Well our last stop has arrived. We arrived by sea once again. I knew this place would be special...just how much, I wasn't sure. It was midday Sunday when Lisa and I arrived in Santorini by a high speed ferry from Crete. We had arranged for a pick-up at the port, and once we were out on the road, we were so glad we did. A steep narrow winding road led up onto the island. People were driving at all different speeds and with just about anything that had wheels. If the person in front was too slow, just tailgate until there was space to pass. So what if we are on a curve!
Santorini is an active volcano. An absolute gem in terms of places to see! Little white houses cover the island. With so much natural beauty, the little houses just seem to pop out of the landscape. One lane roads,with narrow paths and walkways, with yes you guessed it more steps! I don't think any pictures could ever explain what we are seeing! The place we are staying in is a little cave style apartment on the hillside over looking the caldera. Amazing!
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| Our balcony |
We took it easy for the afternoon after arriving Sunday. We soaked up the sun from our patio and went to the general store. The store has just enough to satisfy your needs. By evening we had decided to go to the northern tip of the island to a town called Oia (pronounced Ee-uh). Famous for its sunsets, we didn't want to miss it. We ventured through the town, going in and out of its quant little shops, following the walkway to its end. There were so many people there you couldn't see the sunset with a ladder if you tried. The people were packed in like sardines! It was shortly after 8, and we were hungry, so we headed for dinner. I spotted a restaurant that had a roof top dining area. We ended up seated at the last table on the roof - the perfect spot to watch the sunset and have a meal. No one was blocking our view and no one to bother us (Well, just our waiter).
Santorini Day 2
Early on in our trip preparations we had planned to do a day of sailing with Satorini Sailing. This was going to be of of the most spectacular things we were going to do over the three weeks we were spending together. The company picked us up in a very nice oversized 12 passenger van, with leather seats and AC that really worked! They brought us to the southeast end of the island. It had a mini harbor with many small to medium sized sailing vessels. We met our captain (Demetri), and the two others on the crew. We had a nice sized sailing party- three 30-somethings from Manhattan, a father and his 15 year old daughter from Englamd, a newlywed couple from Hungry (the bride) and Israel (the groom) but currently living in Austria, and us. Other boats that passed by were packed with people, but we had a decent amount of space.
We were soon on our way out to see Santorini from the water. First stop was Red Beach. It has red volcanic rock as a backdrop. We went snorkeling for a bit and then it was on to sailing into the caldera. Past the lighthouse n the southern tip of the island, we sailed into the bay. Dimitri took us over to the large island inside the caldera. It's new, rocky and growing. It popped above the water line in 1200 AD (so it's just a baby), and has been growing ever since. It grows anywhere from 2-8 cm each year.
This whole area is an active volcano. So next to the rocky island there is a hot spring. We set anchor and we able to go for a short swim in the spring. Today wasn't one of the volcano's real active days. So the spring was warm but not hot. The water was full of sulfur. It would turn a white bathing suit orange.
We got back on board and sailed to the adjacent island. This is the "old" volcanic island and is not growing at the moment. It has some vegetation on it, and the rock are less jagged. On man actually lives on this small island. Demetri said his wife used to live there too, but soon left because there was no where to shop. :)
We had a feast for lunch, with all the other guests on board with us. It consisted of grilled chicken and pork, Greek salad, penne and with tomatoes and basil, Jumbo shrimp, calamari, bread, hummus, and wine. Once it was over, we headed back to the port. The sea was a bit choppy and it seemed like Dimitri was purposely trying to hit the big wakes and valleys. It was fun, as the water splashed us laying on the front deck net. After the water calmed down, it was time for a nap. It was a long ride back, under the sun, and a great place to nap with the water right underneath us.
We did most of the trip by the motor on board, since the conditions weren't right for sailing. Dimitri said as we got off, "we faked the sailing part today." It was a great experience!
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