Fri 15 Jan 2010
Santorini immediately impressed us with its beauty
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At our first stop, in Paros, we had an hour to grab some snacks and stroll around. Lots of backpackers were on that island. We watched an old man make a produce delivery to a grocery store with his donkey. We then sat at the port among all the outdoor seating for the cafes and tavernas. The ferry cruises past numerous small Cycladian islands: Naxos is the largest in the chain and looked the most mountainous. We finally arrived in Santorini a little after 3pm. We disembarked by going to the lowest level and walking off the ramp, as motorbikes and cars slowly followed. Santorini immediately impressed us with its beauty from the ferry’s arrival into the caldera.
We caught a cab up the cliff to the hotel, the Aressana, which faced the Atlantis (another hotel we’d considered). Ours had modern décor in mostly black and white. After dropping off our things, we walked around Thira, the town. Cruise shippers invade the town by day and come up the steep cliffs via cable sky buckets or on the backs of donkeys. They flood the tourist shops for quick souvenirs and the restaurants for quick lunches, then head back before dark.
We strolled the winding, steep, cobble stoned alleys and looked at all the restaurants, hotels, and homes perched and terraced precariously on the cliff of the caldera. We chose one restaurant hanging off a cliff. After we ate, the waiter brought us complimentary glasses of raki, which tasted like rubbing alcohol. We wondered how many people toppled off the cliffs of Santorini after drinking too much: it is hard enough to stay perched sober!
After we attempted some nightlife first at a jazz bar, then a pub. At the pub, Manchester vs Barcelona captivated soccer fans. The last stop was a club packed with more college kids getting their grooves on.
The next day was our only full day on Santorini, as we’d spent most of the first on the slow ferry trip. We took the bus to Kamari, the black sand beach and walked through the town and along the shore. The water here at this time was cold.
I had another lunch of spinach pie from a stand. This area was not quite as lively as it seemingly would be in a few weeks. The town was filled with palapa-lined hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs waiting for the summer crowds. From Kamari we took the bus to Akrotiri, the red beach, which was circled by huge red cliffs and boulders. As we walked uphill toward the beach, we chatted up a piratey looking guy selling jewelry, then looked around and took photos.
In the afternoon, we took the bus back to Thira, showered, changed, and discussed a plan to see Oia by sunset, world-famous for its beauty. Before we left, we unsuccessfully tried printing our boarding passes out, dawdled, and missed the sunset. We took the bus to Oia nonetheless, strolled around, window shopped, and had dinner. Though a family friend highly recommended a local restaurant, it was off the beaten path and we worried we’d be stuck out there afterward with no way back to the hotel. So we cabbed back at about 11pm, packed up, rose at 5am, and by 6am headed to the airport for our flight back to Athens and then Los Angeles.
I would love to return to Greece someday, and would go back to Athens for sure. It would be nice to see Delphi and points north. However, I would probably head to different islands: Crete, and perhaps Cephalonia (the setting of Corelli’s Mandolin). Also, although this trip was enjoyable, we would have benefited from having more time (but that often seems the case, doesn’t it?)
By HoneySquirrel; excerpts, edited by Greece Travel Blog
Tags: black sand beach * caldera * college kids * ferry cruises * jazz bar * Motorbikes * raki * Santorini * soccer fans * steep cliffs * tourist shops * town cruise
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