Santorini Trip

Day 13- Gosh! Today was awesome!! We got up and walked down to the port where the boat tour was leaving from and let me say the boat was pretty cool! We headed to the volcanic island and hiked up to the top. It is amazing that this volcano erupted and was 40 times more powerful than Krakatoa! I could just feel the power of the volcano under my feet, and it was another awesome hike.  After hiking we took the boat to the hot springs, which are on one of the other small islands that surround Santorini, the ocean was sooo cold when you first jump in but the hot springs were very refreshing (even though the Iron oxide in the water kind of turned the liner in my bathing suit and unattractive shade of rust. The swim back to the boat was also very cold, but very refreshing, I’m very glad I decided to take the swim to the hot springs and not stay on the boat. We stopped in a small port to have lunch, I just got a gyro and an ice cream cone. Hopped back on the boat and ended the day in Oia, which is absolutely breathtaking! This is where my day got awesome, I rode a donkey up the mountain side in Greece! One more thing off my bucket list :) We wandered arong Oia, went to a really cool bookstore, and did some shopping. Oia is the picture I had in my head of what Greece would look like when I came here, and I got some amazing pictures. 

Day 14- Today is just a travel day, but before we leave we went to a small art museum in Thira. It was so cool to see all of the ancient pottery that is amazingly preserved and the paintings on them is awesome. We did some more shopping and had lunch before hopping on the ferry back to my home away from home (Paros) :)

Santorini

Day 12 (6/17) - Santorini 

Our day started off at 11:30 meeting at the windmill to get on the boat to Santorini, after 3-4 hours on the ferry, which was hotter then HE-double hockey sticks... we made it to our destination! Which was followed by a sweet zigzag bus ride up the hillside. Let me just say Santorini is beautiful!! You can see for miles and miles at the top of the island, and its so cool that it is an active volcano.  We settled into our hotel, Jill and I wandered around trying to find the pool in which we were unsuccessful. Then the group went out to dinner, which was amazing!! After dinner, Alex, our Art & Cycladic culture teacher took us to one of his favorite bars in santorini for a nice drink after our wonderful meal. Tomorrow we head out for a boat tour of the islands, hiking on the volcano, swimming in hot springs, and riding a donkey :) :) 

Day 10- Antiparos

Day 10 (6/15)- 

Today was the group trip to Antiparos, we started out at 10:30 am and took a short bus ride to the ferry that took us to the island. The ferry was about 10 minutes since Antiparos is so close to Paros Island. We then proceeded to take another short bus trip up into the hills to visit one of the caves on the island, that holds some of the oldest stalagmites in Europe. I took 411 steps deep into an ancient cave, took some cool pictures, and then took those same 411 steps out as fast as possible (caves kinda creep me out). It amazed me how explorers went into these caves simply with ropes and torches. Some of the signatures on the walls date back to the 1700s, one being from 1776! After the whole group was out of the cave, we went and had lunch at a beach restaurant (I had pork chops and french fries, yummy!). 

After the meal the group took a small boat out into the ocean and saw some really sweet caves and arches. The water is absolutely amazing, and is Caribbean blue, and so warm which is perfect for swimming. I jumped off the boat with all my friends and swam in the Aegean sea, and explored the beautiful caves.

All in all, this was another great day! I also had a great skype conversation with my friend Allison :) :) Its nice to be able to talk to my friends from back home, and share all of my great stories with everyone.

Day 8 & 9

Day 8-

Lets see, Day 8 was a pretty uneventful day, we didn’t go on any hikes or anything. The groups just had class that covered our trip for day 9, which was Mykonos and Delos. I did have some time to lay out on the beach and do some shopping :) I got an awesome new ring that was hand made in Athens. Over all, day 8 was a nice relaxing day and it was kinda nice not having to go hiking or anything like that. 

Day 9- Today was a great day! I got to travel to Mykonos and Delos. Mykonos is a very popular tourist Island, and has a lot of high end shopping and what not. So the group just stopped on Mykonos to have lunch and walk around. While walking around, I added to my scarf collection times 2 :) I can’t wait to wear my scarfs back in the States, and Im still on the hunt for one that embodies to atmosphere and colors of Greece. 

Delos was the most spectacular trip by far. It is a small island that is the Birth place of Apollo and Artemis. It is a major Holy and Sacred site, so holy in fact no one is allowed to live on the Island (except the curators) and also no one is allowed to give birth, or be buried on it. This is because they do not want anyone to be able to claim that land as their own. We climbed yet another mountain (a small one) and went off the beaten path to get to the Oracle site (where high priests used to get signs from the Gods). After spending sometime at the Oracle site, we traveled the rest of the way up the mountain, and the view was absolutely spectacular!! Also on the island, there are many intact ancient ruins, some of which still have their mosaic tile floors that are amazing.  

I actually just got home from my trip to Delos and Mykonos, so tonight I look forward to relaxing (out of the sun) because I got a little bit sunburnt today. Tomorrow the group is traveling to Antiparos and doing some sightseeing there. 

Day 7 (6/12)

Hey all! Today the group took a day tour of Naxos, which is another Greek Island about an hour ferry ride from Paros. This island is about twice the size of Paros, and equally as beautiful! We took a bus tour to some ancient sites. The first stop was the ancient Temple to Dimitra, which is up on a mountain side, not like the mountain I hiked the other day, there was an actual trail this time! I took some amazing pictures, and it absolutely fascinates me how these structures can stand for thousands of years and not crumble in the weather and elements that surround them. It was awesome seeing the countryside in the mountains, which is much like Tuscany. The marble quarries we passed were massive! and I really wanted to stop and pick up a small piece of marble but unfortunately that wasn't possible. The group had lunch at a local restaurant which had some great pizza and view of the valley.  The final stop was back in the port town of Naxos, where the final standing pieces of the Temple to Apollo stands. The backdrop for this gateway is awesome. I got some great shots of the ocean in the background as well as the town. After we got back to Paros, some of us went out dancing at a local bar, which is always a great time! I definitely want to go dancing more often when I get back to the States. Hope you all enjoy reading!

Miss you!
Marissa :)

Day 5 and Day 6 (6/10-11)

Day 5-Today the entire group went on a bus tour of the island, we started out going to the Valley of the Butterflies, which is a place where butterflies migrate to during the summer here on the island. I didn’t see many butterflies, but the ones that I did had black and yellow wings on the top, and bright orange on the bottom. Next we stopped and had lunch in Alykia, which is a small town on the Island, our table was literally right on the water. After lunch we headed to the place that our hike was to take place. We hiked up a mountain to an ancient mycenaean acropolis, which is the hardest hike I have been on in a long time. There was absolutely no trail, and a lot of rocks and obstacles to get over, luckily I wore tennis shoes today. Once getting to the top of the acropolis, the group took pictures of the scenery, which was also amazing! After finally making it back down the mountain, the group went swimming at a local beach, and unfortunately I gashed my foot open on some clams after slipping on the rocks in the water. The good thing is, it cut through my callous and only bled a little. After spending some time sunbathing at the beach, the group headed to our last destination, Naoussa. Which is the second largest town on the island. It is much like Paroikia, and we saw an ancient fort on the water which made for some pretty good pictures.  After getting back from our tour, some of us went out to a new discotheque in town. We all had a great night dancing, and just hanging out! More to come soon :)

Day 6- Today was a pretty uneventful day. Our photography class had a photo shoot this morning at 8am. So we just walked around town and took pictures in the morning light. My ACC class (Art & Clycladic culture class) met and talked about Greek myths and how they relate to todays society. I had another amazing waffle for lunch, and then I have just been relaxing and not doing much else the rest of the day. Tomorrow (6/12) the group heads to Naxos which is another Greek island and is twice the size of Paros.

Day 4 in Greece

Day 4- My day started relatively early with my Art & Cycladic Culture class. We toured around Parikia (the town we are staying in). We saw a cemetery in the middle of town which is basically just marble tomb stones in a grassy area. As we walked through town, I was amazed at the daily life that the Greek people lead. They lead very laid back, and content lives and I wish that I could stay here forever!! 

The next stop on our tour was the Church of 100 Doors. The myth behind this church is that, the 99 Doors are known of in the church, and once the 100th door is found, the Apocalypse will begin. Walking inside the church was amazing because of all of the beautiful and ornate paintings, carvings, and marble that decorate the church. One of the museums in town holds many marble statues, and ancient pottery that makes for AMAZING photographs. I am loving taking pictures of all the ancient architecture. 

I learned some interesting facts today, one being that Paros Island holds the worlds best marble. It is higher quality than that of the marble mined in Italy. The statue of David (one of the many famous statues) is carved out of marble from Paros Island. Also the forest that was once on Paros Island now holds up the sinking city of Venice, Italy. One of the main reasons the wood is used to hold up Venice is the fact that Olive wood is a very hard and resilient wood.

I had my first Greek Gyro (pronounced yi-ro) today and it was AWESOME! I can’t wait to eat one almost every day because they are soo good and so cheap! Anyways, now I’m just uploading pictures to facebook, and hanging out on the balcony in Greece. I am headed on a tour of the Island tomorrow so be ready for more pictures and a new blog!