Last Updated on February 12, 2024 by Travelationship
September was all wonderful blend of history and exploration. From seeing the tomb of England’s first king to the Agora & Parthenon of Athens we got a taste of history. Then Matt and I took to the one lane country roads winding through the Cotswolds and had some much fun exploring every twist and turn. If quaint villages are your thing, then I suggest a visit, you won’t be disappointed.
Where We Went
The Stops
- Athens, Greece
- Ialysos, Rhodes, Greece
- Rhodes, Rhodes, Greece
- Ano Symi, Simi, Greece
- Swindon, UK
- Kemble, UK
- Tetbury, UK
- Cheltenham, UK
- Cirencester, UK
- Stroud, UK
- Painswick, UK
- Nailsworth, UK
- Minchinhampton, UK
- Gloucester, UK
- Castle Combe, UK
- Lacock, UK
- Stow on the Wold, UK
- Lower Slaughter, UK
- Bourton on the Water, UK
- Bibury, UK
- Burford, UK
- Chipping Campden, UK
- Moreton in Marsh, UK
- Broadway, UK
- Great Tews, UK
- Malmesbury, UK
- Saffron Walden, UK
- Cambridge, UK
- London, UK
What We Did
Greece
September started out fast-paced and busy. We took the train from Thessaloniki to Athens and jam-packed three days with ancient ruins, Greek history, deelish food, and beautiful neighborhoods. Our expectations of Athens were low because we’d heard so many meh stories about the city. We ended up liking the city quite a lot. Unfortunately, the weather was incredibly hot during our stay. Not quite as hot as the weeks prior, so we were lucky in that way. We could still explore quite a bit, but we had to adjust our outdoor time because of the heat.
We started out at the Kerameikos (ancient cemetery), where we bought our group ticket for the main sites of Athens. I highly recommend buying your group entrance ticket online or at Kerameikos, where the lines are shorter. Next, we walked our way to the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Our goal was to visit between 6 pm to 9 pm to help avoid the crowds. The number of visitors during the evening was less, but it wasn’t until 6:45p that we really noticed the change in numbers. We were worried that 2 hours wouldn’t be enough time to take everything in, but I think 90 minutes would have been good. Our biggest recommendation would be to get either a guide or read as much as possible about the history before visiting.
The Parthenon was under restoration, so the views were a bit full of machinery. Nonetheless, everything about the Acropolis was mind blowing. History at its best!
From Athens we moved to Rhodes Island where we had some beach time, and we sailed to colorful town of Symi on Simi Island for a day. We finally felt like we had arrived into the dreamy Greece that so many go to see. The bright houses and turquoise crystal waters were ahhhmazing.
United Kingdom
We spent two weeks in the Cotswolds and loved every second of it. We were there for a housesit to take care of 1 dog, 2 cats, 5 chickens, and 1 Harris hawk. It was our first time taking care of a hawk, and it went very well.
Due to an emergency, our housesit hosts had to return halfway through their vacation. They allowed us to stay on for the remaining week which we did and continued to care for the pets. What we thought would be an awkward time ended up being quite lovely. We really enjoyed getting to know and spending time with them.
The Cotswolds were a dream and pretty close to everything we expected. The amount of visitors was a bit more than we expected. I think our surprisingly favorite locations were Lower Slaughter, Lacock, and Minchinhampton. All three were beautiful, had intense character, and the cows and horses in Minchinhampton were of course, a delight.
The Cotswolds are some place we would love to return to again and again. There’s so much unique detail in every village we can’t imagine feeling like we’d ever seen it all.
From the Cotswolds we moved to Saffron Walden a town located between Cambridge and London. We had a week long housesit with two super sweet cats. Going into SW we thought it was smaller than it was and we were pleasantly surprised by the buzz of the town. The Saturday market was pretty fantastic and really busy in a good way.
One of the days we took the train up to Cambridge and absolutely fell in love. We can’t wait to go back! Walking around Cambridge felt like what we think a Harry Potter movie set would be like. The architecture, history, charm, and vibe were enchanting.
The Great
Favorites
-Having two back to back incredible sits made September pretty fantastic.
-The food in Athens was deelish! All our meals were so enjoyable. We both especially liked all the chicken souvlakia that we ate.
-Simi Island was the closest we got to “dreamy” Greece. The waters were five shades of brilliant blue, the houses were colorful and charming, and the walkways were full of curvy stairs and alleys.
-Visiting Athens and seeing all that history live – dream come true.
-The Cotswolds and our housesit hosts – everything about it was wonderful. Exploring the Cotswolds at a slow pace over two weeks was a gift.
-Finally getting to see Gillie and Marc’s Table of Love sculpture in London. Over four different visits we were unable to work in a visit and finally during a Paddington layover we were able to get to it. I didn’t know I could love a sculpture sooo much.
-Cambridge – Loved every bit of what we saw and we want to see more!
The Not So Great
-Our age is starting to wear on us. I’ve had IT Band issues for years and have stopped training the way I used to because of it…but lately, it’s been flaring up and causing a lot of pain and discomfort. At times, my feet, leg, hip, and back hurt so much that any movement causes tears of pain. Matt’s also having lots of discomfort with his back. Travel and pain don’t go well together, and we’re hoping new shoes will help both of us.
-The busloads and busloads of people in the tiny villages in the Cotswolds. It was shocking how many people could fit into some of the teeny tiny towns.
The Least Favorites
-It sucks arriving at places to be met with renovations and machinery impairing views and the vibe. We totally get it needs to be done, but it’s still disappointing.
-One of our housesit pets this month was a falcon, which was really cool; however, feeding the falcon dead baby chicks was not our favorite. Matt did it, but unless it’s for the same hosts we most likely will not sign up for a similar sit again.
-This was our third time traveling by train in UK while there was a train strike. I don’t know how we keep coinciding our travel days with strike days. It makes for a stressful, stressful day.
The Oops
Not bringing our swimsuits with us on our day trip to Simi. Hello! We were going to an island. We were not thinking at all.
The LOLs
Sharing stories with our Cotswolds hosts had us all laughing a lot.
What We Learned
I happily learned that the UK McDonald’s have the old style fried apple pies!
When you are in Saffron Walden Do Not rely on the buses. We needed to take the bus several times during our stay, and they were all typically 30-40 min late. So late, that it almost seemed they were a little early for the next scheduled time.
What We Read
Me – nothing. Summer is not part of my reading cycle.
Matt listened to: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
What We Watched
- The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV – It was good.
- Physical on Apple TV – Matt doesn’t really watch this with me, but I enjoy it. I’m a huge Rose Byrne’s fan and like whatever she is in.
- Only Murders in the Building on Hulu – Matt likes this show a lot. I think it’s ok.
- Love & Death on ITVx – Almost exactly the same movie as Candy with Jessica Biel. I liked Candy better.
- Jersey Shore: Family Vacation – There it is. We admit it. We watch Jersey Shore. LOL!
Up Next
Our October is all about animals, family, friends, and five continents (yes, five). We are meeting up with Matt’s parents for our annual trip and hopefully meeting up with some friends along the way. We are excited just thinking about it!