Santa please bring me more Santorini!

I’ve put aside the Sudafed and Puffs Plus, unpacked and washed my travel clothes, spent some time with friends (furry and non) and played catch up at work. I guess all that’s left to do is to stop procrastinating and update my blog…

I’ve spoken about Nice and would rather not speak about it again. While the locals were rude and unfriendly, I am not writing off the country as a whole. I just don’t want to relive a day spent hopping around train stations with no idea where we were. Fortunately, we were only there for a day before heading to friendly locations. Next stop Florence, Rome & Naples, Italy which I’ve recapped for you lovelies…

Our next destination was the highlight of the entire trip for me. I’ve always gazed at pictures of Santorini and wondered how a place so beautiful can actually exist.

The images seemed like a set created in Hollywood or in a painter’s vivid imagination. Then you look out your window and its right in front of you…then you landing on its shores and are taking a cable car up to its streets, and standing in front of its white buildings and then you are…smelling its donkeys??? Yeah, the one you thing you don’t expect from the pristine images of the isle of Santorini are the donkeys. See, the only way to the port city of Fira from the shore is cable car, walking up 400+ steps or donkey. Now, while the steps don’t seem all that bad, you must remember that you are sharing the path with the transporting donkeys. We opted for the cable car though I was tempted to donkey it back down. (hey, at least I could say I rode a donkey but not like the girls in Tijuana) Having so many of these beasts clonking down the streets of Fira gives it a particular aroma that made meandering through the town a little uncomfortable albiet still amazingly beautiful to behold.

Before the day started to heat up, we hopped into a cab and headed to the north part of the island, Oia. (Note: This was the cheapest cab ride of the entire cruise! ~20 min ride for €15!)

Oia is the place! All those blue domes that are so representative this area are in Oia.

The row and rows white buildings perched precariously along volcanic cliffs are in Oia.

The food, the people, the everything! Mom and I strolled about taking pictures, smiling at the stray dogs, allowing our hair to blow in the breeze and taking more pictures.

All the posing and smiling made us hungry so we decided to refer to the list of restaurants recommended by Tom at CBD. As soon as I saw the exterior of the Red Bicycle, I knew it was the place for us.

We positioned our overheated bodies on the shaded balcony...

and ordered up two beers and a sampling of their lighter fares. For the first time on my trip, sitting there with my mom drinking a cold beer and taking in the vistas, I finally felt that I was on vacation. Then the food came and I was transported to heaven. Mom and I were speechless…lost in the world of flavors and textures. A simple look at the other was all it took to communicate our joy. We took our time and savored every bite…

The harmony of cheese, toasted almonds and honey...

the salad with salty feta cheese, briny capers and fresh vegetables...

that instantly indentifiable texture and fragrant taste of stuffed vine leaves...

and the flaky, delicate paradise found in a slice of spanikopita...

It was an experience we had hoped to have on the ship or in Italy or even in France but we had struck out at all 3. Being a fan(atic) of Greek food since the first “Opa!” I heard being shouted in a restaurant, I knew it wouldn’t let me down. I just had no idea it would be this amazing. I wanted to wait there, up in the hills, nestled on a perch off of one of the hundreds of white buildings until I was hungry again. Allow the delights in my belly to digest in order for me to indulge in more. However, the day was winding down and I needed to search out a gyro stand before heading back to the ship. Plus, Tom had mentioned something about an Irish bar...