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Yesterday afternoon we took off for the island of Santorini from the island of Crete. The sailing was rather rough, as there were somewhat high seas. Finally, at 3:30 or so we arrived at the most beautiful island I’d ever seen. The island is completely carved from a volcano, and the village, Oia sits atop a gigantic cliff. There are two ways of getting up the cliff to visit the town. One way is to ride a donkey, zigzagging your way up the mountain. The other way is to take a cable car. Guess which one we picked. Yes, we took the cable car. Kenny loved it and I was petrified. I COULD NOT wait for it to be over. Anyway, it was better than the alternative of the stinky mule.
Once atop the cliff, the views were breathtaking. This little village is simply about tourism, as there were jewelry shops and souvenirs every two steps. There were also restaurants and taverns capitalizing on the views.
Once we’d had enough of Oia we looked forward to the cable car journey DOWN the cliff. Once again, Kenny enjoyed the view and ride and I closed my eyes and prayed for it to be over. A short tender ride took us back to our ship where we had dinner, packed and went to bed.
Today began at 4:30 this morning with the sounds of the anchors dropping announcing our arrival in Athens. Our room was on the very front of the ship, on the same level as the mechanical stuff. When we docked in port, we were awakened by these “distinctive” sounds every morning. I have to say, that for what it was, this cruise was fine. It was not elegant, but we did see a lot of Greece in 3 days. The staff could be somewhat rude at times, but nothing major. I would recommend this cruise to someone who wanted to see a lot of Greece in a short amount of time.
Anyway, off to breakfast. We sat with a young lady who had been traveling abroad for a year. She was originally from Mexico, but lived in Paris while traveling through Europe and South America. She had recently been accepted at NYU and was looking forward to starting in August. We then disembarked, met our taxi driver, Jim, and headed into the center of the city and the Grand Bretangne.
What a difference a day makes. We were directed to the sixth floor where our private reception area and butler awaited. This is a beautiful hotel with every possible amenity you could want. The added bonus is that it is situated in the center of town, close to everything.
After unpacking, we decided it was time to see the Acropolis. With our trusty map in hand, we ventured forth deciding on a short detour to the local Starbucks. After our caffeine fix, we consulted the map. Then we walked. Then we consulted the map. Then we walked some more. After much map-consulting-and-walking we finally asked a man how to get to the Acropolis. Now, you have to know that we could SEE it from where we were standing, but we could not get to it. He was very kind, led us in the right direction, told us go right, left, right, etc. HUH???? We got lost again. Finally, we started to see more people who guided us in the right direction.
The Acropolis is everything we thought it would be and more. It was absolutely amazing to see such old, giant structures and think of what life was like at that time. Most of the ruins are undergoing major restoration and there is a lot of scaffolding. We took lots of pictures (see picture) and headed down. We ate lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the Acropolis and headed back to our hotel. Presently, we are nursing our sore feet while drinking our welcome champagne. I’ll post again tomorrow. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading.
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Posted by WendyMiller on 2008-06-16 08:06:45 | Rating: | Views: 50
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Hi Guys,
Glad to see your still enjoying the sites of Greece. The Glinns are back and Henry is all over Mason and Landon like flypaper. We enjoyed a couple of nice days but it's cooled down and we have to find more indoor fun for the bean. Great father's day and birthday for Mason yesterday. So far I haven't been able to start on your garage project, the prince is keeping us too busy and I'm other wise just being lazy. Keep the blogs coming and you will have quite a journal of your trip.
Love Dad.
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Posted by slehman
on 2008-06-16 17:23:21
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Hi Wendy!
Trip sounds beautiful; I'm very happy for you and Kenny, err, I mean Daddy! :-) Had a nice Sunday here, breakfast with Mom, Jack & Patti before they headed back to Columbus, then studying, followed by golf w/ my neighbor across the street, Teabury, and a late dinner w/ Jimmy at the C.H. Sunday dinner was quite amusing as it was truly the land of misfits! But Jimmy and I enjoyed ourselves and watched the US Open Golf tournament (which was very exciting).
Today, Monday, was long, it's 10:30pm and I'm just finishing up for the day (lectures, PPT's and exams for the week for my class).
Weather has turned rainy and cool which is actually a welcome break from the heat we've had. More later, thanks for sharing the pic's and your experiences! Love you,
Bobby
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Posted by RAntenucci
on 2008-06-16 22:37:14
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