It's been quite a transition from Turkey to Greece. My Greek adventure began in Santorini on Sat. night. It's an absolutely beautiful island and unbelievable how beautiful it can be when nothing grows on it. There's no green to be found, yet the volcanic rock provides such an amazing contrast to all of the white buildings jutting out from the side of the mountain. Our hotel was in a great location right on the side of the caldera overlooking the water. We had the best sunset view every evening right from our hotel room.
With that said, I have to confess, being around all the tourists in Santorini was such a turnoff. Luckily it wasn't just Americans. Lots of Germans, Australians, Italians, pretty much everything but Greeks. But the Greek shopowners are all very nice. Some perhaps too nice, but friendly, warm people.
Danika arrived early Sun. morning and she was wiped out having spent the past 4 days in Amsterdam and she had taken the red eye from London. So I let her sleep and had breakfast on the hotel terrace with its spectacular water views. Danika eventually woke up and we wandered the streets of Santorini with all of their jewely shops. We had a nice long lunch of fabulous crepes. Dang those people now how to work some magic with a little batter and a hot pan. I could eat one of those for every meal, and I came close.
We took a ferry in the afternoon to the volcano. To get to the ferry, you need to walk down the mountain, which has 588 steps. There's also a tram that can take you down, or if you have no sense of smell, there are the donkeys. We decided to walk down and tram up. Unfortunately
Danika and I both have a sense of smell so we smelled the donkey droppings all 500+ steps down, but once on the boat, life was good. It was nice to see Santorini from the water and across from the volcano. The volcano also provided a big hike to the top of it, but was well worth the fantastic views. 
I should also mention that there were 107 steps from the top of our hotel and the main town to our hotel room. That's 107 steps one way. We made the trip probably 3 times a day, yeah, you do the math and tell us how much our calves our aching right now.
After we got back, it was Mythos time. Mythos being the beer of choice in Greece (at least for Danika and I...at pretty much any meal of the day or in between). We had a wonderful dinner that night in a great, but crowded place. While waiting for our meal, the guy poured us free wine so we wouldn't leave. We were very glad we didn't. Amazing meal and very cheap.
We hit the bars afterwards and it was at least nice to get away from all the honeymooners we saw in the streets and at dinner. Met lots of people from many countries, but somehow Danika sat next to the guy from Seattle....who of course instantly had a crush on her. We had to cut that night a little short and just as well since we wanted to explore the island the next day.
After breakfast, we took a public bus to Perissa Beach. It's a black sand beach, but again, provided a beautiful contrast against the blue water. You have to rent chairs and umbrellas on the beaches there, but I'd say we got our money's worth that day. The day consisted of lounging in the sun, reading, napping, swimming, 
eating, and of course having a Mythos or two. Next thing we know it's 5pm and we have to catch the bus back. We had planned to hit some wineries, but with an action packed day like that, it's hard to fit it all in.The evening was low key like the day. A nice, long dinner. Wine, conversation and then we went right to sleep.
Naxos
In the morning we caught the ferry to Naxos, our next stop on our Greek adventure. The trip took almost 3 hours and we were checked into our hotel by 3p. Nicest Greek guy operating the hotel. Not short on words (at least the ones he knew in English). Gave us a whole overview of what we should do and where we should eat and gave us maps. Also gave us a shot of citron, which is grown on the island, and man, not a weak drink. We put our suits on and headed to the beach which was a short 2 minute walk. Had some lunch and yes, a Mythos.
We wandered into town and explored the intresting web of streets that lay hidden behind the waterfront. It's called the Kastro. This is where the Venetian Catholics used to live. It is still home to all the residents. You can get lost in there for hours. The homes are beautiful. They all have their windows open so you can really hear authentic family life. Kids playing, music on, singing, and smell meals cooking. It was nice to be mixed in with the locals. Not as many tourists, but still great places to eats and neat shops. Oh and they do siesta for a few hours in the afternoon. Gotta love the siesta.
We sat at the pool at our hotel a while and then showered up and headed back into town for 
dinner. The town looks small, but at night, it comes to life. We found more streets off streets and all filled with little lights and outdoor cafes and lots of Greeks eating, drinking and socializing. They love their meals and drinks...and who doesn't? Danika and I both jumped on board and had another wonderful meal sitting outside on one of the squares. Had some better wine. Naxos is known for their wine so I was happy yet again.
We went to some outdoor bars in another one of the open plazas and drank martinis. Met some Germans, Australians and of course I come back from the bathroom and who is Danika talking to but a guy from Boston. Actually it was interesting because the people we met all seemed to have the same story. They came to Naxos for a few days and stayed a few weeks or now come back there every year. The Boston guy was on his 6th trip back. It really is that special of a place.
Today Danika is pooped from all the walking so is taking a beach day. I have been exploring town all day and been walking all of the hidden streets. I keep finding new things. We have in-room massages booked for the afternoon, which we're both very much
looking forward to. We'll go into town tonight for more food and merriment.
We're going to tour the other side of the island tomorrow and we leave for Athens Friday. I hate to see the trip come to a close, but I still have a few more days and plan to enjoy every last minute of it.
Athens
We blew through Athens in less than 24 hours, but managed to see some of their amazing sites.
