DREAMY SANTORINI

Thursday, June 08, 2017
Santorini, Cyclades, Greece
The ferry ride from Crete to Santorini is 6 hours by 'slow' ferry and half that by ‘high-speed’ ferry. But the way these ferries work is truly amazing. These monsters handle 18-wheelers by the dozen, all other manner of trucks, cars, vans, and of course, people. When it lands at a port, there is a well-choreographed, yet chaotic scene, as the unloading and loading is done within a relatively short period of time, and it’s off to the next port. We, as passengers, are shepherded on by a uniformed official, who is usually doing 3 other things at the same time. You scramble to avoid becoming roadkill. Having said all that, they are still a fun experience to have. Once on, you find a comfortable seat on the deck or inside, grab a beverage from their café, and settle in for the journey, along with the businessmen, families, student groups, backpackers, etc. There are literally dozens of these ferries running between the many Greek islands and the mainland. Trying to figure out which one you want is a game that you must quickly master if you intend to travel independently, as we are doing.

Upon arriving on Santorini, our rental car was waiting (essential if you want the ability to roam this amazing island without having to rely on buses). It was a cute little black Nissan Micro automatic, all that we needed. These cars virtually drive themselves, but are workhorses. You are immediately challenged by the drive from the dock up the steep climb to the top of the caldera which, in essence, is Santorini. Formed when a volcano erupted in the 1600’s, Santorini is what remained. It is striking to see the cluster of white buildings of the main city, Fira, very high up from the seas. It seems like the product of a very vivid cartoonist’s imagination, but there it is. The big cruise ships land, engorging 2000+ passengers, who have four options for the climb to the top. They can walk up 600 steps, take a cable car, take a city bus, or ride a donkey up.

We stayed at a wonderful family-run hotel next to a mountain, and close to a black beach . It’s actually very small lava pebbles which are easy on the feet, when they haven’t been cooked by the midday sun. Then, it’s like walking on hot coals. The beach is beautiful, against the blue skies, the azure water, and the surrounding white mountains. When not on the beach, we toured the island, and encountered a multitude of tourists, many from the three or more cruise ships calling each day. In Fira, roads are congested, and when outside FIra, you face sharing narrow roads with the megabig tour buses. It’s all worth it however, as it’s just such a pretty place. Oia, another popular city on the island, proved to be our favourite. We strolled the ‘streets’ which are barely as wide as alleys. Views down to the sea are sumptuous, and resemble every photo of the Greek islands you’ve ever seen. It is very popular with brides, as it turns out, and we saw at least ten wedding parties having their pictures taken against this backdrop. At first, we were saying: "Oh look, a bride and groom!". By the end, we were pretty much ignoring them as they passed . Strangely, a large number of them were Asian couples. We later learned that this was due to a popular Asian movie which featured a Santorini wedding, Since then, they have been coming in droves to recreate the experience for themselves.

We had two particularly memorable meals while in Santorini. As it turned out, Amy and Atiq were on Santorini while we were there, so we met for dinner at a very scenic restaurant at the southern tip of the island. We hadn’t seen Amy in over 2 months, and it was great seeing how the pregnancy was developing. She is looking rosy, and Atiq, proud with anticipation. And even though the clouds limited our enjoyment of the legendary sunset visible on Santorini, we had a very lovely dinner, and a chance to catch up. The other was on our last night, when we visited a winery, again to see the sunset (and to sample their wares). Greek wines are really delicious, because of the varieties of grapes used, enhanced by the volcanic soil. We sat out on their patio and watched as the night fell on Santorini. It was a very romantic moment, I must admit.

Tomorrow, we travel to Ios, a party island full of kids in their twenties out to have a good time. Why are we going there? A few reasons. First and foremost, this is where Bonnie injured her foot last time we were in Greece, so we are going to make up for that very unpleasant experience. Secondly, there is a beach on Ios (Mylapatos) that we loved last time, and desperately want to re-visit. Beautiful golden sand, crystal clear water, and comfortable beach loungers. So, it is off to Ios we go.

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