(Home) Away from Home

We arrived in Santorini yesterday and checked into the hotel a cousin had booked for us.  He made the reservations on short notice and was worried because this hotel was his second choice for us (his first was about 100 euros more a night).  Nervous we wouldn’t be satisfied with his decision, he sent us off with two warnings: the front desk lady is a little crazy and the rooms are built into the side of the cliff.  It may have calmed his nerves to know he made these reservations for a girl who spent most of her teenage life underground. During my middle and high school years, my family built an earth sheltered house (and if they read this maybe they will send some pictures for me to post).  Simply put, we lived in a series of concrete domes set back in a limestone hill with a dirt and grass roof for insulation.  The hotel has a similar domed design, though on a smaller scale. Our room:

The view, however, isn’t quite like home, considering there’s the volcano out front and all: