Fourth Week!

Four weeks down, twelve to go! I can't believe I've already been here for a month! I had my first exams this week at SAIIE, so I spent a lot of last weekend resting and studying for those. The weather has been really nice, so I have been down by the river almost everyday.

This week we had a holiday on Thursday, so I took my first solo trip! I left Wednesday morning for Greece and made it to Santorini by sunset. My hotel was really cute--I could see the blue domes of Oia right outside my door! There was a really nice hot tub I used every night I was there. My favorite city in Santorini was definitely Oia because it was a little quieter than Fira but still beautiful. It was a perfect place to watch the sunset and sunrise and just hangout.

On Thursday, I walked around Oia for a while then took the bus to Fira to explore that town. End of February is considered an offseason, and a lot of restaurants and shops were closed in both places. I also took a trip to Santo Winery, and there was an amazing view of the caldera. I made my way back to Oia and took a walk down to Amoudi Bay before the sunset. The best place to watch the sunset was at the Oia Castle.

I wanted to get some more views of the ocean and towns, so I took a hike on Friday from Oia to Fira. This was one of the best hikes I've ever done! I got to see an overview of both Oia and Fira, and the water was beautiful. The hike was not very difficult but it ended up being about 8 miles. I took the bus back to Oia and walked down to the Oia Port to get another glance of the water.

Today, Saturday, was my last day in Santorini. I walked around Oia one last time, then took a bus to Red Beach. I am about to leave for Athens, but I am so happy I got the chance to travel around Santorini for the past couple days. It is such a beautiful place, and I had a successful first solo trip.

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