Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Med Review: Serenade, Pics, Surprises & Fun!

[fish6]

Best part of the meal...I'm a HUGE tartufo fan, and we can't hardly get it in Kansas City....

 

Is this an ice cream dessert? I've never had this before....looks good though!

Edited July 28, 2012 by fish6

[KansCocoa]

 

Is this an ice cream dessert? I've never had this before....looks good though!

 

Yes! It's usually ice cream...molded around a cherry in the middle...and then coated with a chocolate shell. It's common in Italy, but not that common in the U.S. - unless you go to a fancy Italian restaurant. ;)

[3CatsInMA]

As a guy who is married to a self-proclaimed drama queen (OK....maybe I was the one who proclaimed it, but she's never disputed that description!;)) I was a bit nervous about starting this thread. The last thing I need is to OD on DQ!

 

All I can say is: I'm hooked! Loving your review and photos--thanks for taking us along.:D

[KansCocoa]

 

The Basilica of St. John contains the ruins of what possibly was once the 7th largest cathedral in the world. Legend has it that John wrote his gospel in Ephesus and then later died in the church here.

 

Upon arriving at the ruins (which are only about 2 miles from Ephesus itself), we are amazed to discover that we pretty much have the site to ourselves…there are maybe a handful of other barbarians around:

 

Where is everybody??? All you see is our group of 12....

 

 

Looking at the ruins, it’s hard to imagine that there was once a HUGE cathedral built here…constructed by Emporer Justinian in the 6th century. The cathedral was built over the believed burial site of St. John.

 

 

 

 

 

Once the cathedral was built, the site became of the most sacred sites in the Middle Ages, and thousands made the pilgrimage here. Eventually, though, the building fell into ruins, and was pillaged for building materials….

 

It’s a beautiful area now…with the ruins interspersed with the trees and flowers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful fountain on site…where Hubby Mike asked me to pretend that I was getting a drink...

 

 

…and somehow I end up looking instead like I’m doing the “Walk Like an Egyptian” dance….

 

 

 

The Basilica is up high, on a summit, and you can really see some beautiful vistas in every direction....

 

Mickey, enjoying the views....

 

 

The site was very peaceful…what with no hordes of barbarians...very serene and spiritual. A great way to spend a beautiful afternoon in Turkey....

 

[boat nurse]

Tell your son that I LOVE the cat pictures! :cool:

[KansCocoa]

As a guy who is married to a self-proclaimed drama queen (OK....maybe I was the one who proclaimed it, but she's never disputed that description!;)) I was a bit nervous about starting this thread. The last thing I need is to OD on DQ!

 

All I can say is: I'm hooked! Loving your review and photos--thanks for taking us along.:D

 

Ah, but see how special us DQ's really are???!!

 

And with a name such as yours...I figured you'd love the cat pictures... ;)

[KansCocoa]

Tell your son that I LOVE the cat pictures! :cool:

 

He'll appreciate that...but shhh....don't tell him...I love them, too. I have three cats of my own at home. Yes. I could so be that Crazy Cat Lady that has 100 cats one day. ;)

[KansCocoa]

 

Our tour had promised us a chance to see the Temple of Artemis...and it delivers. However...we're a bit sneaky about it, which is fine with me. Rather than drive up to it, park alongside giant tour buses full of barbarians, and then hike across a (possibly) marshy field to see it, we get a bird's eye view.

 

 

It’s right down in the little valley, below where the Basilica of St. John once stood, that the Temple of Artemis stood. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, before it’s destruction back in 401.

 

 

This temple must have been massive when it was first built…more than 377 feet long, and 151 feet wide…and the first Greek temple built of marble. An arsonist burnt it down in 356 BC, but it was later rebuilt by the Ephesians themselves. This temple was even larger than the first one – 450 feet long, 225 feet wide, and 60 feet high.

 

 

Here’s what it’s believed the Temple looked like:

 

Pretty darn impressive, I'd say....

 

 

During its heyday, the temple attracted many worshippers from far off lands. Eventually, though, it was finally closed down and abandoned due to the rise of Christianity. Sadly…here’s what’s left of the Temple:

 

…a single column in a marshy field, with a stork’s nest on top….

 

We take a few moments to look down upon the Temple, reflecting on what it once was....

 

 

Once we leave the Basilica, Ty tells us that we have several options…we can visit a pottery factory, a leather factory, or a Turkish carpet factory. As he says this, he’s got 12 pairs of glazed eyes staring sleepily at him…pretty much done in by the excessive heat that day. It’s just totally wiped us out. None of those choices sounded particularly interesting at this time, and I’m going to blame it on the heat. Ty’s no dummy – he then says, “Or…we can take you back to the port so you can either go shopping or go cool off on the ship.”

 

Guess what we all voted for???

 

Duh.

 

A short ride, and we’re being dropped off right at the pier. We say goodbye to Ty, and thank him for the MOST EXCELLENT job he’s done that day. Before leaving us, Ty directs us to a nearby shop that is known to have some of the best Turkish Delight in the area, so that’s where our family heads.

 

How to explain Turkish Delight? Um…it’s like little gellies that come in assorted flavors…doused in powdered sugar…you either LOVE Turkish Delight (like me!), or you think it’s the most awful thing you’ve ever tasted (like Hubby). There’s no middle ground with Turkish Delight.

 

The key to purchasing it…is to make sure you buy it fresh. Don’t buy a pre-packaged box of it – because you might end up with a box of gelled rocks. The shop we went to had fresh rolls, all different flavors, sitting out for us to sample:

 

Pretty, huh?!

 

 

The guys behind the counter quickly snip off the flavors that you choose, and put your selections into a nice, packaged box. Voila. Delightful.

 

I loved these guys...quite the flirts...but very efficient....

 

 

After getting our Turkish Delight, we quickly walk back onto the ship…going through the gauntlet of shops that are set up right there at the port. And if we thought the vendors outside the House of the Virgin Mary were aggressive…well, we hadn’t seen anything yet. All sorts of shops, including jewelry, leather, textiles, vie for your attention…and the salesmen will follow you and try to entice you with whatever means they have to get you into their particular shop. They’ll start out complimentary enough…but if you keep walking, they may resort to some snide comments. Just keep walking, if you’re not interested in shopping…they’ll eventually get bored with you and move on to their next victim – oops, I mean – customer.

 

 

By 3:45 pm, we were not only back on the ship…we had all stripped down to our swimming suits and had plunged ourselves into the OH-MY-GAWD-THIS-IS-HEAVENLY swimming pool of the Serenade.

 

Blissful.

 

All-aboard time wasn't until 6:30 pm, so we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the cool, refreshing, restorative waters of the pool. Add in a drink with an umbrella, and life was good. Very good.

 

 

So, how would I rate Ekol Travel? A definite A…very affordable…very courteous…and Ty was a wealth of information. We saw everything we wanted to see – didn’t get high-pressured to visit a carpet factory – and still had time to come back to the ship and cool down.

 

So…Turkey? Was an absolute surprise to all of us. Very beautiful, with a very rich and varied culture. I had been looking forward to Ephesus the least, out of all our ports, and I have to say I was blown away.

 

 

 

 

[3CatsInMA]

He'll appreciate that...but shhh....don't tell him...I love them, too. I have three cats of my own at home. Yes. I could so be that Crazy Cat Lady that has 100 cats one day. ;)

 

:eek::eek::eek:A drama queen with 3 cats??!! I don't remember running into your husband at the support group.....;):D

[rmurray847]

 

 

So…Turkey? Was an absolute surprise to all of us. Very beautiful, with a very rich and varied culture. I had been looking forward to Ephesus the least, out of all our ports, and I have to say I was blown away.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree. My wife and I had no idea what to expect when we were there last November (docked in Izmir, but did virtually the same itinerary you did when we were there). We were enchanted by the lovely scenery and, well, everything. In November, even the weather was mild! I'd like to go again some day and see some more.

[KrazyKroozer]

"Once we leave the Basilica, Ty tells us that we have several options…we can visit a pottery factory, a leather factory, or a Turkish carpet factory."

 

I don't know how you avoided the carpet factory!! I think that was our only disappointing part of our Turkish tour...the carpet factory. I wouldn't mind listening to the carpet "schpeel"(sp), but I think we spent too much time there. Our tour guide said that she pretty much has to take her tours to a carpet place. (a government requirement apparently) We missed out on going to the Basilica because we ran out of time. :( We decided to hit a pottery factory too since that's all we had time for. That was so cool! We watched them making and painting the pottery. I got some really nice pottery that will forever remind me of being in Turkey. Thank you for the Basilica pics and info on it!

[alohanails]

Turkey was our favorite stop a few years ago....I am actually Turkish on my dads side....and I probably paid too much for it, but I do love the rug I bought! Note the Turkish flag in my picture...

Bonnie

[MrFunInTheSun]

LOL. Your review and pictures are great. Commentary is hysterical. Tell Brainy Brad he could work for National Geographic taking cat pictures around the world. Great job. :-)

[PCWalton1]

I knew there was something about Brad that I liked. This is one of my favorite pictures I took in Ephesus. :p

 

[Cruzin-K]

You're so lucky to have not had to go to a carpet factory. My Mom and I went on a ship's tour and while the tour itself was wonderful, I would have preferred more time to wander around the shops near the port and head back to the ship. Not that the carpets weren't nice, but I lived in Europe for several years and had to go to the Middle East for work numerous times. In other words, my house already has more carpets than I know what to do with :o

 

I scrapbooked some of the photos from my Med cruise, and I have one page devoted entirely to "Greek kitties" :D I wish I'd taken more pictures because quite a few turned out blurry - those tiny kittens really can move :eek:

[KansCocoa]

I knew there was something about Brad that I liked. This is one of my favorite pictures I took in Ephesus. :p

 

 

Awww....that's awesome!

[KansCocoa]

You're so lucky to have not had to go to a carpet factory. My Mom and I went on a ship's tour and while the tour itself was wonderful, I would have preferred more time to wander around the shops near the port and head back to the ship. Not that the carpets weren't nice, but I lived in Europe for several years and had to go to the Middle East for work numerous times. In other words, my house already has more carpets than I know what to do with :o

 

I scrapbooked some of the photos from my Med cruise, and I have one page devoted entirely to "Greek kitties" :D I wish I'd taken more pictures because quite a few turned out blurry - those tiny kittens really can move :eek:

 

I hope everyone realize I'm not anti-carpet or anti-pottery or anything; it's just that all twelve of us, at that point, were a puddle of sweat with an amoeba for a brain. We were FRIED because of the heat, and the thought of watching a demonstration - no matter how interesting it may have been - was beyond what we were capable of dealing with at that time. :) When we return to Turkey, it's something that perhaps we can look forward to...

 

I think we can do a scrapbook of European pigeons and Turkish cats...combine that with your Greek kitties, and we may have a bestseller on our hands. ;)

[KansCocoa]

"Once we leave the Basilica, Ty tells us that we have several options…we can visit a pottery factory, a leather factory, or a Turkish carpet factory."

 

I don't know how you avoided the carpet factory!! I think that was our only disappointing part of our Turkish tour...the carpet factory. I wouldn't mind listening to the carpet "schpeel"(sp), but I think we spent too much time there. Our tour guide said that she pretty much has to take her tours to a carpet place. (a government requirement apparently) We missed out on going to the Basilica because we ran out of time. :( We decided to hit a pottery factory too since that's all we had time for. That was so cool! We watched them making and painting the pottery. I got some really nice pottery that will forever remind me of being in Turkey. Thank you for the Basilica pics and info on it!

 

Maybe it was my incredible charm...???? :D No...it was because we weren't even coherent at that point in the van, and Ty was smart enough to see it. The Basilica was a highlight, especially because it was so peaceful. There's also a cool 3-D topographical giant map of the area that was neat to see...don't know why I didn't take a pic of it, but we were pretty much melted by that time and couldn't think straight. The heat, combined with the humidity, combined with NO breeze whatsoever - was brutal. It ended up being the hottest day of our trip; we were fortunate it was only "bad" one day.

[KansCocoa]

Turkey was our favorite stop a few years ago....I am actually Turkish on my dads side....and I probably paid too much for it, but I do love the rug I bought! Note the Turkish flag in my picture...

Bonnie

 

 

I would go back to Turkey in a heartbeat...and maybe get a rug this time. :) I've heard they're amazing...as was the Turkish Delight. ;)

[KansCocoa]

LOL. Your review and pictures are great. Commentary is hysterical. Tell Brainy Brad he could work for National Geographic taking cat pictures around the world. Great job. :-)

 

Hey - you may have found the perfect job for him! Then, he could USE his language skills...with his eye for cats. (And pigeons...don't forget the pigeons.)

[Steppy08]

Ephesus was the one ship's tour we did, and we were tempted to skip the carpet demonstration at the end. We were really glad we didn't! The carpet demonstration was really interesting. And it was probably the BEST air-conditioning of the entire trip! You could almost see your breath in there!

[KansCocoa]

 

Let’s finish our day, so we can move on with this review. If you remember, our totally-tired and massively-melted travelers have returned to the ship after a great, albeit, hot day in Ephesus…and they, like about 90% of the rest of the ship, cooled off by jumping in the Serenade pool. Life was good.

 

As I said, that pool never felt so good as it did that afternoon…it got increasingly crowded as the afternoon wore on, as more and more sun-baked passengers returned to the ship. They all had the same idea as we did. In fact, there wasn’t a single chair hog on the pool deck, as everyone was IN THE POOL.

 

At dinner tonight, Pascal (our assistant waiter) presents a puzzle involving more toothpicks…and surprising everyone, Taylor solves it within a matter of minutes. Yes. Taylor. I KNOW! We were shocked, too! Brainy Brad was again, dumbfounded, to the point of being speechless…which always cracks us up. Pascal just shakes his head, muttering, “First I have to deal with Brad…NOW I’ve got HIM, too??” indicating Taylor. Taylor was pretty darn proud of himself that night, as he should be. When he beats his brother at a brainiac activity, he wants bragging rights. It’s now 6-3, us, and Pascal shakes his fist, determining that he WILL be the victor before the cruise is out. I don’t know…time is running out…he’d better bring his best game the few nights we have left on the cruise.

 

Tonight was casual photo night – which means WHITE SHEET NIGHT, woot! The Klingons LOVED the white sheet. If you haven’t cruised before, "White Sheet Night" is when there’s a completely white backdrop…with a white sheet on the floor…and the photographer encourages you to go really wild and crazy with your poses. With your shoes off. Which the Klingons thought was the best thing EVER.

 

Our pathetic attempts at a pyramid...we laughed SO hard while trying to build this, that people on Deck 10 said they could hear us....

 

 

My dress was supposed to be "Turkish" - or at least, inspired by Turkey...!!!

 

 

 

Mickey was delighted to be the center of attention in this photo....

 

 

 

Only one show tonight in the Tropical Theater…the 10:00 pm Love & Marriage Game Show, the cruise industry’s answer to “The Newlywed Game.” This show has never disappointed us in the past, and so we head out to go watch. The older couple, John & Kat, who had been married for 100 years or so, was a couple from England. John was the geriatric Mr. Bean, and had everyone in stitches with his antics. The newly married couple was another British couple, and of course, were cute as a button, and oh-so- sweet with their perfect little answers and obvious devotion to each other. Bleh. Don’t they realize they’re supposed to make us laugh?

 

Well…the “middle” couple, Elizabeth and Bill (from Ohio), knew the score. They were a riot. Bill’s answers all seemed to focus on Elizabeth’s…um…”girls”, for lack of a better word that can be safely put here. Name one thing you love about your wife? Her “girls.” What’s the first thing you touch in the morning? Her “girls.” By the end of the show, Bill had a nickname…B00BY Bill. I’m sure he was proud.

 

 

Bill & Elizabeth, visiting us later that week in our room....

 

 

We would meet Elizabeth and Bill later in the cruise, and you’ll crack up when you hear how our conversation started.

 

Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting the lovely island of Santorini, and so we’re off to bed early….

 

[KansCocoa]

 

Ahhh....Saturday. June 30th. And we're spending the day in Santorini, a lovely Greek island that I've never visited, but have certainly seen enough photographs of, as well as seeing it featured in such movies as "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." (Yes. We watched this pre-cruise...our choices for Santorini movies were somewhat limited, as opposed to, oh, Rome, for instance.)

 

 

I have to insert here that this particular part of the review is extremely difficult…that’s because Santorini, for the most part, is one giant photo-op. It’s a photographer’s dream…and I have about 1,000 photos, which would drive away all of my lovely readers if I actually POSTED 1,000 photos of Santorini…so I had to pick and choose. Sigh. The sacrifices one must make…I hope I’ve picked some of the good ones, but I’ll let you be the judge.

 

 

We arrive in Santorini at 7:00 am…and as my built-in alarm clock wakes me up at 5:45 am (don't you HATE that??!), I spend the extra time enjoying the beautiful views as the ship maneuvers ever closer to the island of Santorini.

 

 

Oh, what I wouldn't give to wake up to THIS view every morning...sigh.

 

 

Breakfast was spent in the Jammer…at our usual table…with our usual BFF’s (Breakfast Friends Forever), Steve and Amy:

 

 

It occurred to me that I talk about Steve & Amy a lot on this cruise, as they ended up dear friends…in fact, so dear that, later in the cruise, we will swap out Brainy Brad for one evening at dinner in exchange for Amy, hoping to make it a permanent swap, but Steve nixed that idea (wonder why?)…and I had yet to post a photo of them. I hope they don’t mind that I “stole” one of their own self-proclaimed “Tilty Head Photos” to share…..

 

 

Knowing that Santorini has a reputation for being hot, I had dressed in my brand-new white cotton blouse that I had purchased at Ephesus the day before, along with a pair of khaki capris. This, I think, will be cool and comfortable. Yay for me. I am thinking SMART.

 

 

Hubby Mike shows up for breakfast, and he is wearing a white polo shirt with khaki shorts. Oh, great. We’re TWINS!!! Does any other married couples inadvertently dress like twins? Does it come from being married for so long??!! Rather than give him credit for thinking SMART, I think he's a copycat. Mickey shows up, and she’s wearing her brand-new white cotton sundress that we had purchased at Ephesus the day before. And then…Taylor shows up. In a white shirt and khaki shorts. Of course.

 

 

I SWEAR WE DIDN’T PLAN THIS!!!!!

 

 

Really. This is just how weird and crazy our family is…that we would all dress, independently of each other, in matching clothes. So...just a warning...the photos that you will see today - when it looks like we're coordinating our clothes to head out for a day at Disney World - it wasn't intentional. Truly.

 

 

We wait with baited breath for Brainy Brad to appear at breakfast (hey – there’s a tongue twister) – and here he comes...NOT in a white shirt or khaki shorts. Nonconformist. Bah.

 

 

Soon, it is time to head down to the Centrum to meet the rest of our group, in preparation for our private tour. I had chosen a company, Ocean Wave Tours, that specializes in tours of Santorini. We were not scheduled to meet them until 9:30, but not knowing how long it would take for us to make our way to Fira, our meeting spot, we had set a meeting time at 7:30 with our fellow touring partners.

 

 

Santorini is an interesting port…it's an adventure upon itself to even GET there. We will have to tender in, which will drop us off at the base of a very steep volcanic cliff. We then have three choices as to how to get to the top of the cliff:

 

1. We can pay $5E a person and ride the famed Santorini donkeys up the winding path…

2. We can pay $4E a person and ride the fast-moving cable car up the cliff…

3. Or, we can “hoof” it ourselves and walk with our own two feet up the cliff...dodging donkeys and donkey droppings along the way.

 

See the path? Zig-zagging up the cliff???

 

 

No brainer. We'll take the cable car for $500, Alex.

 

 

After meeting Cathy & Ken, our touring buddies for the day, we walk down to Deck 2 and are immediately put on a tender. Wow. That was fast. After a very short tender ride over to the cliffside, we hop out, walk right up to the ticket indow for the cable car, and are on a cable car within 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Again. That was fast. We were expecting longer lines and longer waits…but perhaps we’ve beaten the crowd? This is good information to know, in case you're trying to beat the crowd, yourself. Go EARLY.

 

 

Just an FYI…the cable car is pretty steep, and can look VERY intimidating…especially to Klingons – or those of us (as in, ME) who have a fear of heights. I had pulled up videos of the cable car experience on YouTube ahead of time to somewhat prepare myself (and my Klingons) on the experience, so they wouldn’t be taken off guard. Taylor still hated it…he hates heights, and he was visibly pale the entire ride. However, the ride is very short (less than 3 minutes), and it’s very smooth. We just kept talking to Taylor, trying to distract him from what was going on, and that seemed to help.

 

Looking STRAIGHT down out of the cable car...that's the water below us (at the top of the photo). This gives you an idea of how steep it is...

 

 

Before we realize it, we are on the streets of Fira by 8:00 am…with 90 minutes before we have to meet Ocean Wave Tours. Wow. We're way early. This actually worked out pretty good, as it gave us time to do some window shopping (some of the little shops nearby were just starting to open) and explore our surroundings.

 

 

Soon, the herds of donkeys appear at the top of the path, ready to make their plodding way down, to greet the disembarking cruise passengers.

 

The donkeys....

 

 

This is when disaster strikes. Unbeknownst to us, Mickey must be terribly allergic to donkeys…because within 2 minutes of the donkeys’ appearance, she begins sneezing violently…horribly…and can’t seem to stop. This is the ONE day of the entire cruise that I haven’t brought my Mary Poppins purse, as we didn’t seem to need stuff from it, and it was rather hot and heavy to carry. We have no Kleenex…we have no eye drops…we have nothing. The best I can do is to get her as far away from the donkeys as possible, and find a restroom, where we wash her eyes out and wash her face. She will sneeze & sniffle for most of the day, however, before she eventually calms down. So…here’s a tip: if your child has an allergy to other animals with fur (such as cats or dogs), they may possibly be allergic to the donkeys. Please consider that possibility before riding the donkeys…or getting close to the donkeys, as we did, as they walked by us.

 

 

Before we know it, it’s 9:30, and we soon see our tour guide, Dimitrius, ready to go… So…off to explore the island of Santorini, and all it has to offer…but…just WHAT does it have to offer????

 

Edited July 28, 2012 by KansCocoa

[KansCocoa]

 

Dimitrius is quite the character…he talks a mile a minute and has a lot of Greek “kefi” – or, zest, for life. He quickly herds the seven of us together and we walk a short distance to where the van is parked. There are over 250 churches on the tiny island of Santorini, and about 247 of them are painted white with a blue-painted dome. Our first stop will be to capture photographs of the “famous” blue-domed church. Yes. Although 247 of the churches all look alike, this one is famous and is featured on all of the postcards. When we arrive, we’re the only barbarians here, as it’s still rather early. There is a strong wind blowing, which will do havoc with the hair today and make for some interesting photos:

 

Hey look! You can see the nose of the Serenade....

 

 

And here we are…

 

The "Matchy-Matchy" Family! (except for Brad...nonconformist)

 

 

As we get back in the van, Mickey’s allergies are in full-blown attack-mode. To make matters worse, the strong winds have blown something into my eye – so we’re not off to an auspicious start on this tour. There is a wheelchair lift in the very back of the van, and as we drive over the rough & bumpy roads of Fira, the lift is rattling and squeaking to the point where I can’t hear a word that Dimitrius is saying. So…if he told any cool and funny stories about the island – sorry. I missed it. This is what happens when one always sits in the very back seat of the van. (Eventually, Dimitrius realizes the lift is a nuisance, and adjusts it…but that won’t be until midway through our tour).

 

 

Our destination is Oia (pronounced “EE-ya”)…the “pretty” part of Santorini; the part that is featured in all of the movies. Along the way, we can see the village up ahead of us, and it looks postcard-perfect:

 

 

 

After a relatively short drive, Dimitrius drops us off at one end of Oia. We have about 45 minutes to walk the nearly-deserted streets of Oia to the other end, before we need to meet back up with Dimitrius. We spend the time window-shopping and photo-shooting and dreaming of what it would be like to live here...heck, even just VISIT here for a week...or a month...or two. It is absolutely beautiful…although I'm still in Full-Pirate mode, only able to see out of one eye at this point.

 

 

 

As you can see, the streets are nearly deserted…no crowds…we felt like we had the entire village to ourselves, sometimes going a mile or so without seeing a single soul. Very strange, after dealing with the hordes of barbarians the last few days in the other ports....

 

 

 

There are random staircases that appear out of nowhere, and lead to…somewhere. Who knows? If we’d had more time, I would have loved to have explored.

 

 

"I blend...."

 

 

At one point, we lose Brainy Brad…as he has oh-so-secretly camouflaged himself in front of a random door…oh, he’s a clever one.

 

 

I’m sure we made for a funny sight...walking those empty streets of Oia that morning…the family that’s all dressed alike (except for Brad)…with one of them sneezing like crazy…and another one blinking her eye every two seconds…and one of them hiding in doorways...that's my family! Gotta' love us!

 

[RicardoC]

 

And here we are…

 

The "Matchy-Matchy" Family! (except for Brad...nonconformist)

 

 

Come onn don't you see it? It's like the four of you dressed (unintentionally) like the several white houses in Santorini & then BrainyBrad "had" to be the little blue the churches' domes are in between the white....you can see it in the picture...even cooler :D:cool:

 

BTW Santorini is amazing...we were there with the Brilliance (hey, Serenade's sister!) 4 years ago for my mom's 50th bday(another similarity) and I remember thinking I could live there off of managing a restaurant or a hotel....can you imagine??:cool: