Greece

We are sitting on Ios island in Greece waiting for our ferry back to Athens and then we are off to Venice.

Greece has been absolutely beautiful. We arrived in Athens early in the morning after a long overnight flight from Singapore. We only had one day to see Athens so we dropped our bags at the hostel and headed out to explore. We were a little relieved that the temperatures, although still incredibly hot (36!) were just pure heat, unlike the smog and humidity we had experienced throughout Asia.

Our hostel was really well located by the Acropolis so we got a combined pass and saw almost all there is to see in Athens in one day! We started at the Temple of Zeus then walked all around the Acropolis and up to the Parthenon. The crowds were insane though, and very different to the people we had been touring with in Asia. There were families and massive tour bus groups everywhere. After touring around for a couple hours we stopped for some much needed shade and lunch. We didn't think twice about ordering a Greek Salad. We had been quite fruit/vegetable deprived in the last couple weeks and were very excited for some veggies (and cheese!) In the afternoon we walked around an area called Plaka, hopped on a mini tourist train to see the rest of the stuff on our ticket, and had an early dinner with more veggies! We were exhausted from a long overnight flight and walking around all day. We also had to be up at 3:30 the next morning to catch our incredibly early flight to Santorini so we crashed around 10.

The last 5 days we have been on the islands in Greece with 2 days in Santorini and 3 in Ios. They have been spectacular and a nice rest after a busy few weeks in Asia. The day we arrived in Santorini Laura went on a dive in the afternoon that went through some caves. I rested on the black sand beach in Perissa and then we met up for dinner beside the beach before packing it in for another early night. After all, we had been up since 3:30!

The next day was lots of fun too. We went on a day boat tour to the volcano, hot springs and town of Oia on Santorini. The volcano climb was crazy. It was rather hot (possibly an understatement) but the views were beautiful. Once we got to the top our guide dug a hole about 1 foot down and picked up some of the rocks for us to touch. They were steaming hot! (The volcano is still active) There were also sulphur rocks which were steaming too. We made it back down to the boat, stopped for a quick swim in the hot springs before going to another smaller island, Thirassia, for lunch. The last part of the day we landed back at a port on Santorini near the town of Oia. The climb up to the town was quite long and steep so we opted for the donkey rides up to the top (fulfilling our Greek dreams!) Although quite scary when they just told you to hop on the donkey and it set off up the uneven rocky stairs and felt the need to walk right on the edge so we were nearly hanging off a cliff, it was really fun. We safely made it to the top, walked around the town a little and then settled by the castle to watch the famous sunset. The scenery was breathtaking and exactly like the posters I have had up in my room for the last couple years! The day ended with a bus ride back to our hostel and some much needed showers and rest!

The last couple days we have been on another island, Ios, which seems to have been taken over by backpackers and European students. We haven't done much here other than lie by our hotel pool and soak in the sun. We tried to rent ATVs yesterday to go around the island and see Homer's tomb but we needed a European drivers license so that idea was quickly shot down. The resting time has been wonderful though and a nice break from walking around all day.

We have absolutely loved Greece. The weather has been perfect and we haven't seen a cloud in about 5 days. There has been some gusting wind here though but I guess it makes it slightly cooler! We are off now on our ferry to Athens followed by two flights to get us to Venice tonight. Another long travel day!

Sorry for the lack of blogging but hopefully this makes up for it!

Hope you are all enjoying your summers as much as we are! We will try and make our posts a little bit more frequent!

Love Morgan and Laura