Stunningly Beautiful

Took a 45min ferry from Mykonos to Naxos then a 2nd ferry for 2hrs to Santorini. What can we say other than Santorini is out of this world and should be a "Must See" for everyone. No doubt this is a place for romantics and honeymooners first and foremost, but for us every day types, it's just fine thank you!! We stayed at the San Giorgio Villas (good location, extremely friendly management and cheap).

For those that first lay eyes on the island of Santorini via boat, the first glance of it from a distance resembles a mountain range with snow capped peaks far far away. As you get closer and closer, you soon realize that those white tipped peaks are not remnants of last winter but the towns/villages that house the people of Santorini. The sight of the buildings clinging to the cliff edges are awesome, and no photo can duplicate the feeling or sight that one first experiences - shame on those that arrive via fast ferry or airplane, you are truly missing out (of course you can redeem yourself by taking a cruise to get the view but you've missed initial surprise).

From the caldera's breathtaking views of the volcano and neighbouring islands, everywhere one sees small blue domed churches and remnants of days gone by. It is so stunningly beautiful that the views never get old. The beautiful blue sky, ocean and white washed buildings make every walk along the caldera an adventure and a chance to spot something new. Its two principal towns, Fira and Oia, perch at the summit of the caldera and are the towns that provide for the stunning pictures and view over the cliffs edge. Oia is the town that is most photographed and is the mental picture that people have when thinking of Santorini. The small town is absolutely beautiful, full of narrow streets and alleyways that become extremely crowded from 5:00pm until well after the sun has set - this is the "Place" in Greece famous for watching the sunset. We did the touristy thing and went, but if the truth be told, there are many places on the island to watch the sunset and more importantly, with a lot less elbows and cameras. The real truth is that Santorini exceeds all glossy postcards/calendars that one eyes abroad.

Santorini is the southern most island of the Cycladic group and is only 73 sq km's. What makes this place so interesting is that the topography is so unique depending on what part of the island you are at. Of course the caldera is what makes every one go gooey eyed, but the entire island is interesting. Having been created from several volanco eruptions the island has high cliffs on one side and flat arable land on the other. We managed to rent (2) scooters for (4) days - all for 100 Euro great deal. We have seen every inch of the island and without a doubt Oia is by far our favorite city/town. Santorini itself is a self sufficient island, growing all types of vegetables and fruit, including grapes for its well known wines. The wine harvesting was well underway during our stay and truck loads of grapes were seen on the roads along with donkeys on the terraced hillsides packed with crates to carry them down to the roads. Santorini has many beaches which range from black, red and gray rocks/pebbles. The black pebbly beach was incredibly hot which made walking from your towel/chair to the water and back a very "hot" experience. The nice thing about Santorini is that the beaches are spread throughout the island on both sides, making the beaches uncrowded and extremely pleasant to visit - the exception was the Red Beach. If you wanted a beach to yourself that was easy - just head to the northeastern side of the island - towards Oia.

We took a boat over to the volcano to check out the lava rock and see the view of the island from the water one last time. We did not see the crater(s) that we had expected to see but it did provide us with the opportunity to contemplate how we were going to make our way back up the 600+ stairs to Fira from the port - walk, cable car or donkey. We decided to take the donkey ride and it was definetly one of our highights. There was probably 30 of us on donkeys and each donkey wanted its share of fame being in the lead which made for a lot of laughs and very close looks of the cliff's edge. One cannot write about our time in Santorini without talking about the great gyros, greek salads and grilled squid. You can eat so cheaply here and it is oh so good. If the mediterrean diet is good for you, as advertised, well we certaintly did our part to indulge in it. Santorini was half the cost of Mykonos and so much better - the two islands cannot be compared or mentioned in the same breath. Why the Greeks with money flock to Mykonos we don't know, nor do we know where they stay or what they do - but nonetheless Santorini is a MUST and if you haven't booked your 2007 vacation, give Santorini some serious thought.

Having your own transportation is a must in Santorini as it was in Mykonos - car, scooter or atv rental is not a problem. There are amples of places to stay in Santorini and the great thing is depending on what village/town you stay in, the island is very unique. We would recommend staying in Oia for the sheer beauty and experience of the cliffs edge. There are also very nice beaches around there that you can have all to yourself. Alternatively, if you want the beach scene with plenty of beach chairs and street side bars and patios then Kamari or Perissa. We stayed right in Fira which was extremely convenient, close to the gyro stands, mini market and it of course is the main town/village on the island. Summing it all up - you can't go wrong staying anywhere on the island. Your biggest problem is deciding when to go.....

Off to Crete via the fast ferry to see what island live is like on a much bigger scale. Cheers for now.

---

---

---