Let the Games Begin!

Olympia was our last stop on the Greek cruise and the only stop that wasn't an island. It was also the only place that we paid for a group excursion and didn't do it on our own, as we wanted a tour of the ruins. Our guide was hilariously Greek and it was incredibly hot and such a long tour, but it was remarkable to set foot on the grounds of the ancient and original games' starting place! So much history in these places...it just kind of takes your breath away when you really stand there and think about it.

So many of the pillars were partially intact and you could envision what the original structure would have looked like. The top right picture where you can see it is roped off is where they start the torch for the olympic games every year because it was the original starting point- so cool! Although, they told us we would be visiting that spot and once we got there it was just a tiny rectangle stone on the ground and kind of anti climatic. I don't know what we were imagining, but it was pretty funny with all these amazing towers and palaces surrounding us. The bottom right is the field behind me of the original olympic games events.

Meet Alexander. His class was on some sort of field trip and when we were outside the gates to the ruins he saw our group and came over shouting Hey, Americans! in his broken English. He was the cutest, friendliest kid and was totally showing off to his classmates. Ryan went over and chatted with him from the other side of the gate for awhile before we left, and then when we saw him again in the museum we had to get a picture. Such a cute kid!

Inside the olympic museum there was also so much history. Pictured here is a recovered sundial, warrior helmets, and statues that were uncovered that would have decorated the outside eaves and pitches of the palaces.

Our cute tour guide straight out of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Not kidding here folks. the entire 4 hour tour she kept saying stuff like, "Now your English word 'kimono' is actually a Greek word. It comes from the Greek 'kimos', meaning..." This went on in about every sentence for the whole 2 hours and she was dead serious. Hilarious!

And finally, our last night on the cruise...tear. It was the chocoholic midnight buffet. Here you can see the chocolate sculpture picking my teeth. I guess I would take that over a toothpick any day though.

The cruise was AMAZING and seriously the trip of a lifetime! We were so incredibly grateful to have that opportunity, but after a week with only one limited Skype contact with Will from a junky internet connection on a remote Greek island, we were so ready to get back home to our little guy! What a magical and fun week and one that I will never forget and will be difficult to match!

Opa!

Mykonos was stop #3 and is the most popular celebrity destination in Greece. I read somewhere that it was made popular by the Kennedys. It is known for it's crystal water and happenin' beaches and nightlife, so naturally this was our beach stop while in Greece. But first we hopped on over to the island of Delos, the ancient capital of this ring of islands that is now covered in ruins.

Dancin in the Streets

The streets in Mykonos were originally designed to confuse pirates and are these tiny little walkways that twist and turn a million times over. You would be walking down one and a scooter would come zipping down the street and almost run you over if you didn't JUMP out of the way, so it kept us on our toes! The streets are painted to match the whitewashed houses (which are whitewashed according to Greek law), and we were cracking up at the streets like the one on the top right where they painted over the stones in the ground to make the ground look like stone. A little too ironic...don't ya think? ;) Also we came across this green door that I just had to get a picture of. After 3 days of straight up Greek blue, I had to laugh at the non-conformist in this city. Rebel.

A cool, colorful little church we stumbled upon while navigating the maze of streets.

The Ruins at Delos

A few memorable sites we saw were Apollo's Temple and the Avenue of Lions, as well as all of the recovered art and architecture stored in the museum.

Platis Gialos

From the cushioned chair underneath my umbrella, soaking up just the perfect amount of sun and view, I could understand why this island is the most famous. I took a picture of my toes in the water, as I was amazed that at about 10 feet of depth I could still see the fish at the bottom as clear as day. I think those Mediterranean waters must be the closest thing to a fountain of youth on this planet, as I felt like a kid again playing in the water and digging my toes in the sand.

Our beach day was a rejuvenating, fantastic success!

Heeeeee Haw

Wanna know my very favorite part of the entire cruise? (And it wasn't the chocoholic buffet at midnight.) DONKEYS!

I have always been a big planner when it comes to vacations, and we have learned that for cruises especially it pays to do your online homework before you go. So in my online ventures prior to the trip I learned that Santorini, our second stop, is a "caldera" meaning it used to be a volcano but the cone sunk into the ocean, leaving behind only this crescent moon of an island where all the buildings reside up on the ridge and you have to scale a few hundred feet to the top before any sightseeing can commence. I also learned that there are 3 ways to the top: cable car, footpath, or donkey! When I read that, I could already picture myself on the cover of the next "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" movie, sidesaddle on my donkey in my blue dress and all. I mean, we were going to be in Greece for crying out loud...we gotta do the donkeys!

Now, many in the online forums had much to say about the TERROR the donkey ride had in store for us, but I didn't buy it for one second. Even on the ship in the days prior to Santorini when people found out we were opting for the donkey ride they proceeded to tell us how crazy we were. What a bunch of old pansies, I say. We were laughing our heads off the whole way up at these crazy, drunk donkeys (because don't be fooled in thinking we had a guide taking us up the path...oh no, one slap on the donkey bum from the old Greek man and we were on our own!) and the even crazier tourists who were terrified and would go running anytime a donkey came their way. I am so glad we did the donkeys, despite all the concerns from fellow cruisers.

Pulling into Santorini from afar it resembles snow capped mountains and is a bit surreal considering you are in the Mediterranean in the summer. I couldn't get a good faraway shot with my junky camera to show that, but this closer up pic shows the zigzag donkey path really well. How I LOVED having a balcony on this cruise!

Top left- and we're off!

Top right- the path that was shared by hikers and donkeys alike bordered a very steep cliff face that may have been the source of all the donkey terror.

Bottom left- we didn't get our camera out in time but this man was the epitome of what you would imagine a Greek donkey caretaker to look like! Straight outta the movies, this one was.

Bottom right- all 3 forms of transport in Santorini captured in one photo.

Not only were the donkeys fun, but Santorini was hands down the most beautiful island we visited. The architecture here was also classically Greek, straight out of a travel guide, and much more breathtaking in person. You can see in the top right pic that the buildings are carved straight out of the rock face, as are all the buildings on this island. They don't use a/c here so being carved into the rock acts as a natural cooling system.

Beautiful windmills, cool little street, and our sunset viewing spot that was literally the edge of the cliff. One false move at the dinner table and you would be rolling down Greek countryside for hundreds of feet. They say there's not a bad view in Santorini and here you can see why.

This is how the Greeks do the blues. My outfit was no coincidence, and yes I am super cheesy like that :)

A.maz.ing

We ended up having to get down to our ship and didn't get to stay up top to watch the sunset, but either way you just can't beat the sunset in Santorini!