In February 2009 I went to Athens and Santorini with two of my friends. Greece was the most awe-inspiring of all my trips. My journey there was rough (missed flight due to canceled flight in Dublin + spent the night in the Dublin airport), and arriving there was glorious. The weather was a fantastic 60 to 70 degrees and the tourists were few and far between.

I had heard stories about Athens being disagreeable and unpleasant, but that is not the Athens I met. Santorini was also a beautiful experience, except that the tourist attractions were closed and scary dogs followed us everywhere. But everything we saw in both places was easy on the eyes, whether it was man-made monuments of almost impossible grandeur or perfect sunsets seen from the cliffs of Santorini.

So take a look at these photos and meet my Athens and Santorini. Click either of the photos below to take you to the entire gallery.