So I Can Pass For The Good Looking Social Media Influencer. I Wish!

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I decided to get up early for the sunrise and I headed back to the old fort. I was pleased that I did, as it was a really vibrant and more kaleidoscope-like sunrise, but mostly because it was so much less crowded and more peaceful than the sunset had been. I guess that's the advantage of the anti-social hour, but also the angle's not so good so the sun rises behind island rather than out to sea.

I had the whole fort to myself for a while although a few other people did arrive a little bit later. There was still no scrum for the best places though.

I had a short walk around whilst it was still quiet, a part from the ringing of some distant bells that is.

When we had been walking around yesterday evening we spotted a little gallery of local photography. Of course I went straight in there to steal some ideas, but we spotted that the guy who ran it also did 30 or 60 minute guided photography tours. Why not - I'd regret it if I didn't, so I'd booked that for 9.00am before everywhere got too busy.

He took me to a number of different locations around Oia with various views, some open landscapes, some close ups of the classic white and blue buildings. Some of the classic locations were already busy though with lots of people, mainly women in dresses and swimsuits but some well-dressed men, queuing for their turn to get the iconic Instagram shots. I'd try those locations again later in my own time as I didn't want to use the hour waiting in the queues.

I enjoyed the walk and he did take me to some locations that would have been very challenging to find otherwise. I'm glad I did it, but I'm not sure the hour was worth €250.

According to our daughter, Santorini is massive with the influencers, whoever they are. Sadly, my Instagram photography only has a handful of followers, most of whom are family. She also pointed out their clothes and it was only then that we noticed that most of them were wearing blue and white, presumably in tune with the buildings.

Oia is a complicated maze of winding steps and pathways, linking all the houses and small hotels together. It's very easy to get lost, so there's actually probably very little chance that I'll be able to find those locations again. Maybe just follow the women in blue and white dresses, although not in the stalker sense obviously.

All of the paths seem to be fair game for the influencers, so a lot of places were at pains to point out those areas that were private and there were signs listing the rules of being respectful to the people who live there, i.e. don’t go into private areas, don't climb on to roofs and don't copy what you've seen other people do on Instagram. We know how they feel as our windmill is one such place. It's not very pleasant when someone is taking selfies outside our bathroom window whilst you're having a, urr, shower.

We know how the people in Notting Hill feel now.

It was whilst watching the influencers that I had a sudden realisation about this morning's photography shoot. I checked the sign that we had seen last night and it was clear that we should not make rash decisions that cost €250 late at night when we're tired after a long day of travel. It was a (quote) "private photoshoot" and not a guided tour. That goes some way to explain why he asked me to stand by the first picturesque blue dome that we walked to and was going to take a picture of me. Come on, I'm a 50 something year old man in shorts and a t-shirt, not some young, good looking, well groomed, immaculately dressed, sophisticated, social media influencer.

To make matters worse, we failed on the objective of a cheap meal out this evening and we are rapidly coming to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a cheap meal out in Oia. Sticking with the Greek take on an international dish, I had a Greek pizza. They were huge so we ended up taking some away with us.

We're probably going to have a Greek style curry or Greek style fish and chips tomorrow.

We decided to eat earlier today (to make sure that there are no impulsive late night decisions) so I left my wife and daughter with their cocktails and went back to some of the locations I had been to earlier for some more of Oia's famous sunset pictures, hoping I'd be able to find them. The sunset was nowhere near as good as yesterday however and, of course, I needed to contend with all the influencers.

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Photos

Oia Sunrise
The view east from the old fort.

Sunrise Church
One of the iconic churches at sunrise.

Sunrise Church
Another iconic church at sunrise.

Narrow Paths
The many narrow, winding, cobbled paths that form maze all across Oia.

Rim Edge
The buildings that cover the side of the volcano rim.

Steps
The guide and I though it was an unusual picture.

Influencer View
Back to this busy location when I had more time - it would be better with someone walking down the steps though.

Bells
There are a lot of these and some were quietly ringing to add to the idyllic atmosphere of the sunrise.

Windmill
Minus the actual sails.

Rustic Doorway
Again, trying something a bit different

Greek Style Pizza
Feta cheese and olives of course.