I’ve been on vacation for the past couple of weeks with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandkids. We flew to Athens where we spent a couple of days before we boarded a cruise ship which took us to several Greek islands, Turkey, Croatia, and then we disembarked in Venice. It was an amazing trip and we took many, many pictures. As a result, I thought I would do what all people do when they return home from holidays, share my photos with you.

Now don’t groan, fall asleep or flip to the next post. I promise, I will not bore you with the 500 pictures of food that were taken in all its culinary glory, nor will I show you the 200 shots of us enjoying these gourmet events. I will also limit the number of pictures of landscapes, monuments and buildings of historical significance as I can’t remember why they were taken in the first place, their importance nor their location so, you are safe on that front. But I will flash before your eyes, a few events that I found interesting.

First of all, I was amazed at the number of motorcycles in Athens. However, when you think about it, it makes sense because the roads within the city are narrow and very busy. These drivers weave through traffic, butting in wherever and whenever they please, and it seems to be accepted behaviour by everyone. I swear, these guys don’t know if they are coming or going as they zip along. And forget about wearing helmets, as most of them don’t. I just had to take pictures of these characters to show that I had factual evidence regarding this transportation topic.

 

 

Now I knew Greece was hilly, etc. but come on, it was a workout for the fittest of the fit. There is only one walking direction, and that is up. But if you are lucky enough to find a downward route, put the brakes on your shoes, as in a way, going down is just as strenuous as the trip up. July and August are tourist times in Greece, so it came as no surprise to me that there would be big crowds at all the popular sites. However, the crowds, the endless steps and rough terrain, and the 40C heat put things over the top for me when it came to visiting the Acropolis. I kept up with everyone until we were almost at the top, and then I just quit. This old girl could go no further. I wish I had made it all the way up, but my picture below shows you how close I came to achieving this goal. Please note: Griffin is the kid in the red shirt at the very top. Oh, to be young!

 

 

It seems the people of Mykonos, a Greek island, are great cat lovers. There were so many of these animals roaming the streets, but they are very tame and well cared for. People put out food and water at their doorsteps and these felines come and go as they please. We stopped at a restaurant and two cats would not budge from the chairs they were sitting on, so naturally, I just moved to another seat.

 

 

Santorini, a Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, is one of the most famous islands in the world. Due to volcanic eruptions over centuries, which accounts for its rockiness, this island has formed and transformed over the ages. You can either walk up the steep hill as there are large steps all the way up and down (see the zigzag path in the picture) or you can take a three-minute cable car ride in order to arrive where the villages are located. Needless to say, we took the cable car. Many of the narrow streets can only accommodate walking single file.

 

 

You can’t have a holiday without taking pictures of people drinking, especially since we had a package on the ship which allowed us free booze. I did not try as many different drinks as Tammy and Dean, but I did have my share. On one of our private tours, the driver took us to his parent’s home/restaurant where he proudly introduced us to his family’s homemade alcoholic drinks, one being Grappa. I warned the kids.

“Don’t throw it down the hatch, you taste it in small sips,” I told them, but what does Mum know.

Well, Mun knows a lot with regards to this 35 – 60 percent alcohol content liquor, as I had the experience of tasting it years ago. I think they will remember their first encounter with grappa as well.

 

 

Traffic jams in Venice occur on water more than on land.

 

 

I took self-defence lessons so no one would be able to take my place in line at the buffet.

 

 

And finally, one of the highlights of my trip was visiting Venice and taking a gondola ride. Another item off my bucket list.

 

 

We came, we saw, and we were tired at the end of each day, but what a marvellous time we had.

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