Ferry to Santorini

Yeah, about that luggage thing. It did not make it there before 5 am. When I checked, they said my luggage was on the way to Santorini. Mom and I woke up at 5:30 am to get ready to catch the metro that would take us to the Athens port. After we checked out of the hotel and went outside, we ran into an interesting taxi driver who cajoled us into sharing his cab with 2 other people on the way to the port, which turned out to save us a lot of time and aggravation! We got seats on the ferry inside at first, but after a few hours we moved outside to enjoy the beautiful ocean scenery all around us. This ferry looked more like a small cruise ship than a ferry. Ticket options for the ferry were business class, airline seats, or economy. We chose the economy and had plenty of comfy seats to choose from. It was an 8 hour excursion, but totally worth it. We took another interesting cab ride (praying for our lives) to our hotel in Fira, Santorini. Apparently my luggage had arrived before I did and was sent back to the Santorini airport...oh the irony. The clerk said the airport was closed or something and not answering the phone until like 6:30. Meanwhile I had broken out into wicked hives all day so Mom and I walked to the pharmacy and different shops along the way. Amazingly enough, benedryl does not exist in Greece. YEA FOR ME! On our way back, we stumbled upon cafes and bars on the cliff that showed a sight too breathtaking to explain. I will include pictures to try to show you all. Before we left for dinner, we were promised by the hotel clerk and the airport personnel that my luggage would be arriving in an hour. You can guess how optimistic we were when we left for dinner at a hole in the wall authentic Greek restaurant. The food was delicious and we met 2 girls who had just graduated as well. My first baklava experience was mind-blowing. My luggage was here after dinner as promised and I had my first excellent night's sleep with earplugs. My hives are regressing now and we are getting ready to head out to see the black and red sand beaches of Santorini. More news to come...