Planes, Trains and Orthotics: A Middle-Age Woman's Guide to Travel

We spent the last day of our Grecian vacation in beautiful Delphi at the ruins and Temple of Apollo. It is amazing what the Greeks built more than 1000 years before the birth of Christ. We then had a delicious lunch at a local taverna in a lovely little mountain town called Arachova, where we ate wild boar, a specialty in this part of Greece and lamb, which seems to be a specialty everywhere in Greece.  As I reflect on what we have all described  as a “trip of a lifetime,” below are a few things one should to do before coming to this beautiful country: 1. Travel with a nurse. I was clearly off my medical “mo-jo” because except for a bottle of Aleve, I brought no medicines with me on this trip. I usually bring some cold tablets, but this time, I didn’t bring a thing. This was a problem, because in the last few days, I came down with a terrible cold. Thank God for Judy!  Besides handling my falling mishap, she appeared to have a “Hermione Granger” type bag filled with medic...

We spent our last day on a Greek island on the beach of Andiparos,  that is surrounded by  blue-green water and has little huts to protect our aging skin.  We had our farewell dinner in Nousa  with our incredible guide, Doris, who was nothing short of a miracle worker for every aspect of the trip.  No stone was left unturned.   When we returned to our beautiful  “wellness” hotel that night, we learned that in order to set the appropriate amount of ambience, adequate outdoor lighting was frowned upon. Doris had just dropped us off at the hotel and we were on our own til morning when she would return and shepherd us off to our next adventure.  As we were walking back to our bungalow, I missed a step and came crashing down hard on my right knee (the one of course, that needed significant physical therapy earlier in the year) and on the left side of my face. While we later learned that the cut was quite small, there was a fair amount of blood. I wasn’...

 Our last day in Santorini was lovely. In the morning, we went on a long hike on the cliffs of the island which, in light of the heat and our already exhausted calves, had a bit too much elevation. We were rewarded-like every day so far- with an incredible lunch.  Consistently, the food, while simple, is so fresh and delicious. Zorba’s, our go-to Greek take-out place at home is sadly a thing of the past.  I have been collecting recipes like crazy to recreate some of the things we have eaten.   We then spent the afternoon on a catamaran circling and swimming in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea surrounding the island. The day ended with another view of Santorini’s sunset— as beautiful as the night before.  It’s impossible to believe that this show happens every night.  As perfect as the day was, there was a hiccup before boarding the catamaran. Due to the pretty significant island winds, my Elizabeth Bennett hat, which I was beginning to realize looked ridic...

 We spent our last day in beautiful Crete hiking through the island’s second largest gorge. There, along with a huge number of robust German hikers, we shared the path with about 100 sheep, a dozen goats and a shepherd who shared with us his just-picked walnuts. Other than the Germans, our experience could have taken place 500 years ago.  The evening was memorable as we spent it with a family on their farm, who still makes their olive oil the way in which their ancestors made it a century before. There, along with their two children and a varied assortment of relatives and friends, we learned how to make “dako,” the Greek version of bruschetta and of course, olive oil. We ate outside, along with the whole family, a delicious meal, where everything, including the lamb, either came from their farm or that of their neighbors. We all agreed that it was a night we would never forget.  It was a late night and we knew that we had to leave our hotel at 6:15 AM in order to drive t...

 We arrived yesterday in the beautiful city of Chania, Crete, along with our wonderful guide, Doris. To be honest, prior to the planning of this trip, the only thing I knew about the island, other than it was a part of Greece, was that the guys who used to run my office’s parking lot were from this island, and the older man’s wife, also from Crete, made very good baklava.  To be honest, except for some good desserts, I really wasn’t expecting much. Boy, was I wrong!  The island is a treasure trove of history dating back to the. Minoans, who inhabited this land thousands of years before Christ.  Their history, like lasagna, is built on layer after layer of invaders, including the Venetians, the Ottomans and the Arabs from Spain.  Plus, the place is so damn pretty with narrow little streets, beautiful flowers and of course, the sea.   We are staying in a charming boutique hotel that was once the home of a Venetian sea captain in the 1830s. Our porter walked u...

 Our first days in Athens, Greece have been nothing short of remarkable. Beautiful weather, incredible history, great food—who can ask for more? Well…  The Greeks we’ve met have been so warm and friendly but even the friendliest Athenian may find us Americans a little odd. Take for example, our first dinner in Athens. We went to a lovely family-run restaurant called Cafe Avissinia that had a rooftop restaurant allowing its patrons to watch the moon rise over the Acropolis. Needless to say, the view was magnificent and we felt lucky to witness this daily event at least once in our lives. We had a lovely dinner, including a bottle of wine, which for my husband, when combined with jet lag and his incredibly low tolerance for liquor, something is bound to happen. And it did.   When the meal ended and the bottle was empty, the waiter asked us if we wanted coffee and dessert.  Dessert is never a problem, but we struggle with the coffee order.  First, I am to the point...

 While we planned this vacation to be a hiking trip, in the first 1 1/2 days we have definitely used our mouths more than our feet.  Sure, we’ve walked a lot, but boy have we eaten a lot too.  I am trying to make myself feel better by saying,“The Greeks follow a Mediterranean diet and that is heart-healthy! While that is true,  the volume of food we have consumed in the last 36 hours can only be described as problematic.  This is particularly true since we have another 12 days to go before leaving Greece and upon our return to the States, we will be attending a wedding in which the gown I am wearing was already a bit snug before leaving. If I keep this up, there will not be enough Spanx in the world to solve my attire dilemma! Today, we walked around the city but the highlight was a six hour food tour.  (I am sure that the reason for my gown anxiety is becoming more apparent)  We love such tours because it often introduces the participants to both diff...

 This trip has been a long time coming.  The planning took place in late 2019 with a scheduled departure date of April 2020.  Bob and I along with our friends, hoped to spend our time soaking up the gorgeous Grecian sun, hiking and experience first-hand the beautiful traditions of a Greek Orthodox Easter. I remember a conversation the four of us had in late February 2020, in which we all reassured each other that things should be fine by April, and how bad could this COVID virus get?  Needless to say, we spent Easter, Orthodox or otherwise, in lockdown. We attempted to schedule the trip in the fall of 2021, but the numbers spiked and we stayed home…again. It seems like third time’s a charm.   Our trip preparation was somewhat typical, including replenishing travel-size toiletries, buying new socks, packing our suitcases and for three of the four of us, going to the doctors’ office for cortisone shots.  It’s tough when our minds think we can do one thing and...