GREECE, Santorini {Perissa Beach}

Sunday October 15, 2006

Checked out of the hotel. I am going to Crete at 10 pm on the ferry. I am going to spend the day at Perissa beach. The beach has black sand. The water was cold but the sun was warm.

GREECE, Santorini

Thursday, Friday and Saturday

I spent 3 days just enjoying the beauty that is Santorini. On Friday I took the bus to Oia which supposedly has the most beautiful sunset in the world. Over 200 people waited with cameras but unfortunately it was too cloudy. Santorini is all about money with jewelry stores and expensive restaurants lining the rim of the crater overlooking the Mediterranean. One interesting fact is that the grape vineyards here do not put their grapes on poles but instead place the vines in a circle on the ground to help keep the moisture in the ground.

GREECE, Ios

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Another long ferry ride {8.5 hrs} but I finally arrived at Ios at 6 am. I finally found my hostel about 8. Most people have left the island because the season is mostly over, but I was fortunate because it was me and 8 girls from Australia at Francesco's hostel. For 3 days I just relaxed, went to the beach and partied with the Australian girls.

GREECE, Athens {Acropolis and Parthenon}

Monday October 11, 2006.

Left the ferry and caught the train to Athens. I am only spending enough time to see the Acropolis and the Parthenon and then catching the overnight ferry to Ios. I met an interesting man who is about 80 on the train and we still correspond by mail every few months.

ITALY, Positano {Amalfi Coast}

Friday October 8, 2006

Caught the boat from Sorrento to Positano to see the sights. Positano is the most beautiful of the towns in the Amalfi Coast. Supposedly the bus ride along the coast is one of the great experiences here but I did not have the opportunity to see for myself. I also went to Ravello.

ITALY, Rome (Pantheon}

Tuesday October 5, 2006

I went to the Piazza Novona which was being repaired and went back to the Pantheon to see the inside. Raphael's tomb is inside. The Pantheon is the most complete ancient Roman building remaining today and is an architectural wonder. Its dome is exactly as wide as it is high, supported by pillars hidden in the walls. It is located in the Piazza dell Rotunda. Also pictured is a fountain in the middle of the piazza.

ITALY, Florence, Duomo

The Il Duomo {The Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiori} boasts an enormous octagonal dome which was the largest in the world when built. The bronze doors at the baptistry in the piazza are called the Doors of Paradise. Eating gelato was my favorite thing to do in Italy. It is said that you are never more than 20 feet from a shop selling gelato at any time in Italy.

ITALY, Rome {Trevi Fountain}

October 3, 2006

The Trevi Fountain surprised me the most. The Fountain always seemed larger in life in movies, television and in pictures. I was surprised by its size and the size of the piazza. The Fountain depicts Neptune standing on a chariot drawn by winged horses. It was completed in 1762 and was actually never a big tourist attraction until the movie, Three Coins in a Fountain. Throwing a coin over your shoulder into the fountain is supposed to ensure your return to Rome. My first attempt hit someone in the head, so I moved closer and had better success.

ITALY, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

October 2, 2006

The ceiling in the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel. I did manage to get a couple of shots, including Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden, before they threatened to confiscate my camera.