Greece

The last day in Santorini had arrived, and unfortunately it was a morning flight so we had to get straight to the airport. So after breakfast, we did a final check to make sure that we had packed everything, paid our bill and headed to the airport in the rental car. The flight we were on was shared with my now in-laws, and as it was a small 'plane, it was possible for my youngest sister-in-law to bug me during most of the flight. The 'plane wasn't pressurised, so she should be grateful that we were not sitting near the door! (Just kidding)

On take-off from Santorini, the 'plane looped round and flew directly over the apartments we stayed in. As we flew higher, the cloud layer closed over Santorini, drawing a curtain on our holiday there. Fortunately, we have hundreds of photograhs.

Our time in Athens wasn't particularly noteworthy, other than for two things:

• Trying a Greek-style McDonalds (lamb burger with a yogurt dressing).
• Almost appearing as an extra in Greek TV show. We accidentally almost walked on to the location set of some show that was being filmed Maybe it was just me, but the actors involved seemed to look like Ron Jeremy.

We eventually left Athens and ended up in Zurich, where had a really long wait (we are talking 8 hours here) and there was nothing to do. I wanted to browse the Internet at a cafe, but at 2 Euros for 30 seconds, forget it! Instead, we hung out at a bar and made sure that their beer supply was up to scratch. The bartender was able to pour a bottle of beer vertically into a glass, without spillage or frothing over, which I thought was pretty impressive.
By a few more beers, I decided that it really wasn't that impressive and now Zurich is on the list of airports where I have spilled drinks; Bangkok, London, Singapore and Sydney being the others.

The Wednesday was our last full day in Santorini, so it was time to do all the time to do all the sightseeing we hadn't been able to fit in. We also did some souvenir shopping as well; we had off-loaded 2 bridesmaid's dresses and one tax, and damn it, we were going to fill the space!

The day wrapped with dinner with my new in-laws. Then it was off to sleep in the honeymoon suite for the last time (sniff, sniff).

The Tuesday was spent on an all day glass-bottomed boat cruise from Fira to the volcanic island opposite Santorini and then on to the tiny village on the other island (the name escapes me). The landscape on the volcanic island resembled a moonscape, and as you reached the summit steam or smoke could be seen venting from the sides. Fortunately, it did not erupt while we were on it - I have seen Dante's Peak and I was not in the mood for the ground to collapse under me...

That evening, Heather and I went out for dinner (just the two of us). The restaurant that we went to is Selene, which had a very impressive menu. This was actually our second-choice wedding venue, and was only beaten on the basis that it was in the middle of Fira, and therefore we could not have partied until the early hours without offending the neighbouring hotels.

On the Monday, most of our guests were leaving. Some were returning straight home, others were taking advantaged of their forced holiday and were continuing to travel. For example, Hazel & Mike were heading off to Crete to explore there, so we gave them a lift to the airport where we bade them "bon voyage".

We meant for the final time with our wedding planner. It was the little matter of paying the bill and collecting our photos and wedding certificate. Everything had gone perfectly, and I would not have any hesitation in recommending using the wedding planner, if anyone is getting married in Santorini. Just be careful when getting a CNI in Australia!

That night, we met up with my family for the final time in Santorini. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner in a Greek taverna, where the "highlight" was plate smashing. We were hoping that we would get to chuck plates around, but sadly it was limited to staff and little kids only. Pity, I fancied seeing how far I could throw one like a frisbee. Although my family were leaving on the Tuesday, they had requested that I did not go to the airport to see them off.

It was as we were driving away (after the compulsory wheelspin) that I said to Heather that the uniqueness of the holiday and wedding was such that it was a genuine once in a lifetime experience, as we are never likely to get that many people together at the same time again. Sniff, sniff...

This day was spent at Perissa beach, enjoying the sun, surf and the alcohol. Our MC, Nick, had announced the location during the wedding, so we were pleased that a number of our family and friends chose to join us.

During the evening there was a lot of talk about a certain English friend of mine, who couldn't make it...