It's brutally hot in Greece in the end of August / early September. There aren't too many trees, except for the National Garden in Athens, so you're usually exposed to the elements. Sunscreen is a must and remember to re-apply sunscreen every 2-3 hours, regardless of your skin color.
Santorini is also very hot but there's usually a breeze blowing from the sea that helps to make it feel slightly more tolerable than Athens. Athens, by far, felt the hottest followed by Thessaloniki (slight sea breeze), Delphi, Meteora and Santorini.
Veganism
Greeks, by and large, are more aware of the meaning of "veganism". It's better to not confuse them by explaining what "vegan" means. Trying to elaborate by saying "no cheese, no butter, no meat, no eggs, no fish", etc will only serve to confuse them, in my opinion. Athens has several options for food and desserts that are either 100% vegan or have clearly labeled vegan items on the menu. The choice narrows when you move to other places. Thessaloniki has a few and Santorini has a few but they're practically non-existent when you go to small places like Delphi and Kalambaka/Meteora.
Driving
Driving in Greece can change from very easy to very difficult. Within the city (Athens/Thessaloniki), driving can be a bit of a challenge because you share the narrow streets with cars, vans, 2-wheelers and pedestrians. 2-wheelers are quite challenging to deal with because none of the traffic rules seem to apply to them and they often tend to take you by surprise. Greek car drivers can also be impatient if you are are too careful or defensive. Out on the highway though, driving is as easy as, if not easier than, the US. Speed limits on the A1 go as high as 130 kmph (which equates to more than 80 mph), so you can really step on the gas. The downside, though, is that the speed limit keeps changing dramatically within short distances. So, within a couple of kilometers of driving, the speed limit can swing wildly from 130 kmph to 80 kmph and back to 100 kmph. So, if you really want to stick to the speed limit, you can almost never use the cruise control feature in your car. The strange thing is that the terrain or the road conditions would not have changed in any way to warrant the change in speed limits, so I'm not quite sure why the Greek highway authority decided to keep changing the speed limits at such short intervals.
Driving in Santorini can pose a different kind of challenge. First, the roads are often winding and narrow and either ascending or descending steeply. So, you have to be extra mindful about all these things as you drive. Add to this the fact that you share the road with tourists driving 2-wheelers, ATVs, Quad-bikes and buses and it can definitely test your driving skills. Parking in Santorini is EXTREMELY difficult to find. There are several free / public parking lots in each town but with the number of tourists that are usually on the island, you'll be hard-pressed to find an empty spot. We got lucky on a couple of occasions but also had to shell out 12 Euros for a parking spot another time.
Finding your way around
Google Maps and/or Apple Maps can be your friend for most of your driving but when it comes to walking around in the narrow lanes in small towns like Pyrgos, Oia, Emporio, Fira, etc. on Santorini, these apps can get confused and keep rerouting you in different directions. We ended up not going to a couple of places because of this. One solution could be to use the apps as a reference and create your own path/directions to your destination.
Getting cash from ATMS
The maximum number of digits for the ATM PIN that Greek ATMs accept is 6. We were not able to withdraw any money because I've set an 8-digit PIN for my BOA debit card. So, be mindful of this and reset your PIN to 6 or fewer digits before you leave for Greece.
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