"here we are at santorini island"

About halfway through our 10-day holiday, we went to Santorini : also known as the island from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (for all you girls out there).  Because it was off-season, the island was pretty deserted & not exactly what we expected.  In the summer months, Italians & Slovakians flock to the stark-white villas that line the cliffs & cruise ships dock daily...the population swells from 12,000 to over 150,000! Talk about crowded...and more than a little unpleasant for the locals.

Here's a brief recap of what happened, pictures included for your entertainment :

1. boarded a 6-hour ferry at 7 pm with our oversized luggage, no hotel reservation awaiting us

2. arrived at 1 a.m. expecting to be offered cheap hotel deals (according to our friends in Athens), unfortunately they must have all been sleeping

3. we walked over to a blinking neon sign reading "Last Minute Hotels" & were offered a 12-euro "beach-view, great pool" room by the "Hotel Man"

4. climbed into the Hotel Man's van & got taken to his hotel, no hot water, no covers on the bed, no heater, and no view of the ocean :[



5. happily left the next morning, finally caught the right bus & made it to FIRA [the main town on the island]

6. after some searching, we struck gold! 2 luxurious rooms with an entire rooftop to ourselves & this view of the sun's daily circuit



7.  We spent the best money of the trip : 24-hour ATV rentals.  I'll save most of these pictures for my next post : sunsets & beaches