Greece: Athens {Part 2}

 We had a glorious nights sleep and breakfast with an amazing view. We went down the road to get on the Hop on Hop off bus. This is why I love a Hop on Hop off. It's very affordable a lot of them come with 2 day, 3 day or more tickets. It takes you to all the main spots. You get off whenever you want and then get back on when another bus comes back. They usually come every 15-20 minutes. So you can go have some lunch do some shopping and a bus is ready for you at anytime. It's like having an uber driver, or even a personal driver. They also usually have headsets so you can hear the recordings for each stop so you can learn about the things you are seeing. 

We stopped at the Monastiraki flea market in the Monastiraki square. This place was a huge alley of shops with everything and anything you could think of.  It had decent prices and was open on Sunday. Some places weren't open on Sundays

Then we were able to catch our ride to the port. I thought we wouldn't be able to get onto the ship because it was earlier then we had requested. They took us straight into COVID testing. Then they gave us numbers and had us sit until they called our number. Well, they called my husbands number but not mine. Nerve wracking I know! They called me up and ushered me to fall this random guy who looked like a taxi driver on his phone into another empty tent. They told me I had a slight positive so they had to retest me. The guy was like keep breathing through your mouth and this is going to be uncomfortable. That it was they went deep into the nasal cavity.. maybe even into my brain I don't know. But the test came back negative so I was able to get on the ship. We got to our room which was a nice size. Then went directly to go eat at one of the complimentary restaurants on the ship. Then we checked out the pool and some entertainment. Ended with enjoying our view from the balcony. Which in case you were wondering. I'm so glad we got the balcony.

 

 

Stay tuned for Day 3 of our trip.....

Greece: Athens {Part 1}

 I'm going to be doing a ton of Greece posts in the next days or weeks. I want to make sure I get all the details for our amazing trip. I know I never finished the Scotland trip. I've had a lot of computer issues. Mainly because I have too many pictures. Then I run out of time before the next blog-worthy event happens. Then I looked down at the Calendar and it's already almost the end of the year. This has been the least amount of blogging I've ever done since I started. 

I thought I was doing good and staying on top of it but I guess not. So here it goes!

 

GREECE DAY 1

 

ATHENS 

 We arrived early afternoon to Athens. We had an overnight flight which was a good flight. We had comfortable seats, good food. Plenty of content to watch on the plane. Headphones, blankets, eye masks etc. were provided to us. It had been so long since we had done an international flight I had forgotten some of the perks. I think the ben and jerrys ice cream was a nice touch. That was fairly new. 

Downside. Obviously the face masks. I opted for the disposable ones for the flight because it was the most breathable one. But still really hard to sleep with. In fact I don't think I slept at all. When we landed we ended having to take a bus into the terminal. After that easy peasy. Got all our bags, exchanged a little bit of money and we headed out to meet our driver. One of the lovely perks of planning a trip with our lovely travel agent. 

As we drove to our hotel I realized more and more that it looked like Southern California. I had to keep telling myself "You did not land in Ontario, California. You are in Athens Greece".  Since it looked pretty familiar I totally fell asleep on the ride over. We checked in early to our hotel. Second perk our travel agent requested our room be ready early. Which it was and I was so thankful. I was able to sleep in a bed without a mask. Leaving us plenty of time to get rest and showered before our evening tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon. 

We stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel. Gorgeous hotel with friendly staff. Not to mention the amazing view from the Restaurant on the roof. Some of the rooms had the view but we opted for the more affordable one. You can still see the view with dinner reservations or just having a drink in the evening. Of course the complimentary breakfast in the morning has the same view. Great food too! 

  

The location was so convenient as well. Across from the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrians Arch, and the little street that leads to the Parthenon and Acropolis filled with gift shops, restaurants, etc. It was also a spot for the Hop on Hop off Tour Buses. Which is one of my favorite ways to travel a new city. 
We met up with our tour which is a must in Athens. I definitely recommend doing it in the evening especially if you get in that day. It's a great way to walk around and it's not too hot or crowded like in the morning or afternoon. 

After our tour we got Gyros and ice cream and a drink at the rooftop bar of our hotel. 

I could eat Gyros every single day. I also love how they showcase their ice cream in Greece. They look so fancy and delicious. I'm not a huge adventurous eater so I'm glad Greek food isn't that scary. 

There are other cool tours to do in Athens. Walking tours, Food tours, Cooking tours. I didn't get a chance to do these but it would've been fun.

 

 

 

Scotland {Outlander Tour} part 2 - Midhope Castle

After last nights episode of Outlander I thought I would jump to "Lallybroch." Most of the episode was shot there so I thought it would be fitting. This by far was the best part of our tour. The whole tour was great don't get me wrong. This part though we had the WHOLE place to ourselves. Which was perfect since we only had one other person on our tour and our tour guide James. We got to take as many pictures we wanted. Take as much time as we wanted. The weather was absolutely perfect that day. Everyone says it's like always rainy, and dreary. But we had sunshine almost the entire time. I'm not sure I could ever top this trip by going again. But I'm sure going to try!

Lallybroch is actually Midhope Castle a tower house from the 16th century located on the Abercorn of the Hopetoun estate.

Just like Doune Castle they didn't film any of the interior scenes inside. It's all pretty much in ruins on the inside. But all the outside scenes were filmed here. They brought everything in for this. I think it's fascinating how they come in with all their dirt, plants, stables etc. Turn into Lallybroch in the 17th century and then when they are done they leave it just as they found it. As if they were never there. They do this everytime they film. Which in some of these locations are more than once throughout all three seasons so far. Even as far as painting buildings and then painting them back.

They brought whiskey for the tour. They all made me try it. I don't really drink but they said I had to because I was in Scotland and that's just what you do. I figured the more for my husband right? Well, I gave it a try because they were all staring at me. I told them I wasn't going to like it. I think they just wanted to see my face when I tried it. Surprise, surprise I didn't like it. But at least I tried it for them. The hubby sure enjoyed it!

 Had to get my picture of me looking at my "Jamie"

Check out part one of our Outlander Tour Doune Castle

Outlander Tour: Slainte Scotland