We did a week trip to Santorini and Athens to see the beautiful sunsets in Oia and the Acropolis, Meteroa and other ancient Greek ruins in mid-October which as perfect 70 degree weather and few tourists. My favorite part of the trip was watching the sunset architecture in Oia. The best place to watch the sunset is right below the Byzantine Ruins on the road that leads to the delicious Dmititri Ammoudi Restaurant right by the sea that serves great seafood. Be careful though as the cobblestone road to the bottom is filled with donkey poop and hiking back up is a killer. We walked down the donkey alley and took the cable car up in Thira. I really enjoyed all the delicious Greek food in Santorini from grilled octopus, cheese board, souvaki, gyros, fresh seafood, and Greek yogurt. My favorite drink I had every morning in Santorini and Athens was the iced frappe, so delicious and better than a Starbucks latte as it's so creamy and good. The people here all are super nice and speak English so it's easy to get around. I really enjoyed watching the sunset at Santos Winery where you can do wine tasting and enjoy a meal outside overlooking the entire Santorini caldera an unobstructed view through a glass panel. They also have a gift shop where you can buy donkey soap, honey, turkish delights and any other Greek desert. I really enjoyed the view at the top of Ancient Thira. You'll drive up this windy road and hike to the top of an ancient Greek ruins with a spectacular view. The dessert wine in Santorini is very sweet and delicious, probably the best I've ever tasted as it takes 10 kilos of grapes to make 1 bottle of wine. We visited the quaint little town of Pyrgos and wandered the narrow streets to the blue dome church at the top. I liked the colorful doors, jewelry, and sandal shops on this small down. I bought a comfortable Greek leather sandal from Sandalaki in Pyrgos. I have collected several evil eye Greek jewelry and designed blue quartz and white pearl necklaces and earrings that resemble the blue domes of Santorini which are Roman Catholic churches scattered throughout the island. If you love the scenes of Santorini above I highly recommend the Santorini calendar by 527 Photo on Etsy, her photography comes in blush pink tones and she designs beautiful calendars shown above and wall prints.
Athens is a modern bustling city. On the way walking I noticed alot of graffiti art all over the city. I feel it safe to walk around Athens, just use street common sense and don't talk to soliciters who may approach you on the streets especially at Monastiraki Flea Market. Learn to take the Metro as its fast, safe and convenient to see all the ancient sites in Athens. The Acropolis was an amazing architectural site to witness with grand marble columns. It's hard to imagine how people back in ancient times were able to haul huge blocks of marble across the mountains to the top of the Acropolis and carve the columns to geometic perfection. Be sure to visit the Acropolis Museum below the hill as it houses the actual scultural pediments of the Parthenon and they play a historical video of the history of the Acropolis and explains the beautiful scultures of the Greek gods carved on the building. I enjoyed seeing the doric columns on the Parthenon and the Erechtheion columns of maidens and the Corinthian columns at the Temple of Zeus. I recommend eating dinner to watch the sunset with a view of the Acropolis at Savvas Restaurant and grabbing a drink or coffee at the A for Athens hotel rooftop restaurant. The Plaka District was a nice place to walk around and see nice shops and restaurants and buy souvenirs. The Panathenaic Stadium is an amazing site to behold as it's the location of the first world Olympic Games in 1896 and is the only stadium made of marble. The tunnel underneath it is pretty too. A must see place second to popularity of the Acropolis is the Meteroa, rock formations in the sky. The beautiful 14th century Eastern Orthodox monasteries sit on top of these huge rocks in Kalambaka area of middle Greece. The monks made wine, prayed, and lived close to the heavens in these monastaries in the mountains. Meteora is a full day tour from Athens. You book a tour and take a 5 hour train from Athens to Kalambaka to then take a tour bus to the monastaries where you can go inside. It's a beautiful natural wonder to behold and a world UNESCO site, a must see in Greece.
I picked up a few evil eye bracelets and necklaces in Greece. The evil eye is believed to be a curse that is given by an evil glare. Any negative emotion can cause the evil eye curse, such as anger or even jealousy. It is believe that the curse itself causes bad things to happen to the person who has received the curse, such as headaches and even a string of “bad luck”. Wearing a special evil eye charm, also called a mati, is said to help prevent the curse from even happening. Hope you like the colorful evil eye jewelry I have brought back from Greece! Thanks for reading and be sure to checkout my Greek inspired Kblossoms jewelry at www.kblossoms.etsy.com
Athens is a modern bustling city. On the way walking I noticed alot of graffiti art all over the city. I feel it safe to walk around Athens, just use street common sense and don't talk to soliciters who may approach you on the streets especially at Monastiraki Flea Market. Learn to take the Metro as its fast, safe and convenient to see all the ancient sites in Athens. The Acropolis was an amazing architectural site to witness with grand marble columns. It's hard to imagine how people back in ancient times were able to haul huge blocks of marble across the mountains to the top of the Acropolis and carve the columns to geometic perfection. Be sure to visit the Acropolis Museum below the hill as it houses the actual scultural pediments of the Parthenon and they play a historical video of the history of the Acropolis and explains the beautiful scultures of the Greek gods carved on the building. I enjoyed seeing the doric columns on the Parthenon and the Erechtheion columns of maidens and the Corinthian columns at the Temple of Zeus. I recommend eating dinner to watch the sunset with a view of the Acropolis at Savvas Restaurant and grabbing a drink or coffee at the A for Athens hotel rooftop restaurant. The Plaka District was a nice place to walk around and see nice shops and restaurants and buy souvenirs. The Panathenaic Stadium is an amazing site to behold as it's the location of the first world Olympic Games in 1896 and is the only stadium made of marble. The tunnel underneath it is pretty too. A must see place second to popularity of the Acropolis is the Meteroa, rock formations in the sky. The beautiful 14th century Eastern Orthodox monasteries sit on top of these huge rocks in Kalambaka area of middle Greece. The monks made wine, prayed, and lived close to the heavens in these monastaries in the mountains. Meteora is a full day tour from Athens. You book a tour and take a 5 hour train from Athens to Kalambaka to then take a tour bus to the monastaries where you can go inside. It's a beautiful natural wonder to behold and a world UNESCO site, a must see in Greece.
I picked up a few evil eye bracelets and necklaces in Greece. The evil eye is believed to be a curse that is given by an evil glare. Any negative emotion can cause the evil eye curse, such as anger or even jealousy. It is believe that the curse itself causes bad things to happen to the person who has received the curse, such as headaches and even a string of “bad luck”. Wearing a special evil eye charm, also called a mati, is said to help prevent the curse from even happening. Hope you like the colorful evil eye jewelry I have brought back from Greece! Thanks for reading and be sure to checkout my Greek inspired Kblossoms jewelry at www.kblossoms.etsy.com