Month: October 2013

Santorini Day 2: Sailing, Volcano climbing, Donkey taxis & Sunsets in Oia

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We only had two days in Santorini and we were intent to squeeze as much fun out of this little island as possible by signing up for an intense all day tour.  We fueled up at our favorite local cafe with savory crepes, and greek yogurt with muesli.    The crepe was perfectly toasted and satisfying    Our first stop was hopping on board this awesome sail boat and heading towards our first stop… a volcano.  Yes, we were about to climb a volcano.   Pro tip: sandals or flip flops are NOT a good idea.  It was painful enough for me walking up with sneakers, I can’t imagine how bad it would be in flip flops.  Fortunately the air was dry because it was pretty darn hot hiking up these steep rocky hills.    I don’t fare so well in high altitudes so this was quite challenging for me.  But when we reached the top, I was really taken back by the natural scenery.  You only see this stuff on TV and books right?  Experiencing …

Santorini, the Island Life

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Located in the scattered puzzle pieces south of central Greece is a small island called Santorini.  Known as one of the most romantic island get aways, I definitely fell in love with this place the moment I landed.  White houses, gorgeous mountain views and of course the famous sunsets.  We were escorted to Stelios place from the airport to our hotel which was absolutely serene.  A large pool surrounded by palm trees and these beautiful sweet flowers lined the place which gave off the most heavenly vanilla scent. Greek frappe and greek yogurt for breakfast.  What else?   We lounged in Perissa Beach right after settling down in our hotel.  It was so nice relaxing to the sound of the waves and a quiet beach after weeks of non stop traveling in busy cities.   We rounded the corner to grab some food before heading into the city of Fira.  One thing I really enjoy about Santorini is that island life!  Everyone is so relaxed and friendly.  This is what I call a vacation. After Perissa, …

Rome Day 2: Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, and the Pope!

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We got up at 6am and starting lining in front of Vatican City by 7am.  Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world, with a population of less than 1,000 and governed by the Pope.  We were lucky enough to be walking distance from our hostel, but even so, we were already greeted by a line up of early birds waiting by the entrance.  Minute by minute the line grew exponentially!  My advice is definitely go as early as possible!  And wear conservative clothes, they have strict policies.   Our main objective was to hit up the Vatican Museum which can also get packed very quickly.   Beautiful collection of sculptures and artwork The Sistine Chapel was definitely the highlight of our trip to the museum.  It is not large by size, but what makes this place famous is the art that sweeps every corner of the interior graced by none other than the Michelangelo himself.  Renown pieces such as The Last Judgement and The Creation of Adam are housed within …