We spent two days in Santorini, and two days in Athens. We first arrived in Santorini. We stepped outside and I was immediately swept away by the smell of fresh, clean, humid air. That's a smell and feeling I've always loved, so I knew these next few days would be some of the best. And boy, was that an understatement...
Two things I learned upon arriving in Greece were first, that Greek people are quite possibly the kindest humans in the world, and second, that European driving is completely terrifying in more places than just Ukraine. A man from our hostel picked us up from the airport and told us about Santorini the whole frightening drive there. (Passing cars on a one lane, two way street by driving into oncoming traffic is less than absurd and more than frequent.) When we arrived, another man working at the hostel elaborated on the must-sees and -dos of the island. We took their kind advice and planned what ended up being the perfect day. It began by waking up before the sun. Let me just say that I have only succeeded in doing this a few times in my life, and when I do, it's with certainly adequate reason that I've been called "Satan's advocate" at least until I get a solid nap in. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up (and remained!) chipper as ever! The view on our morning hike did make it pretty easy to be okay with the lack of sleep, though. We climbed through an idle construction zone to find the cobblestone trail, and I will never forget the moment we rounded that corner to see those famous Greek buildings all lit up in the dark, sitting aside the sea that held the crescent moon shaped island which so elegantly framed its volcano and few small islands. We all audibly lost our breaths, and there were even a few tears shed. I wish I had a camera that could do justice to this place, and a mind that could think of words sufficient enough to really share this experience with all of you. But what I've got will have to do. :)
The view only got better as we climbed, chasing the sunrise. When the sun did finally make an appearance, those beams had me convinced that the Second Coming would occur right then and there.
It's safe to say I have never been that happy before 12 PM before. Those pictures were taken in Fira. We rented four wheelers for the day and rode them to the other side of the island and visited Oia, with a few pit stops to beaches and such along the way. To my fellow Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fans, Oia is where it was filmed! This is where those famous blue domed, white and pastel painted buildings are located. The view from these places did not disappoint either.
We rode back to Fira for the sunset after spending a while there. But this wasn't just any sunset. This sunset made me believe that you can not only love but actually fall in love, with something other than people. This sunset made me wonder about what exists in the great abyss of sea and sky. It made me appreciate God's marvelous creations so much more than I did previous. I love the indistinguishability of where the sky begins and the water ends. I love the way the sun intensifies to its best right before it dies down. I love the way the water welcomes the sun as it appears to dive. I love that the reality of that illusion is that the Earth is actually rotating upwards in relation to the sun. This sunset made me fall in love with the sky, the sea, the horizon, and the way they all dance together at the end of each day. Now, again, these pictures don't do it anywhere near justice, but we had to try.
This sunset perfectly concluded our day as well as our time in Santorini. The next morning we packed up and headed to Athens! Though it broke our hearts a bit to leave our island, Athens wasn't so bad to leave to anyway! Our two days here solidified my belief that Greek people are the kindest ever. It was refreshing to be able to smile and laugh on the streets, and a huge (but good) shock whenever people approached us on the streets speaking English! These are things that just don't happen in Ukraine. I would've liked to see the looks on all of our faces the first time someone asked us in English if we needed help when we were so clearly lost, turning the map in every direction, looking hopelessly for street signs.
In Santorini, I fell in love with moments that take my breath away, and in Athens, I fell in love with the green. I've missed that more than I realized. I noticed that when I looked back to see that over half of my pictures from Athens were of leaves and flowers. (And my feet..? I'm not entirely sure what that's about.) haha.
God's creations are truly divine. He sure knew what He was doing when he painted the color green across the earth. I think He might have a special place for Greece in His heart because He must have spent some extra time making it most beautiful.
The next thing we quickly learned to love here was the food. Oh yes. Greek frozen yogurt, souvlaki, loukoumades, crepes. (I'm pretty sure I devoured most of these before taking a picture, oops!) Souvlaki is what we call a gyro in America. It's that beauty in a pita wrap right there. Loukoumades, hold on to your seats, are fried donuts pumped full of chocolate, covered in chocolate, and sprinkled with chocolate cookie crumbs. Just let that sink in while you jump on planning your next vacation to Greece. We also became a little too acquainted with the cute girl working at the frozen yogurt place...and we're not even that ashamed.
The verdant hills, walls, and ground, along with the food were, of course, amazing, and all part of the experience. But what was the most profound about Athens, what I still can't completely fathom, is the fact that this city is built on top of an ancient place where real people used to walk and live their normal lives many ages ago. We figured we'd be shunned if we didn't go to the Acropolis museum due to the conviction in everyone's voices when they said we must go, and now I understand why. Everything in the museum was dug up from these ruins, and the floor was built in such a way so you can look down and see sections that were left untouched from these first habitations. The Acropolis, the temples, and all the other historical sites were also amazing. It was so surreal to step foot in these places that were among the first on our Earth to be civilized and had been left to exist as they were back then. It's hard to explain things I can't even wrap my mind around, but that was a feeling I will never forget.
Greece taught me the goodness of people's hearts and the history that resides underneath what we've built (you can take that literally and metaphorically). It taught me to not pass up any opportunity, even ones as small as sleeping on a roof or taking your shoes off to walk in the sand. Greece is where that quote on the wall in the Riverton, Utah coffee shop I've spent hours staring at that says, "wherever you go, there you are" finally made sense. I learned to seize the moment and be where I am. This is where I got hooked on traveling and decided to never stop. This is where I left a piece of me. Greece was one of my greatest adventures yet, and I highly suggest you find a way to allow yourself the same opportunity to be changed by the Greek people and culture. You won't regret it.
So, if you need me, you can find me elsewhere. And if you're looking for my heart? Well, it might be somewhere in Santorini's sea or Athens' trees. Go look there.
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