Santorini, Greece
I've been to a lot of beautiful places in my short life, but the view from our rental in Oia on the north end of the volcanic island of Santorini is hard to beat. I mean, please .
As we made our descent into Athens yesterday, I couldn't help but notice how rural the land was just beyond the airport. Lots of olive orchards, I suppose. It was a fairly exhausting trip to get here from San Francisco, as all in all we boarded three planes and spent over 20 hours en route (SFO to Atlanta, Atlanta to Athens, Athens to Santorini). So you can imagine how it felt to be led to our "cave house" and greeted with a view to swoon over. Because I had done all the booking for our first honeymoon spot, I worried ahead of time that they had lied to me and emailed me phony photos of our place, and that actualy we'd be spending our first week as newlyweds in a restored donkey dwelling equipped with a single shattered window boasting a view to a poorly painted stone wall. I lucked out.
Speaking of newlyweds, this town is full of 'em. Lots of Americans, a few Brits, some Germans, and what B and I guessed were Israelis sitting next to us at breakfast (what can I say, my Hebrew's rusty). A few Greek tourists, too, although we're missing the majority of European holidayers altogether, who typically make their rounds later in July and August (when prices are at their peak). Oia (also known as "Ia" and pronounced "EE-a") is a tiny little town full of jewelers, tiny art galleries, lazy locals, and cliffside cafes. Santorini, located centrally in the Cyclades island chain, couldn't be considered unspoiled by any stretch of imagination- a steady trickle of cruise ships and ferries packed with daytrippers keep the ports busy during daylight hours- but you can't blame the place.
We'll be here for another week, and then flying back to Athens where we'll catch a connecting flight into Rhodes, part of the Dodecanese islands. Why Rhodes, you wonder? Because it's close to Turkey (our next country), and we've heard good things. I might point out that neither B nor I have been to any place we're going over the next year, and I'm certain that hearing good things won't always lead us to a pot of gold. But the first destination in the Amazing Adventures of the Traveling Morans has been a success! Hooray!
Vitals:
Location: Oia, Santorini
Hotel: Zoe Aegeas Traditional Houses
Loaf of bread: 0.75 euros
Local beer: 3 euros
Sunset: priceless
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