The Ancient Journey Begins

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When it comes to international travel, the journey often begins as much as a year or two in advance. That's the LOGICAL way of doing things, but there are certainly other ways. Like the way I'm doing things: I'm trying to plan the details of our 10 day Greece Extravaganza in about a month and a half. When we went to Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 for the World Cup, we started planning over a year ahead. It took us a year to pay off our trip, which our gracious friend put on his credit card. It was totally worth the scrimping and saving and I would totally do it all over again. 

Not everyone can justify taking these types of trips that the Mister and I like to take. Some people don't even have the option. I count myself blessed that I have been lucky to travel as much as I have and created those invaluable memories. Some people want to own houses or expensive clothing labels. I wouldn't mind those things, if I could have the best of both worlds, but in our perspective paying for travel is much more of a lasting investment. Many of my friends are saving for and buying their own houses now. We're nearing 30 and spend every cent towards our next adventure. It doesn't seem smart in this economy. It leaves me feeling reckless and ill-prepared for our future. But there always seems to be another exotic place beckoning and I'd rather have those views, that cuisine, and the memories than a three bedroom / two bath. To each his own.

For those of you interested in Greece, or interested in general, here is the run down of our journey. It starts with the passport renewal (I have a new last name!), the International Driving Permits, and the flight arrangements. I've spent countless hours agonizing over hotels and locations on Trip Advisor, and we have had numerous conversations in front of a map of Greece to determine our routes and priorities. Our trip will be a three-parter. 

Part One

Fly from San Antonio, TX to Athens, Greece, and straight on to Santorini island. Spend three days and nights of luxury (and de-jet-lagging) for the "romantic honeymoon" part of the trip.

Part Two

Fly back to Athens, pick up rental car, and spend four days on the road, touring the mainland and Peloponnese by car -- lots of ancient ruins sites.

Part Three

End back in Athens for two days and three nights exploring the metropolis and museums.

We come from backgrounds of Theatre and Philosophy, and if you know even just a few things about the ancient Greeks, you know that these are precisely their areas of expertise and famed cultivation. That said, modern Greece will surely be experienced, but ancient Greece is definitely what we're after. I will share more details as we count down one month from today, that we will be landing on Grecian soil.

For now... here's a little hello from Santorini Island. Um, who doesn't love Savage Garden?

Freedom from Aegean Films on Vimeo.