There's nothing more exciting than a spontaneous weekend getaway, especially when it's in Greece. Thoroughly planned, long-anticipated trips are nice, but there's something thrilling to me about picking a spot on a map, booking a flight and packing your bags without thinking twice. Visiting Greece has been on my travel bucket-list for some time now and it was just too easy to pass up since I'm living so close, in Israel, for the summer.
Greek cuisine has been one of my favorites, but actually being there brought it to a whole new level. It's a mediterranean cuisine with a wide use of olive oils, lemon juice, vegetables, herbs and fish with a big emphasis on olives, cheese, eggplant, zucchini and yogurt.
We arrived into Athens in the evening and walked towards the city square. We were suddenly drawn to a restaurant by its live traditional band, with customers crowded around them, mid-meal, dancing and singing to the music. We sat down and I immediately ordered my first real Greek salad. To say the feta cheese was life-changing would be an understatement.
The next morning we had it all planned out (hence the word planned) to take the 2 hour direct ferry straight to Mykonos. Long story short, we missed that ferry, had less than ten minutes to get to a different port to take another ferry...which was 7 hours long. Of course the boat was taking off as we finally arrived, but we screamed for them to stop and wait for us (yeah, we were those Americans) and hopped on. All the chaos was worth it because Mykonos was one of the most stunning places I've ever been to.
In the Vencia Boutique Hotel you will find Karavaki Restaurant, which sits above the Mykonos town and has a stunning panoramic view of the Aegean sea. This restaurant is perfect for a dinner during sunset and it was one of the highlights of our weekend.
We were recommended to go to a local traditional restaurant, Nikos Gallop. It is a family run establishment where they offer some of the best seafood and homemade dishes Mykonos has to offer. We sat in a boat attached to the side of the restaurant which was a great touch.
