The Rooftop at SkyHouse Austin

Linda and I were graciously invited to a friend's rooftop terrace at SkyHouse Austin.  It is a high rise apartment building that sits right on Rainey Street.  It has a great view of downtown and Lady Bird Lake.  I was told when it is peak season to watch the bats coming out from the bridge, they flight right over this building.  After taking a few shots as the sun was going down, we relaxed to some BBQ and beers.  

After hanging out for a bit, we hopped over to the pool area and got some great shots with the city lights.

Portraits of Liz

Liz was recently in town and we took the opportunity to do a quick shoot.  Within a really short amount of time, we were able to knock out a few different looks.  

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

The last time Linda was in town, we took a quick trip to check out the unique BAPS temple in Stafford.  BAPS is a Hindu temple that took 28 months to build and consists of 33,000 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone.  All of the marble pieces were assembled together like a jigsaw puzzle.  This beautiful temple makes for a great backdrop for Linda to practice her best modeling poses.

Our Last Day in Oia, Santorini

Sadly, today is our last day in Santorini.  What an experience it has been!  Check-out time at our hotel was at noon, but they let us keep our luggage in the office until our flight out to Athens (which wasn't until 10pm).  Since we had the entire day, we strolled around Oia one last time.  Surprisingly, there were still stairways and alleys that we hadn't yet discovered...

Stairway leading to another marina (not as touristy).

Tiny gate leading to a small, private patio.

These musicians were really good and we purchased their CD.  They were located in the square with the Church of Panagia Platsani.

Another door leading to our hotel, Atrina.

Seafood pasta at Lotza in Oia

Santorini "burger" with pita bread at Lotza

The kastro walls of Oia (ruins of an old castle that dates back to the 1200s; a popular spot to watch the Santorini sunset).  You can also see the 300 steps leading down to Amoudi Bay.

Finally, we found some hummus! 

Greek salad (red and green bell peppers, onions, black olives, feta cheese, capers, and olive oil/spices)

Chicken kabob over rice

The middle of the day was very hot, so we went back to our hotel to sit by the pool.  The hotel staff knew we were waiting around for our flight, so they brought us some freshly cut watermelon (complimentary).

Dinner at Skala (the wine bottle doesn't have a label; Skala makes their own wine on-site)

Kefalotyri cheese-olive fried croquettes

Cheesy goodness

Soutzoukakia with rice - cumin flavored baked meatballs with tomato sauce

Mousakas baked in a clay pot

The tables by the edge of the balcony at most restaurants are filled right before sunset.

One last Santorini sunset.  It was the best one of our trip.

A beautiful place to walk at night.  Both the sky and scenery seem too good to be true; another dream-like world.

 We couldn't have asked for a better experience.  The honeymoon of a lifetime in some of the most beautiful places of the world.  We hope to return to Italy and Greece someday.  Maybe when we're old and gray, sitting on the same balcony.  We'll be reminiscing on how all of the things we had hoped and dreamed for, had come true.

Exploring the Akrotiri and Pyrgos in Santorini

This morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise.  We'll definitely miss this amazing view from our balcony.  It's where we spent most of our time.  After discussing our options on what to do today (as mentioned in a previous post, we didn't have an itinerary planned for our honeymoon), we decided to rent a scooter and tour the island of Santorini.  

The island of Santorini (from Oia to Akrotiri) is only about 16 miles.  There are plenty of scenic points along the way, so make sure to bring your camera.

After a short ride, we made it to Akrotiri (the other end of the island).  This church is located at the beginning of the trail that leads to the Red Beach in Akrotiri.

A viewpoint along the trail leading to the Red Beach.

Red Beach near the ancient site of Akrotiri (red and black volcanic rocks line the cliff)

The outside of the archeological site of ancient Akrotiri.  The entrance fee is 12 euros, and you can pay an additional amount for a guided tour.

Similar to Pompeii, Akrotiri was buried in volcanic ash around 1627 BC, which preserved the remains of this Minoan Bronze Age settlement.  Akrotiri started as a small farming and fishing village, and later expanded into a center for processing copper.

Akrotiri was a sophisticated village with paved streets, extensive drainage system, and high-quality crafts.

After touring Akrotiri, we rode up the hill to the town of Pyrgos.  Since Pyrgos is perched high on top of a hill, there are panoramic views of the entire island of Santorini.

Since Pyrgos is very small and further away from the larger towns, there were no tourists to be found.

Church in Pyrgos

View from the top of Pyrgos

Pyrgos has the typical shops and boutiques of Santorini.  However, you'll feel like you have the entire town to yourself.

Kantouni Traditional Cafe; we stumbled upon this place at the bottom of the hill in Pyrgos.  Their menu was like a newspaper and their food was local and very fresh.  A good choice if you're in Pyrgos.

Santorinian fava scented with orange zest, served with roasted almonds and local sausage; pita on the side

Fried calamari in a crunchy crust with semolina and corn flour, served with sun dried tomato cocktail sauce

Although we had rented the scooter for 24 hours, we decided to return it early since we knew we would be leaving Santorini tomorrow.  We ate dinner back in Oia and this was our view!

Black olives, sundried tomatoes, and capers with freshly-baked bread

A delicious hand-tossed pizza (because we didn't get enough in Italy!)

Church of Panagia Platsani

The main street of Oia in the evening

So romantical!

Tomorrow will not only be our last day in Santorini, but also the last day of our honeymoon.  It has certainly been the best honeymoon we could have ever hoped for.