Fira, Santorini (or Thira)

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So I didn’t realize but the island of Santorini is actually called Thira, but the main capital town is called Fira. I just thought they were the same thing lol.

We had a fantastic final breakfast – and the local cats enjoyed the leftovers lol.

We said good bye to our beautiful hotel and headed to Fira.

We had rented an airbnb there (a villa looking over the Caldera) but it wasn’t ready yet. We had a guy take our luggage to it though to store it. Yikes. I was very grateful. lol.

We wandered the alleys and paths and window shopped and then stopped for lunch. (We found this cute outdoor theatre that we meant to go back to one evening but we forgot – plus it actually got super chilly at night!)

We met the owner of the villa after lunch at an easy landmark – good think bcs we never would have found the door way to lead us to our villa.

While not super fancy compared to some places – it was super nice – with a gorgeous terrace up top and a hot tub – and then another jacuzzi inside! I am a bath person – so I loved having both indoor and outdoor to choose from (and she had tons of candles everywhere that you can light – so we bought a lighter – but I can’t help but think it is a fire hazard lol – but I loved lighting the candles at night!)

We spend the rest of the day lounging on the roof top (sounds so indulgent – and it was, lol) , watched another beautiful sunset, and then headed out to stroll some more before going to an Italian restaurant just outside the main areas.

I always say that if you want to be guaranteed a great meal in Europe it’s a sure bet to go Italian. However, when you live in Toronto – one of the most diverse cities in the world – where you can get every kind of food – it’s hard to be wowed. The place we went to was very good – I loved my Cacio and Pepe but Rob chhose Carbonara (it’s very big in Greece) and it was mediocre… but overall it was a good change from Greek (which had been really hit and miss – living in Greektown in Toronto – it is hard to beat!!)

I dont think I took any pictures of the actual dinner – or how cute our place looked at night with candles – but trust me, it was all good. Santorini is just a beautiful place – we were both happy to have come back to it with each other!

    Hiking from Oia to Fira

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    For Rob’s 40th birthday, we went to Italy and walked the “Walk of the Gods” in the Amalfi coast – and it was stunning!

    We heard great things about the walk between Oia and Fira and decided to try it out. We heard that it is nicer and easier to do it the opposite way (bcs you get the views of Oia as you walk, and it is more downhill ) but the trail started right at our hotel so we just went…

    But first, we started our day with an amazing breakfast overlooking Oia on our own little alcove balcony.

    We then headed out on the stunning hike:

    I have to admit it was a bit tiring! But really gorgeous!

    The stray dogs seemed to like me, lol:

    We found a super cute restaurant on the outskirts of Fira – and had a delicious brunch (even though we already had breakfast lol!)

    We wandered around in Fira a bit and then caught a taxi to head back to Oia as we had massages booked!

    Who ever thought we would have an outdoor massage overlooking the stunning view of Santorini!?

    We then spent the rest of the day hanging by the pool – relaxing and reading.

    We headed out to dinner to a super cute restaurant that had awesome views – but the food was meh.

    Another beautiful day!

    Heading to Santorini

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    Unfortunately the ferry from Crete to Santorini was not working this time of year – so even though the islands are so close, we had to fly to Athens and then catch a flight to Santorini. A bit inconvenient, but we were not going to miss out on Santorini!

    Both Rob and I had been before and loved it so we were happy to return and experience it together.

    Together is always better:)

    We arrived and went straight to our hotel – Ikies – that was right on the outskirts of Oia – a picturesque town right on the tip of the island.

    Even though we had a smaller room – our little “balcony” was stunning and we had the perfect spot to watch the incredible sunsets overlooking Oia.

    We headed into the town that was about a 10 minute walk. A 10 minute gorgeous walk I should say! I am glad we were on the outskirts!

    We walked around and then saw the clouds roll in so took cover in one of the amazing restaurants overlooking the famous Caldera.

    It was a really delicious lunch and once we finished eating, the sun was out again. Impeccable timing.

    We continued exploring and then headed back to our hotel where we lounged around and then watched the INCREDIBLE sunset. I don’t think we could stop taking pictures!

    We headed back into Oia for dinner and found a cute Italian place for some pizza and pasta. Italian food in Europe is always so yummy!

    It was a great first day in Oia!

    To my 21 year old self…

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    28 years ago I first stepped onto the beautiful island of Santorini.

    I always knew I’d be back.

    I just had no idea what the 28 years in between would look like.

    I’ve been thinking about what I would tell my young 21 year old self…

    It’s not going to go as planned. Some things will fall into place. Some things will then fall out of place. Some things will never find a place. But don’t worry – trust the process. It is all better than you could ever have planned.

    Life will be hard. Life will be beautiful. Embrace it all. There will be laughter and tears. Setbacks and growth. Sorrow and excitement. It will all shape who you become. You will get through.

    You won’t regret your education. Build a solid career. You won’t regret travel. Make it a priority. You won’t regret taking chances on different business ventures. Take risks. You won’t regret investing in yourself. Keep learning. Keep growing. Teach. Be brave, ambitious and determined. Develop independence. Speak your mind. Don’t settle. You deserve to love and fully be loved. Be kind. Oh so kind – especially to yourself. It will take a while but work on developing self compassion. You don’t need to be perfect. You won’t please everyone. Some people won’t like you. They are simply crazy 😂(and you will learn you can’t fight crazy – so let them be!) Take care of all of you – body, heart, mind and soul. Have your own back. And heart.

    And you will find love ❤️. It just won’t happen as you expect it. But it will be worth the wild, scary, lonely, beautiful fairy tale ride to find it. Hang in there. It continues to get better too.

    Being a mother will be a beautiful, frustrating, rewarding, heartbreaking, sacred, hilarious adventure. You will learn to love as you never have. Oh, and you’ll embrace being a step mom too (woah that would have thrown 21year old Leah for a loop). The family you create will be such a gift. You will find the greatest joy here ❤️ You won’t regret any of the sacrifices you make – or how your family is your biggest priority… but at times it will be so very hard 🥺. Oh and get a cat and a dog – eventually. They will become part of your family too.

    Invest in all your relationships – yourself, partner, family, friends, colleagues, clients, neighbours – even strangers who you’ll eventually meet “online” (don’t worry – you’ll learn what that means!) Surround yourself with those who challenge you to be the best you. Strengthen your faith – you will rely on it at times, and it will give you a foundation to stand on and become an anchor to you. Seek light. Seek wisdom. Seek understanding.

    Finally, be in no rush. There is a season for it all. The days truly are long but the years are very short. Before you know it you’ll be back. So Savour. Document. Express gratitude. Have fun. Let your heart take pictures often. Look for thin places. Create thin moments (you’ll learn what those mean too 😉). Search for tender mercies – they will be everywhere.

    You got this.

    What would you tell your 21 year old self?

    Sisi, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, chillin by the pool and Rethymnon

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    We woke up to some more rain and decided we would chase the sun:)

    We knew we wanted to head out to the east to do some exploring so off we went.

    We first hit a cute little fishing town called Sisi. It was still pretty rainy, so we grabbed some hot chocolate.

    We continued on to and visited Agios Nikolaos. It was also a beautiful town with a lovely marina.

    We then decided to hit the cute town of Elounda. It was a gorgeous drive to get there too.

    We had a nice little lunch right across from the harbour.

    We also hit a cute little place on the water for dessert.

    It ended up being an awesome day – we avoided the rain and saw some great towns. At night, we did our usual relaxing:)

    The next day we wanted to just relax by the pool – so that is exactly what we did! It has been a while since we have really vacationed (we went away in August to set Zach up at BYU and had a couple of down days surrounded by lots to do so, this was our first true vacation in a while and we both felt the need to recharge!)

    The weather was iffy – a mix of lots of sun and then sprinkles of showers! But I managed to get a book read and a bit of napping in the sunshine!

    For our last night, we decided to head into the closest town Rethymnon – about a 20 min drive from us.

    We found a cute place on the waterfront and had dinner.

    And that ended our week in Crete!

    We really could have stayed here for several weeks. Between just being zonked and wanting to just recharge, and there being so many things to do (we didn’t even hit half of what we wanted to do and see) we feel like we just scratched the surface of what Crete has to offer! There are so many little towns, more beaches and of course historical sites that we missed – we will have to come back! We envy people living in Europe (most people here are from Europe – I don’t think we’ve see any North Americans!) where it is literally a super cheap direct flight away! Our dream is to live in Europe and when we do – we will be back!

    On to Santorini tomorrow! The last time I was in Santorini – I was 22 years old (Rob has been too in his mid twenties. Neither of us had been to Crete or Myknonos – but Santorini is a repeat – on purpose as it was so stunning – and we are certainly planning on doing it differently than we did in those younger years:))

    Falassarna Beach, Crete

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    It was not the nicest day where we were and we wanted a bit more beach so we headed back to the west where some of the nicest beaches are said to be.

    We drove through the mountains again in search of ocean and sun!

    We found it, set up camp , no sooner to see dark clouds roll in.

    We decided it was the perfect time to go have lunch and found a cute restaurant overlooking the beach. We made it just in time for the torrential downpour to hit! I didn’t get any pictures though (we are totally chilling on this vacation and are keeping our phones more in our pockets which mean more limited pictures. It’s ok though – our hearts take the best pictures anyway)

    After a yummy simple lunch of calamari, salad and tziki, the sun came back out and we headed back to the beach.

    We napped, read and walked on the beach. Just so nice to relax!

    It was a beautiful drive home again – winding through the mountains with stunning views:

    We stopped to purchase some local honey:

    We picked up some baklava too – which was delicious. After we arrived back to our hotel we relaxed on the balcony with some chamomile tea with honey:) Another relaxing day!

    Chania, Crete

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    We spent the morning lounging by the pool – but it was super windy and then got super stormy. We made it just in time to the restaurant to grab lunch while it completely downpoured…

    But then it cleared up and we headed to Chania.

    Chania is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – and it did not disappoint!

    It has a waterfront that is know to be like Venice – and it truly was.

    There was a really cute lighthouse too (I love lighthouses!)

    We walked along the harbour, sat by the sea, and explored the cute streets:

    Always working, lol.

    We had a mediocre dinner but had fabulous views:

    We found a great place for dessert:

    And then enjoyed the sunset and how the city started lighting up

    What a beautiful city!!

    Elafonisi Beach, Crete

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    After a day at the pool, we decided we needed to head to the beach.

    Elafonisi Beach is supposed to be one of the top beaches in the world!

    And it did not disappoint.

    The drive was pretty nice too (of course I fell asleep for parts:) We drove through some beautiful twisty roads, over mountains and saw lots of places we thought would make a great stop for dinner on the way home!

    But first – the spectacular beach!

    We spent a beautiful day lounging and then headed back through the mountains.

    We found a great place for dinner!

    It was a great meal and we were zonked by the time we got back – so just chilled and relaxed….

    Heading to Greece

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    It has been a while – like everyone else in the world – that we have travelled. We were hesitant to go at first given all the restrictions – but we decided that Greece was calling our names.

    We decided to forgo big cities and booked Crete, Santorini and Mykonos. We both have been to Santorini before (me 27 years ago!! and Rob about 24/25) but figured we could do it better together!

    While at the airport, we bumped into a friend I had met in my Mommy’s group when Zach was 6 weeks old! Now our kids are all in University! Crazy!

    We grabbed dinner at the airport and enjoyed some chill time before our flight!

    We had a connecting flight through London and then arrived in sunny Crete.

    After a mix up with our rental car (BTW some places will only rent if you have an international drivers license!)

    We checked into our hotel -Rimondi Grand Resort and Spa – surrounded by olive trees – had a nice dinner, headed to bed and then spent the next day lounging around the pool.

    We sat on the terrace and ended our night looking at the crescent moon.

    Great first day in Greece!

    And number 4 is off – at least for now…

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    And just like that we are down to one at home. And he splits his time between two house – so does that mean we are down to 0.5?

    Josh decided to defer his university acceptance and take a gap year. After being in school online during Covid for 1. 5 years, I had no objections. Starting university online (or hybrid) was not so dreamy.

    He decided with a couple of buddies that they wanted to travel Europe. But with Covid, it complicated things a bit. Europe likely could not happen in the fall – but hopefully winter/spring.

    So the fall is work time.

    After trying to figure out working here and living at home, Josh decided that he’d have more fun and potentially make more money heading out west to Jasper Alberta and work at the Fairmont. He has a good buddy there who started a month ago and is really enjoying it. So Josh applied, got the job and here we are. Saying goodbye to Reggie….

    They have become good pals. Well, they always have been good pals, but in the past year when we have headed out of town, Josh has taken care of Reggie so there is a special bond.

    They said their good byes and we headed off to the airport:

    Of course, it is totally normal for your kids to grow up and head out on their own. That is what you want for them. To create a life for themselves – to be independent and have their own adventures.

    But I have to say, it is truly bittersweet.

    Hard not to get all nostalgic of those days when they would beg to have a sleepover on our basement floor – staying up way too late (except Josh who would always just roll over and go to sleep).

    So many pros and cons to getting older. I love the relationships we are developing with each one but I miss the cuddles and tuckins at bed time. I know I will also miss the walks I could convince this guy to do with me. We have had some nice on one time in the past couple of years that I am going to miss. It is going to be awfully quiet around here!

    Here is the send off:

    Bon Voyage! Oh the places you’ll go…..