May 5-6, Santorini/Athens

We had a great, although at times harrowing, drive on the north side of Santorini far from the tourist hordes & the Asian brides. It was a different world! The driving is difficult because there are VERY few road signs. The Santorinians keep saying "There's only one road"--which is true until you get to a fork or cutoff to a smaller road! We survived & managed to get to our destinations, but shrieking was involved--in Greek, of course. We tried to swim in the Aegen, but managed only to wade--it is gorgeous, crystal clear & ice cold! We had a great dinner at a restaurant owned by a Frenchman who, 25 years ago, fell in love with Santorini & a girl who lived there from Cyprus. Very nice guy. We learned that S. is only 'open' from April to October. Then it's too cold and wet (and very slippery) & everything shuts down & many of the workers go home. Our car rental guy (who came to Austin for Formula 1) lives in Athens the rest of the year. I guess they make a lot of money from the tourists, hordes & brides.

We caught our flight to Athens at 2:30 & found out that the Metro wasn't running from the airport. It was either a $75 cab ride or riding the bus.  Everyone else, including our flight crew, seemed to be riding the bus, so we did too! An hour & a half later the cab ride was looking good! We made it to our hotel & couldn't believe how Athens looked--much less traffic (it wasn't Easter weekend) & tons of street side cafe tables (the temp is in the 80's rather than the low 60's. Tonight we walked to our restaurant & everyone was out walking & eating. So vibrant & fun!

We've packed our bags & are ready for our 7:30am wake up call we'll be back in Austin tomorrow, Thursday , at 10:30pm. Looking forward to seeing everyone. It's been a fantastic, interesting, relaxing & fun trip. We love Greece and can't wait to tell you why!  See you soon. . .

F