Winter Beaches

One of our favorite things to do in the off-season is to grab a blanket, some snacks and head to the beach. The sun is milder, the water colder, the crowds non-existent and it's an excellent place for little unsteady legs to crawl and for Louloudi to run around to her heart's content. There's something for everyone and Daddy won't get sunburnt. 

The girls love to share activities, their favorite being Louloudi will vigorously dig a hole and Astrid will crawl towards it to hop in. Loulou will continue to grow the hole, while Astrid will scoop sand back in. It's incredibly cute to watch. 

Paros Poros Beach

Paros Poros Beach

Aliki Beach

We stopped in for lunch one day and made sure to take Astrid to the playground, where she had her pick of everything and could take all the time she wanted. At the busier playground, she can be a little overwhelmed by the bigger kids running laps around her, so this is nice for her to explore at her own pace.

The Swings at Aliki

A few days in November were a perfect 70 degree weather and we cherished the warmth at one of our favorites, while we watched the town from afar. Martselo Beach has the extra advantage of being in the deep end of the bay, so the water is a few degrees warmer than the areas where the currents are stronger. Plenty of locals come here for a quick swim.

Martselo Beach

Family portrait at Martselo Beach

Voutakos Beach

Then the day after Thanksgiving, we made our way to Voutakos beach near Pounda. There wasn't a soul in sight and we just let Astrid roam around, collecting shells, drawing in the sand with sticks, putting her feet in the water and plenty of hole sitting. She seems to really love it at the beach and Jen and I get a chance to relax as well, rather than be on our feet chasing her around, like we usually do.

Voutakos Beach

Playing in her hole

Playing with shells

Little Scooter

Every child has that one toy they can likely think back upon fondly. For me, it was a little plastic horse on wheels that was just tall enough for me to sit on and push myself forward. My lifelong little baby friend, Eleonore, had a matching one and we likely rode those things until the wheels came off.

So while visiting the toy shop to replace a mattress topper for Astrid, I had some store credit to spend and picked up a little scooter with lots of beeps, whirs and dials to play with. Those little plastic horses have been upgraded considerably.

Normally, she is quite happy with the usual blocks and slowly chasing Louloudi around, but from the second you laid eyes on this little scooter, this toy gave you sheer joy. You spent all day and evening driving it around, honking the horns to no end, and calling us on the little built in phone, while repeatedly climbing on and off to put things in the seat storage.

She even cried a little when we tried to give her lunch, because she wanted to keep playing so badly. Here she is giddy with her new freedom and playing in the warm November sun.

Watching her play and discover is a joy that I will never stop loving. 

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.