Santorini, or: a slice of heaven in the Aegean

Long before Zeus had slept off his hangover, we were awake and fed (our hotel was very very helpful in providing food earlier than normal before our various trips) and caught a bus to the airport. A short flight through the sunrise found us circling the tiny airport on Santorini, a volcanic island with a lot of history and a lot more beauty. The descent is great, since you fly alongside a large cliff right before it opens up and you touch down. We landed shortly after 8AM, so after getting a ride to our hotel/apartments from one of the owners, we had a full day to explore and enjoy the sun. It's really hard to find anything to complain about when your typical view is like this:



All of the couples split off to go our separate ways; Lisa and I had discovered a long winding pathway down to the western shore and wanted to see what was down there. It's about 200m of vertical drop down to the docks, and nearly 1,000 steps.



On the walk down, we had a wonderful view of the cliffs and makeup of the rocks and soil. Being a volcanic island, it's all layered and very pretty.



Once we got down there and had rested our weary legs for while, we found some closed up bars and shops. Apparently, it's bustling with tourists during the summer, and not much else. There were some cool caves to explore, and lots of walkways to wander up and down. Lisa decided to have a sit while I wandered down the shore. I did make some cool discoveries, but only one required retrieving Lisa; FLOATING ROCKS. That's right, FLOATING ROCKS.



A large rock had fallen off the cliff and crashed down through some building, and there was a giant pile of red and black and white rocks. I'd discovered that all of the rocks were fairly light, but more the red and white rocks than the black. I knew of pumice but had never seen it, so when I discovered that the white type floated, I was ecstatic. And of course we nerded out and threw lots of pumice into the sea and watched it float away. We also decided we would bring some back up to everyone else to share with them what we'd found. Sadly, the funicular cost 4 euros to ride back up, and we decided that a little more exercise couldn't hurt. I'm not so sure we're as smart as we like to pretend.

By the time we reached the top of the cliff, we were thirsty and hungry and ready for a nice break. We found a small snack vendor, purchased some Fanta and salty snacks and sat on a bench to enjoy our well-earned and cheap indulgences. We also ran into Casey and Anna, who were exploring the island via a four wheeler they had rented. I also saw this nice "tile" which is actually made of little stones. Greece, and Santorini in particular, love this style. I can't say as I disagree.



We were feeling pretty tired so we headed back to our room for some relaxation time before dinner. Shortly before dark, Bill knocked on our door to tell us to come check out the sunset. We climbed up the hill and looked west to find this staring back at us:



Times like that make you wonder if it's ever worth leaving. It wouldn't take much to convince me to go back for an extended period of time...except then I wouldn't get to go on all the other adventures we have planned. So, sunset experience had, we met back up with Casey and Anna and went out to a tαβερνα for dinner. Being an island, we had a good variety of tasty seafood and some vegetables for dinner. We all talked through our days' separate adventures and our thoughts on the island. Needless to say, we were all pretty happy with how it had turned out so far.

Our second day dawned with clear skies and sun, of course. Casey and Anna persuaded us to rent ATVs for the day, which turned out to be THE BEST IDEA EVER.



I mean, honestly, when you've got Bill and Merit driving ATVs, you know it's amazing. We rented our ATVs from Tony, who showed us how to drive them and let us loose on the world. A few euros of gas later and we were off! Lisa and I headed to the southwestern part of the island to explore. A bit later, we headed towards the top of the island, where there's a military base and some fine views. Unfortunately for you, we were not allowed to take pictures from the top so you'll just have to imagine. We also met up with everyone else, since apparently we all have the same amazing taste in places to go. On the way back down, we stopped for lunch on a northwestern facing hill.



It was beautifully sunny but a bit breezy, and we sat in some guy's field eating our bread and cheese and snacks and drinks. After, us kids all decided to go explore off to the west and we found some "ostrich nests" which are some sort of weird thorny vine that grows in a circle, some little buildings built into the hill, more pumice, and DONKEYS!



We think they had gotten loose because they were dragging their pegs behind them, and a man eventually came over to retrieve them. Needless to say, we still gave them a wide berth as we headed back up to our ATVs to explore further. Casey and Anna had done some exploring the previous day, and we wanted to head to one of the nice beaches that Santorini is so well known for.



There are several colors of beach on the island, but black is the most common. It's so soft on the feet if you can avoid the pumice. Plus, it's nice and warm. Casey and Anna, who are INSANE, went swimming. The rest of us were satisfied to play in the surf and relax afterward.



Our final destination for the day was Oía (pron: ee-a), a town on the northwestern tip of Santorini. We hopped onto our trusty ATVs and rode through town and down the windy highway, taking the occasional break to warm up or enjoy the view. On a whim, I decided to take some pictures. Here's Chill Bill ridin' dirty:



This picture basically sums up our trip to Santorini:



We made it into the "center" of Oia by late afternoon, and somehow managed to luck out in that the general store was open. We bought some bread and cheese and juice and snacks, and parked our ATVs on the side of the road. We walked out some of the paths towards the western end, since we were hoping to get a nice view of the sunset. Santorini does this great little thing with their church bells. Almost all of the buildings are white or tan, and domes are blue. It's just pretty.



Greece has a lot of stray animals; on Santorini, even the pets are usually allowed to roam free. When you go somewhere, a dog will often attach itself to your group and guide you around. Once in Oia, this dog decided to join up with us. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Stavros Stavropolos:



Stavros joined us soon after we'd purchased our goods, and stayed with us all afternoon and evening. He'd bring us down the right paths to find our sunset perch, with the occasional detour to chase some cats. There are very few proper roads in Oia; everyone lives off a main path, down little curved staircases. They have grey treads and the rest is white like the buildings. They also meander through all the decks and houses and split off to go down to the lowest houses. Wandering through these afforded us views like this:





And Stavros, our trusty guide, never led us astray. We eventually made it to the spot we'd watch the sunset from. Bill and Merit stayed on the steps we'd chosen as our sunset watching spot. Lisa and I wanted to go check out a little unfinished church on the point, and Stavros brought us down through all the steps. There were a few other people down there, with their dog guides of course, checking out the sunset and taking romantic pictures. Casey and Anna eventually came down to the church, and we explored everywhere we could get. As the sunset began, we headed back up to hang out with Bill and Merit and eat our dinner. So we sat and ate our delicious food and saw this:



Life was really hard for us. It got pretty cool once the sun set, so Stavros led us out on another path. We did run into an unfriendly dog, fairly large, and Stavros fought him! Sadly, he did not win, but a little boy came out and grabbed the big dog (who was nearly as tall as the kid) and brought him back inside. So on we went, through the dark, and as we approached the town and our ATVs, Stavros chased a cat up a telephone pole. Clearly, it's better to be a dog in Greece. We hopped onto our four wheelers and headed back to our hotel. Stavros, though, being the loyal dog that he is, ran along with us. If we tried to outpace him, he'd keep right up. Seriously, that dog is nuts. He could run faster than our ATVs, and we could go 40kph on the flats and downhills. I think we eventually outpaced him, maybe 6 kilometers from Oia. Crazy.

We planned to wake up early the next day to see the sunrise, and so at some ungodly hour we went up to Bill and Merit's balcony. Watching the sky change color was just beautiful. I think everything on the island is pretty. Honestly, it's just a great place to be.



It being our last day, we had no serious plans other than returning our ATVs and exploring. It was also Epiphany, and they had some celebrations and services around the island. We talked to Tony, and he said there was something going on at the shore on the volcano side after church. So the six of us walked down those hundreds of steps again, and waited for the ceremony to begin. Apparently they usually throw a cross off a boat and people dive after it. But since it was choppy, they had it on a long ribbon and repeatedly threw it from the shore. They said some stuff in Greek, then carried the cross and a portrait of Christ into the tiny church and that was that.



Thankfully, the funicular was free on Epiphany, so we rode that up. The view was great, and it was sunny and beautiful (as if it would ever be anything but). So, again, we wandered through the little paths. This little church had a beautiful bell tower, and it's right at the top of the cliff so it's fairly visible.



Upon reaching our hotel, we had a nice lunch on the balcony. It's just great to be able to spend time together and enjoy the local food.



Sadly, at this point we had to pack and clean up and then one of the owners gave us a ride to the airport. Three days of alternating action-packing and relaxing in the sun in paradise. Yeah. If you've ever decided to go on a vacation but just don't know where, I've got a recommendation...

Facebook album for more pictures.

Greece part 1

I know this post is late but you'll just have to deal with it. That said, Greece is AWESOME. It was warm and sunny and there was history everywhere and food and yeah. Lisa and I flew out of Paris on the 31st of December and arrived late afternoon. The approach is great, the area around Athens is very mountainous and the mountains and the city and the sea and clouds all look great together.

The first thing I did upon exiting the airport was run over to the nearest patch of sun and throw my arms up in jubilation! YAY for sun! We took a bus into the center of Athens and Lisa's parents were there to welcome us, which was nice. We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, cleaned up, and went to meet up with Casey (Lisa's brother) and his wife Anna, who had been out and about. The 6 of us decided it was time to get fat, so we found a little restaurant to eat at. Nothing special but it filled us up so we could explore some more.

One of the great things about Athens is that every other street has an amazing view of the Acropolis. It rises up out of the city so you can see it from almost anywhere. It's also wonderfully lit.



The square we'd first arrived at is in front of the Parliament building, and it being New Year's Eve, there were tons of people and lights and celebratory things happening. There are also guards in front of the building, and they wear these crazy pom poms on their shoes and walk like they received training at the Ministry of Silly Walks.



Bill and Lisa and I stayed out until midnight, when there was a nice fireworks show and lots of cheering and it was about the best New Year I've ever had. Since we'd all had long days, it was time to hit the sack so we walked back to the hotel and conked out.

The next day we all wandered around Athens, since there's always something new to see and explore and do. There are tons of little roads and side paths and open squares and we really just did that all morning. Around midday, we stopped in a little cafe abutting the Ancient Agora and had some cold drinks and snacks. Greek yogurt is almost always served with honey (along with everything else) and is great to eat any time. After our break, we walked up to the Philosopher's Rock (not from Harry Potter) which is situated above the Agora and next to the Acropolis. It offers great views and a nice place to think, and take photos.





We meandered around the Acopolis on our way to the metro station, so we could get across town to Mount Lycabettus. We had planned to take the funicular up to the top, but it turns out that we missed the base for it and by the time we found out, we were most of the way to the top so we just hiked it. Lycabettus overlooks all of Athens, and you can see all the way out to the Aegean Sea.



It's a popular spot for watching sunsets, and we weren't planning to miss it. It's absolutely beautiful.



Lisa and I walked back down while everyone else rode the funicular. We met them at the bottom after stopping for a few last pictures. You can also see the Acropolis, all lit up and pretty like, between the trees.



The next day was our trip to Delphi to see the oracle and find out whether we should make war on the Persians, so we rose early and took taxis to the bus station. It turns out that it's a popular destination so we couldn't catch the early bus. A little deliberation ended up with us purchasing tickets for the later bus and the kids (4 of us) wandering around in the neighborhood of the station. Being a little goofy, we thought we'd just make right turns to get where we wanted. Spiraling outward eventually led us to a small food place where we bought snacks and drinks and filled our little tummies. We then found a great bakery, and after selecting some tasty morsels, found that the woman would not accept any payment. Happily sated, we headed back to the bus station to inform Bill and Merit of our discovery. The whole group ended up buying lunch for the trip, and snacks and cookies at the bakery. Needless to say, the free samples brought in a lot more money for the woman at the bakery. Eventually, it was time to get back and catch our bus, so we did. It was a long ride to Delphi, and it was cool and raining once we got there. It's significantly up there in the mountains. The bottom of that valley is over 1000 feet closer to the sea.



The Oracle at Delphi, like many ruins in Greece, is not highly intact. There are remains of temples, a lot of walls and paths, and an amphitheater. Since we were there near closing time, we hurried to see all the important things before the yelling ladies came out. Apollo, the primary god worshipped at this site, has the grandest temple.



There was also a site dedicated to Athena, a little ways down the mountain slope, that we kids thought would be fun to check out. So we did.



There's a lot of stones, a few columns, and some olive trees. Probably some other cool stuff but there weren't any signs giving the history, so we enjoyed our little expedition and headed back up to the town to meet Bill and Merit and have a warm drink and dry off. We bought a pizza to share before the bus came, and Casey and I tried some Greek beers. Nothing fancy, but it was good.

The next day, Lisa and I split off from her family as they had seen the Acropolis and wanted to see the new Acropolis museum. We wandered off towards the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Gate, though it was closed. We also wandered over to the south side of the Acropolis, where we enjoyed a play in Dionysus' theater.



We met up with the rest of the family before splitting up yet again. Bill and I had decided to check out the Ancient Agora, which originally had many civic and law buildings, and some tributes to heroes and philosophers. It was also free, being the first Sunday of the month, so bonus there too. Supposedly this is where Socrates would engage any willing minds to discuss the issues of the day. There is a nice museum in a rebuilt building, and it has some artifacts from the civic life of ancient Greece. They discussed how voting happened, how juries were selected, and had coins and other artifacts. This machine is for selecting juries; citizens would put a little metal disc with their name on it in one of the rows, and somehow, the machine would select a row and the names in it would fall out and that was the jury.



The rest of the Agora had temples, statues, a water clock, a church, and lots of other things related to Greek life. Afterward, we met up for a late lunch at a restaurant recommended by some friends who had been there. Tasty, as always, and most of the desserts were covered with honey. The Greeks really like to use honey, and I for one have no complaint. Thus endeth the first bit of my Greek trip.