Travel | Athens

My boyfriend's family have a tradition. Every year they like to go away for a city-break, and this year after some diplomatic voting (kind of) we arrived in Athens!

The jewel in Athens crown as far as sight-seeing goes is by far the Acropolis, crowned by the beautiful Parthenon.

After a (contemplative) little breakfast stop at Dionysos, which has very pretty views of the Acropolis, we started our climb up through the marble pathways and steps.

The ruins of Ancient Greek Temple's and Amphitheatre's surround you.... as well as some spectacular views over Athens.

The breath-taking Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Built entirely of marble, the columns shimmer in the midday sun.

 After a morning steeped in history, we were all ready for some refreshments and lunch.

What trip to Greece wouldn't be complete without a traditional greek salad?

After lunch we wandered the streets and flea market in the Monastiraki area.

And by evening we were back by the Acropolis at a fantastic restaurant called Strofi (book in advance and sit on the terrace for panoramic views of the Acropolis lit up at night).

The next day we headed to Syntagma Square and jumped on a bus tour. We learnt about The Temple of Olympian Zeus, The National Gardens, and the old Panathenaic Olympic Stadium. And why a Marathon is called a Marathon.

Interested?  Legend has it that in 490BC a courageous soldier called Pheidippides ran from the site of a battlefield in Marathon to Athens to inform the people of the Greek Victory over the Persians. Unfortunately, no sooner had the words been spoken from his lips, he collapsed and died.

The legend of Pheidippides was revived at the inaugural Modern Olympics in 1896 by a 24.85 mile race from Marathon Bridge to the Olympic Stadium in Athens. 

So why the 26.2 miles that runners endure today? Well thank the British Royal family for that one. In 1908 at the first London Olympic games, King Edward VII decided that he would like the runners to start outside the balcony at Windsor Castle and finish outside the Royal Box at the Stadium in White City, the additional 2 and a bit miles is nothing, no?

After 16 years of heated discussion about the true marathon distance, it was decided at the Paris Olympics in 1924 that the 26.2 miles would stand as the official distance. And so it is to this day.

We're not Museum people per se, but if you've got the stamina/interest for one I highly recommend the Benaki Museum.  It was established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, and is housed in the Benakis family mansion. Which is worth a look on it's own, as it's a beautiful building. I love to imagine a family living there all those years ago. It was renovated in 2000 after earthquake damage, and showcases Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, as well as an extensive collection of Asian art. There's a lovely cafe/restaurant on the top floor with a fabulous terrace. It's a little oasis of calm away from the bustling downtown Athens below.

Our culture fuelled morning left us ravenous and we went for lunch at an Organic Vegetarian cafe called Avocado (the guys were thrilled!). It's hidden away on a back street so you have to hunt it out but the food is packed full of flavour, and good for you to boot.

After a little rest by the pool, we went for a dinner in an amazing Italian restaurant called Capanna in Kolanaki. We sat outside on the pavement in pretty much total darkness except for the light from the restaurant and tucked into plates of blue-cheese gnocchi and prawn linguine.

Tia's dessert took a while to arrive, but when it did....wow! Chocolate pizza is quite simply the bomb....I need to recreate this, stat.

On our last full day in Athens we decided to walk off the excesses from the previous evening and go and find the sea. We caught the tube to Piraeus (the main port), and followed the coastline taking in the Marina's along the way. After a while you come across an area called Mikrolimano. It's incredibly pretty but you pay the price for your view....be warned, the restaurants here are expensive.

As our last supper in Athens quickly rolled around we went back to Kolonaki, to a Greek restaurant called Filippou.

We sat outside under the street-light at a table covered with a big white linen cloth. It's the type of place where the owner hands you a menu but he really needn't bother. Not everything is available and they'll happily tell you what's good. The wine is house and comes in terracotta jugs, which fuels animated conversation late into the night. The perfect end to a fantastic greek adventure.

Travel | Mdina, Malta

For our last adventure, we drove inland to the Citadel of Mdina, Malta's ancient walled capital.

The citadel dates back as long ago as 1000 BC and has obviously changed a great deal since those times. In the 9th century Arabs arrived and built these big strong walls and deep moat that we see today. Medina in Arabic means "walled city".

The moat has been landscaped but the big stone walls remain and give the Mdina a very peaceful atmosphere.

Similarly to Valletta, there is a huge Cathedral (St. Pauls). 

Whilst we were here, we took some time to understand the rich history of Malta and the Knights of St John. It really is quite amazing and whether you follow religion or not, The Knights fought to protect Malta because they believed in Jesus' Commandment to "love one another as I have loved you". 

Make of that what you will, but you cannot escape a visit to Malta without noting the strong Catholic Faith. 

With the sun beating at our heels and one last afternoon by the pool beckoning we said our goodbyes to the Mdina.

As we were leaving I found our new home....I wish, but seriously. She's a beauty, no?

Travel | Gozo & Comino

After an amazing day strolling around beautiful Valletta, we were ready to head further away from home and took to the open-seas. We went to explore the smaller islands of Gozo and Comino.

This is Mgarr Harbour, where the ferry point is on Gozo.

From here we decided to drive "up-high" so we could get a birds-eye view of pretty Gozo. First stop was the small town of Nadur, and another ornate building, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. There are beautiful Churches scattered all over the island.

The view from Nadur is amazing, you can see for miles. 

Next up, we wanted some beach time. Malta & Gozo are not known for their beaches, but there are a few that are worth a visit. We went to Ramla Bay. The sand is so different here, the colour is a pale terracotta, and the waters edge is scattered with large pebbles. The water was so warm and clear. We relaxed for a while, swam and clambered around on the rocks. 

When our tummy's started rumbling we went in search of food. I would not recommend eating at Ramla Bay, the food is aimed purely at tourists and completely un-imaginative with not a fresh fish in site. 

We headed to the pretty bay of Marsalforn, and a great little bistro called Otters. We ordered Octopus Arrabiata and Fresh Tuna with salad and fries! The food was delicious, Dan and I both agree the Octopus was the dish of the holiday. Whilst the food was incredibly tasty, it didn't look so pretty, hence no photo's! It was kind of just plopped onto the plate, and the tuna looked sad and grey....the presentation just didn't do the flavour justice. So you can admire the view instead....we'll save the food-porn for another time.

You can't move two-feet in Malta without hearing about the Blue Lagoon at Comino (the smaller island located between Malta and Gozo). We'd heard that it gets over-crowded with tourists during the day so we caught the last boat over to see what all the fuss was about.

Well, it is pretty spectacular. The water is so clear and the most perfect shade of aqua.

Sailing boats passing through the Med anchor-up for the day, and unload their passengers into the water. It has quite a party-vibe to it, and even though it was late in the day it was still pretty busy.

On our way back to shore, we were taken past some caves.

And then it was time to go back to our hotel, although we managed to squeeze in another pretty bay and photo opportunity on the way back. 

Malta, we're both completely smitten with you.