Greece

 Jan 6

Early morning found us hopping on a plane for a quick flight to Athens, Greece. Of course taking public transportation can take extra time so we got to our hotel around noon to drop off our luggage. We had a convenient hotel right beside the ferry port because we had a 7 hour ferry ride tomorrow to the island of Santorini. The ferry was canceled a few days ago due to weather. There have been high winds on the sea. So we quickly booked a flight to the island instead as we were not gonna miss out on it. Luckily most Europe flights are $60-$100 so it was not too bad. However we are over and hour from the airport now by train! So that means an early morning tomorrow to catch a flight as well. 

Athens had not necessarily been a destination on this trip, but happened to be because of the connection to the Santorini Island. We decided to just explore the city and see what it had to offer. The first thing I noticed was it definitely is not a tourist destination. Our other stops had been full of tourists. Sometimes that can get really annoying. I know we are tourists too but sometimes with so many tourists its hard to get anywhere. At least most signage was in English as well or we would have been quite lost. It’s hard to google greek words when their alphabet is not the same as ours. The city reminded me a lot of Mexico. But with a lot of ancient buildings as well. After dropping our luggage off, our first destination was Monastiraki Market. The smell of grilling filled the air. We stopped by an outdoor restaurant and got gyros in fresh pitas for lunch. They were more than you could eat for only $5. We continued through the market getting fresh squeezed juices, shopping all the little stands. We wanted to see the Acropolis so we walked the half mile up the hill. From the market you could see the old towering columns of what was once a magnificent building. We stopped on the way at Mars Hill where Paul preached to the city of Athens(Acts 17:22-23). We continued on to the top of the hill where the remains of the Parthenon are. This building would have been constructed sometime between 495-429 BC. It is pretty incredible to see architecture from before Jesus was born. The many huge blocks of marble it took to build it is more than you can imagine. I wonder how that intricate art work, every carving identical on each pillar, was ever made. We walked around for awhile and just imagined what it must have been like during the New Testament times. We saw the little old paths going down the side of the hill, the theater like stage with marble seats around it to hold 6000 people, and the ruins of ancient statues. The trees are short and bushy, just like the Bible story books. We walked back down to the market and stopped at a beautiful coffee shop. The outside was covered in flowering bougainvillea and sparkling string lights. Inside the chairs were made of pink plush and gold painted metal. The benches of dark green velvet. The walls were covered in different shades of pink flowers 3/4 of the way up. In glowing neon letters the wall said: happiness is… coffee and flowers. After we sat down we were each brought a white long stemmed rose. We had delicious macchiatos and desserts for supper. The cost was quite reasonable for it being a classy place in Greece with the coffee about $4. We sat and relaxed for awhile. The last few days have been fun and busy but its been here and there and catching this train and that boat and another flight and it was good to just sit. We caught the next train back to our hotel and relaxed on the balcony overlooking the city…

Jan 7

We took a short flight from Athens to Santorini. From there we had a few issues getting a rental. The island is big enough you need a vehicle. We had originally rented a moped/scooter but since we did not come in on the ferry, we needed it at the airport instead. We could not get ahold of the rental company we had rented through since it was early. 9am. Their midday is 5pm.  So there day does not necessarily get started till 10. So we had several people who were kind enough to help us figure out a different rental. The wind was insane and even though it was 65 degrees it felt a little chilly so we opted for a car instead of a scooter. It is Opal brand. I had never heard of it before. We drove through the winding roads of this half moon shaped island. We noticed a little bakery open so we stopped for coffees and baklava, a pastry with sweet syrup and walnuts in between. We continued on to our hotel. It is a typical Santorini style beautiful white building overlooking the sea. With a massive infinity pool by the cliff and every room has a white stone hot tub on the balcony. We relaxed most of the day. A good change from rushing around and catching trains and trying to fit all the things in we wanted to. The island is very quiet because it is off season. Most of the shops are closed. Only a few coffee shops and restaurants are open. In the summer time this place is filled with 6000 taxis and crowds of people. Even though its a bit cool, now was a good time to come. We went for lunch/supper at a restaurant that was full of locals. No English was being spoken here. The roads are empty and there are no crowds. Also the locals are so interested in where you are from and what you do for a job and just want to visit. Most people know English and will speak it if you are. We had grilled chicken kabobs, pita bread, and greek salad. Next we grabbed some groceries at the supermarket. Oranges are in season and delicious. We drove down to the far end of the island and parked our car. We climbed down the white steps of the typical picture you see of santorini. The cliff side of white buildings with steps going down and blue domed churches. It was cloudy but still the sunset was pretty. 

Jan 8

Started the day with a coffee at a cute little coffee shop. Most of the shops are closed so it is like a treasure hunt to find something that is open. We walked around and found a few shops that were. Walked down to the old harbor which was 550 steps winding down the cliff side. There have been high winds so the waves were huge. Not a lot going on there. We were about a third of the way back up when we met up with a man leading is donkeys and mules. They were all saddled and were decorated with brightly braided ropes and Pom poms. This had been on my bucket list before we came, to take a donkey ride up those steps as it is common here, but I did not think it would happen since it was off season. The owner of the mules let most of them go on there way down the steps wherever they wanted. There was not really any way they could get away as just the harbor was at the bottom and this was the only way down to it. It was such fun riding up the steps with the sea on one side and the white buildings up the cliff side on the other. The mules were very well behaved. The owner had a different whistle for each thing he wanted them to do. Once we got to the top we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the sea. The grilled fish and shrimp of course were delicious. We walked around town. Then found a coffee shop and drank fresh squeezed orange juice and relaxed for awhile. When it was getting close to sunset we headed to the part of the island called Oia that is known for its beautiful sunset views. We walked about half a mile winding through little walk ways and steps through the white cliff side buildings. A few shops were open along the way so we stopped. They have so many beautiful linen dresses made with linen that was made here in Greece. And also some beautiful pottery.  We ended up on a high point that overlooked the sea with with the sun glinting on the white buildings around us. The blue domed churches stood out against the all white of the other buildings. After staying till the sun was set, we walked back to our vehicle and took the long way back, which was down to the flat lands at the bottom of the cliffs. One side of the island has flat lands that look like patchwork quilts that are being farmed. We went to a restaurant for supper that was full of every kind of beautiful plant and palm tree. The food was amazing and they brought out delicious desserts for us on the house. A good way to end a great day.

Tomorrow we fly out to Rome…