Tag: mighty life list

Paragliding is Not for Me

As part of my Mighty Life List campaign with Intel, I thought I’d go parasailing. I figured I could do it in Puerto Rico or Greece, but it wasn’t available, so Bryan did a little research near home. We’d mostly missed the parasailing season, but we could go paragliding instead, he said. It’s really similar, he said. Sure! We booked it. Then, I did a little research.

birds

Y’all. Paragliding is nothing like parasailing. They are so dissimilar, in fact, that the description on the parasailing Wikipedia page actually reads, “Parasailing is primarily a fun ride, not to be confused with paragliding [which is terrifying and will kill you dead.]” I teased out the subtext for you on that last bit.

fan

The paragliding we booked involves strapping yourself to an instructor who’s attached to what can only be described as a large fan. Then you run along the beach and lift off alarmingly high in the air. It’s like flying a helicopter without an actual helicopter around you, or skydiving without an airplane, or building a pair of wings from feather and wax and jumping off the roof of your apartment.

anxious

Nonetheless, we flew to LA to meet the paragliding guy on the beach. Between kayaking and zip-lining (which we’ll discuss in more detail soon), my adrenal system was rather taxed. My body wasn’t used to all this fight-or-flight action — the most my pulse usually quickens is when there’s a new episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” on the TiVo — so I was kind of a mess.

mess

It was too foggy to take off from the beach, so we had to wait around while I pondered the intricacies of Fast Descents and In-Flight Wing Deflation with my head between my knees.

A pinhole of light came through the fog, so we helped our instructor tow his equipment out onto the beach, where we waited for a few more hours. Four stomach churning hours, while sorority girls made human pyramids in the sand next to us, and I looked around for a paper bag into which I could breathe.

pyramid

When the weather refused to cooperate, our instructor decided we’d just have to go up on the nearby hills and jump from there instead. I lifted my head from between my knees and threw Bryan a panic-stricken look. “Uh,” I said. “Um.”

hanksleeping

Jumping off a cliff strapped to a fan was so very far from my original goal of being swept up like a kite over the water that I could no longer squint and see the comparison. Jumping off a cliff was not on my effing list. My throat began to ache.

We walked over to the cars to prepare for our drive. “From where will we be jumping, exactly?” I asked. “The hills up there,” the instructor said.

mountain

The taste of tin filled my mouth. I blinked back tears.

“No,” I said.

“You’ll like it,” the instructor said.

“No,” I said.

“I’ve done it from there many more times than from the beach. Thousands of times.”

“No,” I said. “I have no desire to do this.”

And so we drove to the hotel, where I wept with relief and disappointment at my failure to strap on a pair.

The next day I met Eden for breakfast. Later Rebecca, and I headed out for an enormous bowl of sweet potato fries.

fries

And several glasses of wine.

rebecca

And after that I felt much better.

The end.

Intel is making my site more interesting by sponsoring my Mighty Life List. I’m learning my limits as we go along.

1,000 Lovely Things, No. 3 Broad Summit Invitations

A few months ago at SxSW, I was sitting around a lunch table with Laura, Helen Jane, and Aubrey talking about doing a project together.

All of us like entertaining and planning events, and since “plan a retreat” is on my life list, we settled on a weekend away for a small group of Internet girlfriends. We reserved boon hotel + spa, a tiny place near the cabin, decided to call it the Broad Summit as a joke, and started in on planning.

broadclosed

I’ve been so inspired by all of Jordan’s amazing invitation ideas, and her philosophy of invitations as little gifts that get people excited about the festivities.

I’ve also always wanted to make an invitation in a wooden box, and because the retreat is in wine country, we wanted the invites to look like mini wine crates. Helen Jane works with a lot of wineries, so she called in a favor from Delgadillo Cellars who makes these custom adorables. Helen Jane pulled together a logo, and they silkscreened it on the lid.

broadopen

When you have grand invitation ideas, it’s helpful to have a graphic designer as a partner. Helen Jane and I spent a weekend figuring out the wine labels (which are an enlarged version of the flag logo printed on trimmed Avery labels), and the included “map.”

broadmap

We originally thought we’d put champagne glasses in with the wine splits, but settled on silly straws (from Target) because we loved the mental image of everyone sipping straight from the bottles. Because the hotel is in the Russian River Wine Country, the blue straws inspired us to make maps with a tongue-in-cheek legend that hints at our plans for the weekend.

We attached a little bit of bakers’ twine to the top of the map, so you can pull it out to reveal invitation details on a second sheet behind the map.

I’m so happy with the outcome, and I love the idea of friends all over the country celebrating early with mini bottles of bubbly. Cheers!

Food Fight Footage

Margaret Stewart recorded the entire fight, including a mini-interview with me beforehand.

Tarps made matters scary slippery, so after some initial bailing, we all began to move like cream-covered zombies. Because slow and careful food fights make for good fun but sleepy viewing, may I suggest you forward to 4:35 when I finally realized that Margaret had been avoiding the mess by using her technology as a shield. Take that, Stewart.

You know Intel sponsored this, right? Yeah, I thought so.

Mighty Life List: Participate in a Giant Food Fight? Check.

fightbefore

Rockstar before.

fightmeandmargaret

Rockstar after.

fightme

See how one little food fight makes everything seem so much more fun?

fightryan

It was incredible — in an “everything I ever hoped it would” be kind of way.

fightbrody

It was also undoubtedly the most family-oriented whipped cream fight on record. Update: This is not Hank! This is Brody, my friend Bonita’s son. Hank was there, but he wanted very little to do with the festivities, as he does not like to get food on him. You may recall the ice cream incident.

fightmeghulerin

(Nate Bolt took this, and it’s my favorite photo of the day.)

fightmeg

The rest of the photos are over here.

fightlori

Someone did manage to lose a wedding ring in the fray (and I can’t believe that only happened to one person). All of us pitched in to search for it without any luck, but the ring was found the next day! I still can’t really believe it. Lori wrote a post about it.

fightgroup

I’ll upload some video later today, and will soon post a how-to for putting together your own food fight, which you should do. Today.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to fight. Special thanks to the Mighty Girl readers who gamely faced the unknown with tubs of Cool Whip in tow.

As you can see, Intel is making my site more interesting by sponsoring my Mighty Life List. If it weren’t for this campaign, it would have been years (and years and years) before I got off my bum to plan this. Hooray for deadlines!

Sunrise Over the Aegean? Let’s discuss that.

greeceflag

The Objective

As many of you know, we went to Greece to watch the sun rise over the Aegean. So when we landed, we started asking locals where to go:

-Do you know a good place to watch the sun rise over the water?
-Sunset?
-No, sunrise.
-You mean watch the sun at night?
-No, watch the sun in the morning.
-I don’t understand.
– Do you know where we should go to see the sun come up over the water?
-No. Here is for the sunset. Everyone come. Sunset is beautiful.
-I know, but we need to see the sunrise too.
-Why? Why you want to do that?

That last question was repeated with such confusion from so many sources, that I began to wonder myself. Why the sunrise, exactly? No reason really. It sounded cool, so I put it on the life list, and then later, I started to take the list very, very seriously. So we asked again.

Sunrise? People laughed. Sunrise? They shook their heads with confusion, even irritation.

The Obstacles

Sunset was the big event.

sunsetbig

In fact, watching people gather in the evenings was one of the loveliest parts of the trip.

sunsetlittle

Sunset in Greece was social, celebratory, and… not what I was there to do.

sunset

I know some of you are already thinking, “So watch the sun set already, who cares?” And that is a very sane thought indeed. But I’m just not wired that way. With sanity, I mean.

And so the conundrum deepened. In addition to the cultural mismatch of our task, geography was also against us. The maps we consulted indicated that Santorini, where we spent the bulk of our trip, is actually located in the Sea of Crete.

santorini-archipelago-map

Ahem. I haven’t spent a lot of time with maps, perhaps because I have been busy making lists of geographically implausible and culturally insignificant tasks to complete.

After much consideration, we decided to watch the sun rise in Mykonos as a celebration of our last full night together in Greece. We’d stuff our faces with gyros, dance until dawn, and pass around a bottle of terrible Greek champagne as the sun came up.

champagnegr

Perfect!

Then our ferry to Mykonos was canceled, so our last night there would be our only night there. Also, the only way to watch the sun rise over the water was to drive to the other side of the island. We arrived exhausted, ate dinner, stared at each other blankly. No one felt the least bit like dancing.

The Abject Failure

New plan. We’d wake at 4 a.m. (sigh), and go on a little drive. All of us feigned enthusiasm. “Yeah!” we said. “This will be amazing,” we said. Our eyes watered with stifled yawns.

We rented a car. Aubrey hopped in to drive it to our hotel for the night, and a few minutes later the car started to cough and jerk. The engine finally stopped on a very steep road. People were honking and careening around us. We sat for a moment and whimpered with fatigue. In sandals and a mild stupor, Laura and I got out to push the car into a nearby parking lot.

“Ready?” I asked Laura.
“Yep.”
“OK, Aubs. Let the break out.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that is perhaps the stupidest phrase I have ever uttered.

Aubrey complied, and of course the car barreled backward. Our traction-free sandals skidded over the asphalt as the car shoved us down the hill. “STOP!” Laura and I screamed. “STOP! STAAAHHHHP!” Aubrey complied.

To shorten a rather long and traumatic story, we managed to restart the car, got it off the road, and stared at each other stunned for a few minutes. Then Aubrey and I shook violently while Laura walked to the rental place.

She returned on the back of a moped, and her escort did not believe any of us knew how to drive a stick. We bristled, because it wasn’t true, but also because saying that to an American woman is like telling her you think she’s untalented in bed. After many condescending glances, and an interminable inspection, he agreed the car was broken. Aubrey left with him and came back with a new car. At last! We were almost to our hotel when the gas light clicked on.

Yes, so. We returned to discuss our situation with the rental company owners, whose English skills seemed curiously diminished. They didn’t see the problem. OK. Did they have an alternate car? Or rather an alternate, alternate car? One with fuel? No, they did not. If we wanted gas we would have to get it ourselves. No gas would be more than enough gas for whatever we wanted to do. The island is small!

I looked at Laura and Aubrey. All of us drew our brows together and tried to make our brains work. Perhaps fatigue was affecting our comprehension.

We piled back in, the light popped on again, and we drove in circles searching for the gas station our proprietor had indicated with a vague sweep of her chin. Eventually a police officer asked what we were doing, as our frantic ambling had begun to affect traffic. He informed us that all the gas stations were closed by now. We wept softly, and returned to the rental office.

I requested a refund, and the owner’s English skills dissipated entirely. I dare say she was a bit aggressive toward me. And wouldn’t you know, I was feeling rather aggressive myself. I set my jaw and repeated myself through my teeth. She shrugged and went back to what she was doing when we arrived — sitting with friends in a circle of lawn chairs out front, passing a newspaper back and forth. I stood in the office with lava flowing out my ears.

After a few minutes of this, the American in me got very Ugly indeed. “ANGRY,” I said, in all capital letters. “MONEY,” I said, holding out my hand. This technique proved effective. Apparently she spoke Hulk.

By this time, not only were the gas stations closed, so were all the other rental car companies. There was a lot of silence among our little crew.

Aubrey put her hand on my back.
“What do you want to do?” Laura asked.
“I want to have a glass of wine,” I said. “Several times.”

So we did.

The Aftermath

These are some fakey photos Laura Mayes took. It’s us not watching the sun rise over the Agean.

fakesunrise2

fakesunrise1

They amuse me, and I hope they will lend you some hollow comfort if you’re a fellow perfectionist. Even after everything that happened, I still feel like a celestial hand is going to reach down and write a red F at the top of this post.

But the truth is, when Intel offered to sponsor this trip, I didn’t go to see the sun rise. I just wanted to see Greece.

grboat

My Mighty Life List is full of things I want to do because I think I’ll enjoy them, and on this trip I realized that I can’t tackle it like a to-do list. Things don’t always turn out how you expect, and I have to start seeing my list as set of guidelines. It’s a living document, and it’s there to help me make a richer life for myself — rigidity is exactly the wrong approach. It can make you feel you’ve failed while you’re drinking a glass of wine with girlfriends and watching the sunset in Greece. And feeling like a failure in that situation? It kind of makes you a dick.

The Moral

Especially when I’m traveling, I have a better time if I stop trying to control things. It’s so much more fun to let everything unfold, take the experiences that cross my path and tuck them away. So I’ve decided to put aside the stress over the one thing I didn’t do, and to focus on the things I did do.

acropolis

I climbed the stairs to the Acropolis.

pelican

I saw an enormous pelican in Mykonos.

newfriends

I tried my first Ouzo with new friends.

melaura

meaubs

I made the kind of friendships you only make when you travel together.

yogurt

I tried Greek yogurt in its natural habitat.

roofdance

I danced on a rooftop in Oia.

And I also changed my list.

Have an exceptional time in Greece?

greecetime

Check.

This epiphany brought to you courtesy of the team at Intel. They’re sponsoring my Mighty Life List as part of their Sponsors of Tomorrow Campaign. Because of them, I’ve learned a lot in the last few months, and I’m grateful for their support.

Do You Like to Throw Things at People?

Hello. You know how I have “participate in a giant food fight” on my life list? Well, let’s do that on Saturday. Shall we?

If you will be near San Francisco between 3-4 p.m., and you should be, I’m gathering a few people for a Cool Whip fight. You should come, because you are fun. I can feel it! Also? When is this going to happen again, right? I know.

Please send me a note (maggie at mightygirl dotcom) with “rsvp” in the subject header, and I’ll send you details. When you arrive, I will say hello, and throw something at you. I have always wanted to do that.

I’m doing this because Intel is sponsoring my Mighty Life List over the next few months, and this is on it. They’re the reason I got my act together to actually organize it. Thanks for the motivation, Intel.

Packing Light: Greece Edition

If you’ve been reading long, you already know the drill from my packing posts about New York and Puerto Rico. I don’t like to check luggage if I can help it, so I try to fit everything in a carry-on and my laptop bag. This is what I packed for two weeks in Greece. It’s eight outfits total, and my plan was to wear everything twice, but on different islands.

redflowers

This is my favorite vintage dress. It’s cotton and it has pockets, purrrr. Great for visiting churches when I’m traveling, because it covers the shoulders and knees, but it’s cool and easy to move in. I can also plop down on the ground without worrying I’m flashing everyone, so it’s good for traveling with the toddler too. The shoes are my navy saltwater sandals.

redflowersit

Because it’s cotton, this dress wrinkles in the suitcase, so Bryan taught me a trick from his acting days. Head into your hotel bathroom with the dress on a hanger, turn the shower on hot, wet a washcloth, wring it slightly, and then pat the dress down. The little wrinkles will fall out with the steam, and the wet washcloth takes care of the big ones. I just put the dress on damp and let it dry on me, but you can also let it dry overnight.

The glasses are a drugstore purchase from years ago, the headband is an elastic 99-center from H&M. So useful, that I actually gave Melissa one when we were in Puerto Rico, because she lamented having lost the ones she picked up in San Francisco. You need one too. More on that later.

blackdress

This is a simple black, drop-waist dress that I got for $7 at a thrift store when I was in college. On the plane, I wore this with a pair of black leggings, my trusty slip-off gold flats (see Puerto Rico post if you’re curious about those), a pale blue cardigan, and my swimsuit wrap worn as a scarf (the wrap also doubled as a blanket). Again, I’ve failed you in photographing my travel outfit. Don’t think I can’t hear you cursing me from here.

blackdressclose

I think the dress is rayon, but it reacts to water like crepe — either way, it doesn’t really wrinkle. I bought the hat for 10 Euros in Santorini, because I didn’t pack a sunhat. Which was dumb. Be ye not so dumb, my traveling friends.

The purse is from Buenos Aires, the necklace is my favorite, a gift from Bryan purchased at Rare Device. I can’t believe I’m blanking on the artist’s name. One of you knows, I’ll bet. Let me know in comments, and I’ll update.

shortsfull

These are the same shorts I took to Puerto Rico, they’re Rocawear. The shirt is a men’s undershirt, Hanes I think.

shortsscarf

The brooch is a long vintage silk scarf that I made into a flower shape and pinned to my shirt with safety pins. Because I am crafty.

redfull

Oh man this dress is so good. Also vintage, and unfortunately polyester — the yucky kind. I got past it though, and it’s great for traveling.

redwrist

Bryan brought back the bracelet from a work trip to China. All my cool jewelry is from Bryan.

redskirt

The gladiator sandals were my main shoes for this trip. They’re surprisingly comfy, though buckled a little loose in this photo. They’re from Delia’s, which is a teen catalog that’s great for accessories and trendy stuff that you only need to last for a year or so.

romp

Speaking of trendy stuff that doesn’t need to last, here’s a $15 romper I bought for the trip from Urban Outfitters (Be careful, that site now has music! Ugh).

rompjump

I told you a while ago that I like to pack jammies that can double as outfits, and these were supposed to be my jammies. I ended up wearing them almost more than anything else, the knit was crazy comfortable. Action wear!

rompear

The giant earrings are from a shop in Kentucky. They’re lightweight.

headband

Back to that headband. I keep it in my purse when I travel because my hair invariably starts to look scraggly with wind and swimming, or I get too hot to wear it down. With this, I can pull it into a ponytail and use the band to clean up the stray frizz caused by humidity. It’s easy to do without a mirror, and the result is casual, but a little more polished.

greecefull

This dress is by 25singles. The sleeves are constructed so I can push them to the front and back and wear a cardigan without any added bulk on my shoulders. Great for the city.

greecejump

Greece is all about jumping for me, apparently. Anyway, you can see here how the sleeves only attach at the top, so you can arrange the folds for more tummy or bum coverage, as you desire. Genius.

greeceneck

The necklace is actually two necklaces from H&M, which I knotted together.

tankfull

Here are those shorts again. The tank is by H&M, and is much fuller than it appears in this photo. I actually decided it was a little unflattering on this trip, and probably won’t be wearing it again. Such are the perils of seeing yourself in photos.

The shoes were a blog rec by Elizabeth from Browner Brown. They’re $17 Saniya Pointed Toe Flats from Target, and they’re rubber soled. They didn’t give me problems on this trip, but have since given me pinky toe blisters. Great with tights though, and I love the color.

tankscarf

The scarf is the same one I used as a brooch above. This time I looped it twice around my head, tied it on top, and tucked the loose ends under for an updated Rosie the Riveter vibe.

treefull

This is another vintage find. That green band has crazy giraffes and other jungle animals in play, which is spectacular. Super comfy.

treebelt

The fish-scale belt is elasticized, I got it at a thrift store. The waist on this dress is a little high for me, so I like to define it a bit.

treetop

Sunglasses were on loan from Laura, as an Englishman had accidentally absconded with mine the night before, thinking they were his girlfriend’s.

suitwrapfront

This is my swim wrap, which I bought in Bali on my honeymoon. It’s essentially a large rectangle of linen with a random button and a random tie. I have to figure out how to wear the damn thing every time I put it on, but it’s great to travel with because I can also use it as a scarf or a blanket on the plane. It’s by Oka Diputra.

suitwrapback

The back gives you a little insight into how it’s fashioned. Button at the neck, tie at the waist. Supposedly you can wear it like fifteen different ways, but I have no idea how.

suit

Here’s my new La Blanca suit! I’m excited because I almost never buy new swimsuits. I may just be turning over a new leaf on that though. (Sorry this is a little blown out, my camera was on the wrong setting.) I got it on sale at Nordstrom.com. I like that it’s a sexy one piece, but I don’t feel like my boobs are hanging out. Also? Red! Which is the very best color for a swimsuit.

And that’s it! Here’s a shot of my suitcase.

suitcase

I had so much extra room, that I decided to throw in my rollers, which was ludicrous. I used them twice and they made my bag heavy, which is a Packing Light fail.

You can also sort of see that I packed two things that didn’t get much play, a yellow turban purchased in Puerto Rico, and a white men’s button down to wear as a coverup (I wore it for sleeping instead). The red and white striped thing is an adorable $10 beach bag from Walmart, which I used a couple times as a shopping bag, and to carry home Hank’s gifts without crushing them. I also had a pair of black flip-flops, which got a ton of use.

Regrets? Well, the stupid curlers. Come on, Maggie. Also, I should have worn a sunhat on the plane. It took a while to find a reasonable one, and I don’t totally love it. Also, in retrospect, I would have thrown in three or four more evening dresses. We tended to wear casual clothes during the day, and dress things up at night. It would have been good to have a few more in the vein of my 25singles dress.

Also, I would have stuffed my busy husband and my cranky toddler in, because as fun as it is to travel with girlfriends, I missed those guys.

I was in Greece because Intel is sponsoring my Mighty Life List. Next week, I’m going skin diving in the Arctic Circle! Stay tuned.

Tips for Your Trip to Greece

Before I left for Greece, you guys sent in amazing advice, so I thought I’d return the favor. These places were the highlights of our trip.

Athens

Palia

Palia Taverna tou Psara
This was our first meal in Greece, and we returned for our last night as well. Overall, the Plaka neighborhood is touristy, but this place is tucked away from the gelato-wielding mobs. Our travel book called it the best fish tavern in Athens, and the fish is certainly fresh and simply prepared. The real draw, however, are the romantic outdoor tables winding up the steep roadside, and the glow of the Acropolis above. Had Aubrey not been busy feeding scraps to the cat under our table, she would certainly have succumbed to my advances.

acrop

The Acropolis
Climb to the top, if only to use Laura’s line, “This whole city is ruined!” High comedy folks. Tip your bartenders, we’ll be here all week.

amuse

Acropolis Museum
All kinds of artifacts from the Acropolis are on view, but the design of the museum itself is fascinating. The building is elevated above an Athenian city dating back to prehistoric times, which was unearthed during construction. Transparent panels in the floor and a large viewing deck reveal the ruins beneath. There’s also a tasty, reasonably priced restaurant on site, though after you’ve climbed the Acropolis, you’d probably give them your first born just to sit in an air conditioned dining room.

Santorini

Dream Island Hotel
We were looking for a nice, reasonably priced room near the bars and restaurants on the caldera, and this is it. We spent most of our time gazing out over the ocean while we read by the pool, but all the action is about a three-minute walk up the street, and there are no big hills between you and town. The rooms are comfortable, and cost about half of what many neighbors charge. Breakfast is included, as is a ride to and from the airport or ferry, and the proprietor is kind and helpful. Thumbs up.

ampelos

Ampelos Wine Bar
Fabrica Center in Fira
This was one of the best meals we had in Santorini, where many of the restaurants rely more on crowd turnover than quality ingredients to keep the tables full. Good wine here too.

francos

Franco’s
This is a splurge, but come on — a bottle of wine, a lawn chair overlooking the sunset, and a classical music soundtrack? That’s a quality evening. Don’t sit too near the speakers, or your conversation will be drowned out by the crescendos.

katina

Taverna Katina
Ammoudi Port near Oia, Santorini
Our day trip to Oia was one of the loveliest days we spent on Santorini, and our lobster spaghetti meal at Taverna Katina was the best meal of the trip. Plus, you can’t beat that view. Look for the orange chairs.

gelato

Il Gelato d’Oro
Santorini
We had this handmade gelato nearly every day after lunch.

Then we chugged some bacon fat, and ordered some deep-fried cheese.

Naxos

irene

Pension Irene II
This is where we stayed on our last-minute detour to Naxos. It’s a budget place, but it had a cute little pool (which I’ve made much more dramatic in the photo above). Also, a well-stocked kitchenette, if you like to prepare your meals. Great deal.

Maros

Maros
On Paparrigopoulou close to the court square of Hora Naxo
Everything here is good, but try the Naxos Sausage.

Sunbeam Toy Store
Also on Paparrigopoulou, close to the court square of Hora Naxo
I nearly cried with relief when I saw this store. It’s stocked with every kid-gift you’d ever want to bring home from Greece. Mostly wooden and handmade toys meant to spark imaginative play, but the reproduction tin toys are also magic. It was, I kid you not, open until 1 a.m., but I urge you to head in before you go out drinking. Aubrey almost bought a tambourine for the ferry.

Mykonos

tagoo

Hotel Tagoo
Hands down, the best room (and pool) you’ll get for the price on Mykonos, but be prepared to join the community if you stay here. The owner wants guests to be acquainted with one another and to have a great experience on the island, so she hosts an orientation every evening to introduce everyone and share tips. If you prefer to be incognito on your trip, that won’t be particularly possible, but if you like lots of guidance from a local in the know, go for it.

Paraportiani

Paraportiani
Agia Moni Square
A local recommended this place to us as “Yanni’s, with the green chairs.” We searched in vain, until a shop owner nearby finally told us that Yanni was the owner’s name. Ah! Worth the hunt. Excellent ingredients, everything made by hand. The vegetable soup was a tonic after two weeks of excessive Ouzo and gyro consumption.

My Do-Over Itinerary

While we were in Greece, we visited Athens, Santorini, Naxos (by accident when our original ferry was canceled), and Mykonos, all of which were lovely. We lingered too long on Santorini, and didn’t have enough time on the other islands. If I had it to do over, my perfect itinerary would look like this:

-Fly into Athens and take a half day or so to decompress if you’re coming from far away.
In the cool of the early morning, visit the Acropolis, then the Acropolis museum for lunch, perhaps a walking tour of the major sights in the late afternoon or the next morning.
-Fly to Santorini and stay either in Fira, or Kamari beach if you’re on a budget.
-Stay for three nights, and rent a car one of the days you’re there so you can visit Oia, and drive around the island.
-Ferry to Naxos, rent a car immediately, stay for two nights and see what you can.
-Ferry to Mykonos, two or three nights there enjoying life, driving around.
-Ferry to Athens the day before you have to catch your flight home.

And that’s it. If you missed your chance to share Greece tips the first time around, please let us know about your favorites in comments. Thanks again for your help in planning my trip.

Intel is making my site more interesting by sponsoring my Mighty Life List. They funded my trip to Greece so I could cross another dream off my list. Thanks, guys!