Greece!!

We departed Dublin at 3:30pm and didn’t arrive in Greece until about 9ish pm and since we couldn’t get a ferry that same night to the islands, we decided to stay in Athens, as close as possible to the port as our ferry next morning departed at 7am.

You see, Dec kept telling everyone I had booked accommodation at a wh*re house… I didn’t!!! Yes, it is true that the port area is not the ‘nicest’ one, but it was ok and the hotel was clean.

Jet lag. I didn’t sleep all night. Yawn…

Greece for real. On our first morning we boarded the ferry to Thira/Santorini. As soon as you approach you are already amazed by the island. It’s stunning and the houses and building hang on the edge of "Caldera".

Highlights!!

- Accommodation on the first day – Port area of Pireaus: Dec wasn’t impressed with my booking skills… fair enough, I got us right in the middle of the “red district” ;-)

- Arriving in Santorini: what an amazing Island. It’s the caldera of a volcano, roads either go up or down, and it’s all very steep!!

- Oia, Santorini: the village on the north of the island where we stayed, sunset in the ocean, dinner on the rooftop of an amazing restaurant with good wine and good company. As good and romantic as it gets!! (1800 is the name of the restaurant)

- Steak at Blue: I got a steak right, it was HUGE! And it was just a veal steak. I had a normal knife and was working away when Spyros the chef came out of the kitchen, saw my poor work (mind you, no English spoken here!) went inside and back out with a steak knife from the kitchen and started chopping my steak for me!!!!! Ahahahaha!! That’s what I call service! I felt like I was 6 again. ;-)

- Swimming in the black beaches and forgetting that there was Sulphur in the water, yes, we now have yellowish/greenish swimwear!

- Driving a Smart on the windy roads from Fira to Oia competing with the quad bikes and scooters (scary!!!)

- Mykonos: not getting our “room with ocean views” and after ‘complaining’, getting the ‘superior room’ with a balcony bigger than the room, with a spa bath, sun beds, table and chairs facing the Aegean ocean. PRICELESS!! But wait, there’s more: two free “mud treatments” at the spa, two 5 courses meal, a bottle of wine and fruit in the room. I could get use to it!!

- Swimming in the beautiful sea waters, the pool, the lots!!

The photos are now up on Picasa too, so if you want to check them out go to http://picasaweb.google.com/104178915399064971814