Location: Athens, Santorini and Mykonos, Greece
Travel Time: August 7-11, 2015
Having visited Greece the year before, we were ecstatic to be back! We flew Aegean Airlines (http://en.aegeanair.com/) from Istanbul to Athens. We used them for all of our flights throughout Greece. Upon arriving at the airport, we took the Metro Line 3 to the Eleonas stop where we would meet our dear friends George and Evi. They had been our tour guides in Ancient Corinth the year before at the International Convention. We kept in touch over the year and when we mentioned we would be visiting Greece, they insisted we stay with them. They are by far one of the most loving, hospitable couples we have ever met. Not only did they welcome us into our home, but my brother and our 2 friends as well. Truly living proof of the Apostle Paul’s words at Romans 12:13. That night, they had a huge dinner prepared for us on their rooftop patio. We ate, shared a few laughs and called it a night.
The next morning, Rico and the boys went on a tour of the Acropolis. Since Tj and I had done the tour the year before, we decided to join George and Evi out in the field ministry. They are serving in the Georgian congregation. It was so encouraging to hear their experiences in foreign language. We had the opportunity to engage in public witnessing and assist them with Bible studies. After meeting up for a quick lunch, we went back out for the afternoon. It was such a refreshing day, especially since we were not able to go out in service the last time we were in Greece. That night, George and Evi invited some friends from their congregation over for dinner. We really enjoyed the association. Once again, despite the language barriers (English, Greek, Georgian and Russian), we were all able to communicate. It gives us greater evidence of Jehovah’s organization.
The next morning, we had to wake up super early for our 5am flight to Thira, also known as Santorini. The good news is the flight itself was only 45 minutes long. The downside was when we arrived in Santorini, our hotel was not even open yet. So we had to sit and wait around for the shuttle to arrive. Then from there, we killed time at a breakfast cafe. When we were finally able to check in, the idea of taking a nap sounded real nice. But knowing we only had one full day available to us, we decided to take advantage of it. Tj, Rico and myself rented ATVs and went cruising around the island. The streets are very easy to navigate and the island itself isn’t very big so getting around was not difficult. We decided to split up for a while; Rico went to explore volcanoes while Tj and I went for a swim at the Red Beach. That evening, we met back up with Rico to ride over on the ATVs to see the sunset. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day.
It was time for us to make the trip to Mykonos. Instead of flying, we thought it would be a fun experience to go by boat. We booked our ferry with Sea Jets. That morning, the hotel shuttle drove us to the port. There were plenty of places to eat so we had breakfast before departing. The ferry was about 3 hours long. There were a lot more people on board than we expected, so we couldn’t really see much out the window. However, it worked out because it gave us a little time to catch up on some sleep. Once we arrived in Mykonos, we went walking around the city. We found a spot that had jeep rentals so we rented a jeep and drove around the island. Our first stop was Paradise beach. It was definitely relaxing, however, I will say prices in Mykonos are much higher. I’m sure that’s due to its touristy popularity recently. Afterward, we did some more sightseeing. Tj and Rico saw a location for go kart racing so of course they had to stop. Even in another country, boys will be boys. After two full days of activity, we were ready to get back to Athens. We flew back using Aegean Airlines again. This time the flight was only 35 minutes long. When we arrived in Athens, it was already nighttime. Rico hadn’t been to the Monastiraki Square so we decided to go to our favorite restaurant Thanasis for dinner. It was a great way to end our last night in Greece.
Finally, we returned back to George and Evi’s house. We were so exhausted from all our traveling. We couldn’t wait to get to Croatia so we could just relax and catch up on some sleep in the beach house. All of us were incredibly thankful to the brother who offered to give us a ride to the airport early that morning. I’m telling you, the love our brothers and sisters have for us is amazing. Jamar and Esteban went their separate ways to Budapest. Tj, Rico and I were ready to be reunited with our friends in Croatia. But first, one last tour of what happened to be Rico’s favorite location: Vienna.
For the full album, please ‘click’ on the link below:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZRCgMLRFWFpzZdiA9
Enjoy the photos!
Agape,
Asia Johnson
Traveling Threefold Cord 