the Acropolis & Santorini

While in Athens we headed to the Acropolis, which I knew nothing about going in except that it was on top of a mountain and that it's pretty. To see it close up, you have to walk up what feels like a million stairs. I'm not much of a hiker (understatement) but it was pretty rewarding to make it all the way to the top.

The food in Athens is so satisfying. Here's a classic Greek salad and some delicious chicken served with crispy, buttery pita:

After a couple days in Athens, we took a ferry to Santorini, where we spent 2 days.

On our first day, we spent a little bit of time at Perissa Beach, which is famous for its perfectly clear water and black sand. As it turns out, the sand isn't sand so much as rocks, which are pretty outrageously hot and might burn your feet if you don't walk fast! I took a dip in the ocean and a little nap.

In the evening we headed to Oia, which is a tiny picturesque town overlooking the ocean. Tons of tourists flock to Oia to see the sunset, which is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

We had a quick dinner before catching the sunset. I had chicken souvlaki and we shared fried feta cheese, which you first squeeze with lemon before eating (we devoured it too quickly to get a picture).

The next day we went on a quest for good seafood, and I ended up having my best meal yet. We stopped at a random seafood restaurant near the beach (picked because its sign was in the shape of a fish), and I ordered the fish the server said was his favorite. I ended up with this:

Usually I'm not too keen on eating fish with heads, tails, and fins still attached, but when in Greece... I'm happy my squeamishness took a break, because this fish was seriously delicious. It was perfectly cooked, tender, and extremely fresh. It was served with some sort of lemon oil sauce. I ate the entire fish. OK, not the ENTIRE fish - I didn't eat his eyeballs or brains. I did eat his cheeks, though! We also ordered fried tomatoes, which are a regional specialty of Santorini.

In the afternoon we took a little trip to White Beach, which is only accessible by boat. I slept through most of it, but it was beautiful. The beaches in Santorini are gorgeous, but I think I've been spoiled by California beaches.

Our flight back to Athens left at 11:30, and on our way to the airport the hostel shuttle driver pulled over so that we could watch a fireworks show with him and his little daughter. The fireworks were coming from somewhere off the coast, and there was a ring of boats encircling it to watch. We don't know what the fireworks were for, but we're pretty sure they were in celebration of the volcano that created the island of Santorini. There was fake lava and tons of red sparkly fireworks, and at the end they sent up a bunch of blue and white ones - go Greece! The show went on way longer than any 4th of July fireworks I've ever seen. It was really cool to spent our last bit of time in Santorini hanging out with locals and seeing such a big celebration.

I've really enjoyed Greece, despite a couple pickpocketing attempts (luckily not on me, and extra luckily not successful) and the heat. The people here are sooo friendly, especially in Santorini, and we never had trouble finding anything because people were so helpful. Tonight we're headed to Istanbul, where we'll be for 4 nights. I think it's my longest stay anywhere, and I'm so excited!

xo,
Randi