Hey friends — earlier this year I set a goal to save up and pay cash for a trip to Greece and Kosovo, and I’m delighted to say we just returned from an incredible two-and-a-half week adventure visiting these beautiful countries and the friends and family who live there.
I’ll be sharing more detailed posts in the coming weeks about gardens, food, cities, and the warm people we met, but today I wanted to introduce the trip with a few photos and highlights. I came home inspired, rested, and with a handful of recipes I can’t wait to test and share.
Greece
Our first full day after flying into Athens was spent along the coast at Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon perches dramatically above the sea. The weather was perfect and the light was stunning — the kind of blue sky that makes every view feel cinematic.
That evening we watched the sunset from a hilltop east of Athens. The city feels vast and timeless from those vantage points.
The next day we toured the Acropolis. This is a familiar angle of the Parthenon that hides much of the ongoing restoration work and scaffolding, but it still feels magnificent when you stand nearby.
We did get a classic tourist shot with a friendly student from England who offered to take our photo — proof we were really there!
You can see the restoration efforts up close; our friends who have lived in Athens for decades say the work has been constant as the city preserves its ancient monuments.
One of my favorite vistas came from a hillside temple devoted to Aphrodite overlooking modern Corinth, the Gulf of Corinth, and the entrance to the Corinth Canal. In the foreground you can also see part of Acrocorinth, a massive medieval fortress that crowns the hill.
Acrocorinth is an impressive enclosed castle-city. Walking its walls and imagining the centuries of builders — Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and more — makes you appreciate how layered history is across Greece.
Down below, the ruins of Ancient Corinth lead to a charming taverna where we shared a relaxed meal overlooking the archaeological site. The food was outstanding, and the local oranges served dessert-like after the meal were some of the best I’ve ever tasted — incredibly juicy and fragrant.
We had planned an island cruise on our last day in Greece, but the boat workers were on strike, which is a common frustration given the economic situation. Thankfully our gracious friends suggested Nafplio instead — a coastal town south of Corinth that turned out to be a delightful alternative.
Nafplio is full of open-air plazas, narrow streets, seaside promenades, and a small island fortress in the harbor. It’s a lovely place to wander, enjoy a meal, and soak in the atmosphere.
After a week in Athens we took a scenic six-hour train north to Thessaloniki, passing olive groves and the countryside near Mt. Olympus. Thessaloniki is a lively seaport with fascinating ruins, museums, and excellent waterfront tavernas.
From our hotel balcony we overlooked the ruins of the ancient agora, now incorporated into a public space with a museum beneath the grassy center. The amphitheater still hosts performances, and cafes along the site draw visitors day and night.
Kosovo
From Thessaloniki we drove through Macedonia into Kosovo, arriving in the small town of Kamencia where my cousins live. Kosovo’s recent history includes conflict and rebuilding, but the countryside is surprisingly green and peaceful, with tile-roofed houses dotted on hillsides.
Some areas still have the quaint, older cottages I pictured before the trip, while elsewhere new multi-level houses and infrastructure reflect reconstruction and renewal.
We saw newly built homes, new walkways, supermarkets, and restaurants alongside traditional village scenes with shepherds and flocks of sheep. Rural life here includes grazing cows, free-ranging chickens, and small farms tucked into the hills.
Sharing these initial photos is only the beginning — I’m full of ideas for posts about regional recipes, gardens, local produce, and the people we met. Above all, we are deeply thankful to our hosts for their hospitality and glad we reached this trip by paying with cash, just as I had planned.
Expect more travel details, photos, and stories soon — I can’t wait to show you more from Greece and Kosovo.