Athens, Greece

the view from my penthouse suite. down on the streets it wasn't so sweet. junkies, dealers, and hot pink lepoard print wearing ladies patrol the streets downstairs. I'm talking about the Omonia district. 

the parthenon and its commanding position over athens

question: which is better: a) let the ruins rest where they may be or b) reconstruct the parts into their original structures. pros: a) where the ruins end up lying is part of the story of history and in a way is more true b) we have the opportunity to view the "original" structure and get a sense of its intended glory. cons: a) ruins a lot of times look just that: ruins, and nothing much else. just carved rocks littering the ground, b) its not real. and reconstruction can be done poorly and the end result is tacky and an insult to the original.

i vote for b, if done properly, because looking at a bunch of rocks or faded paintings with holes in them isn't as impressive as seeing what it was supposed to look like. but, as you can see in the above pic, if you don't use the same material and color match the elements, it can look like a bit frankensteinish.

plaza in monastiraki

little shop of horrors plants that can be found in the mountains. these things have a 8 ft diameter.

Naxos, Greece

the sunsets here are lovely. haven't seen a cloud in the sky since i've arrived in greece, and they (the clouds) usually make the sunsets better. but even without, each night we're treated to a gentle pastel watercolor of blues, pinks, oranges and purples.

Santorini, Greece

fyi i took the blue star ferry to santorini but planes and airports are cool so i had to check the place out.

howl like a wolf! full moon over santorini. @ iso 25,600 booyah!

the cliffside village of ois. fyi there are no street names or addresses in santorini. a bit difficult finding specific places (e.g. how do to explain directions?) but the greeks are more than willing to assist, just ask. they are, in general, some of the friendliest people i've met so far.

greek orthodox church. (pants and long sleeve shirt required)

a lot of homes have these reverse christmas trees, but only one per household it seems. up close the leaves reveal themselves as elongated pinecones that writhe like groups of green snakes in the wind.

 

red beach

that dark sand gets hot! at other beaches the sand is black.

windmill homes

50cc's of raw power. this was my mode of transportation while in santorini. two wheels are always better than four.

now, one of the many awesome things about santorini islands is they are actually formed from a volcanic caldera. a long time ago the volcano erupted and left a ring of islands that the people chose to live on. the island in the middle , just above the scooter, is the dome of the volcano and there are hot springs there you can swim in. the farthest island towards the top of the pic is the other side of the caldera some 7 miles away.

ferry docking @ koh

full speed ahead!