Amsterdam to Athens and Everything After - valnyhout

Beautiful Santorini

valnyhout — Fri, 23 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

We got to Santorini by Ferry boat. There is a bit of science here. There was a Volcano that erupted a long time ago. Now, the Volcano is under water beside Santorini. The sand is black or red from volcanic ash.
Santorini is so pretty. The white buildings look over the sea. They are a long way up. From the Ferry we had to take a bus up the side of a Cliff. We walked around at the top and took pictures. The scenery reminded me of Mama Mia. I asked about that but it was filmed on another Greek Island. I would like to come back to Santorini.

A bit of crete

valnyhout — Thu, 22 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

We only had a bit of time in Crete. We were in the City of Heraklion. Some of it looks like a New City but some of it is old walls and buildings. They aren't ancient ruins like some places. They were built by people that came from Venice.
After Crete, we had to say goodbye to our friends we made from Washington. They were leaving the ship.

The Road to Rhodes

valnyhout — Wed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Today we went to the Island of Rhodes. There is a wall all around the old part of the city. It reminded me of Narnia. I looked for the lion or Peter or Susan or Edmund or Lucy from Narnia but I didn't see them. We took a tour in the early morning and then we walked around the old town before lunch. There were parrots and cockatoos outside some of the restaurants. For lunch, we climbed up really high in an old building and ate on the roof top of the restaurant We could see the sea over the top of the old wall.
In the afternoon we went to the beach. Mom and I swam in the Agean Sea. It was cold at first but we got used to it.
It was formal night in the evening. We dressed up for dinner and then had a cocktail. We watched the ship crew do a dancing with the Stars show.

The Road to Rhodes

valnyhout — Wed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Turkey and Patmos

valnyhout — Tue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

We left Mykonos and got on the cruise ship at dinner time. This is funny. We met some other Canadians and we were talking at dinner and then the man spilled balsamic vinegar on my Dad. I couldn't stop laughing.
In the morning we were in Kusadasi Turkey. We went to the bazaar and there were lots of people selling things. They Chase you to try to get you to buy stuff. It is really hard to get away from them. We went for a walk along the water and took some pictures.
Back on the ship we had a nice time in the sun. It was a beautiful day. The cruise people were dancing and they got my Dad up dancing too.
Around 4 we docked in Patmos. It is a pretty little place. There were some more homeless dogs. We were having drinks in a cafe and we watched one fat little dog. Every time a bus came in, he would run over and greet everyone getting off the bus. He wagged his tail and rolled on his back for people to pet his tummy. I think lots of people feed him.
We did a bit of shopping and I bought a new dress. Then back to the ship.

Still Loving Mykonos

valnyhout — Sun, 18 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Woke up to another beautiful day in Mykonos. We decided to take a morning boat trip to Delos. It was hot and sunny on the boat. We saw some, or a lot of ruins. Do you know ruins are very old, like for example, on the Island of Delos, they have temples and houses that are from 2000 years ago. This part is weird. People were not allowed to die on Delos so the sick people and the old people had to go live on the Island next door. That is where they were buried. There are no graves on Delos. We saw some lion statues. They were guarding the birthplace of the god Apollo. Only people studying the ruins live on Delos now. It was interesting to look at all that. Some parts of if use a little bit of science. They had lots of statues.
We took the boat back to Mykonos. In the afternoon, Mom and I swam in the pool at the hotel and had cocktails.
P.s. This site still won't let me post my pictures.

Lost in Mykonos

valnyhout — Sat, 17 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday was mostly a travel day. We went by cruise ship from Athens to Mykonos. We have a beautiful room in Mykonos. There is a really nice view from here. We have the sea and a pool. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant . I had jumbo shrimp that were humongojumbo shrimp. They were the size of lobster tails.

Today we explored Mykonos. We went to the beach and we went shopping in the town for awhile. We had lunch at a restaurant on the beach. We got lost, twice. We saw windmills that are very pretty. It reminded me of the Mama Mia movie.

All the buildings in Mykonos are white and most have blue doors and windows. Everything looks clean and nice.

There are 2 famous pelicans in Mykonos and I got to meet them. They just walk around the town. I was a little nervous in case they bite.

Tonight we went to a different restaurant on the beach. In Mykonos, after dinner they bring little donuts and dessert wine and it is a gift.

I tried ouzo today. It was interesting and it was gross. It reminded me of tequila. Where is Angela's glass when I need it?

Being Athenian

valnyhout — Thu, 15 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Had a fun day checking out everything in Athens. We went to the Acropolis and saw the ruins. It is up really high. I bet my Chicken Sisters wouldn't go up there. We made some new friends up there. The ruins look like a castle but they are really a temple. There are really deep holes where the ancient Greeks buried their broken statues. There is a temple for the goddess Athena. Athens is named after Athena. She was the goddess of Wisdom. I wanted to see a statue of Athena but she wasn't there. Her statue got burned in a fire and I don't know if maybe chunks of it we're put in the deep hole. There is also a temple for Poseidon. He was the god of the sea but he also should have been the god of hiking because it was a big hike to get to the top.
There are dogs at the Acropolis and also at the Temple of Zeus. They don't have homes. People make sure they have their shots and the dogs just eat what food people give them. I wish someone would take them home.year
We went to the Acropolis museum and learned about statues.
We saw the guards at the Parliament buildings. There were lots of pigeons there. We went to a stadium that was built a long time ago but that is supposed to look like one that was built even longer ago. Sometimes school children go there for their gym class.
There is a part of Athens called the Plaka. It has lots of shops and restaurants. When we were eating, people bugged us to buy things. We had dinner there. I tried lamb but I am not really a fan of it.

Greece!

valnyhout — Wed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Arrived in Greece yesterday. It was my Dad's birthday!
We took the Metro from the airport and it was really crowded.
Checked into our hotel and then went exploring. We saw the Temple of Zeus and Mom told me stories about Ancient Greece.
We had a really nice dinner at our hotel. We looked out at the Acropolis and on the other side, the Temple of Zeus., while we were having dinner.
After dinner, we went for a walk and stopped at a cafe for dessert. I tried baklava. It was okay.
Today, more exploring.

I Amsterdam

valnyhout — Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

For some reason this blog site won't let me post my pictures, so here is the beginning of my blog with no pics.
We have spent the last few days exploring Amsterdam. It is an interesting city. Everyone is friendly and everyone rides a bicycle.
We went to the Heineken Experience and we saw how they make beer. And then, we got to be the beer. That sounds weird but that is what you do there. We also got to taste test lots of beer.
I tried croquettes at lunch because you should try the food the locals eat. That is why I had Cod Tongue in Newfoundland. It is also why I wanted to eat puffin in Iceland.
We went to the Van Gogh museum. There were lots of brilliant paintings. Van Gogh painted lots of paintings but he passed away when he was very young. I think that was in 1890.
Near the Van Gogh museum, there were giant letters that spell, "I Amsterdam".
I really liked the Canal boat tour we went on. We saw lots of beautiful buildings and there are some really cool House boats all along the canals.
Our hotel room, which is kind of like a little apartment, looks out over one of the canals. We can see House boats out our window. We are up on the third floor and there is not an elevator, only Harry Potter steps. It was hard to get our suitcases upstairs, especially the big one.
As I am writing this blog, me and Dad are having another Heineken experience but not Mom, because she is a wheat-whiner.
Tomorrow, Greece.