Tag Archives: Europe 2022

Europe 2022 – Mykonos Day 13

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Last full day in Mykonos!

Started the day by going to Dominos Pizza (to try it out because there was also one in Santorini, so wanted to compare. Tastes basically the same as the US). Also got a really interesting desert at a cafe that was basically like chocolate stuffed Baklava. Details are here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/07/cookie-smart-bakery/

Then we stopped by a local ATV shop to rent ATVs (for 5 people, it was $400, and rented it on the spot). The logic is that if we we’re going to take taxis everywhere, it is usually $50 per ride. (Originally we were trying to get a rental car, but they were all sold out).

The first stop with the ATVs was a beach club called Paradise beach club over at the southern part of the island at Platys Gialos. Really great concept. Basically there is no entrance fee, you can chill and dance / drink at the club part, or pay $35 for a day bed at the beach (or wait till 6pm where it becomes free). At the day club, got a bottle of Prosecco for only $40, and we were able to bring it in the beach (we stayed at the day bed part after 6pm).

Around 7:30pm we decided to Megali Ammos beach (near Mykonos proper) to watch the sunset since it is at the west part of the beach. Unfortunately we just missed the sunset since my ATV could not make it up one of the hills (we ended up putting it in neutral and pushing it up). We did stay at the beach for about 30 minutes to enjoy the post after-glow of the sunset.

Afterwards we rode the ATVs to Ornos to grab dinner at a restaurant that’s check has a Michelin Star, called Mykonos Social. This part of the island had resorts, and you could sort of tell it is the “richer” part of the island. Overall great food, and details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/07/mykonos-social/

Afterwards we pregamed at the AirBnb (played Shoot the dealer) for a night out in Mykonos Proper. Stayed out till 4am going to a place called Porta Bar (originally wanted to go to Lola’s, but they closed at 3am!).

Finally to end the night, got some late night food at this Souvlaki place:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/07/souvlaki-story/

And that concludes the trip! I flew out the next day (going from Mykonos to Athens, then taking a flight to JFK, then to SFO).

Europe 2022 – Santorini and Mykonos Day 12

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We started the day by leaving our AirBnb in Thira (Santorini), and heading to the docks slightly south of where we are staying over in Athinios (only cost $30 to bring all 5 of us).

I think the most interesting part about the the ride is that since the west side of Santorini is basically on a cliff, there is a road that descends I would say about 500 meters down. Pretty cool.

We then grabbed lunch at another Mediterranean place while we waited. Details found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/05/athinios-restaurant-cafe/

Fyi, for the ferry, booked it the day before using ferryhopper.com. It was only $89. I would recommend getting there really only 30 minutes before departure (and it was easy to get in front of the line). Line was a bit chaotic, but going inside the ferry itself was fine (and seeing cars go into the ferry was kind cool). Also, the interior of the ferry was more upper scale than I expected. Definitely a good experience.

Along the way we stopped by the islands Ios and Naxos. Ios didn’t seem too interesting, but it did have more “rectangular” looking buildings, but still white and blue (but obviously judging the “interest” tfrom the boat isn’t the best). Naxos looked pretty cool though (looked fairly modern and lively). Think that may be a good place to visit next time.

When we got to Mykonos, we ordered an “Uber” (it’s a van contracted by Uber) to the Airbnb. Interesting thing is that Mykonos itself is a walking city, so the Uber can only drop you off to a street that is “close-ish”.

As we got dropped off, I did notice that Mykonos I less hill-y than Santorini, and a bit more upscale, but has more space (same crowdedness).

After going to the AirBnb, we ended up going to a beach nearby (Paralia Choras Mikonou) for about an hour. The beach had a bit too much small rocks (not super sandy). Probably wouldn’t go back to it (although it did have a wheelchair accessible beach contraption).

We then went around town to shop. I actually a couple of things. I got a Greek type shirt, and also some Ray Ban sunglasses (to replace the ones I lost).

Afterwards, we ended up going to a restaurant that is right below our AirBnb called Eva’s Garden. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/06/evas-garden/

After dinner, pregamed at the Airbnb (learned a game called shoot the dealer).

We then ended the night at Cavo Paradiso, where Afrojack played. Some key notes is that shirts and shorts are allowed in the club, DJ came on at 2:30am, and they don’t check ID. Also, grabbing a (didn’t use Uber) taxi costs $35 (although kinda got scammed since he said $25 initially). Overall, people were good to talk to, and had a great night.

Europe 2022 – Santorini Day 11

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We spent a good part of the day sailing on the south and west part of the island.

We booked the tour from the host of the AirBnb (which they booked from this website: https://www.santorinivipsailing.com). The port was from the Vlychada marina (south part of the island).

Along the way, the captain pointed out the Red Beach, which looks like there are two entrances. He said one of them is really dangerous because one of the rocks on the path could break off at any time.

After, we continued along the way westward before we started going up north towards the caldera (aka the mouth of the volcano). What I learned from this is that the caldera is under the water (boat was on top of it), and it spirts little bit of lava every year, and a part of a new land is formed on the caldera island (not sure of its actual name). The volcano is what made Santorini. Another fun fact is that like magnet, the rocks from the lava are made of iron, so that is why they are red (because they rust… apparently from the inside).

By the way, all the sand beaches in Santorini are in the southern part of the island, and also near the airport.

Note: always make sure you have enough cash with you to pay for the excursions (ended up paying with a mix of euro and American dollars).

After the boat ride, we checked into our new AirBnb (also in Thira) which is right by the water cliff. (Could also book it probably off AirBnb. The place we stayed at is called the Porto Fira Suites).

An EDIT from my previous post. Although the AirBnb closer to the water is pretty sick because of the water pool and view, it is a good flight of steps lower, so it’s a bit more of a walk up if you want to get anything.

After getting settled, stopped by McDonalds to get a bunch of chicken nuggets, then shopped around for a bit.

Found some sun glasses from a company called Blackfin that I plan on looking up later (see pic below).

For dinner, we wanted to try some Gyros, so we went to a recommended place called Luckys. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/04/luckys/

We ate dinner at the Airbnb. Afterwards, spent the rest of the night at the Airbnbto take golden hour pics, playing some games and hot tubbing.

Europe 2022 – Santorini Day 10

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For a good part of this day, we planned on hiking from Thira to Oia.

First stop along the way was passing by the next north town from Thira called Imerovigli. We grabbed lunch at that town. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/03/pearl-on-the-cliff/

From the walk, I realized that basically the next time I go to Santorini, I would stay at a hotel near the west coast in Thira (or very close), with an infinity pool.

Also along the way we stopped by a bar along the west coast to grab a drink (Called CSky). Great view.

Also along the way we got our friend to take drone shots of us along the coast. We also saw donkey rides (past half way) for only $10 to take the rest of the way to Oia. Also along the way are a chapels (usually with a blue painted roof). The one I checked out was closed though.

When we got to Oia, we did a bit of shopping, and a bit of picture taking. For the picture taking, there was a line to take a pic where the three “blue” roof houses were, but we did it. In terms of the general feel of the city, it was a bit more crowded in the picture taking areas, but there did seem to be more space otherwise. If I came back to Santorini, might stay in Oia. (Also the houses seem whiter than Thira).

For dinner, we went to a very chill restaurant that has a pool with a pool bar! Next time I think I’d go in the pool. Details for dinner can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/03/pacman-sunset-restaurant/

Afterwards we ended up going back to our AirBnb in Thira using a taxi ordered by the restaurant (around $50).

Europe 2022 – Athens and Santorini Day 9

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Fortunately our AirBnb was close to the main thing I wanted to see in Athens, which was the Acropolis (only 14 minutes way).

Got to the Acropolis by 10am via Uber (Uber in Greece just actually calls a taxi, but fortunately you don’t have to deal with catch, unlike if you just use a taxi directly). The crowd definitely picked up by the time I got there.

For taxi drop off and pick up, there is only one area that this can happen. Also, for tickets, it is highly recommended to buy them online (although even though it says online that you skip the line, there was a small line at the entrance). Got the tix from this website, which included a useful audio tour on your phone (although you don’t necessarily start from “1” that is on the audio tour map!): https://www.getyourguide.com

Some areas of interest visited in the Acropolis are include: Temple of Athena Nike, Pantheon, Theatre of Dionysus, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, The Great Staircase.

Afterwards I headed to the airport to catch a flight to Santorini! (Note that ATH is only one terminal, but Hall A is really far away from the departures drop off).

When I arrived in Santorini, getting an Uber was pretty easy (they actually outsourced it to another company). However, the AirBnb location itself wasn’t easy to find. Walked around for 20 minutes with my luggage until I found it.

After finding the AirBnb, we chilled at the top of our Airbnb drinking some wine. Then headed out to dinner at a restaurant called Idol. Had a great view. Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/03/idol/

After dinner, we explored the shops around Thira (there were also a lot of bars I would’ve checked out. There were pop up bars that I did go to, where you can order alcohol drinks to go).

Europe 2022 – Brussels Day 8

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For this day, unintentionally spent the whole day in Brussels.

We started off the day by heading to the Midi train station to catch a train Cologne, Germany (where we would fly direct to Athens). However, as we got to the train station, we found out it was cancelled. The next flight at 2pm (direct from Brussels to Athens), got booked up pretty quickly. So had to catch a 7:30pm flight, and basically wait the day in Brussels.

Ended up getting a day hotel at a place called Novotel (used this website, which I highly recommend): https://www.dayuse.com. From 10am to 6pm the cost was only $70.

Got a good extra 4 hours of sleep (definitely needed from the night before). After, we did end up walking around Midi, where we grabbed an Italian lunch/dinner at this place:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/02/midi-eats/

We then headed to the airport to catch our flight to Athens (it was 30 minutes delayed). To our surprise, they continued the Tomorrowland theme by having a DJ laying at the Airport! With the time difference plus 3 hour flight, we got to Athens airport slightly past midnight.

Europe 2022 – Brussels Day 7

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Last day of Tomorrowland! Before going to Tomorrowland, got a Belgian waffle for brunch (had to since I was in Belgium). Details can be found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/08/01/le-roi-de-la-gaufre/

We got to Tomorrowland at about 6pm, but made a point to check out the other stages we didn’t see. First up was Quintino at the Rose Garden stage. I actually liked his set since he was mainly playing top 40 EDM from 10 years ago. After, Artbat and the first 10 minutes of lost frequencies at the Main Stage. Then headed to see Adriatique at the Core stage, which people say has Tulum vibes (I could see why). Then, caught Bass Jackers at the Library. we finished off the night at the Freedom Stage and saw Adam Beyer.

For after partying, we grabbed drinks at shops just outside the exit of Tomorrowland. Can’t say I remember too much of the after party :).

On a side note, at Tomorrowland, I tried the chicken balls, which has tika masala sauce on the inside. It tastes amazing. Highly recommend. I also did get some dim sum. I feel neutral on that selection.

Europe 2022 – Brussels Day 6

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Aside from lunch, this day was spent basically at Tomorrowland.

Had lunch at this cafeteria called Wolf, which had a bunch of international eateries. Details can be find here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/31/wolf-hanoi-station/

Afterwards, we grabbed coffee at this place:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/31/corica/

For Tomorrowland, we checked out these DJs: Horse Meat Disco (Kara Savi Stage), Simon Dunmore (Kara Savi Stage), Above and Beyon (Crystal Garden), and Charlotte de Witte (Main Stage). We also checked out a random DJ at the rave cave.

In terms of food, tried their roasted chicken, with ribs and what they call a “meatball” (which basically looks like a muffin, but made out of chicken sausage).

Europe 2022 – Brussels Day 5

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Started the day by checking out the Jeanneke Pis (which is supposed to counter the Manneken Pis).

Afterwards, took a walk around. Visited the Statue de Roi Albert and then walked by the Place de l’Albertine.

Afterwards, checked out the Royal Palace of Brussels (only the outside), the park beside it (called Brussels Park), and walked outside the Federal Building.

After, walked over to the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. Very beautiful church (organ is interestingly on the left side versus being at the back.

For lunch, grabbed something at a chain here called Cup Pasta. Here are the details:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/30/cup-pasta/

The rest of the day was spent at Tomorrowland.

Some details on Tomorrowland: shuttles are located at the North Brussels train station (not the central station), and you need to pick up your wristbands every day. Uber ride costs $110 for a 6 person passenger van (to the festival).

The drop off point for shuttles is a 15 minute walk from the main event.

Security is fairly relaxed. They take a quick look inside your bag, and a very relaxed “pat” of the bag.

For will call, they don’t check your name matching your ticket (in fact, as I took out my passport, they told me to just put it away).

For buying drinks, you need to load your wristband with “perls”. Each Perl is 1.66 euros.

The stages we went to on the first day were Leaf, Youphoria, MainStage and Freedom Stage.

The DJs we saw were: Christophe (Freedom Stage), Boris Brejcha (MainStage), and Eric Prydz (Freedom Stage).

Europe 2022 – Brussels Day 4

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We left Madrid around 10:30, and arrived at Brussels 12:30pm with Ryan Air. Gotta say the Brussels airport is really nice. It seems pretty new, and there are a bunch of shops. Although the only things is we got dropped off at the tarmac vs. an actual gate.

We took a taxi to the Airbnb (It cost basically the same as taking an Uber). Along the way the taxi driver did point out some UN places (apparently Brussels has the UN council buildings here).

From the Airbnb, we went to Galerie Royales St Hubert that had a bunch of eateries, and grabbed a coffee at this place:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/29/aksum-coffee-house/

We then ate lunch on Rue des Bouchers, at a place called La Terrasse. This is where I tried the Belgian beer, Chimay, for the first time (I think it’s either a double or triple beer). Details found here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/28/la-terrasse/

After, walked to the Grand Place, and shopped around that area a bit.

After, walked to Menneken Pis (since apparently that’s a thing), then headed back for a quick nap.

Later at night, grabbed dinner near the Grand Place. Details are here:

http://food.johnmatienzo.com/2022/07/29/mykonos-pitta-gyros/

And then finished the night at the Delerium Cafe (lots of people there. Seemed like lots of them are from hostels). Definitely brought back some college memories.