Hi guys, it might sound weird but I never thought that I will ever miss the planes, because I hate them a lot. Every time when we took a flight, I had a bit of stress just because I am not a fan of crowded areas and packed planes and the idea of germs everywhere. Haha, I guess I am a germophobe in certain ways.
Anyway despite of Covid situation, Europe opened borders and started welcoming tourists. But as a resposible citizens, we went to do a Covid test before we left for our vacation to make sure that we are healthy even we had no symptoms.
I was also quite curious to experince myself this "horrible" test that everyone talking and sharing on social media and to be honest, it wasn't bad. So if in your city, they offer a free testing, I would incourage you to do it before you go anywhere and even if you came back from your vacation. Don't be selfish, think about others!
We picked Greece for our vacation destination because it looked like the safest place to go right now. They had a low rate of infections, plus, it was cheap since demand has been down. I've always dreamed to visit the Cyclades islands in Greece. Of course, I wanted to see Mykonos and Santorini, but this time we got to see Athens, Mykonos and two other islands of Naxos and Paros. Oh, also, the goverment of Greece required us to register on their website to get a special QR code. Without this QR code, you will be fined 500 euro. The Greek government is also doing random COVID testing at the airport, but since we had our results with us that we did 72 hours prior the flight, we felt super confident that we will not need to repeat the test. We were luckily not selected upon arrival.
After our results came back negative in Germany, we packed our bags and left to the airport. When we arrived at the airport in Frankfurt, we were quite shocked at how empty the airport was, but at same time, it felt very safe because less people meant less possibility to get infected. Like any closed area, you are required to wear a face mask and maintain distances. During entire flight you have to wear masks too, which I didn't mind because I have flown before in a face mask since you never know who is sick. Every time we got on a plane we received sanitizing wipes to wipe our seats and hands. The staff would keep announcing that you are required to wear mask and you can get fined if you don't listen. They gave us small snacks that I found silly because people who are infected might cough during eating time. Anyway, I skipped my meal and waited until we landed.
The first stop was in Athens. Taxi drivers were all wearing masks during our drive. As soon we arrived to hotel we got greeted by staff who also were in masks. After when we checked into our glamorous hotel right in the heart of the city, it was explained that they serve breakfast in the room due COVID. I love having breakfast in bed!
I will write a different a blog post about what you can visit in Greece and our itinerary. Here, I just want to share how different our traveling experience was this time. Basically, any places like museums, stores and hotels staff were wearing masks. We were wearing masks too, but noticed that many tourist would sometimes not wear any mask. It was understandable at times, since the temperature was very hot, and sometimes, you just forget for a momemt. Of course, a mask might not protect you 100%, but I felt safer when everyone around you was wearing one and respecting the rules.
I completely forgot to mention, when you travel between islands on the boat, you are required to wear masks too and complete the form on where are you staying on the island. When we left to Mykonos, they were even checking the temperature of travelers. I think this is because they had a spike of infections in Mykonos. I will tell you why. Compared to other islands, Mykonos was definitely less cautious overall. Firstly, it was the most crowded island. The beaches were packed with partiers. It was impossible to distance. People were getting drunk and carelessly walking around without masks. The staff didn't wear masks too. But the other islands were quite careful, which is perhaps why they had no COVID cases while we were there. Overall, the Greek authorities are taking COVID very seriously. They understand their entire economy relies on tourism, so they have to keep people healthy!
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