Santorini

I am in Santorini which is the Greek towns you always see pictures of. The village is built on the side of cliffs overlooking the water. Our ship pulled into the bay, we took a small boat to the shore then a cable car up the cliffs. The view is spectacular...pictures to come. Here in Santorini the buildings are white plaster with blue accents - exactly what we think of for Greece. Everything is beautiful especially the weather.

What a crazy few days I have been having on the boat! The first day was all about getting used to the movement. I did not get sick but at times my stomach did some weird flip flops. I would say that I got my "sea legs" fairly quickly and the rocking is vrey nice when going to sleep. Every night there is a disco and dancing while the ship is going up and down took some getting used to. Last night the disco was on the top deck outside which was amazing. I was in a trance dancing on top of this ship which overlooked a very, very dark ocean. Above us the stars blessed us with their presence. I just couldn't believe that I was dancing on a ship in the middle of the Meditteranean Ocean. It is an experience you MUST have someday. Of course, I'm sore as hell today from dancing very hard 3 nights in a row, but when will I get to party like this again?

We've met a bunch of amazing people on the ship. Everyone is very nice and from all over. It's hilarious to hear something like 8 languages spoken on the boat. When an announcement is made you hear it in English first then followed by at least different languages. The staff on board is amazing - they all speak at least 2 languages fluently! What a great way to learn languages by travelling all over the world.

I've already obtained my goal of seeing crew's quarters though it is not exactly as I thought it would be. I have become friends with Silviu who does all the light and sound things on the boat as well as DJ's in the disco. "I'm with the DJ." The way he explained it to me there are three levels of workers on the ship. There are the captains which have the most power on the ship but have to keep up a certain image. There are the staff who dance and sing and play music and run the tours. Then there is the crew which take care of the food, rooms, and basic maintenance on the ship. Apparently the staff and captains have a lot of freedom to party with the passengers and to have passengers in their rooms if they like. However, the crew has no freedom to do this. They will lose their jobs if a passenger is found in their room or if they go into a passenger's room. So, naturally, I have spoken very little to the crew members. I have made friends with Silviu, like I mentioned, as well as Florian who is a singer, and Iussadi, who is the safety captain. So I've gotten to see their quarters which are much like mine just in a "forbidden" part of the ship. Very interesting to get the inside scoop. I've pretty much given up all hope for being in the crew's quarters because I wouldn't want to get anyone fired. Hopefully before the trip is over, I will be able to see the bridge of the ship and I will feel like I got a complete enough insider's look.

I am in this gorgeous little internet cafe which is currently playing the best techno I've heard all trip. I'm going to have to ask who this is then go buy it (especially if it is Greek).

Yesterday I layed by the pool all day and managed to get a bit of color. Of course, you all know that the first color I get is red but hey, at least it's color. I met a bunch of Italian teenage boys while laying out which was interesting. Italian men have a hard time understanding that just because you are being nice does not necessarily mean that you want them. Different cultures. The day before, we took a tour to see a Greek amphitheater. The way this theater was built into the mountain, behind the stage, it framed Mt. Etna, which is an active volcano in Sicily. Unfortunately our view was obstructed by clouds but I could imagine it. Someday I will come back and see theater performed there. Anyone want to join me?

We have been having a most amazing trip and I can't even begin to cover it all. I'm also a bit tired as I only got 3 hours of sleep last night which seems to be par for the course. A nap by the pool will definitely be in order for the afternoon. Tonight we stop again at another port, Mikinos, which is a hot nightspot. I want to be ready. When this trip is over I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation!