black rock. red sand. white villas.

As I mentioned earlier, we made the best decision of the trip when we rented ATV's for 24 hours.  For educational purposes, I've included this map of the island below :]

Believe it or not, you can make it from one tip of that island to the other in an hour. & that includes driving old ATV's on windy roads & frequent stops to check the map. Yes, call us women, we make use of all the navigational help we can get.

Armed with machines & fearless ambition, we hit up the beaches!

In cases like this, pictures speak louder than words.

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

this last place was a favorite // Mars Hill // where Paul preached Acts 17

&&&

I promise to put up Santorini pictures next, it's been a whirlwind of a week

Here I go, once again trying to explain another new sensation in a foreign place.

The people we have met here are definitely Greek, but not in the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" kind of way.  We have also met a good number of Australians who have moved here or are just passing through...& I never grow tired of trying to imitate their accents.  We are staying in an awesome hostel in the Plaka, bunked up in a third-floor studio apartment with a kitchen and this view....



So we ventured out to the streets mid-morning.  On Sundays, the Monastiriki Flea Market is a necessary stop.  I was almost disgusted by 10-50 euro price tags on the vintage/garage sale items that were for sale by the local Greek men.  They were wrinkly, cantankerous, & disillusioned about the worth of their merchandise.  ( I guess it's true that the older you get, the more attached to your junk you become--see pictures below )



we orient ourselves by the mound in the sky. [ a view of Mount Lykavittos, this time from the ground ]



history awaited us,

we answered its call. /  1. the gardens of the Agora, beneath the Acropolis



we travel across the world to escape it, but Kansas wind finds us everywhere [calling us home ]

/ 2.  roman agora : gate of athena archegetis

" Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence."

brilliance by john milton

I just returned from a 10 day holiday : the only time this semester where I went two consecutive days without doing homework. Five friends and I chose to spend it in Greece, specifically Athens & Santorini. We had the best of times.  Walking amongst life in the various neighborhoods of Greece, learning culture from those who are fiercely loyal to their country, & stepping into as many pastry shops as possible...there's so much to tell you!

Athens is at its prime in the winter months (namely December), when the stifling heat and over-crowded streets are not a factor. I found it to be a welcoming city. Full of young internationals and a good number of English-speaking residents, Athens was a delightful mix of mythological history and present-day pop culture. We were blessed with perfect autumn weather and the physical health to walk miles and miles every day (thanks to a semester of hiking around Israel). I am excited to share with you some of what we saw & experienced, but it's so hard to decide which images speak the loudest from hundreds of photos!

Here's what I saw my first day in Athens //

[caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="lykavittos hill . striking lookout"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_463" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="a friendship that spans continents"][/caption]

the six

[caption id="attachment_467" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="fall creeps up on us with its glorious decay "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_462" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="street trophies"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_470" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="monastiriki square. where the hustle & bustle collide"][/caption]

...i hate doing things halfway, but one of my friends just told me that checking my stagnant blog was a real letdown. so, i'm caving and uploading a couple pictures even though i'm still in greece.

how about one for each day i've been here? ...here we go

[caption id="attachment_449" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="day one"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_450" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="day 2"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_451" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="day 3"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_452" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="day 4"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_453" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="day 5"][/caption]