Arriving at the Thira Airport on the Greek Islands in Santorini

After layovers in Paris and Athens, I finally arrived at the Thira Airport in Santorini at close to 8pm. I couldn’t believe that I just spent 15 hours traveling (in the air and waiting at the airports) between two countries that physically aren’t that far apart -relatively speaking. I was exhausted! I prescheduled a taxi, as suggested by Erika (the owner of Chelidonia Villas - where Thao and I will be staying while in Santorini). Apparently, there are only 39 cabs on the entire island, so the waiting time would have been horrendous without an advanced booking. Thomas, my cab driver, picked up another couple (who ironically were from a little town right outside of Marseilles, where I just spent the last week) and they shared the cab with me. I chatted with Thomas during the short 25-minute drive to Oia, and I learned that he moved from Athens to Santorini 7 years ago. He was my age, married, and had two young sons. I told him my story: that I also moved from a metropolitan city to the island of Oahu. We both agreed that island life is unlike no other, that it has made us slow down, and figure out what’s really important in life. He said he wouldn’t ever consider returning to Athens, and that Santorini is a great place to raise kids, at least up until the time they must go to college. As we were driving through Oia, he must have known everyone we passed by, which made sense because there are only about 700 permanent inhabitants in the village. That cab ride and this entire trip has reminded me that even though some people come into my life for only a short time, the insights that they share often cannot be timed more perfectly in relation to my life.
Thomas dropped me off in Oia’s main square where I was met by Erika’s son Leandros. Thank goodness for Leandros because he lugged my 50-pound bag down 60+ uneven stairs to our one-bedroom traditional Greek Island villa. Little did he know, that it would have very well been 2 each 50 pound bags if I came to Santorini two weeks prior! Leandros gave me the rundown of the villa and the town. Chelidonia couldn’t be in a more perfect and central location within the village of Oia. It sits on the Caldera, and the views from our lanai are more than spectacular. Unfortunately, I arrived once the sun had already set, but I was told that people come from all over the island to Oia during the sunset because it is that breathtaking. Since we’ll have 4 more nights here, I wasn’t too concerned with missing tonight’s sunset. I walked up the 60+ steps and explored the main strip in the village. There are countless tavernas, restaurants and shops along the main road in town. After looking at a few places, I chose Seagull’s and had a simple Greek meal, which consisted of a mushroom and feta cheese omelet with fried calamari. Of course, I also had a glass of red wine to unwind from a long day of traveling. After dinner, I walked around the town a little more, and couldn’t help but think how beautiful this place must be in the daylight!

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