Santorini, Greece

The next stop on our Mediterranean cruise was 

Santorini.

This was definitely one of our favorite stops,

though it took awhile to find the beauty.

We didnt do our research like we should have for this one,

and just assumed that as soon as we stepped off the boat, 

beauty would surround us.

It did, sort-of.

We had to take a tender boat to the shore from the cruise ship.

The area where we docked was breathtakingly beautiful.

But it's at the bottom of the cliff and the city is at the top.

There are only three ways to get to the top:

Walk the 600+ stairs, 

ride a temperamental donkey, 

or

a 1.5 minute cable car ride.

Santorini sits on top of the cliffs. See the windy trail that leads to the top?

Can you guess which one we chose? 

The cable cars of course! 

It was the quickest option and we had a 

limited amount of time in port.

I'm terrified of heights and small, enclosed spaces, 

but it was actually kind of nice. 

Our mistake was taking a left off the cable cars instead of a right.

To the left was the center of the capital city, Fira. 

To the right was a trail that lead to the bluffs overlooking the ocean

and all the beauty.

We of course chose wrong and went left first.

We wondered around for a bit in the city until an older

Greek gentleman stopped us and asked us if we needed any help.

We told him that we were looking for the turquoise blue

topped buildings, the ones you see on all of the postcards.

He told us to wait one minute and went into his shop.

When he came back out he gave us a map of the island

and on the cover was THE turquoise topped building, the scene 

from all of the postcards and paintings. 

He told us to go up the hill and take a left

and just keep walking, we would 

eventually find it. 

So off we went up the hill, around to the left, 

up another hill and 1000 or so stairs (if felt like that many at least!)

until we reached the edge of the bluffs.

It was BEAUTIFUL! 

The pictures simply can't do it justice. 

Santorini is a gorgeous island with 

gorgeous views. 

We walked along the bluffs for awhile, 

searching for the building on the cover of the map.

And then we found it. 

It was more gorgeous than what Id though it would be.

We stayed up there and took tons of photos 

and just enjoyed the view. 

J holding the map. He was standing in
the same spot at the picture on the cover!

That is our cruise ship in the background!

The island on the left is volcanic!

Afterwards we went shopping along the bluffs, 

stopped for drinks at one restaurant, 

and lunch at another,

before we had to head back to the ship. 

REAL Greek Hummus! It was delicious!

 Our next stop was Mykonos, Greece. We stopped there at night so we didnt really get any good pictures. It was a cute port town and we'd like to go back again in the daytime.

The next port of call was Rhodes, Greece. It was a wonderful historic city where one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World supposedly was located! More on that next time!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #22

I cant believe it's already been 22 weeks since this began! Wow, time is really flying. Im a bit sad that 2010 is almost over. Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas is right around the corner!

Thank you Wife of a Sailor for hosting!

1. If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs-such as food and water-were taken care of, what 2 items would you want to have with you?
My husband J and my dog Reese. If we're talking about inanimate objects, I would go with my laptop (with wifi of course) & some sunblock. I burn pretty easily.

2. If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?

Well, my favorite is balsamic vinaigrette so let's go with that.

3. If you had to live on a ranch, what kind of animals would you raise/own?

Goats to keep the weeds under control, peacocks because they are pretty and lots and lots of dogs & cats! No horses, cows or chickens- too difficult to take care of.

4. If your life was portrayed as a movie, who would you chose to play you and your significant other?

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Love them! Or maybe Angelina & Brad. J would definitely want to be Brad...lol...

5. What was the last thing you put a stamp on?

A postcard. I've been sending out tons of postcards since we arrived in Germany. My family and friends are probably tired of them, but I think they are fun! =)

Happy Friday Everyone!

New Blog Design!

It's here! 

My new blog design is up and running 

and I LOVE it! 

I couldnt be happier with the final product.

It's absolutely perfect, amazing, wonderful!

I have been wanting to have a professional design

for several months,

but I never found someone who could do it

quickly and for a fair price.

Then I saw ACUs and ABCs new design

and fell in love with it!

I contacted her designer 

Brea, from Utterly Chaotic Designs 

and she got to work immediately!

Brea was a sweetheart and gave me exactly what I was wanting.

She didnt even complain over my pickiness 

and Type A personality! =) 

It only took a few days from start to finish 

and was a very simple process.

If you are wanting your blog designed,

I would definitely recommend Brea! 

I cant get over my signature and new button!

Love them!

Lol...

Mediterranean Cruise 2010!

*Thank you for all of the sweet responses to my last post.

*As for the Christmas cards, I chose the 2nd one since

that's the one our photos would fit in.

I cant wait to get them in!

*Uncork & Unwined will soon have a completely new look!!!

I am beyond excited about this remodel.

I've been working with a fabulous designer

and Ill provide you with all of the details once it's

installed. *SO excited!*

Sooo, I'm sure you've all been breathlessly awaiting to hear about

the exotic locale of our latest trip, right? ;)

Well, the wait is over if you read the title.

We went on an Eastern Mediterranean Cruise!

We left out of Venice/Treviso, Italy and went to:

Bari, Italy;

Katakolon/Olympia, Greece;

Santorini, Greece;

Mykonos, Greece;

Rhodes, Greece;

&

Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Since I have a thousand photos, Ill break it down into ports, so it's not so overwhelming.

We didnt see much of Treviso or Venice before we left because it was raining. And flooding.

Same goes for Bari. We got off the ship for about two hours in Bari. By the time we got back on,

we were completely, soaking wet from head to toe. I wish I would have taken photos of our clothes. J was wringing the water from his socks! Needless to say, I didnt get very many photos from that day. The ones that I did aren't very good. When the streets began to flood, we caught the bus back to the ship.

Our next stop was Katakolon/Olympia, Greece. The weather was gorgeous & warm. This was my first time in Greece and it certainly wasnt a disappointment. It was beautiful! I had done some research before leaving and found a winery only 5 minutes from the port, so that's where we headed first. It was gorgeous, interesting, diverse & at only 5 euro per person, very inexpensive. We took an hour long tour that ended with 4 tastings. Surprisingly enough, our guide was a Scottish guy, so we had no trouble at all understanding!

It was a very antique/vintage winery which I LOVED!

There were dogs, cats & peacocks running around the whole place!

Inside the winery was modern, but filled with antiques.

The wines were good and we bought one bottle.

My favorite was actually the sweet red dessert wine,

which I do not usually like, but this was

really good! It was also really expensive,

so we settled for just a taste. =)

This is a pepper tree. Who knew?

It was gorgeous and when you rubbed the leaves,

it smelled exactly like black pepper!

One of the old buildings on the property

from the 1800s.

As we were walking through I saw this piece and

*GASPED!*

I have this very shadow box!

The exact same one!

So cool that Im halfway around the world and see

the same wall hanging that I have stored in

Arkansas.

Antiques from the early 1800s.

Since it was the end of the tourist season, the cab drivers were very flexible and easy to bargain with. Ours waited for us while we were at the winery for an hour and then drove us the 40 minutes to get to Ancient Olympia and back for a very reasonable price.

Ancient Olympia is where the very first Olympics were held in 776 B.C. The ruins are just amazing. I couldnt believe what had survived for over 2000 years. Most of the main structures were destroyed by earthquakes over the years. Even so, there were still buildings, temples and columns standing. It was pretty amazing to be standing in the same spot where real gladiators trained and competed. The actual stadium is nothing more than a large, cleared, dirt field. There is an area to the side made of stone where the judges supposedly sat.

The "Stadium"

This column was rebuilt for the 2004 Olympic games in Athens.

When we got back in to port, we enjoyed some local specialties:

A block of Feta cheese with locally grown olive oil, bread,

taziki sauce & Mythos, Greek beer.

Yum!



From here we left for Santorini, Greece, which was one of our favorite ports! ........



To all the Scrooges out there....

*Sigh*...

Why, oh why can't people be more tolerant and less rude?

Let me explain....

Today, J & I put our Christmas tree up

and

started putting up our decorations.

We watched Christmas movies

(Elf, Just Friends, Christmas Vacation),

and listened to Christmas music.

We baked cookies and made a huge pot

of chili for dinner.

It was the perfect day!

I LOVE the holiday season.

From September through December

is my favorite time of the year.

I always put my tree up in November,

just as my mom has always done.

It's tradition.

You don't have to like it, but please, respect it.

I posted this today on FB, that we were

putting up our tree and enjoying the beautiful weather

Germany was blessed with today.

This was almost immediately met with sarcasm and disdain

from a couple of people.

I don't care what they think, but

I was surprised by their negativity and judgement.

I respect their right to celebrate when they want too,

if at all. I just wish they would respect mine.

Personally, I don't think Christmas decorations, movies, music, etc.

detract from Thanksgiving.

In my opinion, four weeks just isn't enough time

to enjoy the happiness that the holiday season brings.

I'm not skipping over Thanksgiving.

I'm simply celebrating the holiday season, the season that I love.

I believe that the decorations, etc. add to the festive feeling

that this time of the year has.

They bring J & I joy, and really, in the end,

that's all that matters.

Last year, J was deployed to Iraq during the holidays.

He loves this time of the year as much as I do.

This year he will miss Thanksgiving,

so this weekend was the perfect

weekend for us to put our tree up.

Regardless of our past and present situations,

the above applies to us every year.

We will continue to put our tree up in November

and listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies.

Because that's what makes us happy.

It's tradition.

And it's ours.

So what do you guys think? When do you begin to put up your decorations,

listen to Christmas/holiday music,

and watch holiday movies?

Even if your opinion differs from mine, I'd still like to know! =)

It's that time of the year again!

I love the Christmas Season.

LOVE.

The decorations,

spending time with family and friends,

decorating the tree,

baking the goodies,

the joy of giving and receiving,

and yes,

the Christmas cards!

This year I am ordering my cards from Shutterfly.

In past years I have ordered my Christmas cards

from other online sources

or bought them in a store

and wound up disappointed with the finished product.

This year I wanted something special.

Shutterfly is offering all Bloggers 50 FREE Holiday cards.

Free people, free.

I think we can all appreciate that.

To get in on this promotion, go here.

This will be our first Christmas away from both of our families

so I want a beautiful, meaningful Christmas card to send to them all.

Shutterfly offers so many different cards to choose from!

I was surprised by the variety of colors, designs and photo options.

I'm having trouble choosing just one.

I had it narrowed down to eight (yes, eight!) when I asked my husband

for his opinion.

Now we have it narrowed down to four

and I'm finding it nearly impossible to decide!

My favorites are:

(image via Shutterfly)

I love the candy cane writing!

(image via Shutterfly)

This one makes me want to sing Christmas songs

and I like the monogram.

(image via Shutterfly)

This one is so bright and happy and

reminds me of my favorite Christmas song.

(image via Shutterfly)

This one is elegant with lots of space

to write your own message.

I might just have to close my eyes and pick one

because I don't think I can decide.

I can't wait to start receiving Christmas cards!

Happy Holidays!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in

Ive been gone so much lately that I havent had time to participate in these. Im happy to be home and getting back into the swing of things and that includes filling this out every Friday. So here ya go!

1. Were you named after anyone? Yes- My father. As for my middle name, it's one that my mother liked, so they went with it. All I have to say is thank goodness they didnt name me Zoey Zuette- a name that my mom once wanted. Zoey is fine, but Zuette? I like my own middle name just fine, thank you.
2. What color, if any, are your toenails usually painted? They are almost always painted a shade of red, orange or pink, my three favorite colors.
3. How do you flush a public toilet? Hands? Feet? Something else? Ha! In the USA I always flush with my feet. That is impossible here in Europe as the flusher is a button on the wall above the toilet, so Ive had to switch to hands.
4. When you were a little kid, which TV character did you have a crush on? I dont remember having a crush on any particular character. I did want to be a part of the Scooby Doo gang and I loved Uncle Jesse from Full House though!
5. Let's say you had to lose one of your five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell). Which one would you choose? Why? Ugh....this is a terribly difficult question and Id rather not lose any of my senses. Sight and hearing are way too important. Touch and feeling make me happy and it's also how we feel pain and know to draw back from it to prevent further injury. Im a foodie, so taste is essential. I love scents- pumpkin spice, cinnamon, flowers, food, etc. and if your sense of smell is dulled, so is your sense of taste. A longwinded answer simply to say: I wouldnt willingly choose any of them.

Happy Friday Everyone! I hope you all have a great weekend! Ill have some new travel posts up soon, I promise! =)