The view that my father looks out on
We've just come home after spending a wonderful week in Greece. When I found out that I was pregnant I decided that I wanted to take our baby to see my father in Athens, as it's his first grandchild. I love planning trips away and spent most of this year planning the logistics of travelling with Eve.
I'm sure that for most parents the worry is the actual travelling. I took various supplies to aid us on our journey; some of which were really handy and others that I didn't actually use.
On the flight from Heathrow to Athens Eve fell asleep as we were waiting to taxi across the air field. We were both feeling most happy that she had decided to 'play ball' when after taking off she woke up and started crying - pretty sure due to her ears not popping. She wouldn't drink from her bottle (which is advised during take off as the sucking combats the ear pain), so finally I gave her a small shot of ibuprofen medicine (syringed in to her mouth). Due to this she had to swallow which made her ears pop.
She had made a lot of noise for about fifteen minutes and Sam and I were starting to seriously worry that she was going to cry for the whole flight. Thankfully, she promptly stopped crying and fell asleep.
Unfortunately this situation was made worse by a rather horrible girl who was sat next to us on the end of our row of seats. I said hello to her when we sat down, and then asked her if she would mind if I got up to change the baby before we took off and she rolled her eyes at me and gave me such a look. She made us feel really uncomfortable for the first half of the flight. I'm so glad that Eve slept for the majority of the journey in the plane so that we could have a few drinks and relax a bit - we needed it!
We were collected from Athens airport by a lovely guy called Stavros, who held up a sign with my name. I paid an extra 10 euros to the hotel for this service - which I totally recommend if you're travelling with a baby. The thought of having to find a taxi after the flight was a bit of a no no for me.
If anyone is visiting Glyfada in Athens I fully recommend Brasil Suites Apartments. The staff were friendly and inviting. We were given a map and were shown lots of places nearby that were good to visit. As we arrived early evening, we wandered down to the beach with Eve in her pram. It was still very hot even though it was 7pm.
Thankfully the place that we chose to eat at was fantastic. The food on the menu was modern and interesting. The herby chicken salad and octopus were incredible. Efharisto poli Balux Cafe!
The waiter was a great guy, we enjoyed chatting Greek with him and he recommended a good, inexpensive Greek wine to accompany our meal.
Unfortunately during our week in Greece Eve did not sleep well due to the heat. Even though we had air con in our room she would only sleep for 2-3 hours at a go, so we both felt totally exhausted from lack of sleep when we arrived home in England. It felt a bit like nursing a newborn baby a bit as Eve has been sleeping through the night since she was 9 weeks old. I'm so glad that she is now getting back into her normal sleeping routine - slowly but surely.
It was great having an apartment with a sink, fridge and freezer. Something that I really recommend to any parent's taking their baby on holiday is to take some hand wash fabric liquid with you. I bought a re-fillable bottle from Boots chemist and filled it up. It was probably the most useful thing that I took with us. Baby food can leave stains so it's good to wash clothes straight away if you can, and then wash them properly once you get back home after your holiday. If you're in a hot country the clothes will dry in a matter of hours. Also good for any baby 'accidents' in the nappy area!
In the morning we had breakfast downstairs, Eve really enjoyed watermelon during this trip.
The thing that was strange for me and Sam during this holiday was relaxing by the pool. Before Eve arrived if we visited somewhere we would always be off trekking around finding local historic attractions. However, having Eve with us in such a hot place we decided to just chill by the pool the next day. We got chatting to a lovely Australian-Greek family and spent a few hours with them discussing our families.
Eve really enjoyed being in the pool. Baths and swimming have been slow work for Eve. The hot weather meant that Eve actually wanted to get into the nice cool swimming pool.
Yiorgis, Myrsini, Sam and Eve at the restaurant in Volos
My uncle, Theo Yiorgis and his wife Myrsini collected us from our hotel and drove us to the Pelion Peninsular, 4 hours north of Athens along the coast. They have a holiday home there. As we approached the Pelion mountains we stopped at Volos to have lunch.
It was really hot sitting outside under the shade, the food was tasty and the owner who is a friend of theirs was very friendly. He allowed me to change Eve's nappy on a table at the back of the restaurant.
Pretty much everyone that met Eve during our holiday fell in love with her! Lots of friendly people came up to us to say hello to her or kiss her.
My uncle and his wife are big Tsipouro fans (kind've like Italian Grappe - Sam's mum would love it I think)...
Also due to the hot weather we had a real breakthrough with Eve drinking water. Since she started on 'solid' food she's been quite slow to accept drinking water after a meal. However whilst we were in Greece she couldn't get enough of it. She decided that she loved drinking out of glasses!
Daddy and Eve
The journey through the mountains was pretty crazy, hairpin bends at every turn. It took an hour and ten minutes from Volos to my uncle's home. When we arrived Eve enjoyed looking at the vegetables in his garden.
The following day we relaxed on the beach at Horefto and had another lovely, long Greek lunch at a taverna on the beach.
Lunch at a taverna on Horefto beach, Pelion
Myrsini with Eve
On Friday we got up early. Yiorgis drove Sam, myself and Eve up to Sozopolis, Halkidiki, four hours away. We went to have lunch with my aunt, Thea Ana and her son Ilias. They were both so welcoming and kind. I showed Ana some photos that my mother took when we went to Halkidiki when I was a baby. It was lovely to go to her home 33 years later as an adult. Ana cooked the most incredible traditional Greek lunch; meatballs with potatoes, and salad from vegetables grown in the garden with local feta cheese. It must have taken her a long time to create the meal. Ana and Ilias were so hospitable. I enjoyed the time we spent there so much. It was wonderful for us to meet more of our Greek family.
Ana serving the delicious meal that she made for us
My cousin Ilias with Eve
Ana with Eve, she called her 'koukla' - baby doll!
Three generations of the Boutsiavaras family - me and Eve, theo Yiorgis, thea Ana, cousin Ilias
As I write this I'm sad to say that I've just heard from Ana's daughter, Pipina. Ana died yesterday; three days after our meeting. She was such a lovely lady, so warm and caring. We send our condolences to her family.
Back in Pelion the following day we went to Ag. Ioannis (St. John) had a short walk through the village to the beach, relaxed there and then had lunch outside a taverna.
Sam and I decided it was the nicest swim in the sea we've ever had. The aegean is such a glorious colour. The sea and beach were completely free of any pollution which was amazing to see.
We ate the best taramosalata in Ag. Ioannis that I've ever eaten. The man that owns the taverna is a fisherman. He catches the fish in the morning and then his wife and other family members cook the various fish dishes. The taramosalata was one of the food highlights of the week.
Me and Eve in Ag. Ioannis
Our last day was spent down on the beach at Horefto. We went to a different taverna this time where we ate another incredible lunch. Sam and I tried Youvetsi (beef stew with orzo pasta) for the first time - a serious taste sensation. We're going to attempt making this at home sometime for sure.
Watermelon time!
Sam and I cannot thank my uncle Yiorgis and Myrsini enough. They were so hospitable and took such great care of us throughout the week. Yiorgis drove us long distances over the mainland, and made us feel comfortable and welcome in their beautiful holiday home.
Holy mountain just before sunrise on the day we left Pelion. It is on the third finger of the Halkidiki region that can be seen across the Aegean sea.
Sunrise as we left Pelion
Daddy and Eve at the airport, waiting to fly back to England.
It was an experience that we shall never forget. We have so many memories spending time with family in different parts of mainland Greece. I am glad that Eve will be able to read this blog when she is older and see the wonderful people that she met.
A lovely Bristolian lady sat next to us on the plane home. She really made the journey enjoyable for us as she put us at ease. She is a grandmother and lives in South Gloucestershire and was very good playing with Eve. The couple sitting behind us were really nice to us too. Eve cried a little bit but was generally very good and was awake for the majority of the flight. I gave up trying to get her to go to sleep as she was just too excited about touching so many new textures.
The lady told me that a Vicks vapour stick wafted under a baby's nose can help clear the airways and make their ears pop - I'll definitely try this next time!
This was a revelation compared to our outward journey. We were so glad to sit next to her and chatted about how much we all love living in the Bristol area.
Needless to say we were very happy when we finally arrived home later that evening.
