#FBF Adventure Re-cap: Greece Part III

Well hello, everyone- and happy Friday! Welcome back to #FBF as we continue with our time in Greece!

After Mykonos, we didn't think we could find anything to top it. Boy were we wrong! Our next island was Ios. As stated in my previous #FBF post (you can find here), Ios was my favorite island. It was the epitome of what I pictured Greece being and looking like. It was small and quaint, the people were super sweet and hospitable, it was absolutely beautiful with just as lovely sights. If you decide to visit Ios bring some good walking shoes, the island is small enough to travel by foot or city bus, but be prepared, this one is hilly! It's also known as one of the louder islands as it attracts a lot of college students traveling for the summer, so if that doesn't interest you, you may want to choose a different island. There are plenty of others that I know can match its beauty.

A tour of Ios through pictures:




View as we opened our bedroom window. The views did not disappoint!








The owner of our hostel also owned this restaurant. If you happen to go to Ios and The Mills is still around, I'd highly recommend going. The food is delicious and the owner is too sweet!

Ios was absolutely amazing and comes with a high recommendation. I wish I had spent another day here to allow for more exploration. We hardly scratched the surface in retrospect.

Next, and last stop for me: Santorini. See you next week!

A weekend at home + an afternoon cruise

Good Morning, Friends! This weekend we enjoyed a little bit of a change of pace that was much needed. I originally had the Bisti Wilderness on the docket for Saturday, but during last week it was starting to sound more and more unappealing. We've been so busy lately, I was starting to feel like I was getting behind on life, so I pitched to the hubby that we stay home and do whatever we want. Let's just say I didn't have to twist his arm too much. Don't worry, it'll definitely be rescheduled.

Saturday morning we [I] decided a run at Elena Gallegos sounded pretty good. We hadn't been there since our engagement pictures photo-shoot, and it has one of my favorite views of the city. I thought it was about time to re-visit, especially since my lasting memory of it is being locked inside the park-but that's a whole other story.

Photo credit: Photizo Photography by the Smothermons

The hubby was less enthusiastic about the idea of running. I am not above bribing to get him to workout with me, so I may have coerced him with breakfast-I like to think that it helped. It was pretty hot out this weekend, and surprisingly so was early Saturday morning for our run, but it was a good change of pace and the views of course did not disappoint.

The rest of Saturday was filled with chores and preparing (and by preparing, I really mean shopping) for an upcoming trip!

Sunday, after church I basically declared date day. We decided to take a ride up to Valles Caldera (did you know it's one of only eight super volcanoes in the world?). Again, a place it had been too long since we had been, and never fails to remind me how beautiful it is. The drive up also reminded me that it has been too long since I've been to Jemez Springs and a hike needs to happen there STAT. Once we got to the reserve, we got out for a bit to walk around and take in the sights. No matter the season, the colors are always amazing. It breaks my heart to know the surroundings used to be more lush before the fire burned the majority of it a few years ago.

After a while we got back in the car and headed back down the mountain with a quick pit stop at Soda Dam for the hubby. Sunday's are apparently a popular day in the Jemez. I don't think I've ever seen Soda Dam so packed!





I was trying to keep my balance in this picture but for some reason when I see this picture, all I can think of is The Sound of Music.




We made a pit stop on the way back to buy some Native American Oven Bread. We thought it would round out the trip nicely.

On another note, the dirt in Jemez (where we bought the bread) was incredible this weekend! I had never seen it so red before. Maybe it was just because it had been a while since I had made the drive, but I could have sworn it was more vibrant this time. I took a picture, but it didn't even come close to accurately capturing its quality, so you'll just have to trust me, it was gorgeous!

Our plans for the evening were going to include a date up the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. We've been really wanting to ride in the new cars that were installed for their 50th anniversary, however, every time we plan it, the weather says otherwise. Last night was pretty stormy so we weren't sure how well the weather or the views would be when we got there, so we decided to hold off again. Hopefully that will happen soon!

Instead we just enjoyed a night in with the pups. For staying in town, we still had quite the busy weekend, but it still offered just enough downtime for me to re-group and conquer the week ahead. I hope everyone has an amazing week!

#FBF Adventure Re-cap: Greece Part II

Happy Fri-YAY, friends! I hope your week has been lovely.

For this #FBF we'll continue with our adventure in Greece. After exploring Athens (you can read about here), my sister and I were ready to begin island hopping! Next stop Mykonos.

One thing I didn't mention before, is that we found Greece (both the mainland and islands) to be pretty affordable. The islands more so than Athens, but we got some pretty great deals on the hostels. With the exception of the one in Athens, they were all quite nice and more hotel or B&B-like than a hostel. We booked all of our stays through hostelworld.com. For that time in my life and the company I was traveling with, hostels ended up being the perfect decision. It allowed for the opportunity to meet so many people our age and the environment didn't lack in hospitality or atmosphere. Food and transportation were also pretty affordable. The only thing you'll want to watch out for would be all of the souvenir traps.

I have to begin this post with two of the funniest scenes that completely set the tone for the trip (Sorry sissie-pants!). We packed up all of our belongings and headed out to the ferry port to catch our first ferry. To get over to the ferries we had to ride up the longest escalator I have ever seen in my life. It was huge! About 3/4 of the way up I hear my sister gasp and turn around to see her large (the largest they come) suitcase tumbling down this escalator. We reach the top and continue to watch her luggage tumble (picture slow motion here). At the bottom, there happened to be a nice couple who grabbed the luggage and proceeded to send it back up the escalator for us. Hilarious, y'all! Once the luggage was recovered we again started to make our way toward the ferry, only to realize that the suitcase was damaged during impact from the tumble and my sis now had to basically drag this huge suitcase behind her the rest of her trip. Did I mention she'd be touring Greece for about three weeks? Poor thing. She always knows how to bring the entertainment. Traveling with my sis is always an adventure, and something I treasure dearly.

We finally arrived on Mykonos. This island was big enough we decided to explore via moped.



We were immediately greeted by the traditional white buildings that Greece is so well known for. Fact: we learned during this trip that the reason most of the buildings are painted white with blue roofs, doors, windows, etc. is because during one of their wars the enemy burned all of their flags and banished them from the country. As a way for the country to still show their pride and keep a part of their culture alive, they painted all of their buildings the colors of their flag. So cool!



The food in Greece is devine! I love the Mediterranean style diet. Greek yogurt with fresh fruits, fried calamari, fresh salads, poultry with grape sauces, tzatziki with pita bread, gyros with french fries inside them and more were all some of the sampling of food we indulged in. The sites at many of the restaurants aren't too shabby either!




We ended up eating at one of the restaurants in the above picture. This area was known locally as "little Italy."

The beaches also offered some pretty great sites and tons of activity. Similar to the islands, each beach also has it's own personality on Mykonos. Some are quieter than others.



Mykonos was grand. We loved the laid back nature of the island so much we were sad to leave, but were so glad we did! We were greeted next with Ios, my favorite island of the trip.

Weekend Roadtrip to Tucson

Good Morning Friends!

Hope you find today to be a great start to your week. Today started off a bit rough for us, but oh so worth it. We took a road trip this weekend to Tucson to visit some dear friends of ours. Some quality time with them was long overdue, and this weekend served up the perfect opportunity.



While the weekend mostly consisted of catching up, great conversation and fellowship we did sneak in a couple of extra curricular activities.

On the way out we drove through Hatch, NM, which is home to a restaurant on the Green Chile Cheeseburger trail called Sparky's BBQ. SO delicious! We got the recommendation from my sister-in-law and our taste-buds were quite grateful. We both got a "World Famous" and they were amazing. Perfect split of savory and spicy and the french fries to go along with it were pretty phenomenal as well. The atmosphere also completely makes the restaurant. It's a mix of quarky and diner with a New Mexican flare. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a stop-in. Heck, a drive just to try it out is also worth it. While there, we were also eyeing their brownies-that will be happening sometime in the future!



In Tucson our friends took us to a breakfast spot that was on-point, called First Watch. It was farm fresh food with an elegant farm to table style atmosphere as well and both the food and service were amazing! I enjoyed a hash of sorts that was divine, and the hubby enjoyed french [ciabatta] toast with Nutella, strawberries and hazelnuts. It got rave reviews, and the rest of us basically drooled once we saw it. It may have also been referred to as cake from one of the little one's with us. I think he was on to something! In hindsight, I wish I would have grabbed a photo, but you'll just have to trust me on this one.

On the last day of our visit we went to the Pima Air & Space Museum. I was so impressed with all of the aircraft's. You definitely want to be able to devote some time here. In fact, multiple trips are probably in order. The space is absolutely huge. They have four hangers full of aircraft's and then have an outside courtyard of about 310 aircraft's I believe. Each of the volunteers are incredibly knowledgeable of the planes and excited to share with you their stories and answer any questions you may have.

The boy's were pretty much enamored. I think they were just as excited as the little one with us. We [they] could have spent all day looking at them if we could [let them], but our stomach's were telling us we were hungry. We ended up eating at the restaurant they had at the museum, and were all quite pleased with the quality of their food. With full stomach's and time ticking away, we decided it was time to head back so we could hit the road back home. On the way out we decided, we'd definitely be coming back to the museum at some point!








I'm always saying "okie dokie" so thought this was pretty cool. It's just missing its "dokie."


Saw this cactus on the way out and thought it was pretty unique.

That pretty much rounded out our trip! Too short, but well worth the drive. Thanks friends for putting up with us! We absolutely loved our time together and are already looking forward to next time!

#FBF Adventure Re-cap: Greece Part I

Hello, Hello! Happy Friday folks! This week has been a little busy over here. Lots of family time and friend time- always a good time. This week we're off again to Tucson! I've been looking forward to this trip for about a month now! To say I'm excited is a gross understatement! I'm sure I'll have something to report next week.

Until then, let's get to our regularly scheduled #FBF! I thought it might be easiest to continue with the international theme until I get through those, then switch over to some of my domestic travels. So, next stop: Greece! Similarly to my previous re-caps, I'll be splitting this up into parts as well. Be prepared, we'll be in Greece for a few Fridays!

Greece pulled together rather quickly for me. It was almost done on a whim. My sister came to me expressing interest in wanting to go to Greece and suggested I go with her. At the time I was hoping to visit my friend again, this time in France, however it wasn't coming to fruition so I switched coarse and booked my flights to Greece.

If I were to return to Greece, I think some lessons learned would be to research my islands. Each island in Greece really does have it's own personality, which attracts different types of tourists. While I loved each island we visited, there were some things I would have loved to see like additional ruins or that traditional clear blue turquoise water. When booking your trip, have an idea of what you're looking for and do your research to see which islands fit that need. With that being said, I had the opportunity to visit Athens, Mykonos, Ios and Santorini.

First up: Athens.

My introduction to Athens was a bit overwhelming. I traveled alone to meet up with my sister who was already at the hostel. I opted to take the train from the airport and then walk from the train station to the hostel. Athens is a lot bigger and way more populated than I expected. Far different from my Ukraine/Eastern Europe experience. It also caters to the tourist with people selling you things everywhere. I mean, everywhere. This surprised me, and bummed me out a bit. For as much history as the city has, in my opinion, it's been overrun by the tourism industry. Don't get me wrong, I love tourism-I do it for a living! But there is something to be said for maintaining a city's culture. All of that aside, having the opportunity to see structures like the Parthenon or the Acropolis in person and explore the history of one of the oldest cities in the world is pretty impressive.

I met my sister at the hostel, freshened up a bit and then we hit the ground running. Sidenote: remember my warning about "gas water?" My sister also had an unpleasant surprise with what she thought was just bottled water. I neglected to warn her about that before she got there. It happened to be one of the first things she told me/warned me about when we met-sorry sis!

We only dedicated a day to Athens, which for us, ended up being the perfect amount of time. We explored the city, visited some shops, met a store owner who had a friend who moved to Albuquerque to open a restaurant (gotta love Albuquerque connections!) and toured the ruins. I would also highly recommend viewing the Acropolis at night. It's absolutely beautiful!

Here's Athens in photos:

Caving

Good afternoon! Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend so far. Yesterday we had the opportunity to go caving at El Malpais National Monument. It was something completely new to us and out of ordinary, but so worth the trip.

One thing I absolutely love about New Mexico is the variety of scenery you can find going from one part of the state to the other. With this, it also offers varying experiences and a ton of different monuments or wilderness areas to explore. We certainly took advantage this yesterday at the lava tubes.

I've been wanting to explore the lava tubes for a couple of years now, and this weekend finally opened up the opportunity. I'd venture to say almost the entirety of El Malpais National Monument is volcanic rock, so to get to the tubes, though marked by "trail" you're climbing over the rocks themselves. It's a pretty surreal experience to be completely surrounded by the black. It reminds me a bit of White Sands in that you feel like you're in a completely different world.

We finally made it to the entrance and you're immediately greeted with boulders that you have to climb through to get to the caves. We intended to check out the big skylight cave first (pictured at the top), but somehow we unknowingly got our directions crossed. Instead, we explored the smaller cave (twice). At least we got our practice in! Once we finally figured out where we were, we then ventured back over the boulders to the other side to go check out the big skylight cave. It was pretty incredible. Such a unique experience. You quite literally can't see a thing, so headlights are a requirement. There's also something to be said for how cool it really gets. It can be 90 something degrees outside, but 40 degrees in the cave-with all of the bouldering we had been doing, the 40 degrees felt pretty amazing! 

An example of some of the boulders we climbed. These also had some really phenomenal coloring on them. I wish the quality here was better. It doesn't look at all like it did in person.

Some moss growing in the cave

Again, some really cool coloring that doesn't resemble the live version.

Another example of some of the rocks we had to climb. While the bouldering wasn't what I would call difficult, it also wasn't easy. I'd say as long as you have some hiking experience under your belt you should be perfectly fine getting to the caves. 

When all was said and done we spent probably a few hours exploring between the bouldering and the caves themselves. Before we headed back home we made a pit-stop at the Sandstone Bluffs for what made for a great lasting impression of El Malpais. 

If you are a local, it's only about an hour and a half from Albuquerque, I highly recommend a day trip out. Saturday's they also do a program for the bat viewings. We were sad to miss this. If you have time El Morro National Monument is also out that way and worth a stop as well.