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Once we made our way through the cities and villages we finally made it to our place of refuge, The Monkey Beach House on Diani Beach. I can honestly say, this was one of the coolest and nicest places I have ever stayed and one of the coolest vacation villas anyone could ask for. Huge beach house, our own pool and all on a beach that might be one of the nicest beaches in the world (and I have seen some sweet beaches). The Indian Ocean was really warm and the tide changes were cool too. The water was shallow and made for a great place to swim and play in the waves that got pretty big. There were palm trees, camels on the beach and lots of monkeys at our building which was pretty fun when they weren't stealing our food. We tried a pile of restaurants along the beach, all of which were good. My favorites being Ali Barbours Cave Restaurant and the classic Sundowner that was off the beach. My favorite as I mentioned before however was absolutely all the fresh fruit we got every morning.

This was the first where we spent the first day of our big trip to Greece. We got into Athens and immediately hit the streets after checking into our hotel. After a quick lunch of classic greek salad and pita with tzatziki we started walking around downtown Athens. The Plaka was a cool section of town with restaurants and shops all over the place, with ruins and churches sprinkled in here and there. On the outskirts of this section was a tiny neighborhood right at the foot of the Acropolis called Anafiotika. These housed have tiny unnamed streets and are built right into the rock, it was a cool spot just to walk around in. After Anafiotika we walked over to the Panathenaic Stadium of Athens, where the first modern olympics were held. That was a really cool spot with a lot of history and a massive stadium. After all our adventures were done for the day, we went to our favorite dining experience yet. We were on a rooftop terrace looking up at the Acropolis. This Michelin star restaurant gave us the most wonderful experience and the food was exquisite. So many new flavors and great combinations with all kinds of fresh ingredients. Absolutely our favorite place we have ever eaten. 10/10 would recommend The Zillers if you are in Athens.

Now not only was I lucky enough to draw for the Subway but I got a permit for Angels Landing for the next day as well. Now the view on this hike was amazing but that is not why there are so many people who are trying to do it. Angels Landing gives truth to the saying "Life is about the journey and not the destination."Don't get me wrong, the landing and view of all of Zion Canyon was a great spot for a snack. The real beauty of this hike in my opinion was the trail, the life support of chain handrails down the skinny trails with thousand foot drops on either side made this trail exhilarating. It is not an east hike either as there are many switchbacks and a lot of elevation gain for a measly 5 miles in distance. Saw a couple condors flying around the area which is apparently rare, was cool to see them and see how huge they are. A bucket-list hike that did not disappoint. I wish maybe I could have taken more time up there as I was a bit rushed, I did the whole thing in under 2.5 hours though. I hope everyone who wants to can do this hike.

As most outdoor enthusiasts know, Zion National Park is home to some amazing sights and backcountry hikes. Unfortunately though they are very popular and permits are required for lots of the best ones. The Subway is one hike that requires a permit and after a few years of trying I finally got a permit through the lottery. The stars aligned just enough for me to be on a business trip in Vegas the same time so it was easy to get out to! Because I was working all day of the hike I got a very late start for this 10 mile hike up the canyon. I almost didnt do this one due to the time crunch I was in but I am so glad I did it. After getting the run-around at the visitor center I decided to start the hike without the printed paper at around 4:30. I am not exaggerating at all when I say I had the trail all to myself. Aside from a few people at the very start and a group of "swimmers" a few miles in, I saw no one. The trail itself was beautiful. The steep bright red cliffs on either side of the running creek mixed with the green trees was something else. The Subway itself was unlike anything I've seen before, just a truly unique landscape. The emerald pools on the red slick-rock was cool, it really did look like a subway tunnel.

I am not a big museum person. Usually I want to be out on the town, sight seeing or out in nature instead of inside a museum. However... the museums in Athens were so incredibly cool to see. Some of the statues and remnants from the Acropolis or any of the thousands of pieces of pottery or other archeological findings. Both of the museums we went to were very worth it. We spent a few hours in each of them and it was time well spent.

Our last port of call on our trip was Mykonos, even though all the ports we went to were fantastic, this one was one of our favorites. The narrow streets with white painted cobble ground and multicolored doors, roofs, railings and windows were something very unique to this island. The famous windmills on the coast were also really cool to see. Little Venice was impressive, the churches had red domes instead of the blue and the beaches were beautiful. Spend most of the day here walking down side roads and sitting on the beach. Even got to swim and snorkel a bit.

Probably the most anticipated stop of the trip was Santorini and it did not disappoint at all starting on the water below the cliffs the view from the bottom was a great way to start. We then took a fun cable car ride up the steep cliff wall to get to the top of the island. Once we got to the top and got 3 minutes into walking around the streets we were already loving it. The super narrow streets and white washed buildings were very unique and were really special when you were immersed in them. We saw multiple lookout points for the blue domed buildings. Those were so classic and were great to see, especially with the Caldera in the background. Get ready for a photo dump... We/I had lunch at a cool little place that was tucked away on a secluded and almost secret street. The vibes there were great and the food was really good too. My appy was a banging smoked salmon with a creamy dill sauce and was really good. Allie made an executive decision to get some Greek version of Doughnuts and they were delicious too.

The 3rd different country we visited was Turkey. I was a little skeptical coming into this port but it was a pleasant surprise. The weather here was great and the coast was beautiful. The water was just as or more clear and blue than it was on any island in Greece. It was really cool to see how many flags were around the cities. I went over to Ephesus by myself to see all the ruins and buildings of the ancient city there and that was really cool. One of my favorites sights from the whole trip was the library of Celsus.

After a long day at see, we had our next stop on the island and country of Cyprus. This stop is very underrated, we didnt hear a whole lot about this place before going but it was a great place to stop! Birthplace of Aphrodite was the first thing we saw. This gorgeous beach is said to be the place where Aphrodite was born. The mythology of it was really cool but the beauty of the beach, water and coast were probably more impressive. After a few minutes at the overlook we continued on to the old city of Paphos. While we were here we saw a bunch of different things, the pillar of St Paul, multiple churches , harbors, and a local candy making shop. Our last stop on the tour and where we spent most of our time was at the Archaeological Site of Neo Paphos. There were some old ruins but the most impressive part of it was all the ancient mosaics made from tiny, multicolored stones from all over the country and region. After getting back from our tour, we had a few minutes to walk around and see the town of Limassol. Here are a few random shots from around town.

Our first real port of call after boarding the ship. We were looking forward to this port quite a bit and it did not disappoint! This day was a mix of sight seeing and a bit of time spent on the beach. The first thing we did was go on a walk through old town Rhodes also called the Medieval City of Rhodes. Interestingly enough the streets were nearly empty and we had the place all to ourselves. We walked down some amazing streets and made our way up to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Nights which was an incredible castle. It was huge and the details were really impressive. We didn't get maybe as much time laying on the beaches this trip but in Rhodes we had a chance to visit Kallthea Springs Bay which was a rocky bay with amazing clear water and an ancient bathhouse. We spent some time lounging in the sun on the shore and I took a quick swim and snorkel in the pristine waters!

Meteora was a bucketlist, once in a lifetime site we got to see on our trip. The stars aligned for us to be able to do this as it was really nowhere near the coast or our cruise ship port. It took a little bit of effort to get out here but it was a beautiful 3 hour drive through the countryside of Greece. The driving in Greek cities is a completely different animal and was absolutely crazy! Once we got too the mountain range where these monasteries were located we drove straight up to them and were instantly in awe. The way these were built was incredible and to think it was done so long ago made it even crazier. They were also beautiful inside and out and the whole scene was just amazing. I also got the chance to fly the drone around a bit and take a picture or 2 and a few quick videos. Go check those out on my portfolios page! It was an incredible experience to be in a place like this that you see pictures of all over and it was just as cool or better to actually do it. Would recommend to anyone who has the chance to go! Not sure there is anything in the world that is similar to these ancient buildings clinging to the mountain tops.

On day 2 in Athens we started early in the morning in an attempt to beat the crowds to the amazing acropolis. We walked up the hill and went through the main gate which and we blown away right from the start. The ancient theaters, ruins, building and huge granite columns were incredible. The sheer size of these buildings combined with the intricate details of the carvings really were something that blew our minds. The Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, Erectheion and The Odeon of Herodes Atticus all stood up to their hype After the acropolis we headed down to the Ancient Agora. This was another site with ruins, archeological finds and more great temples. The Temple of Hephaestus was very well preserved and was really impressive.