Greece 2006
Embedded Files
Michael Pistrang, Summer 2026
About
About
In June and July of 2026 we had a Pistrang/Mullins family reunion in Greece! As a child my grandparents Joe and Judy took the whole family to Greece and to the island of Patmos many times. With both Joe and Judy now gone, it was time to to honor their memory and bring the next generation to Patmos and Greece!
The trip was 2 weeks, staring with traveling just as our small family, then meeting up with the whole group, totaling 19 in all spanning 3 generations. We had great (hot!) weather. We visited Athens, Sparta, and Patmos. Details and pictures below!
Our rooftop deck and view of the acropolis.
Day 1 - BOS->ATH
Day 1 - BOS->ATH
Our Delta flight to Athens was smooth and the service was good. Maeve got all the gluten-free special meals she'd requested ahead of time! We sat 4 across in the bulk head and had a ton of space to stand and stretch as needed.
Once in Athens we grabbed a cab from the queue at the airport for a long morning-traffic ride into the city. We were staying in the Thiseio neighborhood, which turned out to be a great choice; quiet, plenty of food and grocery options nearby, and a world away from the busy central city feel.
Our Airbnb was great: two bedrooms (one with twin beds for the kids), AC, and a rooftop deck.
We had our first meal in Greece nearby gluten-allergy aware lunch spot. We had ice cream in the afternoon, then went home for a rest before our evening Acropolis visit.
We did our Acropolis tour at 6pm and it was not too busy and not too hot. We were only up there for about 30-40 minutes, but it was quite special to be there. We walked home and had leftovers for dinner and went to bed. We were tired.
Selfie with a flying pigeon at the Parthenon.
The kids at the acropolis looking east.
Malcolm hovering over a very deep hole.
Day 2 - Athens
Day 2 - Athens
The next morning we got breakfast around the corner from our Airbnb. Then we walked through the Psyri neighborhood, which consisted of winding streets offering plenty of shade. We made our way to the Central Market and checked out the meat and fish counters, then walked down to Monastiraki Square for some late-morning ice cream.
With some time to kill, we went to the Museum of Illusions Athens, it was random and really fun!
For lunch we walked to the quiet, pedestrian streets of Plaka anMonastirakid ate at Aerides Plaka Restaurant. It was a fun lunch out on the pedestrian streets, capped off with a complimentary ouzo shot for dessert.
The kids monkeying around in the gym.
For dinner we got souvlaki in the Psyri neighborhood, then ice cream, then went home to hang out on our deck.
First swim of the trip!
Day 3 - Drive to Sparta
Day 3 - Drive to Sparta
We packed up and took a taxi to the Hertz office in Athens to pick up our car, then began the drive to Sparta. Along the way we stopped at a public beach in Agioi Theodoroi for our first swim in the Aegean, then stocked up on supplies at a nearby grocery store before continuing on.
Along the drive we stopped at the Mycenae ruins on top of a small mountain. It was hot and windy!
The Lion Gate at the Mycenaean ruins.
In the shade of an olive tree.
A cave dug into the mountain under the ruins.
Very big stones, Malcolm for scale.
We then finished our drive and arrived at the Mazaraki Guesthouse outside of Mystras in the afternoon. This was an amazingly beautiful and serene place, one of the best parts of the trip. The pictures don't quite do it justice.
Our front porch.
The view from the lawn at Mazaraki, looking west with the city of Sparta on the right.
The small pool.
The church next to our hotel.
A view from the pool looking up towards the mountains.
We had dinner that night at a restaurant down the street, and hung out in the hotel front porch in the evening.
At dinner.
Reading outside at our hotel.
Mazaraki lobby and restaurant at night.
Day 4 - Castle of Mystras
Day 4 - Castle of Mystras
The plan for the day was to visit the Castle of Mystras, a 3-in-1 combo of hilltop castle, city ruins, and museum in a "newer" Byzantine castle. Unfortunately the hilltop castle was closed due to fire danger related to the wind. This turned out to be fine because the rest of the site was amazing. You can look up the history of this location yourself. I'll just share some photos (and I'll skip captains in this section, too).
For lunch we ate at the square in downtown Sparta, and then went to the olive oil musuem. I don't have any great pics of this, just a video of Morgan using an old school olive press.
That night we had some wine at our hotel, including some really good retsina, then had dinner in the little Mystras town square which is really just a road with restaurant tables set up on it. The roast chicken and potatoes were excellent.
Maeve and wine with castle in the background.
Dinner in Mystras.
Day 5 - Sparta
Day 5 - Sparta
We checked to see if the top of Mystras Castle had reopened, and it had! The staff honored our tickets from the day before, so we got to explore the top castle after all. It was really neat and a bit scary to be up that high.
We continued our day outside with a small hike to a cave monastery in a nearby gorge.
Next we went to the Acropolis of Ancient Sparta, which was a small and very hot archeological site. We were only there briefly but it was cool to see this part of history.
A very old olive tree.
Walking on an old Spartan path.
Our rental car next to an old Spartan wall
Day 6 - To Patmos!
Day 6 - To Patmos!
The next day was a big travel day. We packed up and drove all the way back to Athens, where we were to return the car in the port of Piraeus. The plan was to meet with up with my two cousins' families and get on the 8 hour ferry to Patmos.
I don't have any pictures, but a really fun part of this was hanging in the lunch spot we found near the car rental return. It was an Indian kebab place. We had a great lunch and then an hour later my cousin Dan and his family arrived. They joined and got some food. Then another hour later my cousin Debbie and her family arrived. We were now a group of 11, and ready to get on the ferry. We took a taxi over to the other side of the port.
This was my first time on the big Blue Star ferries that cross the Aegean Sea. It ended up being really fun and beautiful being with all the cousins and the kids all played well together. Here are some pictures.
We finally arrived in Patmos just after midnight. I have been to Patmos with my family twice, when I was 14 and 20. We were to stay at the same hotel we stayed in on past trips, the Blue Bay Hotel, owned and run by the same family my grandparents had been close to. The other half of our big family group had arrived in Patmos that morning, and some of them met us down at the dock. The walk up the street around the corner to the Blue Bay Hotel felt just like it did 20 years ago.
Walking up to the Blue Bay Hotel with the whole family.
Waving goodbye to the ferry from the deck of the Blue Bay.
Day 7 - Patmos Beach Day
Day 7 - Patmos Beach Day
It felt amazing to be back on Patmos and staying in the Blue Bay. I have many memories of being here with my family, the place my grandparents loved.
Malcolm and I went out early to explore some of the trails I used to walk on my own when I was a kid visiting Patmos.
Another view from the hotel.
Walking into town.
Later that morning a group of us went on a walk to our favorite beach, Agriolivadi. I don't have many pictures from the beach, but the way the beaches work on Patmos is that they each have a little taverna to get lunch, and have chair and umbrella rentals. That way you can hang out by the beach or walk barefoot right into the taverna to get lunch.
That night we had our first big group dinner in town.
On the way to the beach
Looking back towards the town and the cruise ships in the harbor. In the foreground is a bare patch fenced off for goats.
Splitting into 3 tables for dinner worked well.
The whole family!
Hiking up to Chora with the monastery in the distance
Day 8 - Chora
Day 8 - Chora
The next morning a group of us hiked up to Chora, the hilltop town on Patmos. Along the way we stopped to see the Cave of Apocalypse. This is the reason why most folks come to Patmos, as it is an important biblical location, along with the monastery at the top of Chora.
Chora has a lot of really narrow and steep "streets" such as this staircase.
Another path through Chora.
Within the monastery.
We ate a good lunch in Chora with a great view of Skala.
More exploring of Chora.
The restored windmills of Chora
Looking back towards the monastery from the windmills.
Hiking down back to the Blue Bay Hotel, looking towards Skala.
Looking north from our hike down the mountain. The very distant mountains on the horizon are the island of Samos on the left, and the Dilek Peninsula of Türkiye (Turkey) on the right.
Later that day a few of us went on a special outing to commemorate my grandmother Judy. This is the spot we chose.
Day 9 - Island Boat Tour
Day 9 - Island Boat Tour
The next day 13 of us went on a full day boat tour of neighboring islands. We made a few stops, swam at some remote and unique beaches and had a good lunch in a tiny town.
Though it is hard to see, there is a cave that the group swam into here. Some of us jumped off the cliff, too. I did not.
Kira on the boat.
White rock beach. We had to swim from the boat so I don't have pictures from the beach.
Another very remote beach we jumped and swam to.
Mini boats in a mini harbor on Arki.
Lunch on Arki (photo by Beth)
Returning to Patmos, with the Blue Bay Hotel straight ahead.
Day 10 - Psili Amos
Day 10 - Psili Amos
The next day a small group of us hiked to a beach reachable only by trail or boat, called Psili Amos. I had been here before on past trips. The beach has a small taverna and is very remote.
Looking down towards the beach.
Making sand castles (photo by Beth)
Representing Maine Ultimate on the beach.
Later in the day Maeve and I did some exploring of our own in the car I had rented for the day.
This goat was posing for me on the mountain top.
The view from a small cathedral at the top of this mountain.
Looking south over Patmos. We hiked down the beach below to swim.
The private beach we hiked down to on the north side of the island.
My brother and I on top of the Rock of Kalikatsou on Petras Beach (photo by Mitch).
Day 11 - Last Day on Patmos
Day 11 - Last Day on Patmos
This was our last day on Patmos. A group of us went to a nearby beach to swim in the morning, and then the family that runs the hotel made us a special lunch.
We spent the afternoon packing and then got take out gryos and pizza for dinner.
Everyone, including the family that owns and runs the Blue Bay Hotel.
The gyro place we got dinner.
Day 12 & 13 - Traveling Home
Day 12 & 13 - Traveling Home
It was time to start our long journey home. Part of what makes Patmos special is that there is no airport on the island. That, combined with East-to-West travel, makes coming home a 2 day affair. We took a small and fast ferry to a bigger island Kos, flewy to Athens, stayed over, and then flew back to Boston. The wind had picked up later in the week and the boat ride was quite rocky. Luckily my family does not get sea sick.
On the ferry. It went up to about 30 knots.
The ferry had a few stops along the way on tiny islands. It made quick work of it, each stop was less than 5 minutes total. Fun to watch.
Walking off the ferry in Kos, on our way to find a taxi to the airport.
Our small plane that took us from Kos to Athens.
Our flight from ATH->BOS gave us some fun views of Europe. Hare are the Alps and Mount Blanc (I think).
It was raining and 65 degrees when we got outside at BOS. Good ole Boston.
Report abuse