Santorini

Two happy girls loving Santorini

Saturday 21 June

Summer solstice and I am lying on a sun bed by the pool at our hotel reflecting on our days on the island of Santorini.  In some ways this place is a tourist trap but no one could deny the spectacular beauty of the the island, the friendliness of the locals and the sheer joy of basking under the Mediterranean sun!  Today is calm and already warm - a relief from the strong winds of yesterday and Thursday evening.  We are told that the wind called the meltemi is common in August but unusual for this time of year.  Anyway it seems that our last day here will be perfect.

Thursday 19 June

We departed Mykonos on the 10.15 ferry, briefly stopping at Naxos Island, and after passing many other islands, arrived at the port around 2 pm wondering how we would be transported up the 300 metre high sheer cliffs of the caldera.  All along the top of the cliff white villages sparkled in the sunshine.  What a spectacular way to arrive!

Arriving at Santorini.  Not sure how we get to our village at the top of the cliffs!

In no time at all we were off the ferry and winding up a very scary road to the top of the cliffs being assured by Lisa that our local bus driver was very experienced and competent.  Our hotel, Andromeda Villas, tumbles down the cliff in the village of Imerovigli, the highest of these clifftop towns and has spectacular views over the whole caldera right to the most northerly town, Oia.  Best for viewing the sunset according to Lisa.  Although marginally less luxurious than our Mykonos hotel it is nevertheless very nice and five star with a fab pool area and of course it is all about the views which are indeed spectacular.

Arriving via the roof top at Andromeda Villas Hotel - Oia in the distance

It was quickly into swim gear and sunbeds by the pool for the afternoon.  Jess arrived from her hotel in Thira - just a few minutes away by bus or cab.  The pool bar provided a nice lunch so we were all set.  Our room has amazing views across the caldera to the smaller islands of Santorini.

View from our room at Andromeda Villas

At 6 pm Lisa took us walking along the clifftop footpath which leads from our hotel in Imerovigli to Thira, the main town on the island.  It is a twenty minute walk but with numerous photo stops our journey was much longer.

Amazing views along the clifftop walk to Thira

The cliffs rise 1000 ft above the caldera that was formed by a huge volcanic eruption around 1620 BC.  On the far side of the caldera are a couple of smaller islands and with the curve of the big island in a crescent shape it is easy to see what Santorini would have looked like pre-eruption.  Clinging to the side of the cliffs and along the top are white-washed holiday villas, resorts, hotels, little churches and restaurants. The views almost defy description, particularly in the evening light.

Caldera clifftop walk  - looking down to Thira

 During our walk the wind strengthened quite noticeably - almost a gale really - leaving Lisa muttering about strange weather patterns. We finally reached Thira which was buzzing with shoppers, diners and locals on motorbikes.  As I had left Jess and Caroline by the pool at the hotel I returned and we enjoyed a lovely meal sheltering behind the glass screens of the pool bar, but still in full view of the spectacular sunset - every bit as mind blowing as the travel advertisements claim - no photo-shopping needed.  Because of a hazy atmosphere (dust particles blowing across from Africa apparently) the setting sun was a huge ball of red. Breathtaking!  With the wind howling by now we were happy to climb the stairs to our room and shut out the weather.  Tour time again tomorrow.

Thira from the cliff path

Friday 20 June


The wind was still blowing as Caroline and I took an early morning walk along the cliff path.  Not quite so squinty this morning with the sun coming up behind us as we walked.  Instead of returning via the town we continued on the path and promptly became lost in the maze of clifftop lanes that zig-zag amongst the hotels and guest houses.

Early morning on the cliff path, Santorini

 We did make it back in time for breakfast and a 9 am departure on our island tour.

Early morning sun on Oia from our hotel entrance

The first visit of the day was the picturesque village of Megalochori, set amongst the vineyards in the southern part of Santorini.  Besides having a very pretty main square the village also has ruins of houses destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1956 when 70% of the island's buildings were destroyed.

Megalochori Town Square

From Megalochori we travelled a few kilometres to the buried city of Akrotiri (the Pompei of Santorini).  The city was partially destroyed by an earthquake a few weeks before the giant eruption (which also created the caldera) buried the site.  This eruption and subsequent tsunami was also destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete.
Akrotiri was discovered by a local people in 1867 but serious excavations did not commence until 1967.  At present only part of the city has been exposed and the fragile pumicestone structures are sheltered from the elements by a huge roof with angled skylights. Visitors view the excavations - the houses, streets, commercial buildings - from an elevated boardwalk which encircles the site.   Strangely no human remains have been discovered here so it is a bit of a mystery as to where the population went.  They possibly abandoned the city during the earthquakes which preceded the eruption. I guess sometime in the future archaeologists will solve this puzzle.

Ruins at Akrotiri

Our next stop for the day was the famous Red Beach on he southern tip of Santorini.  It is a rather grim looking beach overshadowed by high red coloured volcanic lava cliffs - not the kind of place for a pleasant seaside holiday and in fact it is part of the Akrotiri archaeological reserve, so no swimming or camping.

Jess and Caroline at Red Beach

For something completely different we were taken to Perivolos on the 7 km long black sand beach of Perissa.  Here we kicked back in sunloungers beside the sea and ordered an excellent lunch from the restaurant across the road.  A very energetic waiter transfered food and drink to us and we enjoyed a lovely couple of hours swimming, sunbaking and snoozing under our straw umbrellas.

Perivolos Beach

Our next  island experience on the tour was a hair-raising ascent to the top of Santorini's highest point, Profitas Ilias, at 1800metres.  From the top the whole island can be viewed and the entire crescent shape of the caldera is plainly visible.  Santorini is an island without water - very brown and dry - so it is surprising to see grape vines and tomatoes thriving in the volcanic soil.

High up on Profitas Ilias Mountain

 Fortunately the wind dropped off this afternoon so were were not blown off the mountain top!  We bought delicious cherries from a road side stand (they come from northern Greece) and then half way down the mountain we stopped for a brief walking tour of one of Santorini's prettiest villages, Pyrgos which is surrounded by vineyards.

Fun in Pyrgos

There we enjoyed Greek coffee and ice cream with views over the countryside on the terrace of a hillside cafe.

Views from the cafe, Pyrgos

The tour finished back at the hotel - such a varied and interesting day and thankfully the gale-force winds had turned into a gentle breeze.
 Jess and Caroline indulged in chocolate body therapy and massage while I enjoyed a couple of hours by the pool, chatting with other guests and managing to get a nice tan without turning red.   At 8.30 we had a booking for a highly recommended Imerovigli restaurant and oh what a gastronomic delight.  Definitely our best meal in Greece!
Entrees
Grilled octopus
Zucchini balls
Spicey cheese
Cretan barley bread with tomatoes, onion and feta
Mains:
Roast beef and pasta
Chicken souvlaki and baked potato
Lamb and rice with cream sauce
The owner (a friend of Lisa) then presented us with a typical Greek desert and a very good "digestive" wine (locally produced).  The local red and white wines we had with our meal were superb too.
Caroline and Jessica decided to check out the nightlife of Thira after dinner and I was happy to relax at the hotel and sleep.

Saturday 21 June
Our last full day in Santorini and the weather was perfect. Hot, sunny and clear with just a hint of a breeze.  We settled onto daybeds beside the pool right after breakfast and only moved when necessary for a swim.

Poolside, Andromeda Villas Hotel with Oia in the distance

  The pool bar boys supplied food, drink and good cheer and with the stunning backdrop of the caldera it was pretty close to paradise.

A day by the pool, Andromeda Villas

We decided that we would enjoy the hotel facilities for the day and then join Lisa and some of our group on an evening excursion to Oia at the northern tip of the island for dinner, shopping and the sunset spectacular - best free entertainment going!
We caught the local bus which then sped along a winding road with little regard for other traffic or the sheer descent to the plains below at the edge of the road.  It was certainly a route with a view, but we were happy to arrive without mishap.

Arriving in Oia for the "sunset show"

 Although it was 7.30 pm the sun was still quite high and casting a lovely golden glow across the village - again white buildings tumbling down the cliffs. As we walked through Oia we had a magnificent view of the caldera and its precariously perched villages.

Looking towards Andromeda Villas(the highest point on the cliff) from Oia

 Far below a couple of cruise ships lying at anchor just offshore looked tiny.  We wandered through the streets of Oia, admiring the trendy stores and finally reached the northern tip of the town which is dominated by an old windmill.

Oia overlooks the caldera on the northern tip of Santorini

Here ( thanks to Lisa's contacts) we scored front line seats at her friend's bar and settled down with our drinks to wait the sunset show.

Waiting for the sunset

The famous windmill at Oia

 Being the longest day of summer we had a bit of a wait but our patience was rewarded with a wonderful view of the setting sun and the sky filled with brilliant colour.

Sunset begins

The fame Oia and the Santorini sunset is certainly well justified.  It is a magical sight, enhanced by the simplicity of the white-washed houses and the silhouette of the windmill.  The sky remained quite light for some time after the sun disappeared and we strolled through the streets enjoying the ambiance until we reached Flora's restaurant where we dined on the rooftop terrace - more lovely views across the island and the sea as darkness descended and lights began to twinkle.  We made the return journey to Imerovigi by taxi, well delighted with our stay on this fabulous island and a little sorry that we would be leaving so soon - early next day.

The amazing and beautiful Santorini sunset, viewed from Oia