Naples & the Amalfi Coast

Our 2016 has been an incredibly busy, yet idyllic, Summer of friends, family and too many memories to recount. Astrid has been in love with the outdoors, delicious Greek food, showered with attention among our social circles, and most of all, Jen and I have found ourselves once more by balancing the work/life/family formula so that we had more time to ourselves, yet productive in our various pursuits. 

Now, with the last of our guests gone for the season, we embark on one more adventure for just Jen, Astrid and I, Team Travel for Three. We left Páros airport a little before noon and had a long layover in Athens airport. 

Pro tip for long Athens airport layovers: make your way over to the Sofitel hotel across the street for lunch and relaxation. Here you can beat the crowds, stretch out, get a little work done and have some lunch. The food is overpriced and crap compared to the islands, but still a step above the terminal fare. 

After being squirreled away in Paros for so long, navigating the halls of Athens airport felt surreal. With its mix of crowds, heavily scented air from Duty Free, obnoxiously sexy banners with Victoria Secrets and Armani, loud ambient noise of speaker announcements, suits and ties galore left us with the stark reminder that we live in a truly peaceful, simple setting of Paros. As we made our way to the gate, the last flight to Paros was boarding and we paused for a moment to half-jokingly wish we were in line to get back to our piece of paradise. 

We arrived in Naples after a 10-hour door to door travel time. Astrid was a perfect little traveler, never upset or scared of the noise and planes. Just going with the flow, napping in her stroller and eating plenty of veggie snacks. Adventure baby at her finest. We have yet to be the parents of the screaming baby that makes you hate flying, but our time will likely turn up soon. 

Main Naples square 

Our apartment building had a really big door

Morning cappuccino with our big eater

Driving through Naples, some areas looked rough, but once we started walking, the town came alive and had a very New York City vibe with everyone out and filling the cafes. 

We spent our first day exploring Pompeii, just 30 minutes south of Naples. Considered the world's largest excavation, it was truly a stunning walk through time. So many of the rooms and areas are very well preserved, however, most of the good stuff had already been relocated to the Naples Museum. Astrid squealed with delight as she rode most of the day on my shoulders and found a relaxing restaurant to rest our weary legs. 

The staples of Italy; prosciutto and fresh buffalo mozzarella

Next, we made our way to the town of Sorrento, only to hop on the ferry to Capri. We ditched our car in Sorrento, as the Capri does not allow cars, except for residents due to the extremely narrow roads and clustered pedestrian areas. Capri is super touristy, btu we had reserved our hotel in the sleepier sister town of Anacapri, where the locals seemed to largely live a more normal routine. 

The view over Sorrento

We spent the afternoon aboard a private boat that cruised around the island, stopping to admire the grottos of specific colors that cast a certain glow through the water. Taking the private boat allowed us to swim at our leisure and escape the crowds, which are never easy to push a stroller through. 

The island of Capri

A chilly swim, but not as cold as Paros.

Having fun with all the sights and sounds

After the boat, we stopped for a quick lunch of ravioli caprese and a pizza. We boarded the funicolare, the elevator lift, which took us up the mountain to the main town of Capri. In the town of Capri, the narrow streets, some barely larger than our stroller, led us through a labyrinth of alleyways and squares where the town inhabitants and tourists seemed to mingle. The town is overflowing with tourists at all times of the day, so you can rarely find a quiet corner amidst the hustle and bustle of high-end boutiques and packed cafes. Tourists seemed to hail from all over with guides and their little microphones clogging the throughways, and this was the low season, so one can only imagine what the summer must be like. 

An ancient walkway down to the beach

After touring Capri, it was time to celebrate Astrid's birthday! We had a lovely dinner at highly acclaimed restaurant Capaninna, as noted by the heavily advertised list of celebrities that have dined there. If Jerry Springer AND Rob Schneider endorsed this place, how could we go wrong?

The staff fell in love with Astrid and we treated ourselves to some of the best that Capri has to offer. It was by far the best meal of the entire trip. Later on, we headed back to the small town of Anacapri and stopped at a cafe for a little bit of cake, which Astrid gobbled up with squeals of delight. She had a little bit of a sugar rush afterward and was practically running around the little main square where locals mingled with their kids. 

Birthday Cake Face

After three days in Capri, we took the ferry back to Sorrento and drove through the mountains to Positano. At one point, we took a detour towards a random sign that caught our eye. We ended up in Castello Colona, an old moss-covered castle. It was closed for the season, but the tables and chairs were still out, so we had a picnic of burrata, prosciutto, tomato, parmesan and fruits, while Astrid crawled along the dilapidated stones and flowers. 

In Positano, we found our little bed and breakfast perched atop the town. Positano is just one large cove that is interwoven with winding one-way streets all the way down to the beach. It's striking to see how people could live here, with little arable land and treacherous terrain, but somehow it adds to the charm. 

Finding new friends on the streets of Positano

The winding town of Positano from our balcony

Napping at great views is the way to go

Breakfast served in the room was perfect for our little munchkin

The next day, we drove along the coast to an old town called Ravello. It's home to one of the many Roman rulers that vacationed in this part of Italy. A luxury old mansion was adorned with a glorious garden and besieged by stunning angles of the sea. We took it all in with a long stroll through the streets as it lightly drizzled on this ancient town. 

The view from Ravello

After we checked out of Positano, we headed to another recommendation from our friend Sigrid who touted this location as even better kept than Pompeii. The town of Ercolano seemed like a bombed out city with little to offer, but tucked away in the middle of it all was Herculaneum, a tribute palace and public sphere that had been equally destroyed and preserved from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Here we could see the original frescoes and rooms almost fully intact. There were grim reminders of skeletons locked in their final states as they clung to their loved ones, but it was less ghastly and more poetic for even in their last breath, they reached for their families. 

Having a little fun in the Herculaneum gardens

After all this, we returned to Naples for an extremely early flight. Rather than make one more trip into town, we opted for the lazy hotel dinner and just got a good nights rest before our 5 AM wake up call. Astrid snoozed on my chest through most of the airport check-in and woke up halfway through our flight. We had the shortest of layovers in Athens, but we didn't check our bags as we ran what felt like a mile, stroller, baby, bags and all to make it to our gate with a minute to spare. We made it back to Paros in less than 5 hours from Naples and we were very happy to be home with our now 1-year-old little Adventure Baby.

Astrid's First Year

What a year it has been.

The first child for Jen and I, which turned Travel for 2 into Travel for 3. We've had seemingly countless memories in the last 365 days. Astrid has lived a pretty adventurous first year, hence her nickname is Adventure Baby. From San Francisco to the Phillippines at 3 months old, to Sweden at 6 months and then a relocation to Paros, Greece and Italy. She's shared countless memories with family, friends and so many kind strangers around the world. She's eaten (and loved) exotic plantains in El Nido, fresh buffalo mozzarella in Capri, Swedish meatballs in Uppsala and a whole host of amazing Greek food, gyros and zucchini balls being her favorite. She continues to amaze us with her new skills and wonderful demeanor. She charms us every day and certainly keeps us on our toes with her new found walking ability to match her curiosity.

However, so many of the little moments can sometimes seem a distant memory all too quickly. I put together a slideshow of Astrid's First Year to help capture the memories for years to come. I hope you enjoy this little video!

Amorgos with the Klimas' family

We all know and love Paros. It's an exciting island with serene moments and plenty to do. So when Jen thought of places to getaway from Paros and try a new island, Amorgos entered the conversation. I had faint memories of Amorgos being a sleepy little island with a famous monastery and few beaches from a day trip when I was a kid.

A return to Amorgos with Jen, Astrid and Jen's parents, John and Sandy, has left me with an entirely new perception of this beautiful island. The typical Cycladic charm is seen throughout the island in white washed buildings, sandy beaches, amazingly simple tavernas and crystal clear waters. Amorgos is one of the more mountainous islands in the region, so winding roads lead you over many precipices lined with goats and down into small valleys that exude a wonderful sense of serenity.

On the day we arrived, we boarded the ferry with our car packed to the brim and made our way from the southern tip to the northern bay of Amigali. Here we were greeted with a stunningly calm bay with mountains overlooking the village. High atop the mountain ridges, were smaller towns that seem to cling to the edges of each cliff.

Astrid seemed to enjoy her new view

After a lovely evening at a lovely taverna perched on the cliffs, we decided to explore the nearby waters via boat. We chartered a speedboat for the day and made our way towards Nikfouria Island, a nearby uninhabited island with a rickety pier. We parked in some shade and enjoyed the peace and quiet with only a few of the local goats.

The family headed through the crystal waters of Amorgos

After a busy day of cruising the waters, we dropped John and Sandy off at a nearby resort and Jen and I set out to find the shipwreck cove along the southern tip of Amorgos. We were rewarded with an amazing shipwreck to ourselves.

We headed back to the port for a quick meal and siesta, only to take the boat out again for some sunset drinks on the calm bay. While Paros will always be my sunset perfection, Amorgos certainly carried itself well with a gently setting sunset along a perfectly calm evening, we soaked it all in and Astrid gently waved goodbye to the sun. 

Sure enough, it rose again the next day and we made our way to the famed monastery of Hozoviotissa. John and Sandy let our young legs do the walking and gladly accepted the offer to spoil little Astrid with some love and laughs. We made our way through the mountains to a lot where we hiked up the ancient stairway, only to be greeted by some kind priests offering us raki and water for our sweaty selves. The monastery seemed smaller than I remember, but that is because I was likely half the size I am now. It still had narrow hallways and steep steps to navigate, but Jen was charmed. 

Shortly after our return, we left for Levrossos beach nearby for a late lunch and a swim. We enjoyed our taverna lunch while Astrid napped nearby in her stroller. She awoke to fresh watermelon and delicious pressed eggplant in sauce. The beach ended up being perfect for kids, as it was shallow and calm with a cool breeze rolling off the mountains. We set up Astrid's umbrella and whiled away the hours. 

A Sabbatical of the Heart

In 2010, Jen and I left our lives in New York City for a new adventure that was intended to help us restore a work/life balance. The hustle and bustle of the city was wearing our spirits down, so fresh beginnings were sought.

Few places call for a return than the island of Paros, and we made our way. We spent a magical year, restoring a villa, whiling away the evening hours and being in love. After six months, we decided our lives should take us back to the US (aka "reality" in some strange way), where we found a new life in San Francisco.

Now, five years later, our lives have once again found a need to restore the harmony. San Francisco, a city that gave us so much in career opportunities, gorgeous nature, year round perfect weather, surrounded us with innovative and entrepreneurial people, was a dream come true. Our love for the city grew, despite the rising cost of living and doing business saw unprecedented growth, surpassing even Manhattan as the most expensive city to live in the US. With the remarkable growth of some of the leading tech companies in the world and lack of safety net to secure the homes and livelihoods of some of the tenants underserved groups, comes an underbelly of poverty and rise in homelessness that saw record numbers forced into a life on the streets. The streets rarely felt safe and barely a day went by where you didn't see someone sleeping amidst garbage on the sidewalk. My heart goes out to those who suffer, but it simply became such a common sight, that you felt numb in attempting to help those around you. Pairing this with our inability to make San Francisco a permanent home due to the exorbitant real estate prices, we struggled to grow the roots of our little family.

Dear baby Astrid then shifted our focus from how far our careers can be taken to how soon can we be home to share those precious moments. Leaving her in the hands of a nanny, who was amazing, so often at such a tender age simply broke our hearts. The tide of ineffectual family living led us to reimagine our future, and we decided that the moment was ripe for a fresh adventure. Many locations harkened and we searched for cities globally that could restore balance to our interests and family needs. What we came to realize was that once again, we were in a unique position to take advantage of a getaway to Paros, Greece. My position with IMA lent itself to telecommuting for a considerable duration. Jen sought a way to treasure the time with Astrid and pursue a new passion at the same time.

So we charted our journey and discussed at length the trials and tribulations involved with such a young infant, but we have such intimacy with the island already that we knew in our hearts it had to happen. The island has come to mean so much to us, from my introduction as an infant to Paros in 1984, my many formative summers through my youth, as a backpacking launchpad for my college years, young in love with Jen dancing til the sun rose in 2009, staying throughout the year working remotely and updating the villa in 2010, our jet set wedding in 2014, floating Jen's pregnant belly in the Mediterranean in 2015, and now to complete the circle, introducing our child to the place we love so intimately. 

It is with this desire for balance that we hope to take a step back from our shared existence, examine what brings us joy, remind us that life is better served together than apart. We needed a sabbatical from our life in a way, and now we have begun a journey to see which way we want to grow our family and remind ourselves that we should always be in love with our life. So far, it's looking pretty good.