On the island of Therasia, some people take a mule ride to the village of Manolas. We just want to spend some time appreciating this dream beach. Frank swims in the Aegean Sea that unfortunately is too cold for me today. Eating at the seaside restaurant, watching the boats come and go, we admire the once in a lifetime scenery. Sharing Tatziki (Greek yogurt dip), crusty country bread, hummus and fried potatoes, we are ready for the rest of the day.

Having an entirely free day, without any tours planned, Frank and I take the public bus to Oia. This was featured in the movie “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” In our opinion, it is one of the most spectacular places on earth. Cramming into an overloaded bus for forty-five minutes, we arrive intact. We look for an entrance to access the famous picturesque village of Oia. The dramatic cliffs attract tourists from around the world for its quiet life and fantastic sunset. People also come to see the view over the volcano of Palia, Nea Kameni, and the island of Thirassia. Here we also find charming houses on narrow streets, blue domed churches, and sun-bathed verandas. Its streets have plenty of tourist shops, taverns, cafés, and other shops. Frank talks to people, to find out where we need to go to see the fantastic sunset. I wait for him on a bench. Peering down into the houses below, I see a staircase with a dog sleeping on a step. I’m fascinated by the white Dalmatian dog’s lack of black spots and all the black spots on the white steps. It looks as if his spots have fallen off him while he was asleep and now they are on the steps. I grab my camera and take the classic photo. With all this incredible scenery, we decide on a romantic dinner for two before we go to the sunset point.

Choosing a restaurant, we sit down to dinner and toast to Oia with Ouzo a popular Greek liqueur. After a quick classic Greek dinner including Spanakopita and Saganaki, we take off in a hurry to catch the famous Oia sunset. After a few minutes of plowing through hordes of people, we realize we’re going the wrong way. Backtracking the right way, we make it out to the point just in time to catch the amazing sunset. This is one of the most massive photo shoots we’ve ever experienced. Thousands of cameras are going off continuously for about five minutes. As the sun finally sets, we start heading back toward the bus station. Frank stops to take one last photo of the sunset from a different spot. He turns to put his camera away and sees the full moon in the opposite direction. It appears larger than life, resting on the top of a mountain, illuminating the summer’s night sky.

Walking to the beach from our hotel, a few blocks away, we find lots of people sunbathing. It is a black stone beach with dramatic mountains providing the backdrop. The water looks cool and inviting on this hot afternoon, but walking in bare feet is not an option on this rock-carpeted beach. The locals all come prepared with aqua shoes. Deciding not to venture in, barefooted, we explore the shops. Later we find a perfect restaurant on the beach. Enjoying the Greek cuisine as the sun sets, we watch the ocean disappear into the night sky as the full moon takes over with total illumination.

Continue: page 4, Capturing the Wonders of Greece - on to Athens .