Part 1: June 9-14: Munich, Germany
Part 2: June 14-20: Skyros, Greece & Athens, Greece
Part 3: June 20-24: Corfu, Greece
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
I woke up still feeling frustrated about the night before, but we had to get packed up and head to our final vacation destination. Mike and I went to the bakery down the street to get breakfast for everyone. Maybe food would help everyone’s mood? We ate and walked through the check-out activities for the Airbnb to get the place cleaned up before heading out.
Kristy arranged transportation back to the airport. It was an hour-long drive with a lot of traffic. I tried to read but mostly slept on and off. I was overly tired. The Athens airport was once again, chaos. We all split off again to check bags and get through security. Their lines were short because they were in business class, but Mike and I had a longer wait in the regular line. During that wait, the airline computers went down! Computers were coming on and off randomly, causing check-in to be very slow. Thankfully, there were agents helping everyone get through. It was a little stressful… not because I was worried about time (we had plenty), but because I did not want our computer to crash mid-check-in and somehow mess up our bags. Our computer came through and we were good to go!
Everyone was in the airline lounge except for us. It was almost lunch time, so we grabbed a snack and debriefed on Athens. Patrick brought us lounge treats, too, when they joined us at the gate.
It was expected to be a short flight to Corfu. Hop, skip, and a jump. We boarded, but then it felt like we were on the plane forever before we finally took off an hour late. Sitting there, waiting, made me feel so anxious, more so than usual. I felt better once we took off.
We landed in Corfu and everyone’s bags came out quickly, except ours. We waited. Waited. We joked about our bags not showing up because of the computers, but it could have been a reality! It obviously would have been upsetting to have happen. It would be one thing if it happened when it was just the two of us, but I did not think I would want the group sympathy if it happened when we were with everyone. Everyone would want to problem solve and help, and it very likely would overwhelm me (despite appreciating everyone’s desire help). Luckily, our bags arrived just fine!
Kristy had arranged another driver. It was so nice she thought ahead and made those arrangements for all of us to be able to travel together to and from the hotels and airports. Our bags barely fit and it was a tight squeeze in the car, but we made it. The hotel was about a 30 minute drive away on winding, hilly roads. I could have done without the winding roads!
We made it to our resort, the Angsana, and instantly felt like royalty. They greeted us, “The Family May,” and would not let us lift a finger to help with bags or anything else. We received refreshing welcome drinks that would have been tasty with a splash of alcohol, and refreshing towels while they checked us in. It was a bit awkward having them stand there and watch us wipe our hands and faces on the towels. I had makeup on and was not about to just wash it off. Ha.
After check-in, Nina, our villa manager, gave us a tour of the resort. I did not feel fancy enough to be there! It was such a nice place and she gave us a lot of information. It was information overload and I am not sure we were even listening half the time: not because we did not want to, but because there was a lot to take in and we were tired. That was my experience, at least. Mike and I saw the spa and made note to come back and book a couple’s massage later.
Nina gave us a tour of our villa next. It was nearby, but down the hill a little bit. This would later prove to be a little inconvenient, but how could we complain when it was such a nice place and we were grateful to be there? She showed us around and told us about all the amenities. Again, information overload. She created a WhatsApp chat for us to reach her and the other villa managers for anything we needed during the stay which ended up being incredibly helpful (we used it frequently for making dinner reservations, travel arrangements, repair requests, general questions, etc.). When she finally left us, we all settled into our rooms. Despite all of Nina’s information, we struggled connecting to the Bluetooth speakers and had trouble with the AC. The irony.
Our villa was beautiful. You entered on the 2nd floor: a bedroom + en suite on the left and an identical bedroom + en suite on the right. Heading downstairs, you entered the living room, dining room, and kitchen before finally the primary suite. We had our own pool overlooking the ocean and plenty of outdoor space. It was incredible!
We enjoyed the complimentary welcome drinks and tried to plan for the week. Corfu was the only place that the group of us had never discussed plans for. Outside of Mike and I scheduling engagement pictures for Thursday evening, there was no itinerary. That was the point! We (the group) never made plans because we did not want plans: we only wanted to relax. Patrick brought up plans to maybe rent a boat later in the week which sounded really fun. Everyone unpacked and settled in.
You had to call the lobby to request a buggy (golf cart) to come pick you up from the villa to take you to the lobby. Mike and I wanted to go back to book our massage, so we assessed the hill and decided to walk instead. I struggled a little bit with my hip but knew it would be good to walk and build that strength back. The weather was very toasty, and we both broke a sweat. Whew.
We went straight to the spa to make our reservation. The TV in our villa had all of the spa “menu” options listed, but we did not see couple’s massage. When we arrived, we asked them about a couple’s massage and they said they did not offer that, but that we could get massages in the same room together. Y’all, we were so confused. What did they think we were asking for?! Was a couple’s massage not the both of us getting a massage, separately, in the same room? We picked a massage and booked it, but they probably thought we were some sex deviants or something now. Sigh.
Continuing our efforts to not get sunburnt, we bought sunscreen from the spa. 100 Euros for 2 spray bottles. We got robbed. I am sure it would have been cheaper at a grocery story (spoiler alert, it was), but we were almost out, and our hands were tied. It was frustrating, nonetheless.
Mike stayed back to get a schvitz in the sauna, and I walked back to the room. Walking downhill was much, much easier. I grabbed my book and continued book #4 poolside at the villa. The book was trash and I struggled to get through it, but finally did. Brian went for a swim in the lap pool at the gym before joining Mandy, Kristy, and I by the pool. Mike got back and sat outside for a little bit before going to our room. I got pooped on twice by birds and had had enough; I went upstairs to join Mike on our shaded balcony. There was a bird’s nest up there too, and I did not trust it. I went inside.
The upstairs bathrooms each had a large tub, but no shower. The only shower was in the shared bathroom downstairs. I decided to take a bath and was quickly reminded why adults do not take baths. What a disaster. Trying to shower in a bathtub was impossible. I got water everywhere. 0/10, would not recommend. I weighed myself, too, for the first time on the trip. I asked Mike to convert kg to lbs and with his math, I gained 20lbs. He double checked his work, and it turned out I had only gained 3lbs. Not bad, not bad. Normally, I would not care so much while on vacation but again, we had scheduled pictures coming up!
Eventually everyone else came inside and started getting ready for dinner. I later learned that the hot water had run out… likely my fault from trying to figure out how to half bathe/shower in the nightmare tub. There was no hair dyer in our room and I had to borrow the one from Kristy’s room. There was no trash can or mirror in the main bedroom area. Most hotels have those things, but sure. Not a big deal. The bathroom counter space was all but nonexistent and a mirror in the bedroom would have been helpful. Our list of grievances about little inconveniences was growing and it made me feel… gross. We were so lucky and grateful to be there and little things like those should be nothing.
We all decided on Oribu, a hotel restaurant featuring classic Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese recipes with Corfiot produce, for dinner. Mike and I walked up the hill to the lobby ahead of everyone else while they waited for a buggy. I wanted to walk to not only keep building strength in my recovering leg, but to “work off” what I knew we were about to eat. Wishful thinking.
Mike and I grabbed a table for everyone overlooking the infinity pool and ocean and started scoping out the menu. Everything sounded so good!
I was nervous for dinner because of our family dinner the night before in Athens. Sure enough, dinner was a little awkward and tense at first. The day had been fine! I did not know why it had to be weird. We were there a long time and it got better as the evening went on. The food and drinks were so delicious. Whatever cocktail I ordered was definitely the favorite. I got a little nervous about the pace at which we were spending money in the short amount of time we had been there, but calmed myself by remembering that everywhere else had been extremely affordable up to that point and it was, after all, our vacation. I embraced it and instead of being anxious, I enjoyed the weather and nice views.
I did not enjoy, however, the family sitting behind us. One of the kids threw a chopstick over his head and it landed on the table in front of me. The kids were also running around and climbing on the railing, making us all nervous they were going to fall over. The parents were so nonchalant about it all. Nothing about the resort screamed “kid friendly.” It is nice to travel as a family, something I am glad I got to do a lot with mine growing up, but good grief. Take your kids to kid places! Or, if you threaten to take them back to the room as these parents had done several times, maybe follow through?
Everyone was tired, but we wanted to check out the Vertigo Sky Bar, the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge overlooking the water. We headed up to the roof and got a single round of cocktails. It was nice and I was glad we checked it out, but my energy was drained. It was very dark and kind of loud, despite no one else being there. It was nice watching the planes fly in and relaxing, though.
The real craziness started when we got back to the villa. Everyone said goodnight and went to their respective rooms. Each room had a remote control for the fan. It took almost no time to realize that each remote controlled ALL of the fans in the villa, not just the one in the room. What kind of logic is that? The rooms had not cooled off even though it had been hours since we arrived and turned the AC on. We would need the fans! Mike and Brian attempted to reprogram the fans and remotes with no luck. Patrick, downstairs and assumingly unaware of what was going on upstairs, had realized the same fan issue on his own and started messing with us. It was a cluster. Everyone gave up after midnight. The room was warm and humid, but there we were. I started book #5 of my series and went to sleep.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
I woke up at the crack of dawn. The curtains in the room were so sheer that the slightest bit of light outside lit up the room. I love a sunrise, so I got up to watch it. The mosquitos were bad and I did not want to get pooped on again by a bird, so I went back to bed and tried to fall asleep again. It was only 6am. I struggled to sleep so I read my book and embraced the light coming in. I eventually got up and ready for the day and went downstairs to be social, but also because the WiFi was awful upstairs. I read until Mike was up and ready for breakfast and we walked to the lobby.
There were 2 breakfast options for villa guests: the main breakfast room downstairs or a villa-only breakfast at Oribu upstairs. The food was essentially the same. The only difference was a buffet and more people vs a waiter and more private. We decided on the main room assuming it would be faster and so we could see all of the options. The food was okay. I did not really eat because I felt anxious. There was so much clacking of silverware and dishes. Something about it was wildly distracting to me. We did not stay long.
The resort had a large pool, but they also had a shuttle to drive you down to their private beach area. Mike and I went to our room, packed our beach gear like pros, and went back up to the lobby to catch the shuttle. The hill was not getting any easier to walk up! The shuttle ride was short and when we reached the drop off location, another group was going back up. They warned us about the jellyfish. Hmm. Onward.
We walked through the tunnel under the road to the beach and into the beach area. It was lovely! There were so many chairs, the Emerald Beach Bar, restrooms, everything you would need.
We struggled to find a spot that was not directly in the sun, but eventually got settled and lathered up in sunscreen. The beach was definitely more rocky than sandy which excited Mike. It was time for more rocknstackin’! I read my book, of course. When the bar opened, we got a drink. We made a few failed attempts to get in the water. It was very, very cold and sure enough, there were a lot of jellyfish. They had a guy dedicated to riding a paddle board around and scooping them out. However, whenever a big boat passed by, the area would fill up again. It looked like the water was going to be a bust. Our time at the beach was short. I was glad we went down to see it and tried to make the most of it, but we were meant to be pool people that day.
The shuttle dropped us off at our villa. Everyone was up, had eaten breakfast, and was sorting out plans for the day. Mandy and Brian were going to the gym to work out, Kristy and Patrick were going into town to do a grocery store run and check it out, and Mike and I decided to check out the hotel pool. Go team!
We, you guessed it, walked up that. damn. hill. again to the lobby.
By this point, it was approaching lunch time and the pool area was packed. There looked to be approximately zero available chairs. Somehow we found 2 next to each other and off to the side. Perfect! Mike went to the sauna and I settled in to… drumroll… read (and drink a margarita). Makayla, my friend from volleyball, had recommended the series to me before we left and by now, I had surpassed where she was in it. She could not understand how! Plane rides and pool time, folks.
Mike rejoined me and we ordered lunch and drinks. We stayed that way for a few hours and it was lovely. He did his thing, I did mine. Mandy and Brian joined us after their workout. They found chairs nearby but moved closer to us when the couple next to us left. The 4 of us had a very chill afternoon. The most action was when we had to shift the umbrellas to keep us all shaded. 4 smart people, but seesh we struggled with the umbrellas! The however-many-hours we spent here lounging, drinking, and reading were easily some of the most relaxing hours of the trip. Relaxation pros.
The resort offered a “wine hour” of free wine and snacks every night for villa guests. It seemed foolish to not take advantage of that. We went to the room, took turns showering in the actual shower downstairs, and got ready to go back up. Kristy, Patrick, Mike, and I walked up the motherf*cking hill to the wine hour and Mandy and Brian joined shortly after. The Wine Hour almost made needing dinner unnecessary. There were really delicious finger sandwiches and other snacks and so many drink options. We opted for champagne! Yum. We hung out there for the whole hour and shared summaries of our days with everyone.
Kristy and Patrick went back to the villa to eat dinner and the 4 of us took advantage of the beautiful lighting to snap some pictures. It was International Yoga Day and Brian showed us his best Savasana. Crushed it.
We walked to Sofrito, another hotel restaurant with more Mediterranean-focused dishes. They sat us in a massive round, comfy booth outside. The weather and environment were stunning. For how hot it got outside during the day, it sure was lovely in the evenings. My seabass dish was insanely delicious, but everything was good. It was truly a lovely, enjoyable, very chill, and relaxing evening. I love that the 4 of us get along so well and always have a nice time together.
When we got back to the villa, we were ready to finally finish our Phase 10 game (yes, the same one we started in Skyros and continued in Athens). Patrick was ready to share about their Germany adventure and we had been looking forward to hearing it, so we changed course.
I will do my best to summarize:
Patrick was contacted a few years ago (prior to Covid) by the Arolsen Archives, an international center on Nazi persecution with the world’s most comprehensive archive on the victims and survivors. Part of what they do is trace family members and reunite artifacts. Patrick’s grandfather was a prisoner, twice, at Dachau in his 20s (he survived!) and the Archives had found a wedding ring they believed was his grandfather’s. They connected it to Patrick based on the initials engraved in the ring, but also because of the envelope it was in and other related documents. They wanted to mail the ring to Patrick, but Patrick wanted to go to Germany to pick it up. Then, Covid happened. Patrick’s mother lived with him during Covid, but she grew up in Germany and was raised at a kinderheim because her father was at a concentration camp. The Archives believe he was sent there because he refused to heil Hitler, which would explain why his children were taken away.
Patrick’s mother did not express interest in sharing details, and Patrick was left alone to piece the puzzle together. Fast forward, and the Archives said Patrick’s cousins, living in France, would be able to pick up the ring. Patrick had no idea he had French cousins! His grandfather’s sister had fled to France during the war and went on to have her own family. She had no idea her brother survived Dachau and had no idea he had a family (who went on to have their own families, thus Patrick!). The Archives connected Patrick and the French cousins who emailed back and forth, with the help of Google translate, and created a plan to meet.
When we planned our Greece trip, we expanded it to start in Munich to Patrick could visit Dachau. He and Kristy arrived in Germany a day before the rest of us, and took a train from Munich to Kaiserlautern to meet the French cousins. The next day, Kristy and Patrick went to the Arolsen Archives with 2 translators to collect the ring and hear about his grandfather’s story. They were told there would be news crews but it turned out it was a documentary crew. There was a huge poster of Patrick’s grandfather’s ring and the story behind it, as well as other artifacts from other families. The Archives work so hard to connect families based on so little information and it is rare to to have reunions like that. As you can imagine, the Archives were thrilled and Patrick was emotional. He learned a lot more about his family history, too much to go into here. It was a fascinating story! It was really special to see the paperwork and hold the ring as Patrick walked us through everything.
We were glad to finally hear the story and we all look forward to the documentary one day. It was a heavy evening, so we called it a night.
Thursday, June 22, 2023 – 2 Year Anniversary!
I slept so poorly, but it was Mike’s and my two year anniversary so it did not matter! Whoop! It felt like we had been together for so much longer, in a good way of course. As in, I could not imagine a time when we were not together. It felt like this was the way it was always supposed to be. What better place to celebrate our anniversary than Corfu, Greece?
We made the trek to the lobby for breakfast. We chose the first floor again and sat with Kristy and Patrick. It was so hot and humid, the most it had been so far. The clinging and clanking sounds and chaos of so many people was worse than the day before.
After we ate, we did not want to walk back to the villa before our 11am massages, so we decided to go to the other breakfast area upstairs. Rumor had it you could get mimosas up there! It was so much quieter and relaxing. We sat for a bit, enjoyed our drinks, and reflected on our 2 years together. It was nice to have some time alone to start our day.
We were a little early for our couples-but-not-a-couples massage. The spa had a “relaxation room” that we got to relax in until it was time. They gave us water and apple ginger tea as we completed our paperwork. Mike loved the tea!
Our massage therapists came and grabbed us to take us to our massage room: Helichrysum. Helichrusym are a breed of sunflowers, often referred to as the “everlasting” flower. How fitting for our anniversary! We swapped our shoes for slippers before entering the very, very nice room. There was a small entry and on the left, there was a door to the toilet room. On the right, the door to the main restroom. The main restroom had 2 large sinks, a large mirror, a walk-in shower at least twice the size of our primary walk-in closet at home, and 2 closet/storage areas for our things. We were instructed to change into the robes and the provided underwear then head into the main area of the room. Everything felt very formal and a little awkward, but the underwear made us giggle and relax. It was so comical, how could we not laugh?
In the main room, there was a couch on the left, our 2 massage tables (note: the picture is from POST-massage which is why the sheets/towels are messy), and then a large soaking tub. There were 2 large windows overlooking the pool area, but private enough. We were instructed to sit on the couch first. They gave us warm towels to wipe our faces and necks as they reviewed our paperwork and asked questions. After, they sprayed stuff into the air and brought us essential oil to smell. Yep, just smell it.
It was finally massage time! We got on our respective tables and relaxed into our 90 minute massages. I had originally told my person medium pressure, but asked her to up it pretty quickly. It felt so good. I definitely zoned out multiple times, the sign of a good massage.
When it was over, they left the room and Mike and I got changed back into our regular clothes. Mike suggested we get a couple’s massage once a quarter back at home. Twist my arm! We made our way back to the relaxation room as Mike rewrote a song that had been in all of our heads for several days: “twist it around your hand, spin it like a helichrysum.” I died laughing! We had another round of water and tea as we filled out the feedback card before heading out.
Mike went to the sauna and I headed back to the villa to shower and nap. I was a little “massage drunk” and wanted to rest before our engagement pictures. I slept on and off for a couple of hours before our photographer and hair and makeup people joined us at 4:45pm. After Mike and I got engaged, I thought it would be fun to take engagement pictures in Corfu to have something unique, but also to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. I found Evgenii Katsinis online and reached out to him. He was so friendly and was happy to take our photos! He even referred me to his wife, Darya (@vavaeva_muah), for hair and makeup. I had not initially planned on getting hair and makeup done, but when the TOTAL cost for both services amounted to just a little over $300 USD, how could I decline? 1 hour of pictures with hair and makeup would cost thousands in the US. I was blown away.
I had been communicating with them during the weeks leading up to the trip to confirm details and help me pick outfits. They would come to our villa to do hair and makeup, then take us to Old Town Corfu for the pictures. Originally, I was hoping the family would all come with us to Old Town because… stranger danger? I did not want to be on the news and portrayed as a stupid American couple. However, I felt very at ease with them from the start.
We met them in the lobby and walked them down to our villa. It was a little awkward at first, as expected, but was very comfortable over all. Darya scouted the villa for the best light and set up her supplies on the dining room table. There were no bar chairs or stools to get me sitting high enough so she would not have to hunch over, so I sat on the table. We all socialized as she worked her magic on my hair and makeup for a couple of hours. It was fun to hear about their adventures and backgrounds. They lived in Corfu but spent half the year in Sri Lanka and did a lot of traveling. Darya and I did most of the talking, but that was not surprising! She paused every now and then to take pictures and videos for her Instagram with the help of Evgenii, which was fun. I loved seeing them on her page a few days later! Mike snapped these candid shots for the blog. I need to work on my posture.
They had suggested some places for dinner and Mike coordinated the reservations and plans for that. They highly recommended the Arcadion if we could get a rooftop reservation. The roof was booked, but we decided to go there anyway.
I really, really hated my hair and makeup for our engagement pictures in Houston, but Darya did an INCREDIBLE job. She did everything exactly how I envisioned, even exceeding expectations. I felt gorgeous and everyone complimented it! I changed into my red dress and packed a backpack with our change of clothes. I did Stitch Fix for a bit in 2022 and when I saw this red dress come in, I thought there was no where I would ever wear it, but I did not want to send it back. These pictures were the perfect opportunity! I also grabbed a white dress last minute at Target just in case.
Evgenii suggested that they drive us to Old Town so we would not have to coordinate cars. We enabled Location on our phones, sent Mike’s parents their information, and headed out. Kristy and Patrick were going to stay in for the night, but Mandy and Brian would join us later for dinner.
Evgenii and Darya drove us towards Old Town and told us about Corfu more along the way. Our first stop was about 15 minutes away, at Square of Dionysios Solomonos. Essentially, a courtyard overlooking the waters and the old fortress. There was no where to park, so Darya stayed in the illegally parked car while the rest of us hopped out and got some snaps. Evgenii had been more quiet and reserved up to this point, but he came alive and helped us pose and get comfortable. Since Mike and I had already taken engagement pictures in Houston with our amazing photographer, Justin, we kind of knew what we needed to do. Justin had helped us relax a lot and learn how to move, which made pictures with Evgenii all the easier. Evgenii called us professionals at one point later because he could get the shot so quickly with us!
We left the square and headed to Old Town. Evgenii navigated some very, very narrow and questionable roads to find a parking spot. They dropped us off so they could get into a narrow space down the hill. It was impressive. We snapped a selfie while we waited. Shout out to Mike for putting up with 100 selfies!
Darya went to a coffee shop and the 3 of us walked to the next locations. I really do not know all the places we went, but we walked through some homes and streets near the water. The weather was TOASTY. It had hit Houston-level humidity and we were drenched, but were having fun. It was really cool to see other areas of Corfu, too, because it was so different than everything we saw near the resort. It was also different than the other parts of Greece we had visited because it was closer to Italy and had more of a Venice vibe vs. white houses with blue roofs.
We took a lot of pictures outside the Museum of Asian Art because the architecture there was so beautiful. The garden behind it was stunning and we got a few more snaps near the water. Taking pictures can be uncomfortable, but Evgenii kept us engaged and Mike kept us all laughing. It made it very fun! We both need to work on not making silly faces the entire time and I need to work on what my leg is supposed to do when he dips me!
Evgenii found a café for us to change outfits. The bathroom was quite possibly the smallest bathroom I had ever been in. Somehow, I managed to peel off the sweaty red dress and squeeze into the white dress. Did I mention how sweaty I was?? There was no air in the bathroom so the second I was covered up, I went outside to swap earrings and freshen up.
The café was on a beautiful pedestrian path, conveniently where our next pictures were planned. The area was gorgeous. Evgenii said it was built to match a street in Paris, although I cannot remember which one. I loved that spot and wish we had gotten more pictures there.
We turned down an alley and quickly learned that Old Town was *the* place to be. The amount of people and activity were overwhelming, but not in a bad way. The music, shopping, everything. There was so much going on! Our resort had shielded us from the lively city! The sun had started to set between buildings and Evgenii got some really great pictures. These turned out to be some of my favorites.
Darya met up with us at our lost spot, Plakada t’ Agiou Square, just as Mandy and Brian were getting there. We wrapped up pictures (about an hour total) and he took a group picture for us before we said our goodbyes. There are not enough words to describe how glad I was that we decided to do pictures in Corfu. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, made all the better by our talented photographer and hair and makeup artist. Mike and I danced and laughed so much and I know I will cherish that time forever. I loved our Houston engagement picture experience and had a lot of fun, but I felt so self-conscious with my hair and makeup that I struggled to really let go. Whereas in Corfu, I felt so beautiful and confident and I think it showed. I am so lucky to have a guy who is not only smart and handsome, but who can make me laugh and twirl me around!
Mandy, Brian, Mike, and I walked through the streets to the Arcadion hotel for our dinner reservation at their bistro. Despite not having a rooftop reservation, we asked anyway. Evgenii and Darya said it was the best view; we had to try! They had a rooftop table available, but told us we would have to be finished in 90 minutes for the next reservation. We told them we would be fast and laughed because no meal in Europe lasts under 90 minutes. Spoiler: We were there for 2.5 hours.
The elevator to the roof barely fit the 4 of us and had no air. Had that thing stopped with us in, we would have died. It was very warm and crowded. The scary ride was 100% worth it when the elevator doors opened and we saw the view. All 4 of us audibly gasped. Speechless. I get goosebumps writing about it now. It was beyond anything we could have imagined. They seated us in the corner and we were all silent for a minute to soak it in. I sent Evgenii a message thanking them for the recommendation. Even if the food was awful (it was not), the view was worth it.
We ordered cocktails and took pictures. There were not a lot of tables on the roof which helped make it feel more intimate. However, at least 90% of the other tables had influencers or people with no chill because there were full on photoshoots of each other, the food, etc. going on. I watched one table spend at least 10 minutes taking pictures of their food before eating it. I understand I take a lot of pictures and make people take group photos, but not to that degree. Not even close. It was obnoxious and I felt bad for them for not being able to enjoy the moment. At the same time, to each their own.
We all enjoyed our moment up there, and that was what mattered! How lucky were we?!
We ordered appetizers, wine, entrees, wine, dessert, and wine. We had a lot of wine. Every dish was delicious and combined with the views, we unanimously decided it was our favorite overall meal if the trip. It was sad Kristy and Patrick were not with us, though. If they had been, would we have been able to sit on the roof? Maybe their absence was a gift, and man did we appreciate it. Yes, I took pictures of the food but I took ONE and we did not wait 10 minutes to eat any of it! We debriefed the vacation and laughed, laughed, and laughed. It was another incredible evening and a perfect anniversary.
We got saw a Starlink satellite launch, then Mandy and Brian wrapped up at dinner while Mike and I went to buy wine for the villa and get cash. We planned meet up at the pick up spot for our resort shuttle. Y’all. We called the resort at 9:45pm(ish) and it took nearly an hour for someone to get there. We followed-up at least 4 times. Mike was a hero and bought us all waters. Should we have opened the wine to pass the time? Yes, probably. Should we have bailed and gotten in a random cab? Yes, probably. Did the vibe and energy of the evening come crashing down? Yes, it did. We were all frustrated and when the shuttle finally came, we were quiet. Best not to say anything.
Despite a really disappointing final hour, dinner was exceptional and the day was full of love and joy. Neither Mike or I had ever celebrated a 2 year anniversary before, so to get celebrate that milestone together was special. I look forward to all of our future milestones together!
Our plan was to drink wine and play Phase 10, but we got home so late that we all wanted to call it a night.
Friday, June 23, 2023
(Note: Friday is a short entry because in summary, we boated, drank, ate, laughed, swam, and had an all around fun and amazing day! Not much more to it!)
We got an early start for Boat Day! Patrick and Kristy were incredibly generous and rented a boat for us for the day. They scoped out different boats earlier in the week and talked to different captains to find the perfect one. The boat would take us to a few islands and to lunch and would have snacks and drinks for us all day. Everyone was very much looking forward to it! My family rented a lake house for the past 2 summers and the best part of the trip has always been boat day. No doubt we would have the best time.
The resort taxi took us to the port just before 10am. The captain, George, and crew, Spiros, of Geneseas Yacht Expert greeted us like old friends. They were so charismatic and excited and it made us even more eager to get going. We took our shoes off, boarded the boat, and off we went. The weather was perfect.
The boat was so nice! It was spacious enough for all of us with plenty of options to be under cover or out in the sun. It was a very, very comfortable boat! We all settled in nicely and instantly turned into boat people. Spiros got us drinks and George entertained us with various histories and stories. He was great at keeping conversation going, but also giving us space to relax. He was a funny guy!
Our first stop was about an hour away at Antipaxos island, South of Corfu, with a residential population of 20 people (as of 2011). Basically, a small island with not a lot going on. It was lovely! Georg “parked” the boat like a champ and we set up to hang out for a bit.
Kristy was brave and jumped in first. The water was FREEZING and salty; exactly how I remembered it from my 2016 trip to Greece (different islands). You could see straight down to the bottom. It was beautiful.
The boat came with snorkels and fins and a stand up paddle board, with no paddle. Brian and Patrick swam to the beach and Mike and I took a trip to a nearby cave. I stayed on the paddle board to stay warm, and he acted our as engine and swam us over. I packed water proof phone covers… but had accidentally left them at the resort. Oopsie. They would have come in handle for our cave adventure, but it was nice to be in the moment. Mental pictures would be enough!
When we got to the small, but roomy, cave, there were probably thousands of smooth, white rocks of varying sizes. The ultimate rocknstackin’! Mike had trained all trip for this! There were a bunch of other rock stacks around the cave so he found an open spot and got started. I helped him pick out rocks but mostly just floated around the cave. It was awesome. Mike’s stack ended up being the tallest and once satisfied with his final rocknstackin’ moment, we headed back to the boat.
Our next island was slightly North, at Paxos. Paxos was a bigger island with a population of closer to 2,300 (as of 2011) and had more beaches. It also had restaurants and shops, so it was definitely made for visiting. We dropped anchor in a bay near where the CEO of a European car company lived (or lives)? I cannot remember. We swam around and lounged more. Everyone did a great job at reapplying sunscreen, too! Literally living our best lives.
George drove the boat through what looked to be like the main town because there were a lot of restaurants and hotels. We all hung out on the front of the boat so we could see everything and because he was driving slowly enough.
Once through, we returned to the back of the boat and he high tailed it to lunch in a less dense area further North at Taverna Vasilis. It was nearly 2:30pm and we were ready to eat! George recommended the restaurant and we followed his lead. It turned out to be a great recommendation! The food was incredible; some of the best we had all trip. (Yes, I keep saying that… but I mean it more this time!) I also loved seeing the little cats (hehe) and sneaking them food. I found a keychain in a local shop! We snuck in some gelato before reboarding the boat.
We made one last swim stop at the North end of the island after lunch. Everybody got their last Greek waters fix before it was time to head back to Corfu. George bet that one of us would fall asleep on the way back, but I do not think anyone did. We were all enjoying the moment so much. Again, we were all very much in our element. No, none of us will be buying boats any time soon.
Fun Mike song: “You’re my jam, my jelly, my butter and my toast. I’m chilling with my girl that I love the most.”
It was a long, FUN, day full of responsible drinking, swimming, good food, and even better company. Everyone looked so relaxed and at peace the whole day. We all thanked Patrick for treating us to such a perfect last day! Everything about the boat, George and Spiros, the water, the weather, the company, and more was exceptional. Boat day is always the best day!
We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the villa for the evening. We ordered room service after showers and decided to finally finish our Phase 10 game. We cracked open the bottles of wine we bought in Old Town the night before and had a chill evening. I was not feeling well and knew Mike and I had a very early start, so I did not drink. Brian offered motion sickness medicine but I said I was fine (spoiler: I later asked for it when I could not fall asleep and it helped SO much). Mandy won the multi-city Phase 10 game before we all called it a night. Go Mandy!
Mike and I gave hugs and said our goodbyes and thank yous and safe travels. He and I were getting picked up at 6am to start the adventure home.
Saturday, June 24, 2023
When we woke up at 5am, we had no idea what the next 48 hours would turn out to be. We showered, said our tired goodbyes to the villa and beautiful sunset, finished packing, and got picked up at 6am to go to the airport.
I should have known our travel day was going to be a disaster when we were dropped off before the ticket counter was open. Why would the resort suggest we get there before the ticket counter opened?!
The flight from Corfu to Athens (freaking Athens) was easy. I slept, despite trying to stay awake. The goal was to stay awake the whole day, so that when we landed in Houston at midnight we would go straight to sleep. I already failed, but it was less than an hour flight and I would be fine.
After a short layover and a nightmare gate and mediocre sandwiches, we boarded our United flight to Newark. *eye twitches from PTSD*
We explored our fun Premium Economy seats and compared them to our American Airline seats on the way over (we liked the United seats more). We were getting bougie. Shoutout to the bug catching an 10.5 hour flight to America. Note how tired we look, but how eager we are to get home.
We got settled and resumed our normal plane activities. I took another short nap, continued book #5, and watched the Spiderman movie (cartoon one – it was incredible). Mike read and listened to podcasts. I take pictures of everything and everyone for every event in every family, so it is rare to get a picture of me unless I ask someone to specifically take it. Thanks, my lovely fiancé, for grabbing the most beautiful picture of me during my nap. This is not what I mean when I say I want others to take pictures, but beggars cannot be choosers.
Premium Economy came with free drinks and since we did not take FULL advantage of that on our way to Europe, we decided to make up for it on our way home. There was a lot of wine. We stayed awake the whole time and checked in with his family a few times, all who left at differing times throughout the morning. They all had an overnight layover elsewhere in Europe first, versus our direct path home.
We had the same flight attendant for most of the flight who was very pleasant. Before the lights went out to signal “nighttime,” a different flight attendant came by and gave us 2 glasses of wine, unprompted! He said he was going on a 3 hour break and wanted to be sure we were set. Clutch move. BUT THEN, he came back after mere minutes and gave us ANOTHER round of wine to hold us over. BUT THEN, he came back AGAIN and gave us each a plate of cheese, grapes, and bread. Mike and I are mindful travelers: we are quiet and keep to ourselves. We had never spoken to this man before, so why he singled out 2 very quiet people to spoil, I will never know. It was awesome and hilarious, though!
As we got closer to landing, the flight attendant came back and gave us another round of wine! This time it was in plastic cups so they would not have to collect it early from us to take the glass. Smart guy. He asked us where we were from and where we were headed and socialized for a few minutes. BUT THEN, he came back AGAIN and gave us an entire bottle of wine. What did we do to get so spoiled?! We could not stop laughing. We learned his name was Buddy, and I renamed him (privately, not to his face) Buddy the Elf. I also wondered how I would get it through bag re-check and security!
The 10 hour flight flew by. It was 2 hours longer than the flight to Munich and felt like it went by much faster. Before we knew it, we were wheels down in Newark, and blissfully unaware of the nightmare coming our way.
We breezed through customs and made our way to baggage claim. My bag came out rather early and I began repacking it to accommodate the wine bottle and the blanket and pillow I stole for Elliott. Mike’s bag, however, took its sweet time. Mike and I had briefly discussed trying to get on an earlier flight to Houston, but we would only make it if we hurried. Otherwise, we had a 4 hour layover until our schedule flight. His bag was taking so long that we had to nix the idea of catching the 5:30pm flight. His bag actually took so long that we were starting to worry it somehow got lost. United’s app said it was loaded onto the plane… did it fall out over the ocean? Mike was understandably panicked and stressed, but I noticed that there were a lot of other First Class and Premium Economy people waiting on their bags, too. Normally, those come out first. Surely there was a bin somewhere?
When the baggage claim carousel stopped, I finally felt the same panic. Crap! Mike started looking on other carousels until ours started up again and out came the rest of the bags, his included. Whew.
By this point, the line to recheck bags was very long. When we reached the front, I made sure to watch the guy scan the bags. If they were going to get lost anywhere, it would be in the 50 piles they had for rechecked bags.
We headed toward security when once again, we realized Mike’s TSA pre-check was not on his boarding pass. Luckily, it was an easy fix on the app and we got through with no issues.
We grabbed burgers and drinks near our gate to help pass the time. They were surprisingly tasty. It was only around 6pm, and our flight was scheduled to leave a little after 8pm. Around 7pm, we got the first text letting us know our flight was delayed an hour. And so it began. Maybe Buddy the Elf knew what was in store for us, and thus the wine?!
The whole night kind of became a blur from there. Every hour, we would get another text telling us our flight was delayed again. Everyone was getting them at every gate all around us. The only thing we could do, per United, was scan a QR code to talk to someone, which was not even possible. Our gate changed a few times. The line for the United service desk was wrapped around the airport. It was a nightmare and as you can imagine, we were tired. Very, very tired. Mike stayed busy by watching the flight boards and trying to stay optimistic and I tried my best to stay awake and keep us hydrated. I finished book #5, the final one of the series, but should probably go back and re-read the last few chapters as I am pretty sure I was not awake enough to process them.
At 12:08am, we got an email that our flight was moved to Sunday morning at 10am. We had been in contact with our families and my mom tried to help find us a hotel, but we wanted to stay at the airport. By the time we got to a hotel, we would have to turn around to come back. Plus, we did not have our bags. My mom reminded us that Mike and I were on the same team and needed to support teach other because challenges like this are where we need each other the most. We had been getting on fine (minus a brief argument regarding Taylor Swift), but it was a nice reminder. He and I were in this Newark disaster together.
Note: We heard stories from people who had left to go to hotels and they all said it had not been worth it. Whew.
Conveniently, the United Club was closed for construction. We found a table near our new gate and posted-up for the next 10 hours.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Mike slept first. I had a few short naps (Corfu to Athens and briefly on the overseas flight), but Mike had not slept at all. I gave him my pillow and he was out. Hunched over a table was not the best way to sleep, but it was that or the floor. While he slept, I called United. I recognized they could not change our flight status, but how were they going to make the hundreds of people stranded comfortable overnight? Why were there not agents or a crisis management team walking around handing out water, pillows, blankets, vouchers, etc.? Almost everything in the airport was closed and we had no where to go. What was their plan? The lady on the phone was useless, but I felt a little better. I was super nice to her, but looked forward to raising hell on Monday.
Mike slept for almost an hour and a half. When he woke up, I took my turn and slept for about the same. Neither of us felt rested. Around 3:30am, a couple in their mid-40s approached our table and deemed us friendly looking enough to join us.
I normally hate talking to strangers (shocking), but they ended up being the best. We chatted with them for 3 hours and it really helped pass the time. They were supposed to fly home at 6pm on Saturday and even boarded their plane! They sat on their plane for 2.5 hours, then had to de-board, get their bags from baggage claim, and go back to the ticket counters to re-check the bags. By that point, the ticket counters were closed so they actually slept outside of security with their bags until 3am when they reopened. WILD! We all trauma-bonded. We also shared stories and pictures from our fun trips. They had just gotten back from 2 weeks in Italy. We talked about their kids and our engagement and wedding. They were incredibly pleasant people and I enjoyed chatting with them.
Mike got us breakfast and the sunrise was nice, despite me wishing I was not there to see it (as in, I would have rather been home).
Our new friends got notifications their flight changed gates, so we said our goodbyes and good lucks! Our gate changed again too, so we relocated another time. More waiting. Another delay. Another gate change. More waiting. The airport was alive now and I hated every single person who did not spend the night there. Fresh-faced motherf*ckers. I was tired. We both were. We had been awake for nearly 40 hours. I wanted a shower.
At last, we were told our final gate and final departure time. Everyone headed over and got in line to board. Was it actually happening?! Were we going home?! I did not believe it until I saw the pilot, flight attendants, and finally the plane. Other gates had random applause throughout the morning and our gate was no different. It was time to GTFO of Newark.
We boarded the plane and were very much ready to go. It took almost another hour for them to get everyone seated and shuffled around and bags loaded, etc. Who knows what was going on, but it took awhile before we FINALLY, and excitedly, took off. Normally I take the window seat, but I insisted Mike take it so he could sleep and be rested to drive us home from the airport. He was sleep before takeoff and I took a picture of him napping for payback! He looks cuter, though.
We landed in Houston around 1:45pm, a full 13.75 hours later than originally planned. Mike and I are very much “get up and go” people on the last day of a trip: we wanted to power through and get home so we would have Sunday to recover, do laundry, and prep for the week. His family all took a slower approach and the irony was, by the time we got home at 3pm, they were all getting home too! At least everyone made it safely, our bags included.
Shout out to my dad and Suzette for watching Elliott during the trip and keeping him a day longer while we navigated the mess. Double shout out for bringing Elliott to our house for us instead of us going to pick him up. Shout out to my neighbor for taking care of the outside kitties, too!
The experience getting home was the absolute worst and something neither of us had experienced to that degree ever before. I would not have wanted to go through it with anyone else!
Despite the troubles getting home, the trip was incredible. 6 people for 2 weeks with multiple transportation methods and cities and everything up to that point had gone so swimmingly. 6 people for 2 weeks and minus a hiccup in Athens, no major conflicts or issues. I am lucky to get to marry such an amazing guy who I travel so well with, but also into such a great family who has always welcomed me since day 1. It was fun planning the trip with everyone (we started planning in September 2022) and it was even more fun finally getting to be there! I love Mike, and all of them, very much!
I looked forward to many, many more trips together!
Until next time,
Jillian
PS – I raised hell at United and got us each a $150 travel credit. A week or so later, United announced that everyone impacted by their delays between specified 2 dates (us) would get 30,000 miles. Mike and I did the math and decided that was a fair amount for our suffering. Namaste.
jillian goes... 