Megalochori, Santorini

My apologies for the lack of update here, I have been busy taking care of my baby (yes, I had a baby this year) that I completely ignored this blog. I wish I had more time to update but babies require a lot of attention and care :) 

I'm hoping to slowly ease into a new normal where I can also update here from time to time. 

2019 was a no travel year for me. I had plans to take the baby with me to travel after 6 months but I cancelled it because I was not mentally prepared to have anxiety in another country. Just thinking about the travel logistics made me want to stay home. So, I did. 

Let's see how brave I get next year. I really hope to take her somewhere. Well, it's really more for me than her at this point. I'm craving to get out of Toronto. 

I still have more stories and photos from my past travels that I never posted like this one from Santorini. We rented a car for one day to drive around Santorini. Our first stop was the Megalochori village. It's a very quiet village as compared to Fira and Oia. They do have a handful of shops and taverna's. 

We went here very early and it felt like it was just us walking around the whole village. We did see some shops that were open for business. One place in particular was the shoemaker. We watched him make shoes and had a chat with him about the island. I ended up buying sandals from him. 

The blue and white everywhere never gets old. I loved exploring this empty village. No photo bombers ;)

We found a "cave" to explore.

It's basically someone's basement in this case. 

It was cold and dark inside. Felt like I was inside a cellar.

It was a welcome relief after sweating outside. No need for air conditioner in the summer. Just stay here and you can keep cool during a very hot day.

The main plaza in the village where they have restaurants.

I loved exploring this peaceful village. I felt like I stepped back in time where people still grow their own produce and live in their own clock.

I wish you all a great New Year filled with love, happiness, and good health! Happy 2020!!

Santorini Part 2

I lost all my presets on Photoshop so my photos are all unedited but I don't really mind because Santorini is beautiful without adding touch up's. 

I loved getting lost in Oia for a few hours. You can browse through the endless nooks and take hundreds of photos. Eat if you want to. 

And also shop. My bf husband bought me earrings to remember our trip here. You can find really high end stores but there are also inexpensive shops. 

And we also found windmills!

There is no shortage of activities. Or you can just sit back and relax.

The perfect spot to relax.

Soak in and enjoy the island life in Greece!

One of the most Instagramable spot in Oia.

Oia, Santorini

We are in a thick of winter here now in Toronto. Winter is really here because it's been feeling like -20 degrees and more this past weekend. I can't complain because we've been having a mild winter so far. I don't mind the snow and cold at the moment. As long as you dress properly then you won't be cold. Of course, don't stay outdoors for too long so you don't turn into icicles. 

Since, I'm not going on vacation anytime soon. I am reminiscing my trip from Greece. Most especially from Santorini because it was beautiful there.
We took the ferry one way to get to Santorini.

We booked our ferry tickets in advance with Blue Star Ferries and reserved seats on the boat. We woke up very early to get to Piraeus port to pick up our tickets and board the boat.
It was a good idea to reserve seats otherwise you have to find seats outside the deck or inside but it was all full.

Our seats were comfortable and air conditioned. I slept part of the journey since it was about an 8 hour trip. I don't mind the slow way of getting to Santorini. We got to look at some the islands and just traveling by water was relaxing for me. We docked at Paros and Naxos to let people in and out of the boat.

Inside the boat, you can purchase food and drinks inside the boat or you can bring your own.

We stayed in Fira to be close to a lot of attractions. And we found cheaper hotels there than Oia. But you can easily take a day trip to Oia.

The bus to get to Oia can be very crowded and there are no set times for it so you have to be very patient. Otherwise, you can rent a moped/car to get there. Just be careful driving, the roads can sometimes be rough. 

Here it is! Oia! It is absolutely breathtaking!

My pictures do not give Oia justice. It's a really romantic and beautiful place. Every nook and cranny is instagramable ;)

It can be very crowded at times especially when you get the cruise/tour bus crowd but you will find pockets of peace and quiet if you walk outside the main area.

Blue and white combo is the best!

It's fun to get "lost" in Oia. You never know what you will find in each corner.

Seeing bushes of bougainvillea in front of the buildings and houses made me so happy.

We took a break from the heat in this little corner of paradise. A very cute cafe where we enjoyed drinks while overlooking the view of the ocean.

Hadrian's Arch and Temple of Olympian Zeus

Happy New Year! Is it really 2019 already?!? Last year went by quickly for me.  A lot of major life changes happened like getting married!! It's been a hectic time for me so this blog took a back seat. I have a lot of back log of post from Greece, Philippines, and Japan.  

Travel has been limited for me last year.  It will always be my passion but it will be lesser priority for now. 

Greece feels like a million years away. I'm trying to recall my memories from this trip. I just remember it being really hot. I had to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated when I was outside sightseeing.

I went to Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus late afternoon to avoid the sun. This was before sunset. It was not crowded and I had a lot of time to walk around.
Compared to The Acropolis which was very crowded. I enjoyed this more because I could absorb the site and take pictures without bumping into anyone.
I am amazed on how preserved the columns are after all these years. And I hope it continues this way.

I am hoping to keep the blog going and post a little bit more since I didn't do it for a couple of months.

I want to know your travel plans for this year! And what exciting things/experiences are you looking forward to?

Comment below :)