Glass craftsmen were allowed to wear swords and enjoy immunity, and their daughters could marry into wealthy Venetian families. At the same time, Murano glassmakers were also forbidden to leave Venice. The glass products on the island are very exquisite, but not very convenient to carry. The cat eating small fish in the picture below is very interesting. I saw several shops with them. Crystal clear glass.
The red fish seemed to be really moving. After returning to Venice from the Glass Island, Yunluo couldn't help but run to the store to buy a mask. This size is just right. The mask covers not only the face, but also the personality. It can cover your face, but it can't block your eyes. Italian handicrafts are famous all over the world.
The jewelry is also very beautifully made. The ancient Egyptian design elements in the window below are very unique. I still couldn't help but buy a pair of shoes. The leather of the shoes is very good! Dinner was also a random restaurant. The cost was about 115 euros. Isn't the seafood pizza in the picture below very tempting? After dinner, I returned to St. Mark's Square again and prepared to climb to the top of the bell tower to see it.
Panoramic view of Venice - Campanile, the bell tower of Venice, stands on St. Mark's Square, 98.6 meters high. It is the city coordinate of the entire Venice. When you climb to the top of the bell tower, your first reaction is the scene in Sleepless in Seattle~~The 360-degree observation deck has a great view~But there are too many tourists, so it's not easy to find a good shooting point.
The sun shines all over the city of Venice. The red roofs are photographed so beautifully. The colorful buildings are like scenes often seen in movies. When the sky gradually darkens, Venice, which changes from warm tones to cool tones, becomes more mysterious. The following photos were taken with a mobile phone, which is not inferior to a camera. The Temple of Zeus was built to worship Zeus.
It was built in 470 BC and completed in 456 BC. In 86 BC, the Roman army captured Athens and destroyed the unfinished building. Some of the stone columns and other building materials were removed and transported to Rome. The Temple of Zeus suffered serious damage, and only 13 of the 104 columns remained. Hadrian's Arch Hadrian's Arch
The Roman-era Arc de Triomphe was built by Emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. At that time, the arch divided the city into two areas, the new and the old. The east was the new city expanded by Emperor Hadrian, and the west was the old city. The Acropolis of Athens, originally meaning "high city" or "city-state on a high hill", is located on the Acropolis Hill in the center of Athens.
It was built in 580 BC. The cartoon "Saint Seiya" has deeply engraved this magnificent building complex in Yunluo's mind since childhood. Although there are no "Zodiac" and the Golden Saints who swear to defend Athena to the death in the cartoon, the architectural ruins that have been baptized for more than 2,500 years are still shocking.
The Propylaea is the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens, consisting of a central main part and two asymmetrical wings. Doric and Ionic columns are cleverly interspersed and arranged side by side at the Propylaea, which is majestic. The Parthenon The Parthenon, located at the highest point on the mountain, is the largest temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
Parthenon originally meant virgin, which was another name for Athena. It is said that the statue of the goddess Athena was 12 meters high. Made of ivory and gold, it shone brightly in the temple. Later, the statue was taken to Constantinople by the Roman emperor and its whereabouts are unknown. The temple was destroyed when the Venetians fought against the Turks in 1687. Although it has been partially restored.
But the temple can no longer be restored to its original appearance, and now only a shell with stone pillars remains. Erechtheion Erechtheion is a typical representative of the Ionic style in the Acropolis of Athens. Legend has it that this is the place where the goddess Athena and the god of the sea Poseidon competed for the position of the patron saint of Athens.
At the south end of the temple, six marble statues of girls are used to support the stone roof instead of stone pillars. They wear long skirts and are light and graceful. They are graceful and graceful, with a heavy load on their heads. Because the stone roof is very heavy, the necks of the six girls must be designed to be thick enough to support the heavy stone roof, but this will affect its beauty.
So the architect left a thick lock of hair behind each girl's neck and added a flower basket on top of her head. This successfully solved the architectural aesthetic problem and became world famous. Temple of Athena Victory Temple of Athena Victory. Theater of Herodes Atticus Theater of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 AD, is the oldest theater in the world and one of the most outstanding buildings of the same period.
Dionysus Theatre Dionysus Theatre. Greek flag, I like its blue and white color scheme. It matches the blue Aegean Sea and the holy ancient Greek city-state. Lycabettus Hill in the distance, the highest point in Athens, but unfortunately I couldn't climb the mountain to see the night view of Athens. On the Acropolis, I can see the Temple of Zeus in the distance. Gorgeous flowers can be seen everywhere in Greece.
Attalos Colonnade, a long corridor with various sculptures. Walk all the way to the bustling Monastiraki Square, where there is the most distinctive flea market in Athens. Of course, there is also An Chuyu's favorite fruit stall. The cherries here are really cheap and delicious, 2 euros for a large paper bag, when I returned to Athens from Santorini.
I even went here again to buy some. After running around for a long time, it was finally time for a big meal. I successfully found the small church, the landmark building of Monastiraki Square, and then found the Mpairaktaris restaurant recommended by countless people. An enthusiastic old lady praised this restaurant to Yunluo and An Chuyu for its good quality and low price, which showed that this restaurant had many local regular customers.
After looking through the menu for a long time, I finally chose a mixed roast meat and a potato lamb, which were really big. After the main course, the boss sent desserts, including the famous Greek yogurt, which was a bit too sweet for Yunluo who doesn't like sweets. After dinner, maybe due to jet lag, I fell asleep as soon as I returned to the hotel.
I wanted to go out at night to see the night view of Athens, but it didn't happen. Anyway, the European honeymoon was successfully started. On the second day, we will go to the romantic Aegean Sea.
Blue and white Santorini Fira - Early in the morning, I took the subway to Piraeus Pier to take the Bluestar to Santorini. Because of the European debt crisis, I saved two subway tickets. After leaving the station, I successfully exchanged tickets and found the boat to Santorini. At this time, the sun was slowly rising in the sky. Yunluo and An Chuyu booked an airplane cabin, with leather seats and relatively wide.
Later, I found that passengers actually prefer to pose on the deck, bask in the sun, and enjoy the sea breeze. Not many people booked the cabin. As soon as the ship left the dock, I went to the deck to take pictures and record the excitement of sailing in the Aegean Sea. On the deck, Chinese people were taking pictures in various strange costumes and with various cameras, while foreigners sat on the chairs and enjoyed the sunny holiday.
Each has its own fun. The 7-hour journey is still a bit long, but the experience of the blue sky, blue sea and sunny island is rare in this life. Although I have seen it countless times on the Internet. But when I first saw the Holy Island, I was still attracted by the dense white bricks and tiles on the cliff. The volcanic eruption destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete, but left people with an island.
Finally, this blue and white fantasy world was created. We took the pre-booked shuttle bus from the pier to the archouse hotel in the town of imerovigli. The cliff road was narrow and winding, and we experienced the beauty of the sea cliff from another perspective on the bus. It was my first time staying in a cliff hotel. I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the door. The white style of the house was perfectly integrated with the blue sea and sky outside the window.
The volcanic island is visible through the window, and there is a private terrace for sunbathing. People living here enjoy and live in comfort. No wonder the whole country is in debt crisis. People are born in trouble and die in comfort.
The itinerary planned by Archouse was to walk along the coast from Imerovigli to Fira, the capital of Santorini. As soon as we walked out of the cliff house, our camera kept clicking. We wanted to record every angle and every view with our camera forever, but only by being there can we appreciate the beauty of Santorini. Because the guide was well prepared.
The most famous blue-domed church was also found successfully, and I took a photo from the angle of others. This is the old port of Fira, where a cable car connects the port and the town center. Of course, there is also the famous donkey path. The Greek people are full of fun in life. It was almost dusk when we arrived in Fira, and we sat on the stone steps by the sea to watch the sunset.
This is a must-do activity on Santorini every day. People enjoy the sunset in the evening glow. Have dinner together. Yunluo and An Chuyu also start looking for their favorite restaurant, planning to have a good dinner. The sun sets, the lights gradually turn on, and Santorini shows a different kind of beauty in the night. Finally, they choose a restaurant on the cliff.
We ordered traditional Greek seafood and grilled meat, which tasted quite good. During the meal, fireworks were set off by the sea, adding a touch of festivity to the night. Back to the cliff house, we looked back at Santorini in the night. Goodnight, Santorini!
Driving to the Holy Island of Akrotirilighthouse-kokkinibeach-peWake up in the morning and open the door to the beautiful Aegean Sea. The morning sun shines through the roof onto the platform. It's so comfortable. Have a European breakfast at the neighboring hotel. The day's satisfaction starts with the stomach. At around 10 o'clock, go to Jimmys Car Rental recommended by the hotel front desk to rent a car.
Considering the overall cost performance, I gave up the smart car that everyone has always preferred and chose the black and gray Hyundai hatchback. The car is in good condition and I will rely on it for the next two days. For driving navigation, I specially applied for a phone card from Cosmote, which is 2GB for 5 days, which is enough for me. It is quite cost-effective to use it with Skype. I would like to thank the senior Qiongyou for his detailed guide.
Today's first stop was the lighthouse at the southernmost tip of the island. We arrived safely near Akrotiri, but the navigation led us to a dead end at the entrance of a village. When we turned around with difficulty, a local old man came out and cursed at Yunluo and An Chuyu for relying on the navigation without knowing how to use it. It seemed that every day someone (especially Chinese) took the wrong path, disturbing his peace.
After cursing, the old man still helped direct the reverse and pointed out the right way for Yunluo and An Chuyu. Instead of shaking hands and saying goodbye, it was a sigh of relief. The booming tourism industry has made many locals lose their peace, which is really annoying to think about. Not long after, we arrived at the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself has limited highlights, but the sea view here is great.
Some people say that the sunset here is better than Oia, but it is far from where I live. I was too lazy to come here in the evening and couldn't watch the sunset here. It was a small regret of the trip to Santorini. After taking pictures, we drove to Kokkinibeach. Due to the volcanic eruption, different minerals form different colors at different temperatures.
So there are beaches of different colors on Santorini: red beach, black beach, white beach. Kokkinibeach is a red beach located at the southern end of Santorini. The sand is red because it is rich in iron. The beach near the parking lot has clear water. Go up the path and you can see the red beach at the top of the slope.
There are lounge chairs for rent on the beach, and many foreign girls are sunbathing here. Let's change into the swimsuits we prepared in advance and have a close contact with the sea. This beach is all stone. It's really painful to step on it, but it feels really great to soak in the sea water and enjoy the sun. After playing enough, drive to another beach, Perissa Beach.
Perissa Beach is the longest beach on Santorini. It is a real beach, not a gravel beach. The beach is darker in color. Because I just played on the beach. I just took some photos here and looked at the bikini beauties. The fat uncle dared to attack An Chuyu with a frisbee. I left the beach and drove back to the center of Fira town.
Filling my stomach with Yunluo's favorite pita. After being scorched by the scorching sun for a day, I really didn't want to drive anymore, so I decided to go back to the archouse where Yunluo and An Chuyu were to watch the sunset. The sun gradually disappeared in the sky, and Yunluo and An Chuyu started taking selfies on the terrace.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
I made a simple breakfast with the food I bought at Lidl the day before. Finally, I took a look at the beautiful scenery from the terrace, then said goodbye to the quiet town of Imerovigli and headed to Oia, the second stop on Santorini.
The cliff road from Imerovigli to Oia is the best self-driving experience on Santorini. There are many bends and narrow roads, but there are few vehicles. The speed is 50 or 60 and I am often overtaken by local taxis... But there is a steep cliff on one side and the sea on the other side. It is really pleasant to drive fast on this road. I booked the cliff cave hotel Virginia Straditional Cave in Oia.
It took a long time to find the hotel. It turns out that the cliff cave hotels in Oia need to be entered from the pedestrian street and then go down to the cliff. Fortunately, the hotel staff helped to carry the luggage, otherwise I would definitely collapse from exhaustion. The hotel is clean and tidy. The location is excellent, and the private terrace is larger. The landlord Virginia is also very friendly. There are many messages from Chinese tourists in the guestbook.
I highly praise this hotel. Of course, the price here is quite high. The sea view is unbeatable~ But look at other people's terraces, there are better and wider views, and you will never be satisfied with the beautiful scenery. According to the planned itinerary, we drove away from Oia and came to another black sand beach, Kamaribeach. It is close to Fira and the sea water is cool and clean.
There are many restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops around, and it is very lively. I followed the foreigners and basked in the sun on the beach. After just ten seconds, my back and butt were burned. I really don't know how they can endure it, are they thick-skinned?... I felt so happy even if I didn't go into the sea and put stones on the beach, in front of such a scene.
The simplest entertainment can also bring joy and satisfaction. I was a little hungry after playing, so I found a restaurant in a nearby town to eat. After dinner, I took out the map to study the route and continued my journey. I wanted to go to Pirgos, the highest point of Santorini, but after speeding all the way there, I felt that the scenery was average, so I gave up halfway.
We returned to Oia and got a little lost. We took the coastal path under the cliff. Although the speed limit through the village was low and the road was winding and the distance was long, it was closer to the sea and gave us a different feeling. It was almost dusk when we returned to Oia, and many tourists had gathered at the best viewing platform - the castle.
First, we went back to the cave to clean up. A cat was having fun on the terrace. We walked through the pedestrian street and came to the most crowded viewing point in Oia. The sunset at dusk has become the reason why Oia attracts tourists from all over the world. As the sun gradually sets, more and more people gather at the viewing point. Kastro restaurant.
It is known as the best restaurant for watching the sunset in Oia, but many tourists stand outside the restaurant to watch the sunset, and the view is inevitably blocked. The castle is still the best place to watch the view, especially this dilapidated corner. There is a donkey path on the mountain leading to the small port of Ammoudibay at the foot of the mountain. It was hard to grab a seat among many Chinese aunties.
Quietly waiting for the sunset. People used their cameras to record the beauty of nature, their faces full of excitement. When the lights came on, Oia showed another lively scene. Yunluo and An Chuyu, who didn't like nightlife, chose to go back to the house to rest. Tomorrow there is still a whole day to enjoy this beautiful town.
This is the last day in Santorini. We plan to spend all our time in Oia. The first activity is a buffet breakfast. Facing the sea, drinking juice, coffee, biting sandwiches, and finally having some fruits and yogurt, this life is simply a luxury, but don’t people in Santorini enjoy this every day? I’m so envious.
After dinner, basking in the sun on the terrace and feeling the sea breeze is so comfortable~Oia is known as the most picturesque town in Greece. Its introduction is roughly like this: beautiful sunsets, beautiful churches, charming white cottages; walking through every alley in Oia, you will find that, in fact, every place is a scenery.
Every house, every flower blooming in the corner, every door and window, even the backs of tourists in the small streets and the cats and dogs wandering freely, will become the most beautiful scenery in the camera. When you are tired, find a restaurant to sit down and have a drink. An Chuyu recommended Yunluo a glass of ouzo, saying it is a Greek specialty.
Then, this unprepossessing glass of liquid appeared. When ordering, I specifically asked if it was alcohol. Was it because the Greeks’ English was too poor or Yunluo’s pronunciation was inaccurate? The waiter said it was definitely not. I took a sip and I couldn’t stop spitting it out. It had a strong alcohol flavor, and most importantly, a strong star anise flavor, just like chewing star anise.
I took out my phone and searched Baidu: Ouzo is a kind of strong liquor unique to Greece. Its alcohol content is only about 40%, but it is considered high-grade in the eyes of Westerners. It is colorless and transparent, packed in a colorless glass bottle, and its appearance is very simple. Because ouzo has a high alcohol content, many people prefer to dilute it before drinking. Interestingly, because the wine contains a lot of organic matter. (To be continued...)