A South Dakota Wedding

Our friends James and Jesse were married in St. Francis, South Dakota this week.  I was so pleased to receive these photos of their special day.  Jesse's wedding dress is from the same Portland designer as mine and I was honored to complete her "something borrowed" with the matching bolero.  My fingers and toes are crossed that they are able to travel back to Portland for their west coast toast with family and friends, it seems Mother Nature has added some hurdles with a rather large snow storm in the Midwest.  Congratulations again and lots of love.

Our final Greek Sunset

Our hotel gave us a complimentary bottle of white wine from the island, it was a perfect addition to the romantic setting

I am wearing an early birthday gift from Scott, a necklace of turquoise from Persia.

Scott: "This has been a wonderful trip."

Me:  "Can we come back next month?"

Our Last Day in Santorini

We awoke to clear skies, a bright sun and a calm sea.  It was a perfect way to end our vacation.  We walked one last time down to Fira and spent the rest of the day at our hotel enjoying the sun by the pool and reading.

The view from our hotel's pool deck where we ate breakfast every morning

Clock tower in Fira

A yacht parked in the port below Fira.  Notice the helicopter?  It was flying around the island later in the afternoon.

Capturing the contrast of the dark blue sea with the bright white buildings

Me

My Love

Football and Beer

Last Saturday our friend Kyle had some people over to watch college football. For at least a few hours we felt like we were right back at home:  watching the games, drinking beer, eating nachos ... it was great.

We even started the afternoon off playing catch with a real football, something that I had not done for at least a year. It was exciting to throw the ole pigskin around and we were able to raise a few eyebrows from the Swiss people in the neighborhood. It also made me (re)appreciate how incredible quarterbacks are. They can throw such accurate passes in games with fast huge guys trying to cream them.

So with my renewed appreciation for the game we tapped the keg (see picture) and watch ESPN America for the next 5 hours. The only difference between being here in Geneva and back in the US was the type of beer and the fact that I'd probably have watched football for 12 hours!

Sunset from Oia

Blue Rooftops in Oia

On our third evening in Greece we enjoyed watching the sunset from the northern point of the island in the town of Oia.  The blue rooftops appear in many of the images when you Google Santorini.  The rain started to sprinkle on us this evening and a drop appears to have landed perfectly on our camera lense and caused a blur in some of the photos.

Smart Car

Yes, we did it.  After contemplating renting an ATV we chose a Smart Car.  When else are we going to be able to drive such a tiny car?  We literally drove from one end of the island to the other, stopped off at a few beaches and ended the day in Oia for the sunset and dinner.  Scott enjoyed filming me driving in circles at a lookout point and let me drive for about fifteen more minutes, then the car was in his control for the rest of the day.  I think he secretly loved it.

Stray dogs

We noticed that Santorini does have a stray dog problem, luckily they didn't bother us or beg for food, but they managed to find their way into a few photos.  We also warn to always mind your step while walking on the sidewalks or other footpaths.

Fira, Greece

On our second evening we walked to Fira for dinner, it is a short twenty minute stroll along a pedestrian path that looks out onto the sea the entire way.  The main port of the island is below Fira, this is where the many cruise ships and ferries that make stops in Santorini have their passengers arrive.  You can hire donkeys to pack your suitcases up the steep incline to the town.  The steps are numbered, as you will see in the photo below.

Since we were in Santorini at the end of the tourist season, many restaurants and bars were closing for the winter.  We were lucky enough to eat at two restaurants on their last nights!  On this night we enjoyed drinks at the Tropical Bar and dinner at Naoussa Restaurant, we would recommend both.

Fira

The numbered steps from the port to Fira

Egg Press at Globus!

While doing a little shopping at Globus yesterday I came across cards made by Egg Press, one of my favorite local Portland businesses.  I love sending cards and many of you have probably received an Egg Press card from me over the past year.  I hope their cards are a success in the Geneva market.

A Greek Sunset

Thank you to our camera's tripod and timer setting for capturing these moments and this sunset.

A cruise ship sailing off into the sunset

More Photos of Firostefani

More of the contrasting blue and white

The door that leads into the sea...

This flowering plant could be seen all over the island

Walking around Firostefani

After enjoying our breakfast on Friday, we decided to walk around our town, Firostefani.  The sun was out, but so was the wind, so the walk was shorter than we had originally anticipated.  It was a bit shocking how dirty parts of the island were and yet also so gorgeous.  We have become spoiled by just how clean and tidy citizens of Switzerland keep things.  The amount of litter all around surprised us the most.  Still it is a beautiful place to visit and we enjoyed every moment.

Looking back at Firostefani

Scott's mane blowing in the wind

Close up!  

Breakfast by the sea

The view from our room

The view from our chairs during breakfast on the first morning

I love the contrast of the bright white with the deep blue of the sea, it was soothing.

Sun Rocks

The entrance to our room

Our sitting area

Lots of white ~ white walls, white blankets, white sheets, white towels, white floor, etc.

Modern bath with a large sink ~ The ceiling was also curved

Fun shower head

Upon arriving we were given glasses of champagne and found fresh fruit in our room.

I am ready to go back...