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Greece
2003-06-29 2:17 p.m.

oh where do I begin? I'm in Naxos, land of Ariadne and Theseus. Steve and I just came in on what we thought would be the fast boat, but turned out to be the very slow boat. Not so bad, though - we only had to stop at Ios, land of "les enfants terrible", according to the lonely planet guide, before going out again to Naxos.

Santorini was more than what I'd imagined it would be. Maybe i wouldn't have had such a beautiful time if it was high tourist season - we found much of Fira and Imergivoli pleasantly empty.

Though I got sick and tired of people calling the Greek Islands "Magical" and "Holy" while they sipped their diet cokes and answered their cell phones (maybe I asked all the wrong people to tell me about Greece), being here now I understand now how the islands can touch even someone who seems so...out of touch.

Steve and I spoiled ourselves - we are on our honeymoon, after all - and stayed at the most amazing Andromeda villas apartments. They are dug into the cliffside, and over look the Agean below. Every morning we could watch the sun rise, and every evening the sun set, in a peaceful quietness and darkness that only can be experienced far, far from a major international metropolis.

Speaking of which, just as an aside, Athens itself was unlike any other major European city I've ever been to. If you travel, you notice that they start to blend after a while, the big European cities: Lisbon turns into London turns into Madrid and Rome. Not Athens, though. Maybe it's that "magic" the diet coke heads talk about; maybe it's the fact that we've both been obsessed with Mythology and Antiquity since we were children (small, lonely, dorky children). Whatever the case, something was different there. There is a sense of permanence among the rushing, and a sense of meaning and purpose that is both cathartic and fulfilling.

I can't wait to see our pictures of the Acropolis, the Agora, the Parthenon, and of each other.

Back to the islands - we seemed to always be at the right place at the right time on Santorini; renting scooters and happening upon the most beautiful and uncrowded beach, sitting on our deck and seeing a shooting star, randomly driving our scooter out to Oia and finding a swimming spot with water bluer and more clear than that which I saw in Italy.

Here in Naxos, I'm not quite sure yet what to expect. I've been wanting to come here all my life, a desire that i've begun to fear - it's ruined other places for me in my past travels, as sometimes things just don't live up to our heightened child-like optimistic expectations. Steve seems to always carry with him a healthy balance of magic and practicality, though; traveling a few towns away to find an open bank on any random saturday can be adventerous and amazing with him.

So we've been married 7 days (?) or so now, and so far so good. So great. So perfect, actually.

I'll write from Paros if I can.

Love,

Theresa