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Oia, Santorini, Greece

Our third major stop in Greece was the island of Santorini. Yes, it’s touristy, but for good reason. It is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen and experienced. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back immediately!

Also known as Thera or Thira (you will find that many places have multiple names in Greece due to its history of invasions from other cultures), this is the island that you often seen in photos showing blue and white domed buildings perched high up on a cliff. That cliff is the side of Santorini’s famous caldera, which was formed by ancient volcanic eruptions.

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Corinth Canal

After a few days in Athens, my husband, Rory, and I headed for the open Greek road on the Peloponnese. We hit up Corinth, Nafplio, Stoupa (for the wedding) and Ancient Olympia.

Driving in Greece

Driving in Greece wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. For one thing, the Greeks drive on the right side of the road, so we didn’t have to worry about driving on the left. There’s also a national network of highways that never seems to have any traffic, so that’s also a plus. It’s only when you’re driving through small villages — which we did on our way back to Athens from Olympia — that it gets tricky. Yes, some of the streets in Athens are small, but some of the “roads” in Greek villages are only roads in the academic sense; they really did not look like any road a car should be driving on!

Corinth

Our first stop was Corinth, where we stopped for pics of the canal (pictured above) before we made our way to the beach. Pro tip: while you can find English speakers in much of Greece, the folks who worked in the restaurants along the beach in Corinth did not speak English very well. We were surprised since Corinth is only an hour outside Athens. This made trying to find beach towels to buy difficult! However, we discovered here that restaurants often have beach chairs that you can use for free as long as you buy something, even if it’s just a drink. They have servers who come out to you, too. I wish we had this kind of service in Los Angeles as a matter of course!

A beach in Corinth

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This is the first post by filmmaker (and my boyfriend!) Rory Delaney. This video was shot and edited by him.

If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for cheap excursions in LA. And since I’m a beach guy and a dog guy, a combo of the two packs the perfect punch. Unfortunately, LA city officials couldn’t agree less and forbade dogs from Santa Monica Beach all the way down to Redondo. (If you have a rebellious streak and press your luck, know that if you and your pooch get busted it’s punishable by a $600 fine). And while there are official dog beaches in Long Beach and Huntington Beach — Maya and I used to frequent Huntington’s Bark Beach when we lived in Anaheim once upon a time — the last thing I want to spend my free time doing is battling Orange County traffic with two revved-up pugs on my lap kicking my bladder repeatedly.

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