Sunday, December 30, 2012

Santorini


Most people don't come to the islands for the holidays, in fact, most of the folks that heard we were heading this way thought we were crazy. They come during summertime when there is a guarantee of sunshine, the island is bustling with the energy of all those exploring it and all the businesses are open to cater to them. The thing is, we aren't most people. We enjoy off season traveling...being the only ones on a beach, boardwalk or sunset spot. After seven months of traveling, working/volunteering and being on the move, Santorini ended up being the perfect location for our holiday together. The white washed buildings topped the cliffs like a blanket of snow, the sunshine making it all the more vibrant. To us it felt like a Samish Island summer, which we always enjoyed. :)
Happy Holidays to you all!



























































Thanks to Santa and friends for helping us make this trip possible and reminding us to make some time just for us. We love you all!


Athens


A one night stop on our way to the islands the day before Christmas eve. The streets were packed, and although there were signs of broken windows and many graffitied walls, they were masked by holiday decorations, lots of smiles and busy shoppers. We made it up to the Acropolis on our sunny afternoon and it gave us an amazing view of the city.




































Panteleimonas


A small village nestled on a hillside with views of Mt. Olympus and the sea. Was destroyed by a landslide and has slowly been rebuilt using traditional building styles. Also a great place to grab lunch and warm up by a fire.





























Thursday, December 6, 2012

Mt. Olympus


The following are photos from our hike from Litochoro to Prionia, along the gorge and river towards the mountain. With eight bridges and countless elevation changes, we were thankful to not have our heavy packs on our backs! It was nice to have fresh water to drink along the way and good hiking weather.
Happy December!













































Summit Zero


A refuge on the seaside in the foothills of Mt. Olympus, home of the Greek Gods. We enjoyed many a night here, and were blessed with a good environment and always great company...even creating an international thanksgiving dinner. A great place to warm up next to a fire and have a glass (or two, or three...) of homemade raki. Most of our contribution was picking olives, but John also built a bar/reception area the old fashioned way (no power tools) out of old shipping pallets we collected throughout town. "The Rusty Nail" bar got its name from all the old nails we removed from the pallets and then reused. Always like repurposing materials. :) Even got the chance to hang around long enough to break in the bar on more than one occasion! Hope it's around for many years to come!












































































Our new friend, Henry...we hope he's on his way to finding home.