my favorites: 8 stunning views

bixby bridge in big sur, california

bixby bridge in big sur, california

every year around this time, i start to get a bit of cabin fever.  it’s officially “busy season” for me at work, and i leave civilization for awhile and hibernate in conference rooms around the dallas metroplex.  inevitably, the travel itch comes along as i dream of warmer weather, exotic locations, and – due to lack of windows in the aforementioned conference rooms – a better view.

central california: farm to rail to sea.

central california: farm to rail to sea.

there’s no sense in fighting it, so i’ve compiled a few of my favorite views from my travels.  seeing these sights in person have produced gasps, “ah ha!” moments, a bewilderment at this crazy amazing place we call earth, and a larger-than-i’d-like-to-admit terrifying fear of heights.  enjoy the views, and please let me know some of your favorites that i’ve missed!

the view of cape town from table mountain

the view of cape town from table mountain

my husband and i traveled to south africa this past summer, and absolutely fell in love with the country.  read more about my trip to cape town (and table mountain!) here.

new york, as seen from brooklyn.

new york, my love, as seen from brooklyn. it doesn’t get better than this. period.

a year ago,during a work trip to new york, i fought the urge to stay in manhattan and crossed the river to brooklyn for the entire weekend, and was more than pleasantly surprised.  more brooklyn tidbits here.

santorini, aka my favorite place the whole entire world.

santorini, aka my favorite place the whole entire world.

ok, so santorini seems fake.  the photos that look fake?  they’re not.  the entire island looks exactly this perfect (at least, when it’s not erupting).  read more about santorini here.  spoiler alert: it will steal your heart.

barcelona, as seen from park guell

barcelona, as seen from park guell

barcelona is a city of color and life and art.  my best friend and i visited two years ago and it has stayed with me since.  if you only have a limited amount of time in europe, this is a must-see city.  you can read more about my favorites in barcelona here and here.

oregon pine trees, as seen from the window of our train, en route to seattle from los angeles

oregon pine trees, as seen from the window of our train, en route to seattle from los angeles

the amtrak from los angeles to seattle was so unique and reminiscent of bygone days that i keep dreaming of my next train trip.  read more about the adventure here.

the stunning mcway falls in big sur, california

the stunning mcway falls in big sur, california. this was one of my favorite vacations to date…must write about it soon!

my jaunts: santorini, greece

view of the santorini caldera from our balcony at astra suites

view of the santorini caldera from our balcony at astra suites

my husband’s and my second anniversary was a couple of weeks ago (see our anniversary trip to san antonio here), and it got me to thinking about our previous trips together, namely our honeymoon that we took to the shockingly beautiful santorini, greece. i had seen the photos and thought there was no way it would be so astonishing in person. yep, it was. santorini can be expensive, but let me tell you, it is totally worth it.

these guys run the donkey rides from the port to the cliff's edge in fira.

these guys run the donkey rides from the port to the cliff’s edge in fira. no nonsense here. you get on a donkey and you ride. no regrets.

where to stay
so santorini is an island with multiple cities, not just one city like many people think. fira/thira is the port city, and is quite busy. filled with a lot of tourist stores (this is where the cruise ships dock on a daily basis), it also has some hidden gems. one in particular is the donkey ride you can take from the port down below (the only thing at sea level) up a winding (and completely dangerous by US standards) path to the cliff’s edge where the town resides. i highly recommend this, and i highly recommend doing it at night, so you can’t see just how sharp that cliff is that you’re climbing. oh yeah, if you’re into clubbing, stay in fira.

climbing the stone path from the port to fira on donkeys.

climbing the stone path from the port to fira…on donkeys…in the dark. terrifying/awesome.

oia is the nicest city in my opinion and lays claim to the most beautiful sunset in the world (i believe it – keep reading). it is also the furthest away from the port, so if you’re staying in oia and want to explore the island, you will definitely need a car or need to explore the bus options. imerovigli is between fira and oia, and is where we stayed at astra suites.

overlooking fira from imerovigli in santorini

overlooking fira from imerovigli in santorini

it is a 30 minute walk along the cliff’s edge to fira (which was a walk we made often and thoroughly enjoyed), which was just far enough away to get away from the crowds and enjoy a bit more of the true santorini lifestyle. i highly recommend astra (for more information on astra suites, see my triptease review) if for nothing else than you get the owner, george’s, suggestions for your time in santorini. which leads me to our next topic…

what to do
santorini was perfect for me in that it was big enough for me to explore and get to know another culture. but also small enough that you feel like you can sit at your hotel pool for a day and not feel guilty about doing nothing other than soaking in the breathtaking views. a few of my favorites things we did:

overlooking the caldera while hiking the santorini volcano

overlooking the caldera while hiking the santorini volcano

– boat cruise around the caldera – santorini is an island that was formed after a giant volcano erupted. there’s a chance it will still erupt. it’s the chance santorinians are willing to take when living on the island in exchange for living in utopia. the boat cruise we took sailed around the caldera and docked at the volcano site, which we hiked up while learning about the history of the island. we also visited the hot springs created by the volcano (which unfortunately have a strong sulphur smell) and swam in the sea while our captains made us dinner. we then sailed to oia where we watched the sunset while we were serenaded by saxophone (cheesy? yes. perfect? you betcha.).

the hot springs in santorini

swimming the hot springs in santorini – strong sulphur smells, but worth it!

explore the island – we rented a car one day and drove around the island. we stopped at megalochori, a small, quaint, narrow, white, artsy town with a cute square that held tavernas and wineries and giant fuschia flowers that appeared to be fake they were so pretty. adorable.

town entrance to megalachori on santorini

town entrance to megalachori on santorini

we then drove to akrotiri, which houses the site of the (then closed) ruins of minoan civilization. we parked and hiked around the cliff to the red beach – stunning. it’s a small beach at the bottom of the red volcanic cliff just filled with people.

the red beach in santorini

the red beach in santorini (see the throngs of people at the bottom of the cliff)

the next stop was perivolos, which houses the black beach on the back of the island – called the black beach due to the small black pebbles that line the water instead of sand – very good at exfoliating, but also so hot!  kind of a party vibe if you’re looking for that (think tons of beach bars and thumping music).

pebble "sand" from the black beach on the back of santorini island

pebble “sand” from the black beach on the back of santorini island

we wanted to explore a little more, so we hopped back in the car and headed to pyrgos, a quaint town on a hill in the middle of the island. an old venetian fort stands on top of the hill and inside is franco’s cafe, which provides sweeping views of the caldera and black beaches, all with classical music playing. it was quite nice after the craziness of the black beach. also, order a freddo. last stop: oia. best. stop. yet. the streets are narrow and the pedestrian paths are paved in marble and lined with art galleries, jewelry stores, and nice restaurants (a far cry from the tacky souvenir shops of fira). we parked just outside of town and walked in, which leads me to my final must-do of the island…

oia, santorini

oia, santorini – so perfect for food and sunsets and watching beautiful people stroll by.

– eat fresh seafood in oia while watching the sunset. magical. at the edge of oia, we descended 250 OLD stone stairs to the bay of ammoudi. about 10 fresh seafood restaurants are located here and we had made reservations at dimitri’s, recommended by our trusty friend, george. we arrived in time for the sunset and sat at the edge (literally) of the bay. one wrong step and we could have easily fallen in. the owner’s wife is canadian and she waited on us and helped us order our meal – some mezedes (appetizers, and p.s. order as many greek salads as you can – they are divine), some wine, and one whole fish to split between us.

dinner at dimitri's at the bay of ammoudi in oia, santorini

dinner at dimitri’s at the bay of ammoudi in oia, santorini

while the travel costs and accommodations can be pricey (do look into hostels or cities on the back of the island if that’s keeping you from going), santorini is worth every penny. i promise.

the santorini sunset, as seen from the bay of ammoudi in oia

the santorini sunset, as seen from the bay of ammoudi in oia