We arrived after midnight and everything was quiet. Hundreds of feet above us we saw the famous city of Fira (Santorini is actually the name of the region, not the city. There are 3 main cities on the main island).
Our driver was waiting at the ferry port and we were grateful for pick-up service. We were tired from a packed day and a long 7 hour ferry ride. The one saving grace though, was the ferry. It blew us away. The ship was giant, and very luxurious. It was welcomed compared to the small ferries we had taken before, with no room to walk around or sprawl out.
When we got to our room we hit the hay. The city lay sleeping, blinking lights around us, and the ocean looked black and mysterious. In the morning everything came to life, and we awoke to a spectacular view of the ocean and hundreds of white washed buildings with blue accents. We were excited to explore! But first, we had to find a supermarket.
The thing about switching continents, is people do things very differently. In Europe there are no seven elevens, no mini marts. Goods are sold in small supermarkets and street vendors. It can take several trips to find toiletries and supplies. In Santorini there was a decent sized supermarket so we took full advantage. We bought some Tupperware containers and filled them with fresh veggies to bring with us for snacks. It's a great way to eat healthy and save money. The money is the clincher. Europe is not cheap, and it can be tough to stretch those dollars out. Luckily I'm married to a very organized Dutchman, who is great at keeping track of a budget and making sure we are on track. I think traveling has really helped us to grow in this area-- it was always an area we needed to improve on, since we always seem to find ourselves nickel and diming our way through regular life at home.
After we got settled and filled our bellies, we explored. We walked to the famous donkey trail that leads down to the ancient harbor. It was very beautiful, but also very stinky. What you don't see in all those romantic movies are the flies hovering around from all the donkey poop ground into the cobble stone. It's impossible to avoid on it, and it wafts right up to the top where all the lovely cliff side restaurants boast lovely sunset meals. It's really interesting, to say the least. Oh the sights and smells!
We viewed the great switchback from the top, and ate some Greek food while we were at it. Steve had the Moussaka, a Greek lasagna made with potatoes, cheese and eggplant, and I had chicken souvlaki and roasted potatoes with tzaziki sauce. I could live off of nothing but Greek food forever. I really enjoyed trying different types of olives, salads, yogurts and sauces. So much that I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds in Santorini! Oops...So much for all my exercise in climbing tones of hills!
On the second day in Santorini we rented a quad. There are so many giant hills that they recommend it over scooters. We packed a bunch of snacks and headed out. The island is quite small and so we wanted to try and make it around the whole thing. The first stop: ancient Thira.
Thira is the ruines of the first established greek city in Santorini. It is named after the hero Theras who defeated the tribes and conquered the land. It is where the modern city of Fiyra gets its name. When we drove up to the road we were shocked. The city is placed on top of a huge mountain, and the only way up was to drive up a huge cobblestone switchback. We decided to be brave and go up, and were thankful we had an ATV that could handle all the bumps. We were amazed when we saw cars try to squeak past eachother-- the drivers all looked stressed. At the top we parked and climbed a steep path even higher up. The view from the top was incredible. From there we had a panoramic view of the amazing black sand volcanic beaches, the cities, and the low lying plains. From up there it was obvious why the ancient Greeks chose that to be their city. Plus I imagine it helped with city security in case of attack-- you would definitely see it coming.
We sat on some ancient stones for a picnic, and then climbed back down and drove to a nearby red sand beach, which was created from the water carving a beach into the eroded side of a cliff with red mineral deposits. The view was spectacular as well, but we didn't go down to the beach because a Bollywood film was being shot and the beach was crowded.
The last major place we drove to was Oia, a newer cliff-side city on the backside of the island. Oia is the city on all the postcards. It was created as a tourist haven, so the structure of the city is more organized and coordinated. It also smells better-- no donkeys allowed in this town. We snapped some great pictures, although we still preferred Fira because it seemed much more authentic.
After a long day driving we headed back to catch the sunset. I sat with my love in front of an old church as a street busker played some romantic jazz guitar. The sunsets here are supposedly the most beautiful in the world, although seeing it made me miss the sunsets back home over the giant skies and fields. There is no place like home.
We left Santorini feeling like we had seen alot! Next stop, a night in Athens and then an afternoon flight to Rome.
Sunset
Fira
Eating on the cliff side.
Smelly donkeys.
More of the view.
Crusing the island.
Ancient Thira
The great switchback road up to Thira.
Alien
Red Sand Beach
Oia
Me, the packhorse, as we waved to the Acropolis in Athens on the way to the airport.
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