PEACE GREECE

We arrived in Athens, still dazed from the long day of travel. 10 hours on the plane can leave you quite disoriented, not to mention the time change. We left at about 4 P.M. eastern standard time, and landed in Greece at about 9 A.M. the next day. After leaving our bags at the Athens Gate hotel, Gabi and I made our initial ascent into the Acropolis.

As we were walking around the ruins, I tried to imagine myself in ancient Greece. Bartering with the common folk; Living without all the modern technology that ails our conscious. The thought that stuck out the most was simply asking someone for the time. Telling time back then was a mere art of estimation. There were no watches . And it probably didn't matter if you were off by and hour or two. The pace of life was so different, that its nearly impossible to imagine living without the simple amenities we all take for granted.

By the second day in Greece I became obsessed with Tzatziki sauce. I think I had it every day on our 8 day excursion. Ingredients: Yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice, parsley, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. So simple..... So delicious.

The first night was probably one of the best nights. We had dinner at this sick restaurant at the highest point in Athens. We had to take a mini uphil train, called a "Feniculare" to get there. We had a good time walking down the mountain in the dark, after dinner. Other than that we watched the changing of the guards, which is one of the main tourist traps . Not impressive.  So after a quick stroll through downtown Athens, Gabi and I decided to catch an earlier flight to the island of Santorini. The 15 minute flight was a little shakey, and the landing was even more abrupt.

I was a little nervous in the cab ride from the airport to the hotel. Not seeing one restaurant or store, I remember thinking "We're never leaving the hotel"

Upon check-in, we were given champange, and a tour of the hotel. Beautiful landscapes dotted the multiple pools and complimented the adobe palace. Everything was white, except for our politely purple room of coarse. The mini loft was quite cozy, and definatly grew on me over the week stay.

We walked out of the hotel the minute we got situated. We wanted to explore a little and get a bite to eat. It turns out there is a sick row of restaurants lining the beach, along with shops, bars, and internet cafe's. It wasnt long before we had our daily coffee shop picked out. The island of Santorini is shaped like a hill. Our hotel was located at the bottom of the hill; near the beach. The next day we explored the hilltop area of the island: a town called Fira'. Narrow cobblestone walkways lined the small village with panoramic views of the islands. Our first evening there, we ate seafood at a cliffside restaurant, while overlooking the orange sunset. Mmmmm Saganaki'

The second day there, we decided to rent a boat. It was a huge speadboat call the "Alex Boat" Captain Paulomita took us around on one of the best days I have ever had. He explaind the volcanic history of the island, and showed us the hot springs . Gabi and I went swimming in the merky turquoise bubbley, and we came out stained in yellow sulphur. The captain made us quickly wash off with a shower hose on the back of the boat. I also collected cool pieces of lava when i climbed on the edge of the volcano. Later on I went snorkeling, and collected sea urchins to eat on the boat. I didnt realize you can only eat the females, ufortunately seven out of the seven i brought back, were all males. When I got back from the snorkle, the captain had prepared an authentic Greek meal. He actually had a deep fryer on the boat, and arranged fried tomato balls, crusty wheat bread with tomato and cheese, grape leaves, fried eggplant, and Greek sausage. It was amazing, and so was the homemade wine. Best boat ride ever?

The rest of the trip was spent lounging at the beach, eating chicken Gyros with extra tzatziki. We spent some time at the hotel pool, and played poker by the jacuszzi connected to two other rooms. I want to go back to Greece and see some of the other islands. Its definately more of an attraction than the mainland.