I’ve always enjoyed traveling. When I was young, my trips were usually to New Brunswick to see family, or to Chicago to visit a family friend. As I got older, my trips grew to include Caribbean cruises and trips out West, but that’s as far as I went, geographically. But all that changed in 2008 – I won a trip to Athens.

When the phone call came, I was unprepared. I had entered a contest in the Toronto Sun Travel section, and I did it the old-fashioned way – I filled in a ballot, cut it out of the paper and mailed it. With a stamp and everything! But by the time I got the call telling me I’d won, I’d forgotten all about it. I was at work when I got a call from someone who said they were calling from the Toronto Sun Travel section, and my first thought was that they were trying to sell me something. Then she asked me if I remembered entering a contest to win a trip to Athens, and suddenly it came back in an excited rush. She said my name had been selected as the winner but I had to answer a skill-testing question first. Cue the panic – oh God! I was at work so I tried my best to keep myself under control but my limits were being tested! I needn’t have worried – the question was “What is the capital of Greece?” I asked her what would have happened if I’d gotten it wrong, and she just laughed and said that had never happened. Thank goodness!

My parents & I went to the Greece Tourism Board in Toronto to pick up some information and have some photos taken for the newspaper. Not long after, it was booked and my mom & I were off to Athens!

We stayed at the 5-star Divani Caravel in downtown Athens – the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in!

There were so many ruins and temples in the city centre that I can’t recall the name of this one.  I do remember that the day was scorching hot and it was only 8 a.m.! This is my awesome Mom 🙂

We visited the Acropolis, and it was everything I had dreamed it would be. Maybe with a few more tourists.

Near the end of our trip, we had the hotel arrange a night on the island of Santorini.  The concierge had a contact at a boutique hotel on the island and managed to get us the honeymoon suite, complete with private pool and hot tub – more romantic than necessary for a trip with one’s mother, but beyond beautiful!

My beautiful Mom on our private balcony.

Our private pool!

We took a day trip to Delphi, home of the famous ancient Oracle.  Unfortunately, the temple of the Oracle was located at the top of a huge hill and our bus trip did not give us enough time to climb all the way up, but the ruins were stunning, set among enormous olive groves.  This is the remains of an ancient Olympic training centre.

This was definitely the trip of a lifetime, made all the more special because I made memories with my Mom that will last forever.  The fact that it was all free was just an added bonus! 🙂