Sicily

The flight arriving into Palermo (via Roma) was spectacular - huge mountains right to the edge of the blue-green ocean. In between the mountains are cities and fishing villages nestled at the shore's edge. So beautiful, or "bella!" as the Italians would say.

It's 45 minutes by train from the airport to Palermo Centrale Stazione, a central station that can easily rival Grand Central Station. This was just the first of many New York similarities. This is also the main bus terminal. Below is the view looking across the street from the station. It was quite an adventure from there, figuring out the bus to the hotel.


We quickly realized that Palermo is not a popular destination for English speaking travelers, as the signs were take-it-or-leave-it Italian. Our first interaction with a Sicilian was great; he sold us our bus tickets, stepped into the street to stop the bus for us, and instructed the driver to tell us when to get off at our stop. Who needs signs when you have people like this!

Sicily is the largest region in Italy, 9,900 square miles and has more than 5 million people. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and its history can be traced back over 2,500 years. Its central location has made it the most sought after island of all of the ancient empires, and many have left their touch on the culture here. The Sicialians and Greeks both claim that the best Greek temple ruins are located here, and not in Greece. We can not wait to do our own comparison!

Santorini and Volcano Islands

This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. A 4-hour highspeed ferry ride from Athens, Santorini Island is a collection of quaint little villages set on the top of 1,000-foot cliffs.

Santorini harbor is dominated by Volcano Island, which last erupted in 1950, basically minutes ago in the big picture of the universe. The locals claim to have the best sunsets in the world, which is hard to argue.


We went for one night, but ended up staying for two nights once we found out that you could hike on the volcano, feel the steam coming up though the ground and smell the sulfur. Scary to think that it's impossible to know when an "inactive" volcano will become "active" - we had a few freak-outs when a small burst of steam would rise from the crater! To walk along the lava flows and across Volcano Island is as close as we are going to get to walking on Mars - truly unbelievable.

We left the bathing suits in Athens since it seemed like it would be too cold to swim. But, little did we know, volcanoes create hot springs! 40 Euros later, we had two more bathing suits we did not need, but we were ready. Here's the catch: the boat stops 80 meters from the hot springs, which means you have to swim through 15 degree Celsius water to get there. We really did not know if 80 meters was far and 15 degree Celsius water was cold, but it sure sounded as if. Steve jumped from the boat, and got back on just about as fast as he entered the water, which was all the conversion we needed!

Day 2 we rented a Smart Car. These make the VW Bug look huge! We drove to Red Sand Beach and Black Sand Beach - they came just as advertised - beautiful.


The food we've eaten on the Island and back in Athens has been awesome! The gyros and tziki here put our Americanized Greek restaurants to shame. We had crepes smothered in dark chocolate - phenomenal!


The people (and cats and dogs) of Santorini Island were as nice as those found in Athens. To everyone we met in Greece, "efharisto!" which is "thank you". It's one of the two words we learned (the other being "yasus" which means "hello") and we could not say it any better!

Greek Culture Snipits

Every pre-conceived notion that we had about Greece was completely wrong. We originally thought it was going to be the most foreign land to us, but we were way off. Everyone was so incredibly nice, welcoming and so proud of their country.

Tourism keeps their economy going, so they want visitors to enjoy! Most everyone (50 and younger) speaks English, which has made it easy for us. We stayed in the Plaka neighborhood which is in the shadow of the Acropolis - very safe - so if you are ever going to Greece stay in a cheap hotel here.
They are very proud of their heritage and many have reminded us in conversation that certain words we are speaking in English were derived from Greece (have you seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?). Did you know "Phoenix" is a Greek word? We were told frequently!

Most of the men we have met are named either George or Nikolas. Last names, just mumble the first part and end in "opoulis" and you'll be close.

People are well educated, especially on what is going on in the world. They don't have a problem with Americans, but disagree with our government. They could not understand why not 100% of the people were not voting (Greece, 85% vote). "You are voting for the most powerful influence in the world and some do not vote? I do not understand." Very eye opening.

We are amazed that when it's 70 degrees outside that people are wearing wool blazers, pants and scarves. I guess they are cold wimps like those of us from AZ.
The most important fashion statement here are shoes. People don't look at your hair, clothes, or accessories. They stare down at your feet. Dark clothes, a collar and a pair of Pumas during the day, funky leather shoes at night and you'll fit right in.

Stray dogs and cats everywhere. They are as friendly as the people. Greeks have a respect for the animals and treat them well, so even a one eyed cat loved Steve playing with him.

Everyone walks, which leads to flea markets, street cafes, churches, parks, tavernas, etc. Life is lived outside. We mentioned to a gentleman something about TV and he said, "We do not watch". Again, eye opening. We figured this out from the five fuzzy hotel room channels - it was good for Steve not to have a remote in his hand. He still somehow always knows what the Sox are doing. Our hearts go out the the families of Virginia Tech - live and love every day.
A few notes from our new friends in Athens - it's not easy to find a job, you usually keep the one you have. The average salary is under $30,000. Usually both husband and wife work, and many times one of the two work two jobs. Housing is expensive - $200,000 for a 330 square foot living area! That makes for a bad "debt-to-income" ratio according to Steve.

Off to Santorini Island, where an active volcano lies just off shore!

Glyfada Beach

Today we rode the tram down to the coastal town of Glyfada and enjoyed the sun, beach, people and warm weather.


While sunbathing we created this little pirate, "Captain Jack Gravel"!


Steve enjoyed the Ferraris and Lamborghinis. We ate at "No Name" Cafe, where the owners of those cars were sure to be eating - very chic.



Tomorrow we are off to Santorini Island - 4 hours by boat. Everyone we have spoken to in Athens says it's the best - most beautiful sunsets, over a volcano. Can't wait!

The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest temple in Greece, completed over a short 700 years from 590 BC to AD 131. Over the next 2,000 years, this is what remains of the original 104 columns. Just 15 remain standing, so you better book your flight to Greece in the next 500 years or you may not be able to see them! They are absolutely huge, incredible to think of the engineering of this ancient wonder. The original plans called for a temple twice its size, but it was abandon due to a lack of funds (not much has changed between then and now with funding issues!).

Athens - Day 2 and 3?

We can not get on a set sleeping schedule. We have no idea what day it is. Random naps followed by nights of sleep anywhere from three to five hours. Meals at 4 am. Small price to pay for exploring the birthplace of civilization.

The Acropolis was breathtaking - 2,500 years old. Attacked multiple times, earthquakes and the test of time and it's still magnificent. The Acropolis is the entire site, and the Parthenon is the unbelievably huge structure crowning the site. To stand in front of it, and feel the energy from 2,500 years of souls passing though it is indescribable.

Athens - Day 1

WE MADE IT! We arrived at our hotel a few hours before sunrise, accompanied by our new friend 'Zeus', a street dog that followed us from the bus stop to the front door of our hotel with an empty plastic Coke bottle in his mouth the whole way. He lay by the front door of the hotel until he figured out we were there to stay. He was so cute we were sad to see him go! We still had 7 hours before check-in and we think he was wanting to give us a tour.

We watched the sunrise from the rooftop deck looking up at the Acropolis and Parthenon. Truly unbelieveable, one of those sights that you just think you will never see. We were so fired up we decided we would try to see every sight in Greece in the next few hours! But the receptionist at the hotel allowed us to check into the room early, which meant the first bed we had seen in two days. Steve got his way and a five hour nap!

We headed out for either breakfast, lunch or dinner, we were not sure which one due to the 10 hour time difference. Lunch won out, we had unbelievably good crepes with cheese, chicken and ham. Note: 'Greek' coffee is basically a double espresso that nearly made us scale the Acropolis!

We walked for the next few hours, discovering the Plaka and Anafiotika neighborhoods packed with shops, bars, restaurants and random 2500 year old ruins. Amazing to walk in the footsteps and creations of such an ancient civilization.

One of the first things that we noticed is that there are not many American tourists, and most of the people that are packing the squares and markets seem to be locals. Life is lived in the streets with neighbors, family and friends - eating, drinking, smoking and laughing. We joked that they all must have TIVO since it seemed no one was home watching TV. We think their culture may be a little different than ours (and Steve thinks they just don't understand that the Red Sox season has started and they need him to watch to win!).

It's impossible to describe the smells of fresh food in the air, the passion of conversations among the Greeks, the ringing of the church bells on the hour, the sight of Cypress trees amongst the ruins - you just have to experience it for yourself.

It's 11:30 pm, and we now think it may be dinner time? It seems to be the time everyone else is eating dinner, so what better excuse other than to blend in and become a local. Becky is planning on a nutello crepe at some point tonight, and there will probably be some ouzo in Steve's near future.

Thanks to those that have left comments, it's fun to see and thank you for the well wishes - we'll update as we can - off to dinner!