Bella Italia 2018

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Bella Italia 2018
Taormina's Treasures
October 20, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Okay, so these aren't officially treasures of Taormina but these are things I loved about this town. Even though a lot of the buildings looked a little worse for wear and a bit run down, almost every balcony and alleyway was decorated with some form of ceramic statue or planter. And I just loved it. I loved the colours and vibrancy these pieces added to the town and I just wish I could replicate some of these settings at home. For that reason alone, it needed it's own post.

One of the figures we saw everywhere was the three legged lady. This is called Trinacria which means triquetra and refers to the shape of the island of Sicily. Sicily was known by the Romans as Trinacrium, meaning “star with three points”. The Trinacria symbol is the head of Medusa (a gorgon with a head of snakes), surrounded by three bent running legs, and three stalks of wheat. Due to the island's distinct triangular shape, the symbol has also been adopted by the Sicilian government and is located on the centre of Sicily's flag.

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Bella Italia 2018
Teatro Antico di Taormina
October 20, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
First stop for today was Teatro Antico di Taormine, the Ancient theatre of Taormina. The Teatro antico di Taormina is an ancient Greek theatre built in the third century BC. It is built for the most part of brick, and is therefore probably of Roman date, though the plan and arrangement are in accordance with those of Greek, rather than Roman, theatres. It is believed that the present structure was rebuilt upon the foundations of an older theatre of the Greek period.

With a diameter of 120 metres (after an expansion in the 2nd century), this theatre is the second largest of its kind in Sicily and is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. The greater part of the original seats have disappeared, but the wall which surrounded the whole arena is preserved.

The view from here was amazing and added to the pleasure of visiting this site. It is still so hard to fathom that we are standing in something that was built so long ago.Read more
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Catania, Sicily - First Impressions
October 21, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
It was a bit of an overcast day today as we left Taormina to Catania. There have been some severe storms in Sicily leading up to our time here and some of the major roads have been cut off. Due to that and Brad being over driving we decided to cancel our car and accommodation on the other side of Sicily and extended our time in Catania an extra two nights. A bit less stressful.

We seemed to be a bit luckier today with the trains running on time and great seats for the trip. And even waiting at the Taormina train station was pleasant as it was a beautiful old building with lots to admire and photograph. The poshest train station we have been in so far.

Arriving in Catania made me second guess my decision to stay here. As we drove towards our accommodation, the streets were littered with rubbish, bottles and vomit and graffiti covered the buildings. (I must admit I did like some of the better street art pieces, it’s the trashy graffiti that I dislike). Add the overcast sky, it made for a very gloomy first impressions. And the entrance to our accommodation was on one of these streets. I didn’t feel quite safe when we first arrived.

However, once we got into our apartment, Casasicula, we saw the better side of Catania. Our host did not speak English so he arranged for an English speaking friend to greet us, show us the apartment and to give us ideas of what to see in the city. She was very welcoming, and the apartment is beautiful. I love the shower; it plays music while you wash. Hilarious that someone would think that is essential in a holiday rental. Our bedroom balcony looks over the Piazza Universita, and it looks clean, graffiti and rubbish free, and inviting. The rain set in as we arrived at our apartment, so we unpacked and relaxed until the bad weather had passed over before heading out to see what Catania has to offer. I’m still not sure what to expect.Read more
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Piazza Universita, Catania
October 21, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Once the rain cleared we ventured out to see what Catania’s historic centre was like, hoping to change our first impressions. Thankfully they were. Although the buildings need a good clean, at least the laneways and squares are rubbish and graffiti free.

Our apartment overlooks the Piazza Universita, so that was our first stop. The Piazza’s existence dates back to 1696 when the University building was built after the destruction caused by the Earthquake of the Val di Noto of 1693, the largest catastrophic event that struck eastern Sicily in historical times. Once thing that we have noticed in the historical areas is the lack of greenery and at least in this Piazza they have made a little effort to bring some colour in with flower beds surrounding the four artistic bronze candlesticks that decorate the square. These sculptures were created by Catania sculptors in 1957 to represent four ancient Catanese legends.

On one side of the Piazza is the Universita degli Studi di Catania, the university, and on the other is the Teatro Machiavelli, in what was once the San Giuliano palace built in 1738. Cafes and shops surround the rest of the piazza, built in converted historic palaces and building. The Piazza has quite a sparse feel and it seems to be used more as thoroughfare than a square to sit and relax in. We did, however, try out a couple of the cafes on our stay here, with Café Prestipino becoming a quick favourite.

With the weather not being the best, we had a quick walk around, did some grocery shopping and headed back to our apartment for the afternoon and evening, resting up before we hit the sites tomorrow.Read more
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Cafe Prestipino, Catania
October 22, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Thankfully we woke to a beautiful day and we were ready to explore… after breakfast, of course. We started our day at Café Prestipino with a coffee and a croissant. When you are on a good thing you stick with it. The café is on the corner of our building, and it became our favourite for Catania. We did try a couple of others but we always returned.

Founded in 1976, this family run café has everything - great location between the Piazza Universita and Piazza del Duomo, amazing range of food, great prices, and the best free snack platter served with our drinks. In fact, one afternoon, we dropped by for a couple of drinks and had so many snacks we did not need dinner. We loved one of the snacks so much we asked if we could buy a bag to take-away and the fabulous staff gave us a bag for free.

Café Prestipino is open for breakfast through to the late-night suppers and has so much to offer, being a bar, restaurant, bakery, patisserie and gelateria. And we almost tried everything, coffee and pastries for morning tea, afternoon drinks and snacks, take-away hot dinner that came wrapped and tied with a bow, and of course, gelato. They have some amazing flavours we hadn’t seen or tried before, so we did have to go back a couple of times. We would return to Catania just to go back to Café Prestipino. It was a great place to start our day touring the city.Read more
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Piazza del Duomo, Catania
October 22, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Just around the corner from the Piazza Universita and Café Prestipino is the Piazza del Duomo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that represents the historic centre of the city. Catania was founded by the Greeks in 729 BC and has a rich history of cultural heritage that can be found in its beautiful monuments and building, all of which were rebuilt after Catania was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake.

The earthquake struck parts of Sicily, Italy and Malta on 11th January 1693 and was the most powerful in Italian recorded history. It destroyed at least 70 towns and cities, Catania being one of them, and killed about 60000 people. Almost two-thirds of the entire population of Catania were killed, including 7000 that died praying when the cathedral collapsed.

The Piazza del Duomo was rebuilt in 1700 on the site of the older medieval piazza. Packed full of historic sites and buildings it is the home to the richly decorated Catania Cathedral, Cattedrale di Sant’Agata which is dedicated to the patron saint of the city. Shock, surprise, we did not go into this Cathedral as it appeared to be closed whenever we walked by it, and we were quite happy to admire it from the outside.

On one side of the piazza is the Palazzo degli Elefanti which currently houses the city’s Town Hall and on the other is the Palazzo del Seminario dei Chierici, which today is home to the Diocesan Museum and municipal financial offices.

In the centre of the piazza is the whimsical Fontana dell’Elefante statue and this was one of my favourite sites in Catania. It looked so out of place amongst the elaborate buildings surrounding the square. The Fountain of the Elephant was built in 1736 and is a smiling black lava elephant dating from Roman times. The ancient Egyptian obelisk on the elephant’s back, decorated with ancient hieroglyphics, was brought from Egypt to Italy. The elephant is now the symbol of the city.

We crossed the square numerous times during our four days in Catania as the main street, Via Etna, always lead back to the square and every time I would want take more photos of the elephant. He was just that cute, not a word I would usually use to describe a historic fountain.

After a wander around the square we continued on to our next location.Read more
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Teatro Romano, Catania
October 22, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Next stop for today was a visit to the Teatro Romano, the Roman theatre built with successive enlargements over a period of time ranging from the 1st to the 4th century AD. With a diameter of about 80 meters, the orchestra, the cavea (which rests on high vaulted corridors) and some parts of the scene are still visible today.

The theatre was stripped of the marble and stone that it was made of in 1098, at the behest of Count Ruggero, in order to speed up the construction of the Cathedral of Sant’Agata, and in the 5th century inhabitants of the city were allowed to strip the theatre for building material for the construction of stone buildings, on the grounds that the monument had been abandoned for a long time. In 1550 measures were taken to secure the ruins and it was finally buried by the 1693 earthquake.

In the 18th century excavations begun to establish beyond doubt that the amphitheatre had actually existed, a point that some people of the time strongly denied. What remains today, represents about a tenth of the amphitheatre with most of the amphitheatre being below the streets. Due to different lava eruptions and earthquakes, the ground level has dropped over time and today the lower part of the building, especially the orchestra area, is washed by the waters of the river Amenano, the river that flows underground to the city, which prevents the use of the theatre for contemporary performances.

After some of the amazing historic sites we have visited this one really didn’t impresses us too much, although it is always great to learn about the history of the cities and towns we are visiting.Read more
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Catania's Churches and City Streets
October 22, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We spent the rest of the day exploring the streets and I have to admit Catania is not a very clean or inviting city once you leave the main streets. There is so much graffiti and rubbish around, lots of scaffolding, dirty buildings, it certainly isn’t on my list for places to revisit.

We did, however, pass some beautiful buildings. As a result of the 1693 earthquake, a lot of Catania was rebuilt in the splendid Baroque style of architecture with many of the buildings built of grey lava stone. One of the beautiful churches we saw was the Basilica S. Maria dell’Elemosina, also known as Basilica della Collegiata. It was completed in 1768 and is a wonderful example of Sicilian Baroque.

The other church that stood out was the Church of San Francesco D’Assisi. Surrounded by a marble balustrade with statues of St. Joseph, St. Agata and St. Chiara of Assisi, it is an impressive building with an imposing statue of Cardinal Giuseppe Dusmet on an island of greenery in front of it.

Probably the oddest thing we saw today was a ceramic figure of Spiderman attached to the outside of a beautiful Baroque building. So out of place it makes you wonder who on earth thought to put that there.

After exploring some of the streets of Catania, we returned to “our” café, Café Prestipino for some afternoon beverages and snacks, which turned into dinner. This is the part I am enjoying about Catania. Because we are here for four days due to our change of plans, we don’t have to rush to see everything and can really enjoy some down time.Read more
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La Pescheria, Catania
October 23, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
After breakfast at “our local” we made our way to La Pescheria, just off the Piazza del Duomo. At the entrance to La Pescheria, on the edge of the Piazza is Fonatana dell’Amenano, a fountain built in 1867 with fine marble from Carrara. Dedicated to the Amenano which is one of the two rivers of Catania and is no longer visible, due to the nature of an underground river that seems to have acquired in 252 BC due to an eruption of Etna that literally buried it. The fountain is formed by a large white shell-shaped container and above it stands the statue of Amenano, a pagan deity worshiped by the Greeks and seems to be a fitting entrance to La Pescheria.

La Pescheria is the weekday fish markets, a rowdy spectacle surround by seafood restaurants, most of which were still closed when we were there. This is definitely a place to experience and is a photographer’s paradise. So much to see from the stalls filled with different types of fish, silver sardines shimmering in the sunlight, sword fish strung up to appear to be bursting from the water, crustaceasns, octopuses that still move and tuna as tall as humans. Add in the wrinkled and sun hardened fishermen, it is a shopping experience like no other.

Along side the fish market is the food market with stalls selling huge wheels of so many different types of cheeses, slaughtered meats hung everywhere, shaved sheep heads, huge sausage strings, and tables filled to abundance with colourful fresh fruit and vegetables. Sacks full of nuts, jars of spices, artichokes being cooked over open fires, so much is going on. It is a taste of the real CataniaRead more
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Castello Ursino, Catania
October 23, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Our next stop for today was the Castello Ursino. Also known as the Castello Svevo di Catania, it is a castle built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily and is mostly known for its role in the Sicilian Vespers when it became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. Built between 1230 and 1250, it is one of the few buildings to survive the earthquake of 1693. When the castle was first built, it was on a cliff looking out to sea, however as the result of volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes, it is now a kilometre inland.

The Museo Civico opened in the restored castle in 1934 and it now houses artefacts and artwork from the castle as well as the greater geographical area. It is home to the valuable archaeological collection of the Biscoris, Catania’s most important aristocratic family, and includes colossal classical sculptures, Greek vases, some fine mosaics and some very interesting paintings. We were quite surprised at how vivid the colours still are today but what surprised us the most was the gruesome themes in a lot of the paintings. The artists certainly were a macabre lot.

This is a pretty cool looking castle with part of its moat still intact, although today it is a green space filled with cats and kittens. The museum space inside is modern but it has been restored in such a way that parts of the old castle blend perfectly with the newer structure. The courtyard appears to be the only place that has not been touched as it is fairly empty but for some broken ancient pots and columns in disrepair, and I even loved photographing this space too.Read more
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Chiesa della Badia di Sant'Agata
October 23, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
On our way back to our apartment we decided we should step inside at least one church while we are here in Catania so we stopped by the Chiesa della Badia di Sant’Agata, adjacent to the Cattedrale di Sant’Agata. With its elegant concave-convex façade, this 18th century church was rebuilt between 1733 and 1767 after the Catania earthquake.

Compared to many of the other churches we have visited, this one has a real simplicity that highlights the amazing chandelier, the dramatic Carrara marble floors and amber-coloured altars in Castronovo marble. While the inside of the dome is very simple, it offers 360-degree panoramic views, but we decided we didn’t want to make the climb. We had done quite a lot of walking today and had already admired the views of Catania from the top of the Castello Ursino.

After quite a big walking day we spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying some down time.Read more
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Fera o' Luna Mercato, Catania
October 24, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
For our last full day in Catania we decided to visit the local market, Fera o’ Luni, which is the oldest outdoor market in the city, and has been held in Piazza Carlo Alberto since the 1830s. Originally held on the first day of the week, it is now open every morning from Monday to Friday and all-day Saturday. And this market is massive, it has long outgrown the Piazza and now covers the streets on either side. I was quite excited to see a local market, thinking it would be so very different to ours at home, but I was disappointed. Most of the stalls sell cheap items from China, t-shirts, gadgets, tacky toys, fake watches and with stall after stall after stall all selling the same stuff, it isn’t very interesting. Closer to the Piazza are the food, vegetable, fruit and cheese stalls and the flea market stalls with piles of clothes and boxes of shoes, tables weighed down with materials. It feels like a grubby version of our markets at home and really wasn’t worth the time or effort to walk through it. What did amaze me was the sheer size of the market and even with a bit of elevation, photographs do to show how expansive the sea of market umbrellas is.

The good thing about visiting the market is it took us to another side of Catania, so once we made our way through the markets, we explored the streets on this side of town. As we walked up one of the main streets this morning, we noticed the road had been closed off and as we got to the corner we discovered why. Someone had strung a protest sign on the side of the building and there was obviously a threat of someone jumping or falling as below was the big blow-up cushion the fire-fighters put out to stop people from jumping or falling to their deaths. Of course we stopped with all the other rubberneckers to try and work out what was going on but as the situation seemed to be ongoing, we continued on to see what other sights Catania had to offer.

Our walk today took us past the Roman Amphitheatre of Catania, built in the 2nd century AD and with only a small section of the structure now visible below ground level, it really wasn’t that impressive. Poor Catania, we have seen so many amazing historic sites so far on this trip that Catania has a lot to be compared to. If this was our first stop in Italy and not our last, we would have been more amazed and impressed.

Next to the Amphitheatre is the Palazzo Tezzano, started in 1709 on land owned by the count and physician Nicholas Tezzano, it was later donated to the city of Catania and transformed into a hospital between 1720 and 1727. Today it houses financial institutions, shops and cafes.

On the western side of the Amphitheatre is the Chiesa San Biagio, also known as the church of Sant’Agata alla Fornace. This church stands on the site where the furnace in which Sant’Agata suffered martyrdom was located. In fact, after being locked up in prison for not wanting to adjure her faith, she as first subjected to torture with fire and then her breasts were removed. They certainly were a barbaric people if you did not agree with their religion.Read more
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Giardino Bellini, Catania
October 24, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Our last stop for the day is the Giardino Bellini, also known as Villa Bellini. It is the oldest urban park in Catania and occupies 70.942 m2. Before the construction of a public garden the area was occupied by a botanical maze owned by the prince of Biscari. In 1854, the Comune di Catania bought the area of the maze and in 1864 started to adapt the area into a public garden. The Giardino Bellini was finally inaugurated in 1883.

I think the most exciting thing about visiting the park, besides enjoying the greenery amongst the city of stone, was the view of Mt Etna in the distance. It was quite a shock to realise we were as close to it as we were, especially as it is the highest active and largest volcano in Europe. And it is only 35km from where we are staying. Maybe I should have researched that before staying here.

After a lovely stroll around the gardens, enjoying the shade, we made our way back to our accommodation for our afternoon riposo. We enjoyed our last afternoon and night with dinner and drinks at our Café before heading out early the next morning to catch a plane to Santorini, Greece. We had our final glimpse of Mt Etna smoking in the distance as we entered the airport. The smoking part had me concerned so I was happy we were moving on, although I was sad to be leaving Italy. It has truly captured my heart.Read more
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Santorini
October 25, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Our destination for today was the beautiful island of Santorini. Upon landing in Rome for our connection we checked the weather for Santorini and the site said it was thunderstorms today, so we expected to land in bad weather. However once again the weather turned in our favour and we arrived to the most amazing blue skies with no clouds in sight. The thunderstorms had been and gone.

We were met at the airport by our driver and fifteen minutes later we were checking in to our accommodation for the next four days, Ellinon Thea Boutique Hotel. Once again we were very happy with our room and our little terrace had its own spa from which we could sit and watch the sun set. We very quickly unpacked and headed out to explore our little town of Firostefani.

Firostefani is a fifteen-minute walk from Fira, the capital of Santorini, but it really is just an extension of the capital. I selected this place because of its closeness to Fira and for its views of Santorini’s well-known spectacular sunsets. Santorini’s sunsets are considered one of the most famous sunsets worldwide.

Even though the sun was shining the wind was howling and it was bitterly cold. That still didn’t take away from our enjoyment of this beautiful town. We loved the white buildings built into the brown and red cliffs against the amazing blue sky and blue sea.

We were a bit peckish so decided to try the cafe just below our accommodation, Golden Sunset Cafe. The host was extremely welcoming and we enjoyed having a laugh with him. We ordered what we thought was going to be a plate of calamari rings but in fact it was a grilled squid, all of it, and it was delicious.

After our late lunch we had a quick stroll around Firostefani before heading back to the Golden Sunset Cafe for another drink while we watched our first Santorini sunset, and it was spectacular. I have to say the wines here extremely easy to drink and very big, so we were feeling quite merry, but very cold, by the time the sun had set.

We returned to our room, Brad had a very quick dip in the spa (it was not heated), and we then ordered in for dinner. It was our first taste of a Greek gyros, another thing we like about Greece. We are looking forward to our four days of relaxation here at Santorini.Read more
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Fira, Santorini
October 26, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Today we woke to the most amazing breakfast, served on our terrace overlooking the brilliant blue sea. This is truly a beautiful place. Not only was our breakfast delicious, we also had some company join us…the local pussycat. We have no idea how he/she got into our terrace area but it certainly made itself at home. Just made us miss Pip.

After we had fuelled up for the morning we headed out to explore Fira, also known as Thira. Fira is the beautiful capital of Santorini, located on the top of a cliff of the Caldera. It is also the biggest and most cosmopolitan settlement of Santorini and where the cruise ships dock on their Greek cruises, so it is usually extremely busy. It wasn’t too far from where we were staying but there were a lot of steps to walk down, which meant there were a lot of steps to walk back up again. Santorini really is a tourist town and there were lots of tourist shops but what I really like is there are shops that sell items unique to the area, lots of artworks made by locals. It was nice to do a bit of window shopping.

We weren’t planning on checking out the tourist sites as we were here to relax and enjoy the area, eat great food, admire the amazing scenery and soak up the gorgeous sunsets. We did check out one church but that was only because we were passing and we hadn’t seen inside a Greek church yet. We stopped at the Catholic Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, built in 1823, but completely restored and rebuilt in 1970 after the earthquake of 1956. The churches here are so different to those we have seen in Italy. The exteriors are very simple in style with little to no decoration, not statues or gargoyles, just very simplistic shapes with contrasting colours. And while the exteriors are painted in softer tones, the interiors are very colourful and quite elaborate in their decorations with their painted walls, ceilings and arches. It was cool to check inside.

Other than visiting the church, we were quite happy just to wander the streets and admire the views. I love the contrasts of the crisp white buildings and the blue Greek flags against the background of browns and reds of the cliffs and the blue of the sky and the sea. I didn’t realise when booking that the island shuts down on 31st October and we are at the very end of the tourist season. The huge plus with visiting now is there is hardly anyone about so we really get to enjoy the area. We had heard from friends how crowded Santorini is and we were not looking forward to the crowds. This is heaven.

The one thing we really had to see were the famous Santorini donkeys but we had no desire to walk to the harbour and catch a donkey back up. We were quite happy walking down to where the donkeys were kept, which wasn’t too far from the top, taking a few photos and heading back up. We had a very enjoyable morning.Read more
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Three Bells of Fira, Santorini
October 26, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
One the way back we managed to find the well-known church of the three bells, the Catholic Church of Koimisi Tis Theotokou, and it was a bit harder to find than we thought it would be but we got there in the end. The church is famed for its three bells, blue dome and picturesque views but to be honest I was a bit surprised when we got there as I was expecting a much grander and elaborate structure. And while it is definitely beautiful, there are other sites on the island equally as stunning. I did however appreciate the simplicity of it against the backdrop of the island and the sea. When we got there, there were two wedding parties vying for the best photography spots, so we were lucky to find space to take a couple of photos.Read more
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Firastefani, Santorini
October 26, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
After seeing the church of the three bells, we made our way to the other side of Firastefani. It is not as touristy here as it is in Fira, with the shops catering more to people staying in the accommodations nearby. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants, a grocery/alcohol shop and only the odd tourist shop. Due to it being the end of the season, not all the cafes were open and those that were, were running their supplies down so full menus weren’t available. That didn’t stop us from finding a nice place to enjoy another Greek lunch, although this one came with a higher price tag than our previous meals. We enjoyed a very delicious lunch at Casa di Te, and it has been nice trying a different cuisine after seven weeks in Italy. Brad is loving the squid and octopus and we even decided to splurge and share a dessert.

After a wander around Firastefani we spent the afternoon relaxing on our terrace, enjoying some downtime. It was also the perfect vantage point to watch another amazing sunset and we didn’t have to be out in the very cool breeze. It is certainly getting a lot cooler here.

For dinner we ventured out to Remvi Restaurant, a very lovely restaurant overlooking the coastline. Due to the cooler weather we were sat inside and while we didn’t have the views, it had a lovely warm feel to it. The staff were so friendly, and the atmosphere was so inviting. Brad enjoyed warm lamb shanks for dinner while I went a bit lighter after our big lunch and had a chicken Caesar salad. We finished the night with a local orange cake specialty, and it was delicious. We had such a lovely, easy night and we are really enjoying the end of tourist season vibe happening in Santorini. I know we would not want to be here in the height of tourist season as we have heard how incredibly busy and packed it is. It was lovely being able to stroll the empty streets and enjoy the night-time views on our way back to our accommodation.Read more
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Oia, Santorini
October 27, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Another easy morning with a very delicious breakfast on our terrace. This is such a beautiful place to wake up to and we are loving the ease of staying here. We had a very relaxing morning lazing in the spa and just chilling out.

We decided to go to “our local”, the Golden Sunset Cafe for lunch and Brad once again ordered his favourite, grilled squid, and I tried the local tomato balls which were delicious. Brad has been enjoying the local beer, Mythos, and the local white wine has been very easy to drink. Initially we did think €5 per glass was expensive but it is a very big glass and they fill it to the top. Great value.

After lunch we decided to catch the bus to Oia, the other well known town of Santorini. The bus ride was interesting as there appear to be no limit to the number of people you can fit on a bus. We were crammed in and actually stood in the back stairwell for most of the journey.

It was very interesting seeing the contrast between the “tourist” towns and the local areas of Santorini. It is very dry and arid looking here and we did wonder how the locals survive as there is very little farming. The other thing we were unaware of when booking was that the majority of the towns close down once the tourist season is over and I do wonder how many of the locals actually stay on the island.

Oia is a very pretty town and different to Fira in that there is more colour in the buildings and a slightly different style. I loved wandering through the shops as they offered different things to what Fira offered. We walked into an art gallery and walked out with a lovely canvas picture of one of the many interesting doors in Oia. We love taking home a piece of art to put on the walls as it is a constant reminder of our wonderful adventures.

We spent a very relaxing afternoon strolling the laneways, patting the cats, and taking some great photos of the vista. Viewing the sunset from Oia is meant to be the best vantage point to see the sun setting on Santorini but we decided we didn’t want to hang around as the town was filling up with more tourists and we were very happy with the view from our terrace in Firastefani.

We caught the bus home, not as squashed this time, and spent the rest of the day enjoying our down time on our terrace. Another excellent day in Santorini.Read more
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Santorini
October 28, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
It is our last day in Santorini and we are very sad to be leaving here as it has been so relaxing and peaceful. We have absolutely loved our time here. We will sorely miss the amazing breakfasts enjoyed on our patio, our holiday pet cat that has joined us for breakfast every day, relaxing on our terrace admiring the stunning vista, the Golden Sunset Café with its delicious food and fabulous host, and the most beautiful sunsets we have ever experienced. This is a magical place that we have both fallen in love with.

We spent our last day enjoying the area around us, no itinerary, no deadlines, just walking, talking, eating and drinking and having a great time. We spent our last evening back at the Golden Sunset Café as it seemed quite fitting that we have our last meal back where we started, and where we have stopped at least once every day since. Enjoying the fabulous Greek hospitality, we enjoyed our last meal while watching our last sensational Santorini sunset.Read more
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Monastiraki Square, Athens
October 29, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We said a sad goodbye to Santorini today and made our way to Athens by plane. What I didn’t know when booking our flights was that the plane from Santorini to Athens is a small plane, a very small plane. Brad got so excited when we checked in at the airport and asked how full the plane was and the reply was that there were only 40 people booked for the flight. He had started picturing us having an aisle of seats each for the flight, room to spread out etc. What we discovered upon boarding the plane was that it only fit 40 people!! And we had to wait on the tarmac for the pilot to casually arrive before we could board. Brad was positive he was going to die on his birthday. I didn’t mind the smaller plane as we flew a bit closer to the ground and could see a lot more. I figured there was also less distance to fall should we have any issues. Needless to say Brad was more than relieved when we landed in Athens.

Our next adventure was with our taxi driver. Brad found a mobile phone on his seat when he hopped in the taxi and our driver said it belonged to his friend. Anyway, his friend happened to pass us on the highway so our taxi driver went after him, honking his horn trying to get him to pull over. It had the opposite effect with the other taxi driver driving even faster. I think at one point we were doing close to 160km/h trying to get this guy’s attention. He eventually realised who was chasing him and finally pulled over – in the middle of the highway. And we thought the Italians thought they were indestructible on the roads. It certainly was an experience.

We somehow managed to survive the flight and the taxi ride and finally made it to our accommodation for the next couple of nights. Due to changes in our itinerary we now have six nights in Athens instead of four but were unable to extend our original booking so we booked a room at Athens’s Luxury Suites. Our room was great, spacious with a very big comfy bed and a roomy bright red bathroom. We were impressed.

After checking in and a rest we headed out for dinner and to check out our surroundings. We could see the Acropolis and the Parthenon lit up in the distance and can’t wait to visit it tomorrow. We walked down to the Monastiraki Square, the main square in the old town of Athens. This seemed to be the central spot for the neighbourhood and everywhere we visited always seemed to return to this spot. From here we made our way to a street full of restaurants, with hosts trying to entice passers-by inside with their colourful menus and iPads, very 21st century. We chose to have dinner at Efxaris, a traditional Greek restaurant. I happened to mention it was Brad’s birthday and boy did he get spoilt. We were given free drinks and desserts and the band even sang Happy Birthday to Brad, which embarrassed him completely. The food was delicious, and it is nice to try another cuisine.

We ended the night with a stroll through the area, being amazed at the ruins we were walking amongst, checking out some of the market stalls and trying our first Greek gelato. We are looking forward to hitting the streets tomorrow.Read more
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Bella Italia 2018
Gate of Medrese (Madrasah), Athens
October 30, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Today is the day Brad gets to visit the Acropolis and he is so excited about it. Seeing it lit up on the hill when we were out last night was a bit surreal. There are so many ancient ruins throughout Athens that are just a part of every day life here. So much history and so many interesting things to see. On our way to the Acropolis I saw this beautiful door and decided to photograph it. It stood out, probably because of its colour or its position, and it wasn’t until we were back at our room that I discovered the importance of that door.

It is called the Gate of Medrese and is a visible reminder of dark times. The doorway is all that remains of the Ottoman era Islamic Madrasa (Theological School) of Athens. In the center of the courtyard was a large plane tree that became a gathering place for leaders of the Muslim community. Over time, this tree became the symbol of the Madrasa.

The school was built in 1721 and was later converted to a prison. During its years as a prison, the living quarters became overcrowded, inhumane prison cells, and the plane tree became a hangman’s tree for hundreds of executions. Those not executed were subjected to torture and slavery.

The Madrasa was nearly destroyed during the early part of the Greek War of Independence. After the liberation of Athens, the Madrasa was rebuilt and used as barracks by the Greek Army for the remainder of the war. After the Greeks’ victory, it was converted yet again, this time into a prison for both Turks and Greek political prisoners. The new Greek government revived the hangings on the plane tree for “deserving” Turks and traitorous Greeks.

The prison was finally closed right before the 20th century, and the Archaeology Department began demolition in search of older and more important artefacts. By 1915, all that remained was the main door and a small portion of the adjacent exterior walls. The tree was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1919, appropriately closing a chapter on the horrific things that took place on and around it.

The door is now a symbol of its history, a dark reminder of what has been before.Read more
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Bella Italia 2018
The Acropolis, Athens
October 30, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Next stop was the Acropolis and I have to admit I wanted to postpone this trip to a sunnier day as it was quite overcast and I love photographing these ancient sites against a bright blue sky whenever possible. But Brad was determined to go today.

With a €20 entrance fee, it is the most expensive site we have visited on this whole trip but I have to admit it was an amazing feeling walking where people worked and worshipped so many centuries ago. Construction of the Parthenon commenced in 447 BC and it is amazing there is still anything left to see.

Over the years attempts at restoration have actually caused more damage and there is major restoration work still happening. Today’s restoration processes involve replacing missing sections with temporary pieces while they search to find the original piece amongst the piles of collected original pieces. It is like a giant jigsaw and it is great to see they are attempting to restore it to its original authentic state.

The Acropolis site also contains the ruins of many shrines and temples, including the Temple of Erechtheion built between 421 – 406 BC, and a theatre, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus built in 161 AD.

The sheer size of these structures makes you wonder how on earth they were built without the modern machinery we have today, and the location on the top of the hill would have added to those challenges. Standing amongst these amazing structures, looking over Athens is a great feeling.Read more
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Bella Italia 2018
Greek Graffiti
October 30, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
One thing that surprised me as we walked the streets of Athens was the amount of graffiti. It still amazes me that people will vandalise such historic buildings and vandalise other people’s artwork. There appears to be a lot of street art, which is different to graffiti, but it too has been tagged and vandalised. That is one thing that doesn’t seem to happen at home, if a space has been covered with artwork it doesn’t seem to get graffitied.

There are definitely some unusual pieces of street art adorning some of the walls, they really make you question what on earth the “artist” was thinking when they created it. In some places it has improved the small alleyways but it other places it just seems so wrong to have street art and graffiti destroying the look of the old buildings.Read more
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Bella Italia 2018
Plaka Markets, Athens
October 30, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the Plaka markets and the Plaka district. One thing I love here compared to Italy is the amount of greenery and shade. There are plants everywhere, spilling over balconies, hanging off fences, lining the cobblestone laneways, it has a very inviting and lush feel. There are so many restaurants and cafes nestled amongst the trees, spilling onto the surrounding stairs and lanes, it has a great vibe.

Some of the items on display in the market did make us do a double take with the most surprising one being the racks of wooden penises of all sizes and colours. We weren’t sure what the significance is to Athens so we asked one of the vendors. She told us they just sold well so no reason other than they are a novelty gift that makes money. The other thing that freaked us out every time we walked through the market was the “Children of the Corn” mannequins. Very creepy.

I did love a lot of the shop displays and I loved the colours and vibrancy of the market. Even though there is a lot of tourist tatt for sale, there were also some very authentic and nice pieces to be found.Read more
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Bella Italia 2018
Plaka, Athens
October 30, 2018 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
The Plaka district is built on top of the old residential area of ancient Athens and is known as the "Neighbourhood to the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and many archaeological sites. The Plaka area has a real mix to it, some streets have quite elegant buildings that are well looked after, and other streets have run downs buildings covered in graffiti. Some of the walls on some of the buildings have been built from pieces from older building, recycling their decorative pieces to create interesting walls and laneways. It does appear to be quite decorate here – even the bars on the windows have a bit of decoration.

We stopped at one of the tree-canopied covered cafes for lunch where we enjoyed a traditional Greek meal of Souvlaki with pita and tzatziki. It was very surprising that it was served with chips as we hadn’t had any so far on our trip but the salad was very welcomed, as I had been missing that.

One thing about the area is that no matter where you are, if you look up you can see the Acropolis atop the hill with the large Greek flag flying proudly overlooking the city. It is a pretty impressive sight. It was a wonderful first day in Athens which we finished with a stroll back down to Monastiraki Square for another Greek dinner. It is a bustling, vibrant area to enjoy the evening.Read more
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