Stay Awake!

-

Our first mission upon arriving in Greece: stay awake.

We’d booked a two-night stay in Athens specifically to acclimate—and because there was no way I was going to plop Rob into a car in a new country with a different language and alphabet and expect him to drive while jet-lagged.

We arrived at our Airbnb around noon and set the goal of staying up until our new target bedtime: 10pm. We made it—but it wasn’t easy.

To keep ourselves awake (and get some natural light), we walked. A lot. We wandered toward the Acropolis, the main attraction near our Airbnb, winding our way through hilly cobblestone streets that made it very clear: we were not in New Mexico anymore.

The city unfolded with layers of charm—narrow alleys, bustling cafés, antique shops, tourist stalls, all humming with life. People from all over the world filled the streets, and we were unmistakably part of that crowd.

Jet lag hung over us like a fog, but we pushed through, fueled by that wonderful sense of being away.

And I’ve got to say—no MAGA hats, no cowboy hats? A refreshing bonus.

By evening we could not go on, jet lag laid heavy on us and the walk was exhausting even on a normal day, so we watched a film in bed and passed out hard. The morning presented similar acclimation challenges, we had to get up early to reset our clock and though drowsiness pulled us towards sleep we got up at 10am and went out wandering. 


Popular posts from this blog

Living Between Worlds

-
Image
Considering life in another country carries a complex emotional weight. On one hand, there’s the thrill of adventure—which is very real. On the other, it’s a strange experience to find yourself in one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever seen, immersed in a culture rich with authenticity, warmth, and safety, and still feel… isolated. This feeling stems largely from the language barrier. Even mapping reveals the complications. We’re in Greece, and we don’t speak—or read—Greek. I expected this would pose some limitations, but now that I’m here, I can more clearly articulate the nuances of those limitations. We often don’t realize how much we absorb from our surroundings just by reading signs and posters. Because Greek uses a different alphabet and has no linguistic overlap with English to use as a guide, we’re often in the dark. We can’t tell if we’re standing in front of a law office or a dental practice. Bakeries and supermarkets are more obvious, and in truth, I rather enjoy sh...
Read more

Unexpected Bourgeoisie

-
Image
At this point in our 23-day trip to Greece, I had booked our first “in-town” stay—an apartment just outside the center of activity, about a 10-minute walk from the heart of town. I figured we’d be acclimated enough to step away from the comforts typically tailored for tourists (Greek or otherwise). A note: our trip intentionally excludes the islands and places frequented by non-Greek tourists. Since we’re scouting for a potential home, we felt drawn to everyday Greek life. Even when we chose towns with some tourism, they catered primarily to Greek visitors. Nafplio, Kalamata, and Preveza all fit that bill. Upon arriving in Preveza after a beautiful four-hour drive from Kalamata, we found our backstreet apartment and checked in. By now, we’d grown accustomed to Greece’s version of “crunk”—tiered apartment buildings, narrow roads, and laundry fluttering from balconies. It’s a style consistent across cities, and we’ve come to recognize it as a hallmark of local life. We checked into a gro...
Read more

Kalamata in the Peloponnese Region - a Beach Town with a Brooklyn Hub

-
Image
We’ve made our way to Kalamata, another city in the Peloponnese region of Greece, about a two-hour drive from Nafplio. First impressions? It feels like a mix of Brooklyn, New Orleans, South Beach Miami, and Beverly Hills—a strange combination, I know! Unlike Nafplio or Athens, the urban streets of Kalamata are wide, a more recent development that feels refreshingly familiar to an American. But that sense of spaciousness doesn’t last. Once you leave the urban center and enter the residential neighborhoods—mostly beach towns lining the coast—the roads quickly revert to being incredibly narrow, winding beyond anything you can imagine, and at times, quite rough. Kalamata’s street life has the energy of Brooklyn, but it’s dotted with charming, French-influenced two-story buildings featuring ornate wrought-iron balconies that evoke New Orleans. Our Airbnb is directly on the port, overlooking the water, surrounded by restaurants, shops, and a few small beaches. Just an eighth of a mile down t...
Read more