PASSPORT: Greece
Float above the ancient ruins and surround yourself in blue and white
as we tag along on this Mediterranean design journey!
LEADERS OF DESIGN
Every year, there is a design symposium called the Leaders of Design Conference that takes place at a wonderful international destination. They invite the top 100 designers and architects from all over the country and always have an agenda jam-packed with historical tours, inspirational and educational speakers, and of course the most fun cocktail parties! Over the last ten years I have joined the group for many wonderful trips, but last year’s trip to Athens, Greece was one of my favorites!
We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Grande Bretagne which is right across from the Syntagma Square, the famous central square of Athens. Our first evening we had a private guided tour and cocktails at the New Acropolis Museum which was so special followed by a delicious dinner at Dionysos Restaurant!
The Acropolis. It was really amazing being there. It’s like seeing a ruin and the whole thing is like being at the museum. You can’t believe all of the history and details that are embedded in every last inch of this site…
A beautiful setting to begin our speaker series with: Katerina Zacharopoulou, Dr. Demetri Porphyrios, David Burkus, Catherine Connolly, Penelope Davies!
The conference leaders Keith Granet and Meg Touborg are always coming up with the most fun activities, including a toga party and a 4k marathon that ended at the Olympic Stadium! This is an image I took at the Panathenaic Stadium after we ran the marathon. It is incredible to think it was built entirely out of marble.
Part of the group grabbing a coffee during a break! It is so fun seeing old friends and making new ones at the conference. From left to right, Patrick Sutton, Magd Riad, Suzanne, Bill Peace, Stan Dixon and Melissa Mabe.
The conference concluded with a gala at the Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center, a fabulous night of dinner, dancing and enjoying the beautiful exhibits.
Then John and I left Athens after the conference ended and went to Santorini, which was stunningly beautiful! We stayed at the Canaves Oia, a beautiful hotel that is carved into the Cliffside. The rooms were originally traditional wineries in the 17th century that were transformed into suites with spectacular views of the Aegean Sea.
This was a little sitting area at our hotel in Santorini. I love how white everything is, especially considering everything is built into the cliffs and caves…but it is all white and opens out into this unobstructed beautiful blue ocean view!
There is nothing like the blue and white of Santorini. It’s so inspiring, truly one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited…I love the whitewashed houses built into the cliffs next to the white sand beaches and the deep blue ocean…blue and white is definitely the theme in Greece!
In addition to the beautiful views, we also loved Santorini because it has the most delicious food I have ever eaten! In the end, a truly inspiring trip on every level…
