Sep 11, 20225 min read

My Greece Trip

I know this isn't a travel blog, but I wanted to give my friends and family that follow me here a look into my trip to Greece. My parents and I went on an 8 day cruise to Greece and Turkey, and it was the best vacation ever. From shopping to swimming in crystal blue waters to touring sites from three different time periods, what I loved most was the variety that Greece has to offer. We began in Athens, where I met up with my teammate and temporary roommate, and then visited Mykonos, Ephesus, Patmos,

Mykonos, Greece

In Mykonos, we spent the first half of the day wandering the touristy streets along the coastline. It was like a maze of bougainvillea-covered storefronts. Every now and again, we would poke our heads into a store (and maybe buy a thing or two). It was beautiful, and first thing in the morning, peaceful. It was just us and the locals until the crowds soon filled the streets with traffic. It's clear why it's so busy though: Mykonos has all the Greek island staples with windmills (picture 1), blue dome churches, and whitewashed buildings.

After returning to the cruise ship for lunch, we drove across the island to a small beach where a catamaran awaited us off the shoreline. Despite a light rain, I staked my territory at the front of the boat on the net where we chatted with two friends from Ukraine (picture 2). We shared lots of laughs throughout the day, but we also heard their personal and global perspectives on the war. They were appreciative of American support and were eager to learn how the media portrayed the war in the states. They also were pro photographers and had fun posing me for a photoshoot! While we stopped for a swim in the clear blue waters, the first mate of the ship cooked a traditional Greek dinner for us to eat as the sun melted into the horizon.

The first day of our trip (though it was so long it felt like two) was right up our alley. If you stop in Mykonos, be sure to hit the streets early in the day to beat the crowds and fill the rest of your day however you please!

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

On day two we went to Kusadasi, Turkey. It was our first time in Asia--can cross that off the continent list! From the port, it was a 20-30 minute drive to Ephesus, which used to be a coastal town. At one point, it was the fourth largest city in the world. The Apostle Paul spent a couple of years there, teaching and reasoning in the lecture halls. You can read about it here in Acts 19. My sophomore year, I took a Bible class called "In the Steps of Paul" where we studied the apostle's journey and teachings. It was so special to actually walk in the steps of Paul.

We walked the marble streets that were once lined with merchants and shops. There were temples and statues of the Greek gods, including the goddess of victory, Nike. See if you can see the swoosh in picture 3. In addition to houses, fountains, toilets, and columns, there was the Celsus Library (picture 1) and the amphitheater (picture 2). My favorite part was the theater, where silversmiths led a riot against Paul's call to stop worshipping idols. Standing on the steps of the theater was like living in history. I could imagine the uproar, magnified by the strong acoustics.

Patmos, Greece

Day 3 was filled with more Biblical sights. John, pictured above, was exiled to Patmos, where God gave John his revelation. Though no cameras were permitted, we toured the cave that theologians and historians alike believe is where John had has revelation. Despite being small, it is now an ornate church. In fact, when we visited it, locals were having a church service and singing in their native language. It was beautiful.

The second half of the day, we went on a speed boat. And by speed I mean 54 mph on the open water. I held on for dear life at the front of the boat, grinning from ear to ear as I was tossed around by the waves. I guess I have a need for speed! Before we knew it, we were stopped at cliffs with turquoise waters. I swam through the tunnel (picture 3) into a different universe with more caves, crevices, and rock formations. Everything about this day was so cool, so I rate it as my favorite day of the whole trip (though I could make a case for every day). I even ate sea urchin!

Rhodes, Greece

The next morning, we woke up to views of a crusader stronghold on the island of Rhodes (picture 1).

With valuable real estate between Greece (the Western world) and Turkey (Asia), Rhodes has seen a lot of turnover in ownership. In ~1300-1500 AD, crusaders occupied the island and built this fortress as a hospital for Europeans traveling to the Holy Land. It had walls, towers, gates, everything that you'd expect a fortress to have (picture 2). It was just what I dreamed of as a little girl. No, not being a princess in a palace, but being a knight (I played a video game where you built and defended your own stronghold). We went on a tour that, in addition to seeing the stronghold, visited an Ancient Greek stadium and the Palace of a Grandmaster that was later (1940's/50's) built as a vacation home for Italian royalty. We saw history of three different time periods in just one city. My parents got tired of the museums so we ditched the tour (but when they told the tour guide suddenly it was me who wanted to go, haha!). I felt like a professional sight-seer with my handheld speaker (picture 3). We ended the day shopping the streets inside the castle walls and lounged on the pool deck.

Santorini, Greece

Oia, Santorini is a cliffside village with classic blue dome churches and shops built into the hill. It's one of the most popular tourist spots of the year (thanks to TikTok), and that was evident in the lines to take pictures and bumper-to-bumper (or I should say person-to-person) traffic in the cobblestone streets. Still, its breathtaking views of the Caldera, a crater-made phenomenon, and whitewashed hillside deserves all the hype. We enjoyed this view with lunch and rested on the ship the rest of the day!

Crete, Greece

We spent our last vacation day on the water again. We cruised along the coast in another speed boat, admiring the steep cliffs to our right and the open ocean on the left. We stopped in a few different spots to swim, but it was overall a relaxing day and perfect way to end our vacation. We enjoyed dinner in the aft of the ship, watching the sun sink down, as we headed back to Athens for our 31-hour long trip home. As my dad always says, "And so the sun sets on another Peisner family vacation."

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Thank you, mom & dad, for taking me on this trip! Looking around at the rest of the guests on our cruise, I realize that a lot of parents left their kids behind. I'm glad you didn't! Also, shoutout to my dad for color-coordinating his outfits with me every day!