well i just had my first full nights sleep since returning from Greece. If anything else, this was the worst JW and I both had dealing with jet-lag both during the trip and afterwards. we're not sure if this is because we're older or what, but it was definitely a chore, waking up, plowing through the day, getting a full nights sleep without waking up 20 times in the middle of the night. I feel like there was something we did wrong, i just can't put my finger on it.
so how was Greece during the pandemic?
there was a definite unease about going all the way up to and including arriving in country. we watched the news of Greek government plan their opening to Americans and dealt with various hotels canceling our reservations because they didn't have anyone else booked but us. We had to wonder about masks and covid tests and getting that vaccine in March, which was essential for us to feel safe while traveling around a country that was seeing spikes in cases in the weeks leading up to our arrival. The various checking of our covid tests in the airports, leaving kansas city, arriving in DC, leaving DC, arriving in Germany, twice in Germandy and leaving Germany, and then arriving in Athens and leaving Athens and arriving on Crete. The one place we had very little drama with the whole thing was Greece itself, in fact, arriving from Germany, there was a chokehold spot in the airport with security simply glancing at our covid test cards and waving us through. Germany was definitely the place we saw the most scrutiny, and Greece was the place we saw the least.
Once we got in Greece, we saw a lot of masks. and i mean to put america to shame lots of masks. we also so a lot of the mask over the mouth nose exposed wearing of the masks. many times we'd walk into a building and nobody would be wearing a mask and see us and put them on. outdoors in cities there were a lot of people wearing masks walking down the street and few people not wearing them at all. At no point were we afraid of our saftey, but it was easy to see why numbers in Greece were spiking, especially our first night in Chania, because it was a Saturday night, all the outdoor spaces were packed with Greeks eating and drinking out, sitting in close proximity to each other, and only the waitstaff wearing masks. I get it, we know outdoor transmission is rare, but it seemed like once the government opened up the bars and restaurants to outdoor dining, the country went apeshit over it. the other thing i thought was when we went to smaller towns the masking wearing would be less, and that was not the case at all. People in Sougia, the very remote village on the coast of Crete wore their masks as frequently as those in Athens.
So the other point about the pandemic, a selfish one for sure, was the number of places that haddened opened yet, either waiting for June, or in many cases, opening the week after we were there. We get it, we arrived on the first day, May 15, that the government allowed travel into the country, and we knew we'd be some of the first people to arrive. In many cases, we were one of a handful of people staying in our hotel, and eating out, some of the few people sitting at restaurants. In Sougia we were told by the hotel that all of the places to eat were open, which was not the case as our favorite place was still closed, but there were still 5-6 places open, and we got to try a new place, that was excellent. and because it was one of the few places open, everyone in town was eating there. We also tend to go to the places where the locals eat, and since locals have to eat every day, alot of those places had people there every night. The other problem we found was a supply issue of various foods we like to eat. When we were on Syros, we were told they simply did not have a lot of things on the menu. This parrelled the limited menus in america that we've been dealing with the last year, but we thought maybe this was a little extreme in some cases. Why would they have vegetables and such on Crete and not have them on Syros, an island that is open year round? No clue.
We drove a lot of tiny roads, the driving trips were excellent and frightening, and adventurous, esepcially for instance the tiny road from Palechora to Sougia, and the coastal/mountain road between Navplion and Monemvasia. We had a blast, driving around the Greek countryside is one of our huge guilty pleasures. This was easily one of the least site-seeing trips we've had to Greece, and one of the most hiking and driving trips. There was a lot of hiking, and our friend George in Chania's day trip to hike Akrotiri and see the sites and the caves was one of those experiences of a lifetime, that most people will never get to have. The Irini Gorge was gorgeous and only briefly marred by my accidental getting a huge splinter in my hand, which i still havn't gotten removed yet, and is a source of constant worry on my part. I didn't mention it before, but I'm going to try to get it taken care of today.
The best parts of the trip of course are the people that we met, the conversations with locals and the honest dialogue we had with them about their life, learning how to pronounce words, reconnecting with old friends and creating new ones. the people of greece are it's biggest asset, they are hard working, loving people who will give you the shirt off their back to help you out and make a couple of stupid american tourists feel like part of their family. Eva at the Aster in Naxos was especially friendly and enlightening about her family and life on the island. George on Chania will be our dear friend for all of time as well as Nick at the Porto Veneziano who gave us a monster bottle of his homemade Raki for pennies on the dollar and we can't wait to crack that thing open. Evan at Mavros Gatos in Navplion was a reunion of friends that was way to short. Everyone we met was wonderful and had a positive attitude about the upcoming tourist season, and we wish each and every one of them the best.
What will happen in 2023, we do not yet know, it will be our 6th trip, our 20th wedding anniversary and we hope to renew our wedding vows while there, somewhere special, we're still thinking about that. Also the talks to retire to Greece are alive and well, and we had some incitful conversations with George about where to live in and around Chania on Crete. 10 years is really not that far away, and we think today at least, that the goal is not only achieveable, but nearly certain that it will happen.
Thanks for reading our adventures, and see you soon.
❤️
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