"Bullied" - A Short Film by Alex Plane

We showed Alex's video to our school. He made this video about bullying for his IB project. Sorry that it can't be shown on mobile devices. We are very proud of him.

Just A Teen (Official Lyric Video)

Alex's IB Art Exhibit

Went to Alex's exhibit today in the torrential rain. We are so proud of what he has accomplished!

Going to Mykonos

Our ferry ride from Santorini to Mykonos island was about two and half hours.  When we met our Gate 1 Tour guide at the port in Mykonos he said our hotel was overbooked and we have been upgraded.  First I was disappointed because the hotel I had chosen was very close to downtown and the hotel we ended up was near a beach and a bus ride from downtown.  However, when we got to our hotel it was beautiful and we were treated very well.  

The houses in Mykonos are rectangular.  Still white with blue doors and windows.

The hotel sent us a bottle of wine for our anniversary

Our hotel

Inside our hotel room


We ended up asking the hotel where we should go eat that night for dinner.  They suggested eating at a local Greek restaurant.  So we walked down to the beach.  I did have to ask two people on the street to find the restaurant.  When we did find it, I ordered a glass of wine.  The waiter asked "Half or Full?" so I said "Full" thinking why would I want a half of glass of wine.  He then brought me a full liter of wine in this red pitcher.  Januck had a good laugh!  We ordered Souvlaki, which is like Japanese Yakitori or Kebabs.  It was very good but way too much meat.

We went back to the hotel after dinner and I asked the receptionist if we could still take a swim in the pool right outside our room even though the Pool sign said until 6 p.m.  They said the rules don't really apply so to go ahead and take a swim.  We did and really enjoyed it!

Taking a volcano tour on Santorini

So, we were picked up from our hotel to board a boat to an island with a crater we could walk up to.  All of the island of Santorini is on a caldera.  We got on and had an English guide who also spoke French to the many French tourists on board.  We also went to a Hot springs site where we could take a dip and an island where we ate lunch.  We always took the suggestions of the tour guides and hotel receptionists on local places to eat and we were happy with the places they recommended most of the time.  Such a fun day!

Januck and I at the the crater

Sulfur hole

Hot Springs

Enjoying the sun on the boat

The small island where we stopped for lunch

Moussaka and Greek salad for lunch

Januck enjoying the water from our restaurant

The clear water

Many stray and hungry cats in the outdoor cafe/restaurants in Greece.  This one liked Januck.

Ha!  Ha!

Oia build on the cliff.

It was a nice day on the boat and then we went back to Kamari Beach near our hotel.  We went back to the restaurant we ate at the night before and I bought a pair of blue glass earrings from an old man on the beach street.

Chicken with the vizcaino wine sauce

Another greek salad

Went into the pool again.  This time Januck is more relaxed with his shoes off!

2nd Day- Santorini

We slept well and had a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Really enjoyed the Greek yogurt.  I watched people put granola, fruit and honey on it.  It was delicious that way.
The Gate 1 tour representative told us we could take the city bus around the island.  So we asked the hotel where to find the bus stop.  It was only a 10 minute walk from the hotel.  I had researched before going to Santorini about a Wine museum and tasting near the hotel.  So we decided even though it was 11 a.m. that we would stop there first and then take the bus into Fira for lunch.
The bus was so crowded and there was a man going down the aisle collecting money.  He never got to me before we got off at the Winery.  I thought Januck was paying for me and he thought I had paid for myself.  What an experience!  Much different than Japan where we pay the driver when we get off.

The Winery Entrance

The museum was in a cave

Wine barrels inside the cave

We tried 4 different wines.  One was a sweeter wine called Vizcaino that the Greeks cook with- later we had a chicken dish used with this wine.
After the winery, we got back on the City bus and went to the city of Fira.  I had heard so much about this city being built on a cliff and being a beautiful and romantic place.  The bus was once again very crowded but I was able to pay my fare this time.  The last stop in Fira was at the bus terminal and it was on top of the cliffs.  The cruise ships that come into the port can take the cable car or donkey up the hill.  We walked along the cliff and found a delightful restaurant that overlooked the water.

Our lunch was tomato balls and seafood salad.

Cruise ships docked at Fira in the caldera

The cliffs of Fira

Beautiful day in Fira

We ended up walking around more after lunch and getting some delicious ice cream where they make their own flavors.  Januck got pralines and I got coffee almond crunch- so good!
We had heard the sunsets in Oia- (pronounced without the O) are beautiful and decided to get on the City bus again and head there.  When we got to Oia and walked around though the heat got the best of us and we headed back to Kamari beach after a few hours.

Shopping streets of Oia

Beautiful flowers blooming outside a public restroom.  Had to pay 75 cents to use it.

The cliffs of Oia with the white buildings and blue domes

25 years of marriage!

A blue dome

Castle ruins at the edge of the city of Oia

When we got back to Kamari beach we asked our hotel about a good local pizza place.  We had heard the pizza was really good in Greece and it was!  I think the Pizza place had the best WI-FI too.

After getting back to the hotel, I decided to take a swim in the pool and Januck decided to have a beer from the bar.  It was a great second day in Greece.

2nd Honeymoon Santorini- First day

Januck and I saw Alex off on his flight back to California and then boarded our own flight to Athens, Greece.  We opted to pay a little extra for the seats by the emergency exits for extra leg room.  We first flew to Abu Dhabi and arrived at 3 a.m.  The airport restaurants were not open until 6 a.m.  Januck really wanted a Whopper from Burger King so we waited until it opened.  The tricky part was knowing what money to use.  I wasn't sure the airport shops and restaurants would take Euro but they did.
We flew into Athens and met our Gate 1 travel Representative outside of the easiest customs and immigration check we've had in awhile traveling abroad.  He gave us our flight information for our domestic flight to the island of Santorini.  Once we got to Santorini, we were exhausted but were bused to our hotel in Kamari Beach.  The hotel called the Aegean Plaza was within blocks of the beach and had nice rooms with patios.  We went down to the beach, ate dinner then went to bed.

                                              We saw the Greek flag everywhere we went.

                         One of the restaurants at Kamari beach that we liked was close to the water.

Gyros

Greek Salad