That night, we enjoyed dinner near our "cave house" and watched the amazing sunset. We accidentally ordered straight tequila ("grappos") off the menu there, thinking it was wine! The bartenders had a good chuckle when we requested something to mix it with, as it is meant to be sipped straight. I had my first "Santorini salad" complete with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, capers, caper leaves, and croutons native to the island. Oh, and nearly raw cod fish on top! It was yummy and so was the sunset! Then straight to bed.
Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly wandering the streets of Oia, shopping, eating A LOT, and sipping on wine native to the island. The vineyards there are somewhat unique, as the vines are low to the ground and form a basket around the grapes to somewhat protect them from the volcanic soil and winds. It is rather tasty though!
Wednesday we took a boat tour over to the Volcano (which is still active), where we made the 45 minute HOT hike to the top where we were rewarded with amazing views of the island. Santorini used to be a circular ring of an island, until the volcano eruption separated it from what is now called Thirassia. From the volcano, we sailed over to and swam in the natural hot springs. The boat couldn't pull up to the springs so everyone had to cannonball overboard into the freezing water and swim to the hot springs. It was more like "warm springs" and it stunk because of the sulfur, but oh well. It was still crazy to swim in the Aegean sea. Plus, all around the springs were mountain goats just looking at all of us crazies and probably rolling their eyes! From there, we docked at the little fishing port on Thirassia island, across from Oia, where we enjoyed lunch (swordfish and beer). We also tried our very hardest to find my dad an old fishing lure, to no avail.
Thursday, we bussed it on down to Perissa beach, a popular beach on the southmost tip of the island of Santorini. It is famous for its black sand, and was spectacular (except for the public transportation there and back!). We had lunch, walked up and down the beach, and settled for a couple of chairs on the beach where we lounged and were served a lot of Mythos! It is worth noting here that tops are definitely optional for women on Grecian soil!
Friday morning we did a little more shopping and grabbed our last bite of food on Santorini island, before catching our ferry back to the mainland (Athens). The ferry ride took 7 hours, but it was a very unique experience that we are glad to have had. We met some new friends from the UK and drank some Carib. We got to see Paros and Naxos, 2 popular islands, and do a lot of reading! We finally arrived at the Port of Piraeus in Athens around 11 pm, where we got a ride to our hotel in a pretty yellow Benz, and went right to bed!
Saturday morning, we awoke and enjoyed the wonderful breakfast buffet at the hotel, then hoofed it a few blocks to the Acropolis and nearby shopping and dining district, Plaka. We toured the Acropolis first, and got a few pictures in before my camera decided to die. After recharging at the hotel (both us and the camera!), we had lunch at a little cafe before visiting the new Acropolis Museum, which was very informative. I kind of wished we had done that before seeing the real thing. We did a little shopping and strolling the streets after that, taking lots of pictures of course! By this time, we were famished and ready to freshen up and dress up for our fabulous dinner on the roof of our hotel, with a great view of the Parthenon all lit up for the night! It was lovely, and I savored the best salmon in the history of the world!
Sunday morning, we got up early and half ran to the old Olympic stadium. We were the first people there when it opened and had the stadium entirely to ourselves (aside from the crew setting up for a concert in the middle, but we ignored them and they, us). Completely made out of marble, the stadium was the site for the first Olympic games in 1896. It was also where the very first marathon ended.
---->On a side note, the first "marathon" (in 490 BC) was a Greek messenger running from Marathon, Greece to Athens, Greece, which was more like 23 miles vs. 26. It was an olympic event at the first Olympics (in 1896), when the distance became 24.8 miles. The marathon distance was increased at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, with 2.2 miles being added on so the race could end in front of the royal viewing box. This is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" after passing the 24 mile marker.
We then made the somber trip back to the Athens Airport, to board our 10 hour flight back to the states. The memories we made will treasure forever!
