Having never been to Greece before, I decided to visit for a week as my quintessential graduation (Euro) trip. Aside from the famed sunsets and whitewashed houses of the Cyclades (namely Santorini), I was most excited about trying authentic Greek cuisine. We spent a few days in the city of Athens as well as the Greek islands of Santorini and Milos, and experienced a wide variety of grilled meats, fresh salads, seafood, and Greek wine. Despite the not-so-great weather for a few days on our trip (unfortunately during the exact time we were in Santorini), we dined "al fresco" almost everywhere we went, while also enjoying a few morning breakfasts on either a rooftop or personal balcony looking out onto breathtaking views. Overall, an amazing trip that I will never forget!
Athens
I loved our time in Athens, though most of it was spent at large tourist attractions or restaurants (no complaints there). Despite being the capital and the largest city in Greece, it holds quite a leisurely pace compared to NYC or Philly and I enjoyed our afternoon coffee breaks out in the sun, surrounded by both fellow tourists and locals.
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| View from our hotel's rooftop restaurant, where we dined our first night in Athens and Greece |
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| All tomato-based dishes the first night, the rooster with orzo (bottom right) was slightly sweet with lots of flavor |
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| Exploring the culture-rich capital of Athens! |
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| Visited this rustic restaurant for dinner on our first full day in Athens - much cheaper than the more tourist-geared hotel restaurant from the night before. The meatballs (top right) had a strong herb flavor and the mushrooms (bottom left) were simmered in the most amazing sauce. |
Santorini
Santorini was beautiful, as expected, though it was extremely windy and a bit rainy the entire duration of our stay =\ We visited both Fira, the capital, and Oia, the infamous sunset location, on our trip, but unfortunately could not see the sunset on either day, due to the weather. However, the food was great and the views, if not perfect, were still pretty awe-inspiring.
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| Looking out towards the volcano from the balcony of our suite in Santorini |
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Dinner at the hotel on our first night in Santorini!
Top right: Grilled calamari with roasted potato and arugula; Bottom right: Lamb rack with potatoes and puree
Left (top to bottom): amuse bouche, tagliatelle with salmon and roe, chocolate souffle |
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| Room service breakfast served on our balcony the next morning - loved the freshly squeezed orange juice and greek yogurt with fruit/honey |
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| View of Fira at sunset |
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| Pork, chicken, and sausage wrapped in pitas and fries... might have ordered a bit too much for only two people |
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| The iconic churches of Oia |
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| Last dinner in Santorini with a plethora of fresh seafood and rich pastas, paired perfectly with a Greek white wine |
Milos
Although we only spent one night in Milos, it was arguably one of the highlights of our trip. The weather was perfect during our visit, which allowed us to soak in the afternoon sun, stroll along the clear blue waters, and relax on the sandy beaches. The people were also extremely warm and welcoming, while the island itself is quieter and has less of a touristy vibe.
Dinner that night consisted of extremely fresh seafood and a very unique type of Greek wine, called Retsina. It is a Greek white wine variety that is actually flavored with pine resin, which our server told us was originally used as a way to preserve the wine, as the pine pitch would seal the containers and prevent the wine from oxidizing/spoiling. The result is a slightly pungent and very acquired taste, though by the end of our bottle, we had learned to appreciate the earthy fragrance of the wine's aftertaste.
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| A gorgeous day by the docks of Milos :) |
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Left: Our lovely bottle of Retsina, complete with pine leaves at the bottom of the bottle
Right (top to bottom): Fresh sea urchin, so fresh that it was accompanied only by two slices of lemon; grilled mussels with olive oil |
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| One of the best seafood pastas I've had - the mussels/clams were so meaty and flavorful, the pasta was cooked perfectly in olive oil and broth. We also had the veal scallop which was super tender and paired with Greek fries (which I have decided I prefer over the American variety), and a chocolate cake which looked like a brownie and tasted like heaven. |
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| The most beautiful sunset of the entire trip, experienced from our personal balcony in Milos |
Next: Our visit to the Michelin-starred Funky Gourmet on our last night in Athens!
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