Living out our childhood dreams

So, ever since we saw Sisterhood of the Travelling pants 2, Kiera and I have been dying to go to Santorini Greece. Since Kiera was coming to Europe anyways, we decided to extend our vacation and head over to Greece..after all this is her last summer as a single lady😏!

The cheapest option was to fly to Athens first so we even got to do a little bit of cultural stuff before relaxing on the beach for a week. We got to our hostel (side note; super proud of my sister for her first hostel experience!) and were starving, so we asked the front desk for a recommendation. They sent us to the most FABULOUS restaurant where we got Greek Salad, Mousaka, Tzaziki, pita bread and Greek wine..all for 10 Euro. I think it was then and there that I fell in love with the country of Greece.😍 

After eating ourselves to the brim, we walked around the city to explore a bit. Despite Kiera stopping to feed every stray cat she saw, we eventually made it back to the hostel in time for happy hour. We sat up on the rooftop terrace which overlooks the Acropolis and watched the sunset. It was unbelievably surreal!

 

The next day we explored Athens, had another delicious lunch and then decided to work off lunch by climbing up to the Acropolis. I have had so many travel experiences, but this is one of my all time favorites. We got about halfway up the hill, and there was a lookout point over the entire city. I could hear Greek music drifting up from below and above me was one of the most iconic ruins in the world. My best friend was next to me and I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be experiencing this. It was truly a moment I will remember forever! 

We continued our hike to the very top and although we were both out of breath, it was so worth that climb. Pictures just don't do it justice, but here are a couple of my favorites.

                  

After a couple of days of touristing hard, we were ready to get to the beach and just relax. Despite a minor mishap at the airport that I will never let Kiera live down (I mean really, who forgets to check their suitcase?! 😛) we made our flight to the beautiful island of Santorini! We didn't get there until after midnight but the owner of the hotel was still up, awaiting us with bottles of water and a fruit platter. We SERIOUSLY hit the jackpot with this place. The owners were an adorable little Greek couple who made it their mission to make sure our stay in Santorini was unforgettable..and it was!

This is the beautiful beach that was right down the street from our hotel! Most of our days were spent right here under the umbrellas, relaxing and enjoying the epic scenery 😎😎

One morning the owner of the hotel offered to take us to the Red Beach.. He even pulled over for some scenic views along the way. Oh and he was our own personal photographer!   

                     

As we toured the island I realized that it was a lot bigger than I had expected! Between the crystal clear blue water and the stunning bright flowers, beauty was around every corner. And what would a trip to Santorini be without a basic floppy hat picture? Thanks for this epic shot Keeks! 

                                                    

One of my favorite things we did in Santorini was a sail around the islands. I always thought of Santorini as one island but in fact there are five islands; two volcanoes and 3 inhabited islands. On our day trip we first sailed to the larger volcano which is actually still active! We got to hike to the top and saw the steam coming out from the top..and the best part was the 360 panorama, said to be the best view in Santorini! 

It wasn't very comfortable hiking to the top of a volcano in flip flops but I have no regrets 😛Next up was the smaller volcano, which has hot springs surrounding it because of the sulfur. We got to jump off the boat and swim over to the hot spring, which was like bath water. After splashing around we headed to a smaller little island for lunch and some more swimming. We met some Australians who showed us how to do "bombies" (cannon balls) and then headed off to our last stop, Oia!

I don't know about you, but when I think of Santorini I immediately picture white builidings with blue domes. Oia is the amazing village that is everything I imagined and more. The boat dropped us off at the bottom of the island and it literally looked like a postcard:

 Amazement quickly turned to fear when I realized we had two options: walk all the way to the top in the 95 degree heat or ride a donkey up. The decision was quickly made for us when we found out they were out of donkeys for the moment and so we begrudgingly began our ascent. We almost got trampled by a donkey stampede and were moments from dying of heatstroke (or so it seemed) but when we got to the top we turned around and saw the most jaw dropping view, and we realized that climb was SO well worth it!

After chugging like five waterbottles and chowing down some pasta we were ready to experience the famous Oia sunset! Thanks to the help of some friendly South Africans we climbed up a wall, out onto a rooftop and settled in for the magic.

Overall, our experience in Santorini was everything I hoped for and more. I am beyond blessed to have experienced this magical place with my best friend and sister! You drive me crazy like no one else can but I wouldn't trade you (or this vacation) for the world! Thanks for making me laugh until I can't breathe and for all the memories that will last forever💕