THE GREEK ISLAND OF SANTORINI

View from Santorini

Given the chance to travel and explore the islands of Greece and decide which place suites perfectly to conclude the memorable trip, I for one definitely choose the most beautiful of the 6000 islands and islets of the Greek archipelago, the island of Santorini. It is true that Santorini isn’t the only famous of the Greek islands but travelers would always put Santorini  (known as Thera or Thira in Greece) on the top spot.

My Ferry At Port of Santorini

As my European travel was coming to the last remaining days, I decided to spend it to the beautiful island of Santorini. After my 2days stay in Athens, I woke up early the next day, went to the train station an hour before my scheduled departure and head to Mediterranean's largest port, the Piraeus. At exactly 7:30am, we left Athens aboard the Blue Star Ferry and spent almost the entire day at sea.

The view of Santorini from
my approaching ferry

The eight hour long journey was a bit tiring but having the chance to stop by the three of the main islands of the cyclades and viewing each one from a distance was worth the long travel; Paros know for its white marble, Naxos being the largest of the cyclades group of islands and Ios, the burial place of the famous Greek author of Iliad and Odyssey, Homer. The deep blue sea and the view of the Greek islands were the sceneries that kept me awake during the entire trip. As we approach the Port of Santorini, the anticipation grew and  the panoramic view of the island became more and more visible from a distance. The white stoned houses resembling ice formations covering the top of the Santorini Island was a sight forever be tattooed in my mind. As we get closer to the docking point, I hurried back to my seat, gathered all my things and headed to the assembly point near the main exit door. Santorini sits on a volcanic island, an arc archipelago from the eruption of what used to be a single island and destroyed the early Minoan civilization. The Minoan eruption is considered the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history and may have caused the disappearance of the legendary island of Atlantis.

Paros, Greece

Naxos, Greece

Ios, Greece

The Port Area of Santorini

From the port, I still have to commute going to my hotel located near the city center of Fira. It was a wise decision though that I made the prior arrangement for my transportation from the port to my hotel. Upon my arrival, I realized that the inhabited area of Santorini is perched 260m above sea level. My service was already waiting for me at the port area so the moment I saw the sign with my hotel name, I hopped on the car and relaxed as the driver awaits for the other passengers. For those who missed to plan it or intentionally want to be more adventurous, there were available options but for an extra cost of coarse. So as an advice, do some research because there are always cheaper ways to do things and that will surely save you some bucks. After less than 15minutes car ride, I finally reached my hotel and officially started my 2 days adventures/misadventures in the island of Santorini.

MY TEMPORARY ABODE IN SANTORINI

Rena's Hotel

When I planned for this tour, there is only one thing in my mind, RELAXATION. Enough for the museum stuff this time. I've done that already during my 5days visit in Paris and Athens prior to this tour. The plan was to enjoy the island, appreciate the breathtaking sceneries and try some authentic Greek cuisine. Sounds a cliché though that first impression lasts but the moment I arrive in my room, I only had one word...WOW. If these photos won't impress you, I don't know what will. But for me, this is perfection! I stayed at Rena's Hotel which is just a walking distance to the city center. For those planning an island exploration, renting a scooter is highly recommended. The rented scooter is the famous mode of mobility to explore the island. I didn’t try it but certainly do it the next time I visit Santorini. I settled and rested for awhile, surveyed the place before I went out for a stroll to the city and had my dinner.

DAY 1 : A DAY TOUR TO OIA

View of West Eastern tip of the village of Oia

Oia is one place in Santorini that shouldn’t be missed. A place located at the north western edge of Santorini and approximately 30minutes bus ride from Fira. There were regular buses that travels between Fira and Oia so it was an easy commute.The town of Oia is known for its houses painted white and blue, the colors that resembles the clouds and the sea surrounding it; a great location for professional photographers or hobbyist like me who wanted to capture the beauty of Santorini. There wasn’t a corner not worthy  of a photo because every part of this town has the unique beauty and charm. Between the blue colored roof white houses are narrow alleys acting like blood vessel that gives life to the town and branching out to smaller alley ways. Along these alleys were restaurants, hotels and numerous stores selling different type of arts and crafts and not to forget the colorful glass art pieces. The glassworks has that same level of detail and artistry to that of the Murano glasses of Venice, Italy. For a souvenir, I bought some pieces of glass coasters and a piece of decorative plate. Tourism is very much alive in the town of Oia. 

At lunch time, I decided to eat in a nearby restaurant overlooking the neighboring islands of Santorini. Actually, anywhere in the town of Oia provides a picturesque view of the blue and white houses for which it is famous for. The eggplant menu I ordered tasted ok but not great. By the appearance, it looks like lasagna. Nonetheless, I just needed to satisfy my hunger and refuel my self for the remaining half of my tour. I wasn’t expecting a hot weather especially in the last weeks of September but I was surprised that the temperature was still at 30s during the day. But this is perfect for my photography.

Oia, Santorini

Morning time, I explored the eastern side while doing my photography for most of the part. There were a lot of interesting subjects for my hobby but one beautiful photo I took was a stolen shot of a Chinese couple having their prenup photo.  An overhead shot with the bride’s veil perfectly floating in the air in the backdrop of a an indigo colored sea  and white washed houses creating a perfect scene. In the afternoon, I navigated the other side of the town going in and out every shops and stores selling unique merchandise and art pieces. I even tried for the first time the fish doctor. My feet needed some pampering and I thought why not try it. An interesting experience but not sure of its effectiveness. I walked westward towards the viewing spot for the Oia's sunset. If Manila Bay has the world famous sunset, Oia has an equally dramatic golden sunset as well. To be able to get a better spot and the unobstructed view, arriving an hour or so at the fort ruins is a must. Fort ruins is just above the Amoudi Bay. As the sunset approaches, groups of tourist started coming and camping out till sun down. I chose my best spot and waited while doing some trial and error shot to find the perfect setting for my camera. And when the awaited moment arrived, thousands of flickering lights created an equally stunning view like twinkling stars on a clear night sky. The setting sun created a perfect and romantic golden view of the stone houses located at western tip of the town. My trip to Oia was only a day tour so as I finished my photo session, I dragged my feet back to the bus station and travel back to Fira.

DAY 2 IN SANTORINI

Nothing special was planned for my second day so I decided to ask my hotel receptionist for any recommendations. He suggested to visit the volcano crater of Nea Kumeni. So morning the next day, I walked towards the city center and took a cable car down to the Gialos or the old port. At the port area, several travel agents were available offering tour packages for the Nea Kumeni-Therassia day tour. I bought a tour package and hopped on the boat. Nea Kumeni is an uninhabited island located in the Aegean sea within the Santorini caldera. From the port area, the boat brought us first to Nea Kumeni. Upon arrival at the site, our tour guide who speaks fluently in english was already waiting for us. She provided leaflets to everyone in the group and explained the brief history of the island. Bits and piece of information from the guide as we marched to the peak point. Exploring this island and walking along the rim of the volcano crater was not an easy task and probably not recommended to those not physically fit to walk at long distances. Wearing a comfy shoes and applying sunblock is a must if you don’t want to toast yourself. The smell of sulfur was overpowering. The tour guide even showed us some areas where fumes of sulfur were coming out from underground, an evidence that this island is still an active volcano. 

The breathtaking view of Santorini from Nea Kumeni was indeed a hike worth taking, a city perched on top of the mountain and a view that is uniquely Greek. It was just so unfortunate that when I was about to capture the view, an error appeared on my camera’s LCD screen, “NO CARD”. I just realized that I forgot to insert back the memory card to my camera after downloading my photos from yesterday’s trip. Not to be ruined by a temporary setback, I took out my phone instead and capture the view. It wasn’t as good as the slr’s but good enough for a souvenir. This kind of things do happen even in a well planned trip. Nonetheless, it was a lesson learned for me to always have a final check before leaving my hotel. After the volcano tour, we headed back to our boat and off to the next destination, the islet of Therrasia and the Thermal springs. As we arrive near the island, the boatman hoisted down the anchor. The boat can only go as much and those who would like to take a dip to the spring and apply its healing mud, they needed to swim for few meters from the boat. I am not a swimmer so I opted to stay and enjoy the view. We  completed the tour and arrived back to the old port past afternoon. There were three ways reach the top of the Fira city center- either taking the cable car, riding a donkey or hiking up on foot. Obviously, I took the less conventional yet thrilling option, the donkey. With the stone paved concrete road, donkeys were lined up waiting for their riders. I haven’t tried ridding a horse before so I don’t know what to expect. Many tourist were taking the ride so I tried a 5euro ride  on a donkey. It was fun but scary at the same time because I am not totally sure of my donkey's behavior. With a couple of bumps with fellow riders and sometimes squeezing my foot against another donkey or my donkey speeding up its ascend, I was relieved to arrive safely to the top. After this tour, I had my late lunch and decided to go back to my hotel to freshen up and relax at the pool side, my favorite spot at my hotel. I stayed for few hours there before I decided to explore the town center of Fira. Not so different from Oia, there were also numerous shops and restaurants around. I also visited a couple of church and other places of worship around the town. 

Santorini is a dream place for most people and having visited this amazing island was truly an experience worth sharing to my family and friends. 

The trip to Santorini was the last leg of my first European tour and I can proudly say that for a first timer like me embarking on a long travel and exploring three main places in Europe was indeed an accomplishment. Researching and putting together a good itinerary was no easy feat but the process of doing it was truly a learning experience.