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Dreams come true in Ikies

dreams come true in ikies ikies hotel santorini greece dreams come true in ikies oia greek islands dreams come true in ikies ikies hotel santorini dreams come true in ikies

dreams come true in ikies santorini greece
dreams come true in ikies greece
 

dreams come true in ikies (4)dreams come true in ikies greece santorini travel stories

Photos by Antonio Giannakos

I have been dreaming of that specific place for a long time and have been patient till that day the cobblestone alleyways in Oia would lead me to the extraordinary scenery that would take my breath away. I did my research on the internet, I couldn’t be wrong. I wanted something special for the last weekend of August and I knew where I could find it. Once I arrived there, I closed my eyes, I reopened them, I pinched myself and later on I thought…Oh yes, dreams come true in Ikies.

Ikies and the view in front of its apartments is the dream of a photographer. I wanted to take pictures of each and every small detail of our beautiful maisonette, pictures of each and every angle of Ikies traditional houses. If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen some of my pictures that were uploaded real time. I even took a selfie while I was waiting for my friend to come (generally I never take selfies, although that kind of photos seems to be very popular lately.) We then snapped some pictures together, trying at the same time to be quiet and discreet for the other guests of the hotel.

There are many luxury boutique hotels in Oia that have a panoramic view of caldera. What makes Ikies Traditional Houses different and stand out from the others is its key position. It is situated exactly on the edge of the village Oia, which means you don’t need to go out and walk around. You don’t need to leave your maisonette to go to the other part of the village to see the sunset, like loads of tourists do. Just sit in your balcony, and you will have all that you need that will make your stay unforgettable. A better position cannot be found in Oia.

Needless to write more, just to thank the lovely girls at the reception and the whole staff for their kind welcome and their excellent service.

Columbia Road flower market

travel blog the viennese girl

travel blog the viennese girl
travel blog the viennese girl
 

travel blog the viennese girl

travel blog the viennese girl
travel blog the viennese girl
 

Columbia Road flower market (10)travel blog the viennese girl

Columbia Road flower market (12)
Columbia Road flower market (19)
 

Columbia Road flower market (7)

I read about it somewhere on the web, like you do now, and I knew that I shouldn’t miss it. During my stay in London I visited the Columbia Road flower market which takes place on Sundays. I got off at the Hoxton Overground Station and walked towards Columbia road. I haven’t seen something like that ever before. All kinds of flowers. Lavender, orchids, roses, tulips, colours and smells everywhere. I was lost in the most beautiul flower market I’ve ever been.
-“What about a smell, madame?” asked the flower seller.
-“Yes,sir!” I said.

Dear London

Dear London,

It’s been 12 years since the last time I visited you and I had that feeling that it was time for me to come back to you.

Although it’s been such a long time, I still remember some of the most famous spots around the city such as Oxford street, Buckingham Palace, Harrods, Big Ben, and London Bridge. But do you know what the most beautiful memory of my first visit is? The theatre and the musical “Cats”. I would pay again to see the same musical in the same city and listen to that song which goes like “Midnight, not a sound from the pavement, has the moon lost her memory?”.

On my second visit to that beautiful city, I had more time to explore and discover. But London, I have to say this. You are expensive. You are more expensive than New York and Paris. I mean, I knew that you would be expensive but didn’t imagine that you would be that expensive. Anyway, I still like you. You have been nice to me and I had a wonderful time walking around the streets and avenues.

Those who follow me on Instagram, you probably have seen some photos. Let me take you to the London city, through the lens of my camera.

Although I wasn’t so well organized because some days before my travel my arm was aching and I couldn’t stand in front of the pc doing the research I should have done, I managed to visit the following spots:

Covent garden / Trafalgar square / Camden Market / Old Spitalfields Market / Flower Market on Columbia Road / Notting Hill and portobello road / Big ben / London eye / Harrods / London Bridge / Borough Market / Soho / Piccadilly circus / British Museum

Some observations:

1.Everywhere at all hours I was listening to people speaking italian. What’s going on here? Where are the Londoners? It seems that Italians occupied the London city.

2.Nowhere in the world I have seen that sign in front of the traffic lights “look right/look left”. That was really funny and useful although pedestrians didn’t respect the red and green.

3.Around 20 degrees Celsius in July. Does summer ever come to that city? Visit Greece on July and you will understand what I mean.

4.The English pronunciation is to die for. They talk and I feel amazed.

5.Thanks to Starbucks, we have free wifi and can charge the empty batteries of the camera.

All my best,
Silia

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