Wednesday, December 11, 2013

santorini, greece

Much of Santorini, Greece is built high up on the edge of cliffs.  To get to the city of Fira you have three choices.  You can pay to ride a cable car to the top, ride on the back of a donkey, or walk up steep switch backs.  We decided out of control donkeys weren't for us and wanted to save a few Euros so we decided to walk up.  It was strenuous and we had to step around piles of donkey feces.  Not to mention the out of control donkeys coming down the mountain are running at you and you have to press yourself up against the walls and push them away to avoid being trampled.  It was an adventure to say the least.  
The city of Fira is beautiful, lined with streets and shops.  We spent a bit of the morning walking around and enjoying the sights watching all the little shops and cafes wake up.  
We hopped on a bus to the city I was the most excited for, Oia.  Literally on a cliff, this city is so beautiful with it's white buildings and blue domed roofs.  I instantly fell in love, and was completely speechless.  Gorgeous view on almost all sides of you over looking the ocean.  This city also boasts one of the top ten sunsets in the world.  We didn't get to stick around for that but I could imagine how gorgeous it could be.  I found myself stopping to take pictures at every little opening and viewpoint.  It was such a bittersweet thing because the pictures couldn't capture the beauty I was seeing and I wanted to remember it all.  
We stopped our exploring to have lunch cliffside at a little restaurant.  Since this was our last Greek city we were visiting I had to order a Greek salad to see what it was all about.  The vegetables just taste different there.  Everything was so crisp, fresh and flavorful.  My salad was made of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and had a big square of the most delicious feta cheese on top, drizzled with olive oil.  Wes had an amazing tomato pasta dish.  One of the things Greece is known for is their tomatoes and we were savoring every bite.  
We enjoyed the most of the afternoon exploring the little streets.  
We rode the bus back to Fira, strolled around there and tasted some gelato.  
The cable car took us back down.  Is it weird to say this city was life changing for me?  So Beautiful.

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