1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #466 - The Acropolis, Athens

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #466

- The Acropolis, Athens

 

(This one of the original 7 World Wonders remains a stunner - from all angles. We got to the foot of the hill early to avoid the crowd - but no way ; even with 36C at 8am, the line for tickets had snaked out 20m long. Once in, the sights are simply wondorous. This ancient citadel, built in the 400BC - yes, 2500 years ago - still looks majestic! The pillars of the main Parthenon - they still look so strong. When we put our photo now beside one from almost 10 years back, nothing much has changed, except for the number of cranes. This is surely the most impressive ancient architecture - rivalled only by the Colosseum and the Great Pyramids, perhaps)

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #465 - 44C Athens, Greece

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #465

- 44C Athens, Greece

 

(Have you ever experienced the heat of a 44C day? We did. We literally sailed into a heat storm in Athens. You could feel the skin on our forearms drying up, with every second under this heat! Nonetheless, we took a trip to another MacArthur Glen outlet, some 30km out of Athens. It was a disappointment - the smallest outlet we have been to, really. But for the rest of Athens, including the Old Town Plaka district, everything was bumping along in this heat, but with noticeably fewer people on the road. Don't you love those sandals shops here with such a wide selection? We found the Hotel Dorian, where we stayed almost 10 years ago and the souvlaki grill from Plaka - somehow, it wasn't as tasty as before; maybe the one from Santorini called "Why Not" set a new standard)

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #464 - Yacht Sunset sensation, Santorini

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #464

- Yacht Sunset sensation, Santorini

 

(Where is the best place to watch a gorgeous sunset from? Why, from the front of a yacht, of course! As this sunset cruise came towards its tail end, everyone on the yacht were getting into their favourite spot on it to see this once in a lifetime experience. We were lucky enough to be sitting right in front, with no one to shadow the sunset view. And wasn't it a magnificent sunset indeed? It's a warm and in-the-moment sensation, to be bathing in this somewhat surreal orange glow. For this alone, the cruise was worth the money paid, even with a bruised elbow thrown in. Watch the last vdo, as we timelapsed the final minutes..another wow moment in Santorini)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #463 - Palia Kameni hot springs, Red Beach swim, Santorini

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #463

- Palia Kameni hot springs and Red Beach swim, Santorini

 

(The hot springs at Palia Kameni became my first encounter with swimming for quite a long time. But the water here was too inviting, especially when we were told the hot springs here come out from active volcano vents with sulphur that brings health benefits. I was however in..and out too quickly to get much of that health benefit. Our next swimming spot at the Red Beach became one I will remember for a long, long time. I walked straight into a flight of steps that led to the yacht's toilet..and came out with a big bruised elbow and sore ribs. But thank goodness, all else was intact. Another reason why Greece will forever be in my mind..see vdo below)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #462 - Santorini Yachting Club sunset cruise, Santorini

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #462

- Santorini Yachting Club sunset cruise, Santorini

(We wanted our final full day here to be special - and we chose the sunset cruise with the Santorini Yachting Club, after scouting out 2 others. We were picked up at our hotel, and driven to Oia and down to the pier to start our cruise at 3pm - all nicely coordinated. The yacht was a big one which can hold up to 60 people - we had about 50 people on ours. The sails were never put up to catch the wind, but the smooth seas here gave us a very pleasant sailing experience and with views of the caldera and cliffs we could never see from land. A hearty dinner meal was served on board, as it took us to 2 swimming spots - one turned out to be unforgettable..)