Perissa & Akrotiri Santorini

After we stayed in Oia for two nights we headed down to the south end of the island to stay another two nights. We caught the bus from Oia to Fira and then from Fira to Perissa. The bus is super cheap and an easy way to get around the island. We had our luggage with us though so it wasn't the most fun hauling around those while trying to maneuver the bus schedule. But we did it. We stayed at Stelios Place in Perissa for 2 nights and it was a wonderful little hotel just a block from the beach.

The first thing we did once we arrived in Perissa was go and rent an ATV for the day. We heard it was a really fun way to get around the island and while we saw people doing it in Oia we are glad that we decided to wait because the south end of the island is so much less crowded and easy to maneuver. We got on the ATV and headed for the lighthouse and then red beach and then all the way to the top of the highest point in Santorini where there is an old monastery. I think the highest point or the lighthouse would be an excellent place to watch the sunset. The place we rented the ATV from is called, Monomania in Perissa, and was just one block from our hotel. The people that ran the business were so nice, they didn't make us pay extra for gas since we were renting later in the day they just included it in the price. And they even gave us jackets. They saw we were just wearing beach clothes so they thought we might get a little old on the ATV and they were right! Such nice people and highly recommend.

Our second day in Perissa we went on a boat excursion. The weather wasn't the best. I didn't rain but it was cloudy and windy. It would have been so much better if is was clear and sunny but oh well. We got the see the red beach, white beach, lighthouse, and volcano from the boat which was cool. The boat stopped for a while for lunch and gave the passengers the opportunity to jump off the boat into the Aegean Sea and swim to the "hot springs." Clark and I were the only ones that did it and I am glad we did but I will say that they should be named "warm springs" as they are not really hot. haha. We also got a tradition Greek lunch on board which was fun. While we enjoyed our day I don't think I would recommend the excursion we took. It was 95euro a person and there were other excursions that did the same sort of stuff for 40euro a person so looking back I would have probably done one of those. But like I said we had a good time.

We also had time to just lay on the beach and relax while in Perissa. Our last day there was so nice and we had breakfast and wonderful drinks at the restaurant in front of Sellada Beach Hotel. I did some online research and couldn't figure out if it's part of the hotel or it's own restaurant. But its right in front of it. Clark had crepes and I had a omelet and we had fresh fruit smoothies. Then we went and laid on the beach. Most restaurants have beach chairs and umbrella in front of there places and if you order drinks or food from them you can lay in the chairs all afternoon basically and there is even free wifi! I had a yummy pina colada! 

After we laid on the beach for a while longer, we headed to the airport because our next stop was Athens for a few days!
love, Carlee

Gray Cardigan & Dress: Thrifted

Pink Leggings: TJ Maxx

Sunglasses: Target

Purse: JCPennys

Sandals: Clarks (like the shoe brand and not my husband haha) 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Ken Kesey

Just finished this book and it was great. I actually started reading it back in November. I was about halfway through when I broke my leg and was in the Italian hospital. Clark brought some stuff to my hospital room including this book and while I tried to read it there it was just a little too scary haha. I didn't need to read about these guys in a mental hospital while I was in a hospital in a foreign country. So I waited until now to finish it. The copy of the book that I have I bought at the thrift store on base and it has a fun comic book illustrated cover and even some sketches within the pages done by Ken Kesey himself.

I really like the book as a whole. There are misogynistic and racist remarks and tones but I think that is part of the culture when the book was written. The story is basically about people, the men in this insane asylum, trying to be normal in a country that is basically ruling you and judging you and causing you to change because of what society sees fit. At least thats what I got from it. It is also a book that has been banned in schools since the 1970s so of course I had to read it. And while yes there are imagines of gambling, sex, drugs, fighting. It tells the tale of something bigger. And since high schoolers are seeing all the stuff anyways without no real meaning I hope that in today's world they can read this book. Although will some language (the F word and N word, etc.) I am sure there are people who would be highly offended if they saw this book in schools again no matter what the overall meaning is.

I am sure this will be one of those book that I come back to in a few years and read again. 

Favorite quotes from the book:

"He hadn't let what he looked like run his life one way or the other."

"You don't have to apologize for my inadequacies, my friend. It neither fits your character now compliments mine."

"In this country, when something is out of order, then the quickest way to get it fixed is the best way."

"There is generally one person in every situation you must never underestimate the power of."

"The doctor's lying made us feel worse than ever- not because of the lie, so much, but because of the truth."

"He knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy."

"Never before did I realize that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power."

Oia Santorini

Oía, Santorini was amazing. Oia was our first stop on our Greece trip.  We flew from Naples, Italy to Athens and then from Athens to Santorini. We knew we wanted to do at least one of the Greek Islands and since everyone raves about Santorini we thought that it would be a really good place to go and it definitely lived up to the hype it is so beautiful.  The first place we stayed was Oia and Oia is probably the most picturesque town in Greece. When you Google or Pinterest Santorini pictures of Oia is usually what comes up it has the white houses the traditional cave houses and the blue roofed cathedrals and calderas and that gorgeous sunset and the white washed cliffside dwelling's. We stayed at Caldera Villas hotel. They picked us up from the airport in the shuttle which was really nice. And took us to the check in point which was a office in the main part of Oia and then once we got checked in someone took us to our room. The hotel was very neat it was a traditional cliffside dwelling cave and I had a pool and breakfast I would definitely recommend it. We stayed there for two nights and it was really centrally located and had a great restaurants really close it was perfect for us.

Oia was really fun to just walk around and explore it's not a very big village it's really small but there is a lot to see and do. There is a lots of shops and lots of restaurants Clark and I were talking and we came to the conclusion that we came across the most Americans so far on any trip. We have been to quite a few places in Europe and there seemed to be the most American tourist in Santorini. 

We did the fish baths where the fish eat the dead skin cells off your feet I think they first became really popular in Japan but they're also really popular in the islands of Greece and so we did one of those and it was really fun. It was kind of ticklish and kind of like a vibrating feel it wasn't so bad when you weren't looking at the fish but if you look down at your feet and saw the fish nibling on them then it was kind of weird. We also had a fantastic food while there I think we both came to the conclusion that her favorite meal was a place in Oia called, Terpsi en Oia, it was a rather expensive though. Santorini  was the most expensive place we stayed a while in Greece, but worth it. Also the bakery, Melenio Cafe, was fantastic they have really great chocolate cake! And we were told to try Skalla which we did, it was good but not my favorite place. 

One of the nights we were there we got to the sunset overlook. People say that Oia sunsets are some of the best in the world and so we wanted to see it for ourselves and while I'll say it was very pretty I don't know if it was worth waiting an hour and a half packed in like sardines with a bunch of other people on the cliffside to see it. I think there are probably many other places on the island to see the sunset that is probably just as beautiful or even more beautiful because there aren't as many people. There were lots of dogs and cats and donkeys in Santorini and they all seem to have owners even though they all kind of did their own thing and we're just around laying in the front of shops. The dogs and the cats would lay in the sun and people come along a pet them.

We also got a swim in the pool at our hotel and it was absolutely amazing stunning views and it was great because it was just the two of us during the day. I think everyone else was out exploring. I would definitely recommend trying to explore the town in the morning or in the evening if you're actually staying there because in the afternoon we noticed that it was super busy with all of the cruise ship people coming up from Fira. And since we were actually staying in Oía we have the luxury to kind of bypass some of the big crowds. So during the day we enjoyed the sunshine and pool! I have way to many photos to share, sorry about the overload but this is even me narrowing down a lot! 
love, Carlee

Blue Striped Dress: Forever21

Nike shoes: Famous Footwear

Sunglasses: Target