Adirondack Weekend Escape

This weekend, Spyros and I took a much-needed break from our normal weekend routines in Ithaca - grocery shopping, chores, fitness classes, and work - and went to Adirondack mountains.

We arrived around sunset and had dinner in a small inn tucked away in the woods. We then joined other guests at the lodge we were staying at around a campfire, chatting with the charismatic lodge owner, Al, and petting his giant, sweet bulldog Bam Bam.

The next morning, we set out to hike the highest mountain in New York State - Mt. Marcy. We began early, arriving at the Adirondack Loj trailhead at 7:30 am.

Wait, what? BEARS? Active BEARS? Bears were not part of the plan. So we asked a more seasoned hiker what to do if we encountered some. He said, confidently "They'll see more of you than you'll see of them. But if you do see one, make yourself look as big as possible!" 

We signed in and set off on the 7.5 mile hike to the top.

All you have to do is just follow the little blue circles. Easy, no?

The scenary was beautiful, and there were lots of fun wooden "bridges" to carry you over particularly swampy or rough terrain.

There was a beautiful spot in the middle of the hike called Indian Falls, where a small brook trickled over a rock face which opened up to the surrounding scenery. It was the perfect snacking spot, and also a nice place to dip one's feet into the cold mountain water.

As we kept going, the terrain kept getting steeper and steeper.

The last few minutes up to the top felt surreal. Suddenly the landscape became barren. The wind got so strong that it was hard to stand upright. And looking up, I noticed that the clouds looked like they were passing by so close overhead, I could touch them.

The view at the top was spectacular. We were at 5,344 ft!

I'm not sure exactly why (perhaps due to the strong wind?), but all of my camera's photos from the very top came out over-exposed.

And as what goes up must come down, we then headed back the way we came. By the time we reached the car, the sun was starting to set. We were starving, so after washing up, we went out for the most delicious meal at a BBQ joint called Smoke Signals in Lake Placid (those are my pulled pork and beef brisket Adirondack tacos).

The next morning, we headed to Lake Placid to do some hiking around the lake before going into the village for lunch. We took the Peninsula Trails, which were a great way to enjoy walking through the forest without going to far out of the way. There were also some nice views of Lake Placid.

The village of Lake Placid itself was also scenic and lovely, surrounded by mountains and with many picturesque shops and restaurants. 

The village is built along the side of the lake, so most of the restaurants have waterfront dining. If you want to just enjoy the view without paying for it, there are also small public areas in between the shops and cafes where you can sit and enjoy a coffee or snack.

We opted for lunch at The Good Bite, a healthy, vegetarian joint with simple yet creative fare.

Quite good and affordable!

Though we didn't want to, it was then time to leave. I was so glad to be surrounded by so much wild beauty, if only for a day and a half. I hope I get a chance to come back to the Adirondacks soon.

Island Life, Santorini Style (Part I)

It's been ages now since we returned from Greece, and I'm very embarrassed to only now be putting up pics! But I hope they will be worth the long wait :)

After only a few short days in Athens, we set off for Santorini, an island in the southern part of the Cyclades. It is made up of two inhabitable islands, a large half-moon shaped one and a smaller one, which encircle a crater, known as the caldera, housing an active volcano.

To get there, we traveled through the Aegean with Blue Star Ferries. It was top notch!

As Santorini is pretty far south, our ferry stopped at a few ports along the way. Here we are in the port of Naxos.

And at last, after many hours at sea, we approached Santorini.

We had to go down to the belly of the ship to get our car. There, traffic controllers shout at you "left, left, left, come, come, come, stop!" to help you navigate through the tunnel of the ship. They seem endless, but then suddenly you see natural light coming through from the distance...

...and then you are out into the bustle of the port.

We drove up the long winding road from the port up onto the island itself.

We could look down and see the ship we had just gotten off of!

We then arrived out our hotel, the Villa Georgia, which was its own lovely oasis.

We immediately went for a swim.

And afterwards, we set off to one of the nearby beaches for dinner.

Fix - an authentic Greek beer experience.

After our first feast on the island, we spent the rest of the evening walking up and down the beach, scoping out what the nightlife scene might be like, then headed to bed pretty early.

The next morning, we were up early, and set out to explore the ancient city of Akrotiri, a city destroyed in the 1627 BC Theran volcanic eruption, leaving it buried (and preserved) in ash, much like Pompei.

We were treated to some amazing views along the way.

As the site is still currently under excavation, with a huge portion of it still unearthed, it is entirely covered to help keep it preserved.

This was one of my favorite parts, I loved the beautifully painted vessels.

This was an entire street they had excavated. It was amazing to be able to walk down a street that was more than 3,000 years old.

After exploring the ruins, we decided it was time to hit the beaches. We set out in search of a beach called "Red Beach". We could tell we were getting close when we started to see some red rocks.

We hiked up over a cliff, and then suddenly, Red Beach appeared in front of us!

We set up camp under one of the rentable umbrellas and enjoyed some swimming before climbing aboard a water taxi to visit a different beach.

We sped past white cliffs rising out of the turquoise sea, our boat driving playing around as if he would hit one, then turning away at the last minute.

Hidden in this cove is a small beach known as White Beach.

However, instead of getting off there, we headed to a different beach, Black Beach, as our boat driver promised us it was more exciting, with sea caves to explore.

Walking back from the beach after a very full day, we were treated once again to some very spectacular views of the island at sunset.

Famished after so much swimming and walking, we went to a restaurant called the Cave of Nikolas Taverna, which was suggested to us by our very hospitable Villa Georgia hosts. It is one of many restaurants nestled into a series of "caves" built into a cliff face looking out toward the sea. These caves were originally built by fishermen, who came to the island to work and needed a cheap place to live. Now, they have been turned into restaurants serving local fare.

Spyros's moussaka.

My rice, mixed with santorini fava, and surrounded by some extremely fresh mussels.

It was one of the most memorable days of my life, one I will remember for a very long time and that I am so grateful to have had. And the best part is, it ended with Spyros telling me he had booked a surprise adventure trip for the next day :)