Over spring break, my family and I spent around 10 days in Greece and Turkey. For this week’s blog post, I’m briefly recapping our adventures in Athens, Santorini, and Istanbul!
We left on Wednesday the 29th, flew eleven hours to Istanbul, and had a 6-hour layover there before flying to Athens and arriving fairly late in the afternoon. Our Airbnb had a balcony with a great view — you can see the Acropolis!
That night, we walked around twenty minutes to a restaurant our host recommended called Opos Palia, passing ruins, outdoor markets, and lots of stray cats. Highlights of the dinner included grilled octopus, pork sausage, and tzatziki; the food was incredible.
We only had 2 nights in Athens, so the next day, we packed in some sightseeing. After a few wrong turns, we managed to find our way to the Acropolis with the aid of Google Maps.
One of the reasons I was excited for the trip was that I’d actually learned about the famous sites, thanks to the AP Art History class I’d taken recently. When we visited the Acropolis, I got to see the architecture I’d studied brought to life, from the optical illusion of perfection created by slight bends in the columns and stylobate to the high-relief carvings of the Ergastines.. The Parthenon is set on a hill overlooking Athens, adding to its breathtaking grandeur.
On our way home, we walked through Anafiotika, a small scenic neighborhood in a historical area of Athens. It’s really peaceful, with tons of beautiful buildings. I was especially excited to see a lemon tree (pictured below).
The next day, we flew to Santorini on a tiny plane. I watched a girl in the row in front of me watch Instagram reels during the flight and worried that her lack of airplane mode would cause the plane to crash. Luckily, we all avoided death and the plane landed safely in Oia!
Santorini is an island in the Aegean Sea, with two major towns. Our Santorini Airbnb was my favorite of the ones we stayed in, a villa by the beach in a quieter part of the island.
We drove into Oia, one of the bigger towns in Santorini, to catch the tail end of a sunset that night. Oia hosts the white-and-blue painted facades often associated with the island, as well as a variety of dogs and cats napping in the sunlight.
The next day, we explored the island, driving from the top to the bottom. One of my favorite stops was Pyrgos, a village filled with picturesque buildings along winding streets and staircases.
Other stops: this cliff (?) unsure exactly where it was, but it was surrounded by endless blue sea, Perissa Beach, an idyllic black-sand beach, and a lighthouse on the southeastern coastline with another great view.
My dad and I ended the night by watching the sunset back in Oia, from a spot so famous for its great view that people line the streets and towers in the evenings to watch the sun set. It lives up to its reputation — the sunset was stunning.
On our last morning, we drove around again and saw a few more interesting spots. We spent the night in Rafina, a port town back on the mainland of Greece, then flew to Istanbul the next day.
My parents had originally planned on also visiting another city in Turkey, but ultimately decided against it, so we were left with five days to spend in Istanbul.
I spent a lot of time reading. Favorites from the trip included Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (unsparing, beautiful, hypnotic), Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney (cerebral, really good but not my favorite by her), and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rios (fittingly, a Shakespeare-infused mystery). I did say in my first blog post that I was reading the first two, but as the poem goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry — I did not actually read them until now.
I really liked Istanbul — super vibrant city, great food, tons of history and culture to explore. I think I might be running a little long on word count, so I’m recapping Istanbul montage-style:
Galata Tower, originally built as a watchtower and now a museum with a great view from the top. Unfortunately, in the lone tragic moment of the trip, I dropped my right airpod from the top, so catch me using wired headphones for a while.
Topkapi Palace, a really cool complex now serving as a museum with exhibitions of everything from Ottoman clothing to artisan-crafted clocks to Turkish coffee.
The Grand Bazaar, a buzzing market with stalls selling art, textiles, jewelry, food, and more.
A two-hour boat ride!
The Hagia Sophia, another one I learned about in art history class! Converted to a mosque in 1453, the interior is absolutely stunning. The dome was built with mosaics to reflect sunlight that flows in through windows, described as the “divine light of heaven.”
Turkish breakfast, complete with a cat that joined a girl sitting near us.
I ended the trip by pulling an all-nighter so I could sleep through the flight and attempt to beat jet lag. Overall fantastic experience.
Hey Ivy! Let me start by saying that I love the pictures you took! I spent my break in Naperville, which wasn’t nearly as fun, but for a moment, your photos made me feel as if I was also in Istanbul and Athens. Your use of angles really added to your pictures. I liked how you pointed up at the staircase because it led my eye to what was at the top, and the Bird’s-eye view of Oia was beautiful. I loved the little touch of the lemon tree in Athens. It almost felt like a painting.
Everything seems serene, from the grand architecture to the animals that come and go (the dog looked like it was having a great time taking that nap). I can never take photos on vacation without people entering the frame, so you’re more talented at this than I am. Overall, your vacation looked so peaceful, except for when your airpod fell (though, I suppose someone passing by must have appreciated the gift). I also like that you shared what you read. I’m always more motivated to read when traveling because of the spare time I have waiting at the airport and staying in hotels. I’ve actually been meaning to get to Giovanni’s room so maybe this will get me to finally read it.
Hi Ivy.
I watched you spend more time on this blog last Thursday night than I usually spend on three or four. I guess it paid off since this is also more well written than any of mine.
Looking at all the pictures you included, I can almost forget how miserable a week straight with only my parents was. I really almost want to go back. Since you included a photo of that one restaurant (I cannot remember the name at all), I feel obligated to say thank you for the recommendations. Both of the places you suggested in Athens were highlights of my trip, and I fell in love with the possibility of good chicken breast again–well marinated meat is truly unmatched.
And though I spent my entire week in Athens, I was able to live vicariously through your blog. Santorini looks incredible (even though you complained about the food). And if Turkey wasn’t on my bucket list of destinations to hit before, it for sure is now. I enjoyed seeing the Parthenon in real life after being forced to memorize different bits about the pediments last year in Art History immensely, so I think I’d feel the same way about the Hagia Sophia.
Thanks for sharing.
Hey Ivy,
I really love reading your blogs about how you spend your school breaks. The pictures featured in this post are by far the best! I was really excited when I heard you were going to Turkey because it is honestly one of my favorite places in the world (isn’t the food delicious!).
Although I have never visited Greece before, I felt as though I went there with you through this blog. I appreciate how you thoroughly research where you are going and know the features of each stop. One of my favorite pictures from your blog has to be the one featuring Parker, have not seen the legend in a while. Other than the brother feature, the fun pictures of the cats and dogs you posted intrigued me as well. Until I got a slew of cat pictures from Kathryn I didn’t know stray cats and dogs were common in Greece (fun facts to know!).
Overall, the pictures you took during your trip are beautiful and maybe we could go visit Turkey together sometime. Definitely, my favorite region to see is Cappadocia – especially at 5 am on a hot air balloon – guess I will have to take you some time.