When was the last time you took a family vacation? Not with your signifiant other and your kids, but rather with your parents and extended family who you rarely see? For me, it had been well over 15 years since I’ve traveled somewhere to see my parents outside of my hometown, or their winter home of Southern California. Even more, it had been 20+ years since we scheduled time to all hang out with our England-based family (my dad’s brother’s clan) on an extended holiday.
Given how overdue it was, my dad and his brother (my Uncle Jon) decided that a Mediterranean vacation was the scratch for that itch - and I wasn’t complaining.
On August 20th, Lynn and I headed out from JFK on an overseas flight to Rome. We took the train into the city center and were met by Dan, Steve, and Finn, ready to begin our adventure!
After checking into our hotel in Central Rome, my mum and dad arrived an hour later, and we were all reunited around a delicious Italian lunch, complete with pizza, pasta, bruschetta, aperol, and Peroni. The next three days were jam-packed with tours through the Vatican and Colosseum, a walking Roman food tour, a pasta and tiramisu-making class, several epic runs and meals, and countless gelato experiences for Finn (and Lynn). Since nobody likes to read a detailed recap of every aspect of someone else’s vacation, I’ve tried to include as many photos below for your viewing pleasure.
Day one Rome highlights included lots of walking, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, a viral espresso, and some up-close viewing of the pasta-maker at dinner:
Day two Rome highlights included a donut for breakfast before an early Vatican tour (Finn was a hero), a Roman food tour through several areas including the Jewish Ghetto, and an amazing European dinner in the bustling Trastevere neighborhood.
Day three Rome highlights included waffles, a very kid-friendly Colosseum tour, soccer in Rome, and an unforgettable pasta and tiramisu-making class - so fun! Did you know Rome has fresh water fountains every 80 meters throughout the city!?!
After what are always exhausting days in a busy European city, with 20,000+ daily steps, we were off to Leo Da Vinci airport to fly to Crete; ready to unite with our England-based family (Uncle Jon, Aunt Sue, their three daughters Florence, Merry, and Eve, as well as Eve’s boyfriend, Seth) to truly launch the vacation.
A simple two-hour flight, followed by a white-knuckle 90-minute airport shuttle from Heraklion, along the northern coast of the island, and we were pulling up to our villa just outside of the town of Rethymno. I had been to Greece before, including Athens and a few different islands, but had never set foot on the massive island of Crete. It’s so far into the Mediterranean sea, that it’s nearly as close to Libya as it is to Athens!
When you arrive at an AirBnB, you never know if the photographer, or AI, were pulling a fast one on you, making the place look like Windsor Castle in the photos, when it’s actually more like a Winnipeg curling club in person. Luckily, in this case, the researchers (Dan, Dave, Jon) absolutely crushed it. This was by far the coolest, cleanest, and nicest rental I’ve ever stayed in.
The villa was built with two identical houses on the property, with a shared backyard featuring two pools, multiple tanning spots, a ping pong table, and a glorious view overlooking the sea. It was the perfect setup for relaxation, pool fun, and hosting dinner al fresco for 13 people each night.
The week in Greece was filled with incredible moments, many of which are sure to become core memories for all, especially Finn.
Luckily, we had rented three vehicles among us, which was essential in exploring all that Crete has to offer.
We enjoyed a seaside bar for happy hour, explored the intricate streets of the towns of Rethymno and of Chania, and also spent lots of time relaxing by the pool, swimming, reading, and catching up with each other.
We went out for two team dinners in Rethymno, and as you can imagine, everyone was pretty happy with the traditional Cretan (not just Greek) cuisine. What’s not to love about fresh vegetables, salads, seafood, and the odd meat platter?
Another epic adventure that I would suggest for anyone visiting Crete, was to hike the entire length of the Samaria Gorge. This was a 16km hike through the winding national park, beginning at 1250m above sea level, and finishing at the Libyan Sea on the south coast of Crete. Thanks to Dan’s precise planning, we were up early to catch a bus to the start, spent most of the day hiking, then enjoyed some time in the sea and a seaside taverna in the boat access-only town at the end of the trail. We took a ferry from there back to the bus, and finally back home about 14 hours after leaving. The long day was well worth it, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat to have so many laughs, wipeouts, twisted ankles, and good hiking conversations as we did!
There are two other day trips to call out, that I would highly recommend. Chania, the bustling second largest city in Crete, is filled with nice beaches, great restaurants right along the water, and tons of little shops throughout its maze of cobblestone streets. Merry, Florence, Finn, Dan, Steve, me, Dave, Dwenda and Lynn all drove out there - through some challenging narrow streets - and somehow found parking to enjoy a beautiful lunch, shopping, a walk to the lighthouse, and a swim in the Med.
The second was an authentic trip into the hillside that Lynn and I took with my Uncle Jon and Aunt Sue. We drove about 30 minutes from the house to a tiny, family-owned Cretan winery where we sampled olives from their property, along with several varieties of vino. The owners were beyond friendly and welcoming, which in reflection, was the case for all Cretans - dedicated to making sure we enjoyed our experience on their island. Truly great hospitality all week. The icing on the cake of the winery adventure, was grabbing a late lunch at the taverna just down the road. We sat down and noticed there were no menus. Two minutes later the server says “please come with me, into the kitchen and we’ll show you what’s available”. We head back, and there is a Greek grandma and her daughter (her grand-daughter was our server) walking us through the dozen or so dishes that were available for us to choose from. SO COOL. They plated our selections, and brought the feast out for us to enjoy. The deliciousness of the home-cooked food blew us away even more than the incredibly affordable price they asked for at the end. We bought a few of their in-house deserts and non-perishables to go, and were so happy we made the stop.
All in all, I’m very grateful I got to spend so much time with my family. Living far apart (as all of my cousins do) from our parents and other family members can be tough, so being able to reunite anywhere is a bonus, never mind in a place where you never see a cloud and you’ve got pools, tours, and unlimited Mythos to enjoy.
Until next time. Thanks for reading,
Mike