You, Me, and the Sea
Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 11:57AM It's a bit crazy how quickly life sucks you right back into its nonstop whirlwind after a nice, relaxing vacation. I finally found some time this past weekend to sort through all our photos (selfies galore), and they totally reminded me how vital it is to come up for air once in a while.
I had a wonderful time with Chris on this trip. It was great to unplug, spend quality time with each other, and focus on making memories. We ate sooooo much, I was such a happy camper. To balance it all out, we did a whole bunch of sightseeing, and, of course, a ton of yoga! As promised, here are some of my favorite moments from our trip :)
First stop, Venice! Our first visit to Italy was rather chilly, so it was awesome to get a second peek at this special city. Although Venice can get pretty touristy in the warmer months, it was still as gorgeous as ever.
I’d heard about a bookstore named Libreria Acqua Alta that keeps its books stacked in boats and bathtubs in order to protect them from the periodic flooding that is common to the city. As book lovers, it was a no-brainer- we had to go check it out. We spent the day walking around the maze that is Venice looking for this store, and got insanely lost for hours. I was ready to give up, but Chris was hell-bent on finding this place.
When we finally got there, I was so glad we followed through. We climbed staircases made out of old encyclopedias, and wandered through room after room, filled with dizzying towers of books. Boats and tubs were piled to the ceiling with books from all over the world, spilling over onto the floor. It was magical. Something about the musty smell of old books just makes me so very happy.
We visited the opera house to watch La Bohème, which was a fun experience. We had a great view from our private balcony room, and were happy to find that there were digital subtitles displayed above the stage throughout the show. This really helped us understand and appreciate the opera on a whole new level!
The next day, we took a water taxi to catch our ship! I was sad to say goodbye to beautiful Venice, but so excited to get on board and sail off into the sunset.
We had a private balcony in our room, which was such a treat because it allowed us to see all the ridiculous ocean views when we pulled in and out of port through the islands. It was also a great private space to get some morning yoga in. There I am in Boat pose.. on a boat :)
First port, Kotor, Montenegro! I didn't know much about this country prior to our trip, and we only stayed on land for a few hours. All I can tell you is that it is extremely mountainous and densely packed with a mesmerizing variety of flora and vegetation.
Steps into the sea in Kotor- there were tiny fish swimming around everywhere!
Most of our time aboard the ship was spent poolside on the top deck. We also got a few games of mini golf in! (That was me imitating a putter.. don't ask.)
The best thing we did on the cruise was make new friends! We met people from all over the world, and all walks of life. These new friendships added an additional element of fun to our trip, and I am so glad we are all still keeping in touch :)
One lovely couple, Joe and Megan, had been traveling the world for six months! They are sharing their journey through their fascinating and gorgeous travel blog - Check it out here!
Chris is a pretty big history buff, so he was excited to make the climb up the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. It was a steep, sweltering trek up the mountain, and not so fun in sandals. But my goodness, the view from the mountaintop was definitely worth it. Thankfully, it rained a bit while we were up there, which cooled things down - and lured some adorable turtles to come out and play!
We also strolled through the National Garden in Athens, and found ourselves walking through a purple sea of flower petals. Absolutely amazing.
This guy is my favorite travel buddy. I am really thankful to be with someone who is responsible, but willing to be adventurous, try new things, and photograph all my yogabombs. We make a good team <3
The countryside in Greece is rich in depth and colors. There are trees everywhere you look!
There were citrus trees everywhere! They were so pretty and smelled delicious.
Now i really want a little lemon tree for our home. How fun would that be?
Once we reached Mykonos, we drove up to a ranch for a day of horseback riding. This ranch was filled with the cutest animals! A tiny litter of kittens roamed the grounds, and there were geese, chickens, and turkeys everywhere.This was my first time on a horse, so I was pretty nervous in the beginning. Luckily, our horses, Hector and Spring, were so sweet and well-mannered! I quickly became comfortable and then deeply enamored with them.
We rode down the mountainside to a deserted beach.
Here we are at Fokos Beach!
Hector <3
There is nothing like seeing the world from between the ears of a horse. What a memory. I'll remember that for a long time.
I don’t think there is much need to mention how gorgeous the sea was from every single angle.
Of course, this had to happen - Mermaid pose by the sparkling sea.
To finish our trip, we visited Melissani cave in Kefalonia. It was pretty far from Arogostoli, where our ship ported, but I am so glad we decided to do this.
The top of this spectacular cave dissolved through chemical and physical water erosion decades back, allowing the sun to shine through and light up the shimmering blue underground lake below.
I'd heard about Melissani years ago, and had immediately put it on my bucket list. I never thought that one day I would actually be sitting there with my husband in that very cave, with the sun shining down on us. It was a dream come true, and the perfect way to end this amazing trip.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed my plethora of photos! Now that we are back, I have tons of exciting projects that I have been working on and cannot wait to share with you. More later!
I fried our converter on the first day with my T3 travel dryer. Oopsies. As a result, we were unable to charge anything, including my camera, and I didn't get as many photos of Rome as I would have liked to. Not that my point-and-shoot could have done this marvelous city any justice. The Vatican City is insanely opulent, although I found the Sistine Chapel a bit underwhelming in person. Nevertheless, I was deeply inspired by the city's wealth of art, history, and stunning architecture. We had tons of fun reliving Gladiator scenes at the Colosseum, and ended our visit with an evening at the Spanish Steps.
It was rainy during our stay, which made the city even more dreamy. We did all our sightseeing on foot, wandering through a beautiful maze of cobblestone streets, and stopping to savor pudding-thick hot chocolates at the Rivoire. Florence is a living museum filled with breathtaking cathedrals, galleries, markets, and piazzas. We had a blast geeking out at the 
Hands down, one of the most breathtaking, enchanting places I have ever seen. We spent the final days of our trip getting lost on purpose, exploring mysterious alleys and crossing countless bridges. Each turn revealed another glimpse of the decaying elegance of this ancient city. It felt almost mystical, and incredibly romantic.
