Catch Up from Boy Group Part 1

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So we started a blog. Hello world! This is our 5th day in Greece, and we're gonna give a brief summary of everything that happened so far: It was awesome! (Everything with an exclamation point after it Aaron said).
Everything with an exclamation point after it Aaron said!

So here's what happened:

Matt, Mark and Aaron took a flight from LAX to Heathrow. Some people got upgrades (Matt, Aaron). Some people didn't (Mark). Movies on the plane ranged from The Oxford Murders starring Elijah Wood and nudity to Jumper starring Hadyn Christianson to Annie Hall starring neuroticism. They met up with Mike in London, then hopped on a plane to Athens, "Home of the 2004 Olympics." The movie on the plane to Athens was supposed to be Son of Rambow, but the movie was broken. It didn't matter much cause everyone was sleeping.

Finally, after many hours of traveling, they landed in Athens and breathed a sigh of relief in time to catch the next flight to Santorini, "The Romantic Honeymoon Island." After angering a cab driver who wanted to overcharge them for a ride, the group got to their hotel Villa Matthios at about 11. Although reception was closed, a sign on the door welcomed "Mr. Ayoob" to Santorini and wished him a pleasant stay. The group found a delicious meal of chicken and potatoes waiting for them in their room and then went to bed after "Mr. Ayoob" steamrollered several of his roommates.

The next day, at the recommendation of the hotel manager, the boys bought tickets to a tour of Santorini's highlights: the volcano, the hot springs, and Oia. The Akrotiri ruins they had been hoping to see were closed because some people (archaeologists?) were trying to repair the roof. Apparently the ruins weren't perfectly intact.

At any rate, the tour was incredible. The sail to the volcano provided breathtaking views of the tiny cliff-top villages with their white and blue-trimmed houses. The volcano provided breathtaking views of holes in the ground that according to the brochure once housed magma but now housed only slight disappointment. However, the views of the surrounding islands more than made up for any lackluster lava shooters. The hot springs, while not piping hot, ran into the ocean and were fun to swim through even if the water was so brown you couldn't see your hand a few inches below the surface. For lunch, the tour stopped at Thirassa where the boys enjoyed their first gyros. Everyone liked them. They were greasy and meaty and covered in pita. Mm mmm m.

The highlight of the tour was Oia, the stereotypical Greek town. Domed, blue, white, beautiful. We bought postcards, Aaron almost lost his wallet, and then we went to watch the sunset at a castle. Sitting on a stone wall, gazing at the side of a small town built on the side of a cliff going down to the sea, seeing an orange sun stretch over the water. Too awe-inspiring for complete sentences. We took pictures.

The day ended in Fira, where we went to dinner, had some wine and mousaka, then walked around looking at the capital of Santorini. Afterwards, we sank into bed, very satisfied with our day if not with the beds.

More to come...

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Comments

[Parker's Dad]

Greece Sounds GREAT! You missed a big LA Shaker!
Parker's mom and I spent Christmas (ten or fifteen days) in Athens and Crete (long Ferry ride, many drunken vomiting sailors heading home for the holidays) in 1976 (not 1776.) It was terrific fun. Just remember that if an old lady in a black, crepe getup with a shmatta on her head yells "Oshi!" when you try to take her picture, she might just have an iron frying pan behind her back to clobber you. But enough about me... You guys missed a 5.4 quake yesterday afternoon - a real roller that lasted several seconds in the late afternoon. Made CNN and all the Blogs. No major damage or injuries - just a rolling ride to remind us where we live and to always have desert - because, well - you never know. Have a blast in the islands, guys. - Parker's Dad