Me, Myself, and Santorini

Hello from Santorini! 

Paradise is not a place... it's a feeling. I found paradise in Santorini! After spending two days in Athens, I jumped on a ferry and headed to the islands of Greece. Of course I chose the one that was the furthest away but even after spending 8 hours on a ferry, it was all worth it. My time in Santorini was short and sweet and worth every second.

I chose not to book a room before my arrival because I read on many blogs that there are always men waiting at the port waiting to transfer people to hotels. Santorini isn't a huge island so I figured I would wing it and see what happened. I arrived at the port and low and behold, it was all true, however the blog forgot to mention the quality of the rooms that were available. Of course I forgot to ask the right questions and with my luck, I ended up in a historic 1000 year old house with a beautiful view of the sea. Not bad, but a mini lesson learned. Falling asleep to the sound of the sea splashing against the shore made up for my lack of luxury though.

Because Santorini is such a small island, many tourists rent four wheelers and ride up and down the coast. I was only scheduled to be there for one day because I had to catch the ferry to get back to Athens the following day. I was so scared! Although there weren't many people driving, people in cars were passing the four wheelers and it just didn't look safe. Plus, the roads weren't just township roads, it was the actual highway with a huge body of water next to it. All I could think about was jumping on the four wheeler and getting hurt in a foreign country or losing control and driving into the sea! Either way... I decided to live a little. I rented a quad for 15 euro and hit the highway. I was so proud of myself and the scenery was beautiful! Seeing the islands of Greece made me forget about the Persian war and allowed me to embrace the scenic paradise of a perfect country. Many people go to the islands for weddings and romantic get-aways. I assumed that after finding out that much of the scenic areas were "private." Maybe I'll be able to get some privacy one day!

Because of my timing and distance from Athens,  there wasn't much that I was able to explore in Santorini. I had a wonderful time during the hours that I was there. This place is beautiful and I will definitely go back.

My time in Greece has come to an end. I attempted to ask a Greek man to explain the situation about the Persian war to me however he responded with, "my English is not so good." I explained to him the bit that I had learned and he said, "that's about right" and avoided the conversation. I'm unsure if it were just him or if the war is a sensitive topic that many avoid discussing. My experience here has definitely rubbed my curiosity and I will  be doing some research on Greece.

Although this is a short post about Santorini, I'll allow the pictures to do the rest of the talking!

Thanks for the wonderful time Greece!
Until we meet again...

Besos