Greek Islands Part II: Naxos and Santorini

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Okay, so it actually was every computer in Greece that hated me, because there's nothing wrong with my camera. In fact, there's a limited number of photos here because I burned all my photos onto CD's the other day, then switched out my memory card (now in my money belt) for a fresh one, resulting in a limited number of photos to choose from for this blog. No worries though, there are still some goodies.

Naxos was very cool. My new travel buddy Sean and I pooled our resources for a swish room with ocean view and a view of the Sanctuary of Apollo. It was also run by one of the most authentic little old Greek ladies ever, who gave us a glass of OJ on arrival. Lovely.

We rented a scooter and toured the island for 2 days, hitting beaches, ruins, villages, and everything in between. It's definitely the best way to get to know the islands. You can see towns on foot, but if you want to see anything else, namely real Greek life, you need to get a scooter.

I got to Santorini yesterday and checked into the Santorini Campground. It has good facilities, though I'm finding it increasingly common in these places that campsites are terrible for meeting other travelers. For one thing, not many people go camping alone. Most people go with their buddies and stay pretty clique-y. Second, campsites are pretty compartmentalized, so even if someone is camping alone there's not much opportunity to meet them. We've got a nice pool but it's not very social. So tomorrow I'm leaving Fira, the main town and location of the campsite, and heading to the youth hostel in Oia (pronounced EE-a). Plus everything's dusty at the campground. I'm not complaining, but it's just nice to get properly clean once in a while.

Today was amazing though. I rented my very own scooter and decided to take on Southern Santorini. I rode everywhere on Santorini's southern coast, as well as some of the small villages inland. It's definitely a rush on the scooter. I left it at one point for what turned out to be a one-hour uphill hike to the ancient city of Thira. It was cool but definitely not worth the hike. I didn't trust my scooter skills on that hill, though there were a couple parked up at the top when I finally got there. Oh well.

Laid on the beach, drove along the cliffs to the lighthouse, watched the sunset... a busy day. I'm exhausted and looking for something low-key, maybe a movie. If it's cheap.

Cheers,

Carly xoxo

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Photos

Me and my scooter!
"Yes, that one there please. The blue one with the big yellow star, it looks kind of like a toy. Perfect"
I named it Jack.

Me at the Ancient city of Thira
Tired after that climb!

Beachside
After a couple hours of hiking ruins, you gotta recoup

Me and the sunset from Fira
Do I look tired? No? You're too kind.