An incredible Greece holiday comes to an end and though I’ve jumped right back in to work I can still see the blue skies, breathe in the fresh air and taste the fresh greens. (What has truly brought me back to reality is the oppressive Mumbai heat… I can no longer feel the cool breeze even though I close my eyes and try!)

Greece Holiday

What I do have for memories are a ton of beautiful pics that I can look at again and again. I loved sharing some of these in my Instagram stories while on vacation and enjoyed the responses I got from so many of you.  But there is only so much you can say in an Insta-story. So here today is all I have to say with some of my faves.

The Acropolis of Athens

Our first day, first stop was one of the most known monuments of Greece, the Acropolis.

Considering the time and detailing it takes us to design only the interior finishes of an apartment today, with all possible technological aids available, I was amazed at how these mammoth monuments must have been created so many thousand years ago.

How were engineering calculations done and design details made? How in the world did they then make the labour understand those and follow them? It’s a difficult task today even with all printouts of designs handed over to them.

And given that apartment interiors need an upgrade in 10-15 years, how are they still standing today? What I mostly felt here was awe and respect.

What was also awesome to me was vast expanses of nature with no human in sight. I don’t remember the last time I stood on top of a hill and saw no human being or dwelling for miles on end.

You could imagine that you were the only person on the planet.

And then the wonder of a bright red flower blooming in an otherwise brown, rocky and dusty landscape.

Olympia

Olympia was my favourite stop of our Greece holiday. I loved the cobbled streets and road side cafes under the huge, shady trees. This was also where I started my ‘Travel Tales’ on Instagram and had great fun with it!

This restaurant was so gorgeously beautiful. Even though we didn’t eat here, I couldn’t help but run in to get a whole lot of pretty pics.

Delphi

Delphi was another such pretty town. The drive to it was just as beautiful as walking down it’s narrow streets, and the beautiful day inspired another set of Insta-stories.

Though I always enjoy my share of veggies in any meal, I truly loved all the fresh salads we had with every meal here.

And this bridge got me thinking. Not only is it much smaller than our sea link, we also paid more than double the toll than we do in Mumbai to use it. Yet, though we barely blink at ours, the guide was so proudly giving us all the details of this one.

The drive though, was beautiful and their blue waters and skies are truly something to be proud of.

And then, of course, a little bit of history. Once I had learnt properly what ‘Ionic’ was, it was time to introduce ‘Iconic’ to the world! 🙂

Kalambaka & Meteora

After an evening of eating in street side cafes and posing with street side bikes,

We were ready to head over to the monasteries of Meteora. They, naturally, came with a whole lot of learnt lessons too.

Mykonos

This was the most awaited part of our Greece holiday. We looked forward to a couple of days of walking through the old town and chilling on the beach with no ‘site seeing’ whatsoever. The tantalizing blues…

… and whites welcomed us.

After spending a day on the beach, I learnt that though…

What I meant was…

A walk through Little Venice taught me that though Mykonos is mostly about blue…

… it celebrates all colours with equal enthusiasm.

More gloriously than most places!

We had to get a customary family photo here.. how could we let this photo op go!

And while we are at Little Venice, let me not forget the Veranda Bar. The cutest little restaurant with the quaintest interiors and the most spectacular view of the setting sun.

That they served delicious food and drink with a big smile on the face was an added bonus.

Crete

This was the last stop of our Greece holiday, before heading back to Athens and then home.

The Elafonisi beach with its blue skies, green water and pink sand (it’s actually pink!) was something else.

As was our lovely walk down to the light house…

… and through the old town in Chania.

Athens Again

We finally ended our trip in true fairy tale style in a restaurant called the Little Kook.

It is entirely inspired by Mary Poppins. The vintage wallpaper, pretty flowers, charming chandeliers and the waitresses gowns… right down to the music playing in the background…

… transport you into a magical world of make believe.

It was the most enchanting way to end a marvelous holiday!

Bye Bye Greece!

And while I did learn that Greece is full of colour, I found the blue and white most charming.

So bye bye to blue Greece!

I miss you already.

And though this is an ode to you in photos…

I hope I am able to use all that you have inspired in my work some day.

.

Until then,