In late September/early October, Simon and I jetted off to Greece for a few weeks as a getaway for our 1st wedding anniversary. We had a great time exploring the grounds and history of my heritage and it was wonderful and a perfect place to get some rest and relaxation time away from our busy work schedules.
Greece obviously has a vast history and many monuments and tourists sites are old, rocky and slippery so appropriate footwear was a must!! I had my Asics Kayanos for the exploring, Simon his new favourite wide fitting New Balance runners, we both had some dress shoes and I packed us both a pair of Archie’s thongs from the clinic. Stay tuned below for Simon’s review of the Archie’s below!!
Here are a few places of interest that we visited:
The Acropolis & Parthenon in Athens – The remains of the temple built for Greek Goddess Athena, on a hill overlooking Athens. We also visited the Acropolis Museum is included many artefacts of the Greek God Hermes who wore “Talaria” – https://talariapodiatrist.com.au/our-story/
Meteora – A rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Six monasteries that remain, are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like boulders, perched high on cliffs, accessible by staircases and pathways cut into the rock formations. We managed to visit all of the monasteries, our iPhone telling we climbed over 70 flight of stairs on this day!!
Parga, Lefkada, Paxos & Antipaxos – Beautiful coast line and islands of Greece with many stairs to climb, never seen so many shades of blue!!
The Pelopenese (The Southern state of Greece where all my grandparents and father were born):
Polylimnio waterfalls – Natural waterfalls 15 mins from village Militsa where my dad was born – slippery rocky path to get here, hiked for 45mins (absolutely no OHS).
Costa Navarino – 5 star Golf resort built by a Greek shipping tycoon, a world of its own bringing lots of tourists into the area, Simon played two state of the art courses – Bay and Dunes – and I drove the buggy, scored and admired the view.
Pylos, Navarone, Methoni & Nafplio Castles – Forts of old civilization built to protect coasts of Greece in war times – amazing architecture and building for that period of time we were amazed how they were all built – managed to rack up another 40-50 flights and of stairs plus 4-5km of walking on these days!!
Monemvasia – Medieval castle town, made to be invisible from the main town during enemy attacks it is carved onto the slope of a rock and only connect by a narrow pathway. One of the most romantic and unique places in the world it is like a trip back in time with elegant stone mansions and Byzantine churches. It is actually where Simon and I got married last year so was very special to visit again.
This is what Simon had to say on his first use of Archie’s thongs:
“We love travelling and this time around I was advised by Kristy to wear Archie’s instead of the standard thongs I normally take on holidays and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I have a history of ankle injuries from football and a history of plantar fasciitis when wearing bad shoes. The Archie’s were put to test at the Pylos castle where I decided to take on the old path which steep and rocky terrain that Kristy didn’t even want to attempt. I was completely unprepared for the task in my thongs (not runners) and other people had there hiking boots and poles and found it amusing that I would take it on in thongs but I wasn’t going to let it stop me (against Kristy’s advice). Amazingly I got through the whole experience with no issues in the harshest ancient ruin environment. The rocks were slippery, the Archie’s held my foot in position when I know your standard thong would have snapped at the first step and I got through 4-5km without any plantar fascial pain and returned with a new admiration and appreciation for my Archie’s thongs and there durability that I wore them for the rest of the trip!” – Simon
Note: This is not a paid review, it is the actual experience had on the trip.
So we survived all the travelling with no foot injuries, slightly tight calves from all the stairs and even though we are in the industry, an extra appreciation for having the correct footwear!
With all the exploring of the amazing historic sites, crystal blue beaches, wonderful food, fresh produce and warm endless nights in Greece, it was hard to come back!
A big thank you to all the staff who held our fort while we were away and we hope to visit this historic and magical country again soon, Kristy xx
Here are a few SHOE TRAVEL TIPS for next time you are travelling:
– Make sure shoes are broken into before you take them away – exploring and wearing shoes for the first time can cause blisters and irritation.
– Pack smart and be prepared – think of the weather and activities planned – when there is a lot of hiking and walking involved, comfortable and protective footwear is best. Making effort to dry shoes after they get wet will prevent issues the next day and prevent them from smelling.
– Pack the Bandaids – Pressure and friction from out of the ordinary activities are bound to happen so best to be prepared! Sometimes the necessities we take for granted cannot be found in foreign countries.
– Don’t rely on one pair of shoes – just as you would at home you will need different levels of support for your activities and social gatherings.
– Visit your Podiatrist before you leave – We can help recommend the correct and appropriate footwear for your planned activities and clean any hard skin, corns and callouses so they do not cause any problems while away and possibly prescribe orthotics to prevent pain in your feet when doing the extra miles.
– Invest in some Archie’s over your normal thongs – the support will allow you to walk further without pain regardless of your foot type and they may just save you!
– Explore as much as you can and enjoy your trip!