Santorini for me was blue skies, island landscape, white on white houses, turquoise water and the sunshine.After this trip, Santorini is just pure magical beauty where time stands still.
We flew to Santorini from Athens via Olympic Airlines. It was a short plane ride, almost an hour. The magazines in the airplane gave me more introductions to Santorini. I learned that Thira is the island's official Greek name. Santorini was once a province of Venice in the 13th century and Santorini is a Latin name derived from the church of Santa Irini that was built in the island.
A few moments later, I saw this scenery surrounded by all hues of blue through the airplane window. I haven't seen anything like it. Its beauty shines even through a dirty airplane window. I couldn't figure out whether I was feeling excitement or suspense or both at that time.
The airport is small and has this intense white paint. I couldn't help but notice the beautiful contrast of blue sky and the intense white concrete building. I was going to learn later in this trip that this combination of blue sky, the landscape and the sea makes this island so stunning.
Our hotel was located east of the island in a town called Kamari Beach. The more popular Santorini towns of Fira and Oia are on the other side of the island. As I opened the french door that leads to our balcony, I saw the view of the beach and noticed the small white houses and hotels against the arid topography. The weather was dry and hot. Except for the occasional noise from automobiles and motorcycles, that part of island was quiet. I was thinking to myself that this is my kind of island life.
We quickly unpacked and changed our footwear from shoes to flipflops, our hats and shades on, and packed a swim wear just in case we go in the water. We passed by small shops, cute restaurants and charming cafes as we walked to the beach where the Kamari town is also located. At first I couldn't pinpoint what it was that I was feeling. The town felt less like a town but more like a tiny village. Suddenly, I was reminded of the small town I grew up in when we first moved in there from Manila. It was laid-back and I felt instantly at home.
The restaurants fronting the beach have set up sun beds with umbrellas for day use for a fee. They give you a choice to get a table or eat at the beach on their sun beds. We decided to have a quick late lunch at a place called Almira. We tried another local beer called Mythos and the delicious local dish with onions and fava beans, tomato fritters and moussaka.
The first agenda on our list was to go to Fira which is located on the other side of the island. The mode of transport in the island is limited to cars, ATV, moped, taxi or bus. We got on the bus and mingled with the locals. The town of Fira is the bus hub. The ride from the town of Kamari to Fira is a direct ride. But to go to the town of Oia from Kamari, we would need to take the bus to Fira and then take another bus from Fira to Oia. All buses connect at Fira.
The bus ride was enjoyable as if it was a mini tour in its own. The island scenery is sparse, dry, rocky, and like a place where time stands still. On the ride to the town of Fira, I saw several areas with what I thought are vineyards. I was right about the vineyards. I was going to learn later in the trip that the grapes in this part of the island grow close to the ground and are trained to form a basket to protect the fruits from the wind and to preserve humidity. After a series of twists and turns, we reached the town of Fira in less than half an hour.
Fira is where everybody is. Mijo and I went to Fira to see the world famous Santorini sunset. It was still a few hours before the sun set but I can feel that people were already on the prowl for the best place to stake out to witness the magical setting of the sun.
I noticed the sidewalks are adorned with beautiful mosaics made of smooth pebbles.
I noticed the sidewalks are adorned with beautiful mosaics made of smooth pebbles.
We luckily found an Island Coffee. We first sampled their coffee in Athens and we liked it so we got ourselves an Americano and a Greek coffee before we walked around Fira.
I also saw for the first time how Greek coffee is made. I didn't see this in Athens.
The town of Fira is on a cliff so the town's houses and buildings are built to hug the slope and take full advantage of the view. The streets near the cliffs are endless interconnecting stairs and lovely narrow alleys.
It was a challenge to navigate around Fira at first. We had seen pictures of the beautiful views from Fira before but we had no idea where to find it. The story ended well because we did find the place we were looking for. Concrete houses and churches painted in varying intensity of whiteness as far as our eyes can see. This is the Santorini I've seen so many times in books and magazines. It was unbelievable. This Filipino traveler was in travel heaven! We lingered here a bit.
White on white against a blue background. The combination is so simple and yet absolutely stunning.
Mijo and I would be going back to Fira on the last day of our trip and we would discover yet another stunning effect of the sun with the landscape and scenery.
Finally, the much awaited event of the day - the famed Santorini sunset. Mijo and I found a nice cafe where we can view the sunset. I noticed the other people found a place to stand along the streets. The swarm of people was looking in one direction only, towards the sun. The island seemed to be on a stand still for the entire duration of the sunset. Not that there is something metaphysical about sunsets, however, it was truly mesmerizing to witness the sun disappear into the sea on the horizon.
As if the island got invigorated by the sunset, the shops and restaurants and the crowd changed into a party mood afterward.
The next day, I witnessed a beautiful sunrise. Everyone talks about the Santorini sunset. I wonder if people knew about the equally stunning Santorini sunrise? As the sun peeked out of the nearby island of Anafi, it slowly revealed the beautiful landscape of the town of Kamari. The experience was personal because I witnessed it without a swarm of people around me. I am really glad that our hotel is on the east side of the island. We're not only close to the beach but we also got to wake up with this sunrise view.
After breakfast at the hotel, Mijo and I decided to do a morning stroll around the village. I noticed there were already people hanging out by the beach that early. The weather also cools off in the morning and warms up after 10am.
Mijo and I decided to take a guided tour of the island to get more perspective in terms of local scenes and the island's history. We were joined by a group of 20 people and we were whisked around the island on a comfortable and air conditioned tour bus.
Our first stop was Ilia mountain. The view there is breathtaking. I could see the towns of Oia and Fira and the beautiful blue Aegean Sea.
Our first stop was Ilia mountain. The view there is breathtaking. I could see the towns of Oia and Fira and the beautiful blue Aegean Sea.
Here's the view of the island's airport and how blue is the Aegean Sea. I can imagine it was a feast to the eye to see how the ancient civilizations sailed up and down these waters and had lived on the lands below.
Speaking of ancient civilizations in Santorini, our next destination was the ruins of the Akrotiri. We've been told that the first inhabitants of the island arrived around 4500 BC and then they abandoned the area around 1614 BC due to devastating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Thick layers of pumice and ashes covered the settlement and the island. It has been rediscovered in 1967 by archeologists and the removal of thick ashes revealed a sophisticated prehistoric town.
The excavation now has a roof to protect the excavations from the weather. Here's what the entire excavation looks like from bird's eye view. Minoan architectural influence is seen in Akrotiri's buildings, frescoes and a network of streets, and drainage system. I had to keep reminding myself that this civilization existed four thousand years before Christ.
More items were uncovered during the excavations in 1975. Some items are on display at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera which is also in Santorini and at the massive Archeological Museum of Athens.
The tour took us next to a town on the west of Akrotiri called Perissa. We had a two hour lunch with an option to take a dip in the Aegean Sea. Luckily, Mijo and I had packed our swim wear with us. The Kamari beach is on the other side of the big rocky mountain in the picture below.
Perissa has black volcanic sand beaches. The Aegean water was cool and refreshing with some waves good for body surfing. The Aquarius restaurant will let you use their sun beds with umbrellas if you are ordering food. For lunch, Mijo and I decided to get all Greek seafood and vegetable fare paired with Alpha beer. We had a relaxing time at Perissa.
After lunch and a dip in the Aegean, we went to a town called Megalochori. We were told that this charming town is one of the best preserved Santorini town in terms of streets, houses and churches. The scene is definitely more relaxed. We passed by backyards with olive trees, pistachio trees, and grapevines.
If you want to see Santorini locals in action, this is the place to be. It was funny how people at the local bars stared back at us while we were taking pictures of their charming little village. I was saying sorry silently for disrupting their laid-back moment.
I also got close to a local grapevine in Megalochori. Here is a vine that has been trained to grow close to the ground to form a basket. This grape growing technique is called kouloura. I don't know if this technique is being used elsewhere other than in Santorini. If you are a wine enthusiast like me, seeing this upclose is pretty exciting. I can imagine that the vines look like circular gnarly baskets during the winter when the leaves have fallen.
Our next destination was a wine tasting at Santo Wines. I am not familiar with Greek wines at all, let alone Santorini wines. Though I did not set any expectations from this wine tasting, I was very excited to taste new grape varietals especially those native to Santorini. I saw this view from the bus window as we were descending down the hill. What a pretty sight!
While we were getting setup for our wine tasting, we had time to go around the huge complex and check out the different wine tasting halls. The view alone is breathtaking. It sets the mood for an enjoyable time tasting wines.
We first tasted their 2016 Santorini Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko is indigenous to Santorini. It is a single varietal wine, at least, I didn't see in the label if there are other blends. At first I thought I tasted some buttery texture and some acidity and some spice. It tastes unique. Next we tasted their 2016 Santorini Nykteri which is also from Assyrtiko but harvested differently. It tasted similar to Assytiko but with more body. The last wine we tasted was a dessert red wine 2010 Vinsanto. Vinsanto, not to be mistaken with Vin Santo wine of Italy, is also from the same Assyrtiko grapes but were left to dry under the sun for 15 days. We were in a big group so we didn't have a designated wine educator to answer any of our wine questions.
Our last destination that day was to view the sunset in the town of Oia. Oia is further up north in Santorini island. Just like the town of Fira, Oia is perched on a cliff so the buildings are built going down the slope. Just like Fira, the views from Oia are amazing. The town does not face west entirely so the sunset views are a little angled.
The town was swarming with people when we got there. We couldn't even walk along its narrow streets at a normal walking speed because it was so packed. That was unfortunate, because Oia is very picturesque. I can't imagine this place during peak season.
Because of that, I couldn't get a picture of an Oia street without swarms of people. In any case, we got to a place further north of town and waited until the sun set. The experience is as magical as Fira's.
As Mijo and I tried to take the side streets and alleys to skip the crowd, we found this view. Santorini is so beautiful!
The following morning, we had to drop off my postcards and we were told that the only post office in town is in the town of Fira. So we went back to town that morning. We didn't have an agenda that morning so after dropping off the postcards we decided to revisit the places we've been to the other day since we were already there. Whoa! The same picturesque view but different angle of the sunlight makes the Aegean's color a more intense blue. So beautiful!
We also decided to check out the Fira Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral nearby. Beautiful interior.
We also decided to see the collections at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera which is also nearby the post office. There is a small fee to go in.
Here's a fossil of a prehistoric olive tree. We also learned that Santorini is really a flooded caldera of a volcano. A series of violent eruptions changed the form and landscape of the island.
Here's also a miniature version of the ancient ruins of Akrotiri that we saw the day before. Having been there gave us information to relate the ruins of Akrotiri to the items on display at the museum.
These beautiful frescoes were from one of the buildings from the ruins of the ancient Akrotiri.
'These ancient painted jars, or pithoi, were used as storage bins during the ancient Akrotiri civilization.
Here are more jars, vases and the young fisherman fresco also from the ruins of Akrotiri.
Sample pigments used to paint the walls and color the frescoes during the ancient time.
Here's the golden ibex. The only gold object they unearthed from the ruins so far. This is a very small object.
Afterward, a snack at a local bakery called Svoronos Bakery. This is their version of Spinakopita or spinach pie. Warm and addicting!
We took the bus back to Kamari town that morning. Mijo and I decided to spend the entire day lounging by the beach in Kamari.
The beach is rocky and less sandy compared to Perissa beach, which is located on the other side of the mountain to the south. The Aegean water was cool and refreshing. Drink, snack, swim, nap, repeat. The good thing about paying for sun beds and an umbrella is that we got to stay there as long as we wanted.
For our lunch, we decided to sample the local sardines and squid and paired them with moussaka and Alpha beer. Delicious!
We absolutely had a relaxing, education, enjoyable time in the beautiful island of Santorini. I am so grateful for the experience to see how truly magical this island is.
The following day, we took the ferry to go to the island of Mykonos.
~rl
We absolutely had a relaxing, education, enjoyable time in the beautiful island of Santorini. I am so grateful for the experience to see how truly magical this island is.
The following day, we took the ferry to go to the island of Mykonos.
~rl
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