It always feels like the holiday is truly over when you post the last of your vacation snaps! I don't feel quite ready to finish talking about and looking at Greece pictures; it's almost as if I can hold onto that sunshine and relaxed feeling through the pictures for a few more days (or weeks)...Of course home isn't so bad and while a week on yacht in the sea is heavenly, I'm sure the charm of your tiny cabin would wear off eventually and the usual longings for home and a normal bed would catch up with you! So, we have left Greece and our MedSailors crew without the typical post-holiday tan, but with a few bug bites, souvenirs, and a score of memories. This Greek trip might be over, but I highly doubt it will be our last sailing holiday. We were beyond charmed by our visit to Croatia last year, also with MedSailors, and Greece has only whet our appetite for more islands and yachts! It's such a unique way to travel and see a country that I can't recommend more. MedSailors just listed some additional holiday bookings for September and October in Italy and I'm so tempted to try to book a second holiday (as unrealistic as it would be for us)! Summer forever! Honestly though as unlikely as an autumn sailing trip would be for us, I'm seriously looking at the MedSailors routes we haven't done yet for next summer. You get to see so much more of a country than going to one location, but also all of the work/hassle of traveling around independently is taken out of the trip. Instead of lugging your belongings from one ferry to the next to hop the Greek islands, booking a different hotel or Airbnb every night, you get to leave all of your things on your yacht and be skippered around everywhere with stops for swims and freshly-made meals. It takes a lot of the guesswork and pain out of traveling while still letting you travel and explore and see loads. We'll go on non-sailing holidays in the future, but for one week most summers, I'd definitely like to try to sneak some sailing in!
Speaking of packing for sailing--this little mini dress was something I picked up specifically for my holiday. It's not the most practical for the weather back home, but I love the breezy style and big embroidered sleeves--lightweight enough to keep me cool in the heat, but good coverage to protect my arms and shoulders from the sun where I'm most prone to burn. Of course the first day I wore it I spilled some balsamic vinegar on the front of it before I even had a chance to leave the boat! The stain washed out (mostly!) so I'll probably be wearing this on more beach days in the future. This specific color sold out at the shop I got it from, but I hunted down several similar dresses in different colors but the same style to link to. I mean, the white version of this dress is also so gorgeous, although probably even more dangerous to wear around potentially staining foods!

You know all those different ways we define ourselves? Introvert/extrovert, type A or type B? Loud or quiet? Well I definitely see myself as more the wound-tight type rather than the laid-back sort. I like "plans," knowing exactly what is on the agenda for the day to come and when everything is going to happen. Even on our sailing holiday I kept the little brochure of our schedule handy, checking it nightly to see where we were headed next (and yes, researching each a bit before we even left home). But being in Greece, on a boat, on holiday, definitely forced me to relax a little in probably the best way. Ask for your bill at the end of your meal and you often found yourself waiting for another twenty minutes; not ignored since your waiter will stop by a few times bringing you complimentary shots and seeing if everything is ok, but unhurried. It's the sort of holiday that says, "don't worry so much, moments are meant to be savored." Linger in your seat watching the sun dip below the water. Let your hair air-dry, your skin go make-up free, and your most complicated piece of clothing be a strappy sandal. I think I could get used to being on "Greek time" (or perhaps just holiday time) and my glittery watch even matched the crystal-clear waters. An accessory that was definitely more fashion than function on this trip!

Last year we had so much fun sailing around Croatia with MedSailors we quickly signed up to do it again. I think we had this Greek holiday booked back in November! Before I gave some tips on what to pack, but this year I thought I might break down what a day on your yacht (or catamaran) looks like. For a quick background if you're wondering what this whole MedSailors thing is: it's basically a skippered sailing holiday. You can book a whole yacht with eight friends, or travel as a couple and be paired up with six other travelers. Each yacht or catamaran has a skipper who does all the heavy-lifting for you and the routes last one week taking you to a different harbor every day...So, what does a typical day on a MedSailors boat look like? Well every day is a little different and if you're like me on holiday, it doesn't really start until around lunchtime! Your skipper makes you breakfast and lunch on the boat (although I often opted to sleep through breakfast). Most of the guests on our boat woke up for an early morning swim before breakfast. Then it was time to set sail to our next destination. A little before lunchtime we'd drop anchor by some pretty cove or lagoon and everyone was back in the water again--there was a heatwave while we were in Greece so jumping into the sea was extra refreshing! All of the boats have paddle boards and some have floats as well; we also stopped in different places every day so some places had beaches you could swim to, or even cliffs for a bit of climbing and jumping. After awhile of swimming (or paddling or floating) we'd come back on board and enjoy a light lunch. Lunches were always served with a fresh salad and the main course differed every day--some days we had roasted vegetables, tuna salad, pasta, etc. My favorite was probably the potato salad made with tzatziki; I usually don't like potato salad but that was delicious!After lunch it was usually time to sail a little bit more to our final destination for the day. If you're interested in learning to sail or drive the boat for awhile your skipper can help instruct you and an extra hand is always welcome when it comes time to dock. Each harbor or port you dock at is a little different. Sometimes you're docked next to super-yachts and it's just a quick skip from your boat to shore, other times you drop anchor a little bit aways from the main harbor and take a water taxi into town--it's pretty fun to have a water taxi pull up next to your boat like some water Uber. It makes every day a bit of an adventure; I think my favorite was when we docked in Spetses and there was a pulley system with our catamaran's inflatable boat to get to the shore. You climbed into your boat and grabbed the rope and pulled your way through crystal clear waters to dry land (or rather your husband pulled you to dry land, while you sat back and enjoyed the ride...).Once on shore you try to hide from the heat in any bit of shade you can find and wander around exploring. Since your hair is probably still wet from your morning swim there's no reason to get too fancy; I spent most afternoons in simple clothes or even just in my swimsuit with denim shorts (that I fittingly embroidered with the word "summer"). At some stops MedSailors organizes extra activities like water sports or wine tours; you can go parasailing or ride banana boats in Poros or rent a bike to ride around Spetses. Thomas tried parasailing, but we spent most of the trip on our feet, wandering down little alleys and trying to meet as many cats as we could. Since you're traveling every day there's something new to see all the time--I was enamored with all of the color on the Greek islands; vivid hibiscus, bright blue doors, even orange and lemon trees dripping with fruit!