenon – Athens
- Plaka – Athens
- Temple of Zeus – Athens
- Theatre of Dionysus – Athens
- Panathenaic – Athens
- Acronafplion citadel – Nafplion
- Treasury of Atreus (believed to be the tomb of Agamemnon) – Mycenae
- Corinth Canal
- Delphi Archaeological Museum – Delphi
- Temple of Apollo – Delphi
- Athenian Treasury – Delphi
- Temple of Athena Pronaia – Delphi
- Archaeological Museum of Olympia – Olympia
- Temple of Hera – Olympia
- UNESCO World Heritage site – Stadium at Olympia – Olympia
- Windmills of Kato Mili – Mykonos
- Matogianni – Mykonos
- Paraportiani Orthodox Church – Mykonos
- Three Bells of Fira – Santorini
- Oia Village – Santorini
- Ephesus – Kusadasi
Besides touring famous landmarks, I was also able to immerse myself in the culture of those who live in these beautiful countries.
Turkey:
- Turkmen Art and Rug which is a weaving school where I learned how the silk used to make the famous Turkish Rugs is extracted from a silkworm, how manual and time consuming it is to weave a traditional Turkish rug (the scarf I purchased took 3 months) and discovered I cannot handle Raki (strong, anise-flavored spirit).
Greece:
- Visited a family owned Cretan vineyard and enjoyed a traditional Greek breakfast of feta, olives, cucumber, and tomato while watching the family dance amongst the tables.
One of the best things to come out of my solo trip to Greece and Turkey was some of the lifelong friendships I made along the way.
It’s been four years since my trip to Greece and I am getting the urge to make another visit. Even though I was able to see so much while I was there, it wasn’t even half of what that amazing place has to offer.
Until next time, happy exploring.
XoXo,
Sara