Athens needs no introduction - the magnificent Acropolis is the reason Athens exists, and also the reason most visitors come to the Greek capital. The sight of the Acropolis standing defiant above Athens never fails to impress!
Athens has a 'developing world' feel to it - a little of grunginess here and there and I quite like that. Most of Europe, or Western Europe precisely, are so squeky clean that I find myself missing the 'ooomph' of travel in developing countries.
Monastiraki Sq near the Plaka district, the main tourist area
We of course had Acropolis on our must see list but I was equally excited to see Ancient Agora where Socrates spent a lot of his time expounding his philosophy.
Ancient Agora crowned by the Acropolis above. Socrates, Plato, and St. Paul walked these grounds! 
Temple of Hephaestus on the western edge of the agora. There is no ambiguity when viewing the Temple of Hephaestus. It’s one of the few temples - if not the only temple - which has survived the centuries intact. Even the frieze has survived in its original position in a remarkably complete condition. As a result, it is a favorite spot for tourists and archeologists to view. As with virtually all of the ruins, visitors are not allowed inside the temple. However, one can see enough from the outside to get a good understanding of the form and function of a Greek temple.
Temple of Hephaestus close up
Visiting Ancient Agora isn't like visiting the Angkor Wat - most ruins are not intact ad we felt that the Agora’s administrators could assist the process by placing better descriptions at each of the ruins. Bring a good map, decent imagination and strong sense of history! Or else it'll look like a pile of stones to you.
Stoa of the Giants
Collection of various statues and artifacts in the Stoa of Attalos that has been rebuilt as a museum.
View of Athens on the way up to Acropolis
On the southern slope of the Acropolis stands the Theatre of Dionysos and the importance of theatre in the Athenian city-state can be gauged from the dimensions of this enormous theatre. It seats approximately 15 thousand people in simple stone benches.
Theatre of Dionysos
The path from the Theatre of Dionysos continues to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, another stone theatre structure. It was built in AD 161 by Herodes Atticus in loving memory of his wife Regilla. Today, the site is being used for performances of drama, music and dance. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see one.
Odeon of Herrodus Atticus
The road then leads on to the the Acropolis which is crowned by the Parthenon. It stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost everywhere within the city.
The marble of the monuments gleam in the midday sun and gradually takes on a honey hue as the sun sinks. At night they hover above the city brilliantly illuminated. The Acropolis was first inhabited in Neolithic times and the first temples were built in homage of the goddess Athena.
The sudden glimpse of the Parthenon will not fail to lift your spirits! Parthenon means 'virgin's apartment' and is the largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece.
Although the Parthenon was impressive, I was more fascinated by the Erechtheion, built on the part of Acropolis held most sacred. They say that it was here that Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and that Athena produced the olive tree.
The Erechtheion
Athens is surrounded by mountains and Lykavittos Hill or 'hill of wolves' dominates downtown Athens.
Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest temple in Greece as seen from the Acropolis. Notice the smoke in the photo - we were in town when the wildfires in Greece reached its peak and raged uncontrollably.
We watched as helicopters fly water to the affected region. The Prime Ministers declared state of emergency and called for help from the EU.
Stoa of Eumenes below the Acropolis, built as shelter and promenade for theatre audiences in olden days.
We stumbled upon a neighbourhood at the foot of the Acropolis that has nice, old houses that are in danger of being bulldozed so that the new Acropolis Museum would have an unobstructed view of the Acropolis.
We explored the cute streets of Plaka, the old historical neighbourhood of Athens, just under the Acropolis with labyrinth streets, many restaurants and plenty of souvenir stores.
Street in Plaka leading to the Temple of Olympian Zeus
Originally the temple had 104 huge and impressive Corinthian colums. Today, only 15 remains.
By the time we finished at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, smoke has engulfed the sky on certain parts of the city.
We also went wandering in Athens' First Cemetery, the resting place of many famous Greeks apparently. Most of the tombstones and mausoleums are lavish in the extreme!
Some are kitsch, some sentimental
Clock tower on Adrianou Street on the ancient promenade opposite Ancient Agora
Streets in and around Psiri, a regenerated neighbourhood for its fashionable restaurants, bars, live music tavernas, and small number of hotels.
This reminds me of who else but Garf
I remember the days when I used to google Santorini to see the photos of white-washed building against the deep blue sea. I remember thinking that they look too good to be true.
So when Peter said let's go for a holiday, I said let's go to Greece. It topped my Europe to-go list. That or Turkey. Peter suggested somewhere like Paris but I sort of said but everyone goes to Paris. And besides, I get him for 9 days straight - no work, no laptop in sight - so that calls for a more interesting holiday. Paris is yet another city.
So I said Santorini via Athens but I made him promise no wedding proposal as I don't believe in such things (a lot of proposals are made in Santorini due to the superbly romantic nature of the island. Think clifftop villages, out of this world sunset and moon illuminating the Aegean sea at night.) It is regarded by many as the most spectacular of all the Greek islands.
Ta-daa! My first glimpse of the white-washed Cycladez architecture in Oia completely took my breath away
Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea about 200 km south-east from Greece's mainland, also known as Thira. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands.
Santorini is essentially what has been left from an enormous volcanic explosion which destroyed the earliest settlements thereon and led to the creation of the current geological caldera. A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption.
The island is kind of shaped like a donut with one side bitten off, no? The bigger islet in the middle is the volcano (Nea Kameni), the smaller islet Palia Kameni and around it is the caldera - the part that sank. We stayed in Oia (pronounced Ee-ya), the second biggest town located at the northernmost bit of the island. It is alot more picturesque than the main town Fira.
Close-up of volcano from main town Fira. We holidaymakers spent our time gazing in wonder at the submerged caldera, epicentre of what was probably the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history.
They say that minor eruptions have been the norm in Greece's earthquake record but Santorini has bucked the trend with attitude throughout history. Eruptions here were genuinely earthshattering and so wrenching that they changed the shape of the island several times.
Santorini is undeniably one of the more interesting islands that I have been to - the attraction are not just beaches as with most islands, in fact if you're hoping to find smooth, white sandy beaches you won't find them here. Due to its nature as a volcanic island, Santorini's beaches are mostly pebbly, coupled with a few black and red sand beaches.
Perissa-Perivolos beach make up the longest black sand beach on the island. These beaches are 'organized beaches' meaning there are lifeguards, sun umbrellas and loungers which you can utilize for something like 5-7Euros a day. Otherwise just spread your towel on the sizzling black sand =)
Kamari beach is 10km from Fira and is Santorini's best developed resort. It has a long beach of black sand with the rugged limestone cliffs framing its southern end. The beachfront road is pedestrianised and is lined with shops, eateries and bars. Think Chaweng in Koh Samui.
The caldera with its high cliffs and towns like Fira and Oia built onto them make for dramatic sights. I keep saying to Peter that it looks so surreal. I think it is the combination of the cliffs and white-washed Cyclades (kih-klah-dez) architecture against the backdrop of deep blue Aegean sea.
Village of Oia from ruins of Venetian castle, which is also where most tourist crowd to see the sunset. 
I quite like the fact that the locals live amongst us tourist in Oia. This house is right below our villa and every morning I get up to see the cute family having breakfast on that terrace (and ogle the mama who has a hot, lean and tan body!) Huhuhaha =P
Santorini has a lot of churches - in a tiny village like Oia you see them everywhere. The blue-domed ones are those that appear in postcards all the time.
You are guaranteed a view that keeps you itching to reach for your camera everywhere you turn, gaze and sit. One of the nights we had dinner at one of those corner tables. It is a cute little Greek tavern.
From Oia you get a full panoramic view of the island. Those little white dotted spots on the clifftop in the background is the main town Fira.
Streets in Oia
Santorini is also famous for its sunset - it is said to be one of the best places to see the sunset in the world. If you ask me, I'd say it definitely exceeded my expectation. A few restaurants have sunset views but I find them kind of off-putting and tacky in a trying too hard kind of way. But if you're into that then you'll have to reserve the tables in advance! Also beware the busloads of tourist that come from Fira to see the sunset in Oia.
I heard they go as far as clapping after the sun has set which totally spoils the moment yo! Our tip for enjoying the sunset in Oia is to find somewhere not too crowded like behind the windmill and maybe bring a bottle of wine!
I think the attraction with watching the sunset in the northernmost bit of Oia is that you get the see the sun glimmering on the water which is undeniably very pretty.
After one hyped up sunset we decided to see it most days from our terrace. Its just as pretty if you ask me, without the hustle bustle of other people.
If you think the show is over after the sun has gone down, you're wrong! The sun has set? The moon takes over. I don't know why people don't rave more about how pretty it is when the moon illuminates the Aegean sea.
I was kicking myself for not considering buying the SLR I wanted to buy before going there. I could have gotten better nightshots. These photos, don't do justice at all.
I couldn't resist stealing these 2 night photos from wikipedia. I just had to convey the night atmosphere for you guys to better understand my monologue, you know!
We started to take away food from restaurants to bring back to our terrace for dinner instead of eating out after a few days. We figured it sure beats eating with other people in restaurants - we have a terrace with fantastic view, music and privacy. I wonder why not a lot of people do this as most places have terraces in Oia.
Can you guys see by now why so many marriage proposals are made here? The thing that I like about Santorini is that it is a fairly big and spread out island therefore it is quite easy to find your own little space - rent an ATV and go find your own secluded beach, sunset spot or traditional village settlement. Although commercialized and touristy, there are bits that are not, if you put in some effort. Lose yourself in the ancient ruins of Thira. Visit a vineyard. Climb the volcano. See the fishing villages.
Ammoudi is a tiny fishing village with good tavernas and colourful fishing boats, 300 steps below Oia. We feasted on grilled seafood and burnt off the calories walking up and down the steps and slopes of Oia.
Ammoudi below and above, its crowning glory Oia. We did a lot of walking.
Swimming and suntanning spot off Ammoudi.
Ammoudi from Oia over sunset
We hiked to a low-key beach called Katharos from Ammoudi. It is a pebbly beach, kind of like a semi-nudist colony. The land in Santorini is so dry Peter said it looks like the Gaza strip.
Katharos beach
We took a boat excursion out to Thirasia and the volcanic islets Nea Kameni and Palia Kameni. I read in some reviews that some people think it isn't really worth going but I find it very interesting to climb an active volcano and swim in muddy sulfuric hot springs in Palia Kameni.
Oia from the sea.
Another fishing village, Armeni Bay below Oia.
The volcano is a hill with a bunch of rocks and craters. In the background is the village of Fira.
It feels like we're all doing some sort of pilgrimage. It is a half an hour hike to the top.
My main concern was being blown away by the strong wind.
The islet of Palia Kameni from main volcano
Unspoilt Thirasia was separated from Santorini by an eruption in 236 BC. There is also a hilltop settlement on the island that we didn't get to visit.
Island of Thirasia. I had my best lamb souvlaki here.
Sun god of Thirasia ha-ha.
Santorini's first human settlers were said to arrive around 3000 BC to take advantage of the fertile soil after the volcanoes became dormant. From evidence found at Akrotiri, one of the two main excavation site, it appears that they led very idyllic lives and fashioned a highly sophisticated culture. Unfortunately ancient Akrotiri was closed temporarily during our visit. Ancient Akrotiri apparently dates back to the Neolithic era. How amazing is that huh!
We did visit ancient Thira, the classical city of the island and it definitely made our day. Ancient Thira is a collection of ruins from an ancient settlement, standing atop the rocky outcrop between Kamari and Perissa beach at 396m above sea level. It isn't as old as Akrotiri and unlike the previous inhabitants of Santorini who lived by the sea, these colonists settled in a well-defended hilltop position - inconvenient for resident and raider alike.
It was founded in the 9th century B.C. by Dorian colonists whose leader was Theras, and continued to be inhabited until the early Byzantine period. The preserved ruins belong to the Hellenistic and Roman phases of the city. The residential area and the larger part of the cemeteries were excavated by German archaeologists between 1895 and 1902. Basically they found an entire city on top of the hill - there were public buildings, residential areas, religious sites etc.
Entrance to the city of Thira with the Profitis Ilias Monastery in the background (on top of the hill). Profitis Ilias is the highest point on Santorini, dedicated to the prophet Elijah. Unfortunately we didn't get to hike there.
We had our ATV with us so we scooted up the hill with it but when we reach the top we had to leave it and hike for another 30 minutes uphill to the ruins.
Sweeping views of Kamari beach down below
I was quite awestrucked by the magnificent and exhilarating views.
Most of the accommodation in Oia are traditional or cave houses as they call them. These are carved into the cliffs and they have curvy lines instead of sharp edges - they blend in better with the environment as well as to contribute to aesthetic values. We moved rooms a few times within the boutique hotel we stayed in so we got a feel of the different cave rooms they had to offer. If anyone decide to go for their honeymoon or anything, I have some recommendations on accommodation!
Peter is always saying to me, "Don't sit there!", "Don't go too near the edge!". It is true though if you have children - you wouldn't wnat them to plunge to their death. Most families with children opt to stay on the beach and some hotels in Fira and Oia have no-children under 12 policy.
We spent a total of 5-6 days in Santorini but there's a lot of things that we didn't get to do like wine tasting coupled with a winery tour (Santorini is famous for its Vinsanto or sweet wine), go to the Red Beach, do the 3 hour hike from Fira to Oia, see smaller settlements and villages, visit the museums - Prehistoric Thira, Archaeological, and Volcan Wine among others, check out the nightlife in Fira and last but not least, browse art produce and funky jewellery in Oia.
The streets in Oia are dotted with art galleries and jewellery shops while Fira is overcrowded with everything under the sun - fashion shops even a shopping mall, fast-food restaurants, pubs, clubs, etc.
Streets in Oia
Donkey rides are for tourist who are too lazy to climb the 300 steps from the villages of Ammoudi or Armeni below Oia. I don't think I have the heart to ride on one.
Art gallery in Fira
This is Peter saying, "Don't we have enough photos already?"
Koo Club is suppose to be the premier nightlife spot in Fira
Church in Fira
Santorini simply takes your breath away. Gee, now I sound like a tourism brochure haha. None of the stories, brochures, paintings or photographs I have ever read or seen could even come close to describing the scenes laid out before me. The cliffs were topped with white Greek structures and from the sea they appeared as snow blanketing these highest remaining rims of an ancient volcano.
It has been described and compared with everything from the Earth's greatest creation to the lost world of Atlantis. I will leave your imagination intact and simply say, one day come see for yourself!
The days and nights we spent there was enlightening but consuming. We drove, walked, hiked, climbed and boated. I was aware that my entire existence could be measured in fractions of time. Santorini makes you aware of the true power of creation though destruction.
So...get out there and explore your world. What can I say but the earth is a living library!
wish you were here -kitty-