Clapp Radical Sabbatical

After the sweltering heat of Athens we were excited to get away to the islands so we hopped on a flight to Crete and landed in Chania. Our Airbnb was in the historic center of Chania, which is incredibly charming with new houses built right into ancient ruins and bougainvilleas draping over restaurants and sidewalks.

We only had two nights in Chania so we spent the first day exploring the historic town, harbor, and old wall. The next day we walked to the beach and rented two lounge chairs and an umbrella for 5 Euro! We spent the day relaxing and swimming in the clear warm water. In the evening we watched the sunset from the harbor and had a romantic dinner on the harbor.

The next day we took the bus from Chania to Herkalion. Herkalion is much larger and not as charming – it’s a large port city. However it did have a historic Venetian port (it was formerly owned by the Venetians) and the old fort was a fun place to walk around at sunset.

The following morning we left early on a ferry to Santorini. We decided to splurge a little on our hotel to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. After arriving we indulged in the hotel amenities including the indoor pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. I even got a massage and it was wonderful!

The next day we did a dive in the caldera (created thousands of years ago by the volcano that was Santorini). Although our dive skills are a little rusty we still really enjoyed it and the fish were incredibly friendly – coming right up to our masks!

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In the evening we drove over to Oia, the most picturesque area of Santorini, though it is a little commercial. All the buildings are white except for the blue domes of the churches and Drew had a blast taking TONS of photos! We even got to see the donkeys come up for the evening and the sun setting over the castle ruins.

To make the evening even more enjoyable and romantic Andrew made reservations at a wonderful restaurant with a fantastic view! We also got to sit in these sweet chairs!

On our last day in Santorini we went and found the Three Bells of Thira (a photo Drew HAD to have) and then we went to Santo Winery. They grow the grapes on the ground like ice plant but we did a 12 taste wine flight and all but 3 were pretty darn good!

The next day we hopped aboard another ferry and headed to Mykonos. Our Airbnb was located near the New Port but high up on the hill and it had a great view!

In the afternoon we took a bus to the Old Port and explored the super cute town. Drew got some awesome photos of the town, old windmills, and the sun setting. We stayed out pretty late but with all the people out eating dinner and walking around you would have thought it was a lot earlier! I guess that’s why Mykonos is known as a party island.

On a tangent, Greece is known for having a lot of cats. Drew managed to get some good photos of these cats that he wanted to share.

Our final island day we again spent at the beach enjoying the sun and water. Drew tweaked his neck so he got a massage and we just took it easy and prepared to leave Europe for our next adventure!