Toddler Travel in Athens

Our Toddler filled days in the Athenian Riviera!

En route to moving to the Middle East this summer we took a long layover (6 days) to enjoy everything in and around Athens with Milo, myself, Milo’s Nonna and Poppy, and Adam halfway through! Having his Nonna and Poppy on the trip made it all the more special for our little guy, and so much more helpful for me. I have learned that these long layovers with Milo are crucial when flying such long distances, plus it is always a great excuse to enjoy travelling to a beautiful new area. Flights from Newark to Greece are about 9.5 hours, and then flights from Greece to our final destination of Bahrain are typically 4 hours. Our stay along the shores of Athens can be described as laid back, and filled with warmth and sand. Athens was probably the most Milo friendly culture and environment combination we have visited thus far, which made this trip wonderful.

Our first few days along the Athenian Riviera were beach filled. Milo loved every second of throwing every rock he could find into the sea and seat dropping his way into the surf. We stayed in a neighborhood called Palaio Faliro, which was directly across from Flivos Marina, Flivos Park, and about a 5 minute walk to Akti Tou Ilou beach. Having the combination of the above just a walk away was perfect for our stay because we could take in the views while eating at one of the many restaurants along the Marina’s waterfront. Or an often more Milo friendly option was grabbing some spinach pies to go and having a picnic while we watched Milo bounce on the trampolines or enjoy the playgrounds. Flivos Park had us carting around the trails on a 5 person peddle-bike, watching Milo in his remote controlled convertible fly around the curves, and meeting all of Athens’ cats on the playground. Finally, I saved this part for last because it was definitely our favorite-we enjoyed the beach so much! Typically I prefer sand beaches but Milo was entertained for hours collecting rocks and throwing them into the water.

During our stay, we took two day trips…

1. Ancient Athens
2. Hydra (An Island a ferry ride from the coast)

In Ancient Athens our favorite things to do included:

1.     The Happy Train- this sounds bizarre but it was a hop on hop off kids train that carted through the downtown streets of historic Athens, overviewing information about the highlights of the city. Milo LOVED all the beep-beeps (buses) he saw on this tour and screamed beep whenever he would see or hear a vehicle in any form.

2.      The National Garden: This gardens complex was GORGEOUS. Within it we saw the beautiful plants of the area while also enjoying parrots, playgrounds, and shade within.

3. Plaka: This is a neighborhood adjacent to some of the historical ruins that is packed with pedestrian walkways, shops, and restaurants. Milo collected a couple evil eye souvenir keychains that are meant to act as protection in Greek culture.

4. The Acropolis: I wanted to put this on the list even though it was our least favorite activity with Milo because it is still magnificent. It was just too crowded, hot, and unshaded for him to spend much time among the ruins. He (and we) would have gotten a lot more out of had he been a few years older. However, the strawberry lemonade slushies at the base of the mountain were excellent.

In Hydra Our Favorite things to do included:

1. Spilia Beach Club: Enjoying lunch at a cliffside cafe where you could slip away to take a dip in the sea. This view and experience was incredible even though I was mildly terrified that Milo would venture to take a dip of his own the whole time.
2. Avlaki Beach: This rock beach was mine and Milo’s favorite. Plus the views from this spot were mesmerizing.
3. Walking around the shops and beautiful streets.

Bloopers:

1.      Attempting to get Milo to sit down at a nice dinner after an almost 10 hour flight….Definite mom misstep which ended in ice cream for dinner instead.

2.      Almost missing our Ferry to Hydra. Waking up in a new timezone can be tricky, but waking up 20 minutes before you have to be on a ferry to a cool island when no one else was awake yet was hectic. After a mad dash to the ferry port we had all 5 of us boarding the ferry just as it departed.

3.      Changing time zones vs. Bed Times. This time zone transition always gets us. I am among the worst people when it comes to adjusting to a new timezone and I think Milo follows my lead. Having lazy beach days helped us make up for our lack of nighttime zzzs.

BEST PART FOR EVERYONE:

REUNITING OUR FAMILY.

Adam had been 5 months into his deployment when we had the chance to join him. Reuniting our Family in Greece will forever leave me with the best memories of this trip and this place.