Lefkes Village in Paros

 July 10. 

Today was our fifth day in Greece and our third and final day in Paros. We started by driving to Lefkes, a beautiful, peaceful, and more traditional part of the island.

On the way, our driver pointed out the ancient marble quarries of Paros. The island was once famous for its fine white marble, which was used in important buildings and sculptures throughout the ancient Greek world, including parts of the Acropolis. The marble industry brought significant wealth to Paros.

He also showed us a 700-year-old olive tree that is still producing olives used to make olive oil. It was amazing to think about how much history that tree has lived through while continuing to produce fruit.

Lefkes was beautiful and we wandered around with no agenda. Our driver Vagelis had recommended a chocolate pie but unfortunately they didn't make chocolate that day so we all passed and later wished we had tried the orange pie instead!

After walking around Lefkes, we drove to Parikia for lunch at Menta and, of course, more shopping. We were all on a mission to find Ella a dress she could wear during UT Rush, and she found the perfect one at a little store called Sparkle. It fit her perfectly and was such an amazing find.

The real highlight of the day, though, was our much-anticipated cooking class with Maria that evening.

The class started at 6:00 p.m., and we were the last of the group of 30 to arrive, which landed us at the very end of the long table. It was clearly a well-oiled machine. Everyone was given a job, and Maria and her team found a way to keep all 30 people involved throughout the evening.

The wine was flowing, everyone was in a great mood, and it was amazing how quickly we all started getting to know one another, even in such a large group.

Maria was so much fun and had several great one-liners that she threw out during the demonstrations. One of my favorites was, “Bad things are good sometimes.” Then, when someone said, “I’m open to trying anything,” Maria immediately responded, “Don’t say that to a man!” She was hilarious and kept everyone laughing all night.

There was a group of 23-year-olds who had been friends in college and had just finished their first year in the real world. Several of them were teachers. There was also another group of moms and daughters who had met on a previous vacation, become best friends, and were now traveling together again. Another group had just finished celebrating their son’s destination wedding and decided to continue their travels afterward.

I had not expected a cooking class with 30 people to feel so personal, but it really did. We cooked, ate, drank wine, learned a Greek dance, and had so many great conversations throughout the night.

Our friend Gabby, who is a teacher, somehow learned everyone’s name and could go all the way down the table naming each of the 30 people. It was very impressive and also very Gabby.

We connected most with the group of 23-year-olds. They talked about their relationships with their own mothers and loved seeing us there traveling with our girls. They were incredibly complimentary of the three of us as moms and repeatedly told our girls how lucky they were to have us.

It was funny and sweet, but it also genuinely meant a lot. Their comments made an already memorable night feel even more special.

Ella's outfit matched the doors perfectly and this cat loved her! I don't know how long they sat here taking photos with it.

Antiparos Island, Greece

• July 9.

  Today was a full day of exploring new areas. We started early with a quick 10-minute ferry ride to Antiparos, where we met our sweet and wonderful guide, Evi. One of the first things she taught us was how to say “thank you” in Greek: ευχαριστώ. She explained that it sounds something like “ef-harris-toe,” which gave us a practical way to remember it for the rest of the trip.

  We walked through the beautiful shopping streets on our way to a “castle” at the end of town. The castle itself was a little underwhelming, but the shopping was so much fun. I fell more in love with Antiparos as the day went on. It felt simple, elegant, and charming, and I could not stop taking pictures because everything was so beautiful.

  On our way back, a jewelry shop I had not noticed before caught my eye. I quickly popped inside because I knew everyone else was waiting, and my attention immediately went to a necklace. It was gold-plated with simple threading around a Greek eye, or mati.

  In Greece, the eye is believed to watch over the wearer and reflect away negative energy or jealousy. I had read about it before the trip, and I knew Megan was also hoping to find a piece of jewelry with the eye. After going in and out of several jewelry stores in Athens, I knew immediately that this was the one. I called her over, and it only took us a few seconds to decide that we were buying matching necklaces. We wore them for the rest of the trip, and I love having something special to remember Antiparos by.

  After walking through town, we drove to the Cave of Antiparos, an 85-meter-deep natural cave filled with ancient stalactites and stalagmites. We made our way down all 411 concrete steps to the bottom—and then, of course, had to climb all 411 back up.

  After the cave, our guides drove us to St. George, another area of the island, where we ate lunch and got ready for the second half of our day: a boat ride to Despotiko, a small, uninhabited island.

  We had limited restaurant options, but we loved our lunch at Captain Pipinos. The highlight came when we asked for the Wi-Fi password and were told, very quickly, “695 time.” We asked him to repeat it and heard the exact same thing again.

  We had just smelled wild thyme growing near the cave, so “time” and “thyme” were both fresh in our minds. We kept trying different spellings and combinations with no luck. After a few minutes, Addie said, “I’m probably stupid, but let me just try something.”

  She typed in 6969696969—and it worked. LOL.

  After lunch, we changed into our swimsuits, spent some time on the beach, and then boarded the boat. It dropped us off on Despotiko for a couple of hours before taking us around to a few caves and swimming spots where the girls could jump into the water. Right after getting off the ferry that morning, the girls had all bought matching snorkels for this exact part of the day.

  While we were on the island, the girls climbed across the rocks and took beautiful pictures while the moms sat on the beach and had another one of our very long conversations about life and each other. Those conversations became one of my favorite parts of the trip.

  After our afternoon on the boat, we made our way back into Antiparos and found a great dinner spot right on the water. This time, we wandered away from the main shopping streets, and I loved seeing the quieter parts of town where people actually live their everyday lives.

  For dinner, Addie and I shared the tiradito ceviche and the grouper-neck pasta. It was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip.

  On the ferry ride home, there was a couple nearby who were yelling and arguing but also very obviously in love. We became completely invested in the situation, but since we could not understand anything they were saying, we started making up our own stories about what was happening.

  We all crowded together on one bench at the back of the ferry and watched them for as long as we could. It was such a funny, simple ending to a really full day.