Blogs from Santorini, South Aegean, Greece, Europe - page 4

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Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini May 21st 2021

Almost everything here is affected by the volcanic soil, from the beaches to the crops, to the appearance of the geography. But perhaps, other than the famous Santorini wines, the food here takes on a distinct volcanic influence. Starting with vegetables, the unique aubergine or white eggplant is synonymous with Santorini. Though it is a little early for the white eggplant, the more familiar purple is used interchangeably. Other vegetables grown here include capers, cherry tomatoes, and favas, yellow split peas similar to lentils. My fava last night was served hot, more like a soup, with pickled capers, and some herbs. It was quite good and reminded me of hummus. The tiny tomatoes here are very sweet, and much tastier than the larger tomato varieties. Thie cherry tomatoes are made into tomato paste with capers, olive ... read more
Grilled fish
Lamb ribs
Greek yogurt with kidoni

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini May 20th 2021

As I first began my research for visiting Santorini, one feature sang out to me. It was the fabulous wines of Santorini. Most of us drank some cheap retsina in college. And I had the benefit of learning about Mavrodaphne from my friends at Lola in Seattle. In fact, I have a few bottles of Mavro here at home. But I am learning that Santorini is perhaps one of the best wine growing regions in Greece, and the greater Mediterranean region. Some go so far as to say it is the Greek version of Napa Valley! After all, the Greeks have been making wine here for over 3000 years. Santorini has about forty native varieties of wines. And rather uniquely, the vines lay low to the ground, in round baskets made from the canes, to protect ... read more
Vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine
Argyros Winery, my favorite

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini May 20th 2021

The sunsets in Oia are described as showstoppers. Oia is on the northernmost tip of the island of Santorini. It was once a center of trade in antiquity. The big earthquake of 1956 changed everything here. Restoration work has restored the beauty of the town and area. The downside to Oia is the cruise ships, which hopefully will not show up until I am back home. They say the sunsets draw people to Oia like a magnet. But I also hear the village is cute, and the food is superb. Buses leave my hotel area, Fira, twice every hour for the 15 minute drive to Oia. But it is a three hour walk if anyone chooses. Not me! The 5 minute drive to Fira village is free on the hotel bus, but 10 Euro in a ... read more
Purple sunset
More sunset

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini May 19th 2021

Before taking this trip, it seems almost everyone is an expert on Santorini. After all, it is a small island in the Aegean, though inhabited by less than 16,000 residents.Traveler 365 has an interesting list:Santorini receives over 2.2 million tourists a year, though the last year was hardly negligible.There are more churches than houses here, though many of the churches are small and private.Wine is more plentiful than water here, due to the dry climate.Santorini is the only inhabited caldera in the world.I like this, over 100 varietals of grapes are... read more
Santo Wines
Another sunset
Apostolos, owner of Stamna in Fira!

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini » Fira May 18th 2021

Much like other tourist hot spots, location is often the key to meeting your tourist and sightseeing needs. Here on Santorini, the question comes down to Oia or Fira. Stay in Fira for nightclubs, restaurants and shopping. Fira is nonstop tourists, cruise shippers, and partiers. And amazing views. Fira has cheaper places to eat. Stay in Oia for a quieter, more artistic atmosphere, that will be super crowded at sunset for the hordes of viewers. Oia is fairly quiet the remainder of the day. Oia is more romantic. Guess which one I selected? That's right, Fira, in the heart of the action, of course. Both have great views. Tours leave from both places. Renting a car for wine tasting is easier in Fira. The airport is only 10 minutes away. Fira is more central, and easier ... read more
One of two pools
Sunset
Yes, the water

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini March 28th 2021

Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It was devastated by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, forever shaping its rugged landscape. The whitewashed, cubiform houses of its 2 principal towns, Fira and Oia, cling to cliffs above an underwater caldera. Great poets have sung its praises, a 4.000 year old history. The eternal rock continues to stand, strong and majestic rising proudly from the sea and guarding well the secrets of Atlantis. High above, the main villages of Fira and Oia are a snow-drift of white Cycladic houses that line the cliff tops and spill like icy cornices down the terraced rock. Santorini Cave Houses or yposkafa, which translates to “dug into a rock”, are underground buildings once used as homes, churches, canaves, and warehouses. They are famous both ... read more

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini July 19th 2019

Sorry for the delayed travel blog. I planned on writing about Santorini when I departed the island and was on the ferry to Milos, however, a great lesson learnt from travelling is, you can’t plan everything, you have to go with the flow. With the flow I did go! The winds were very strong the day I left and the ferry company I went with was called Seajets. That was exactly was it was a simple jet on the sea, nothing like the cruise liner I caught to Mykonos or to Santorini from Naxos with Blue Star. Side note for a moment, now the cat is out of the bag my two friends I met up with in Mykonos got engaged the day before I met them. When they told me, I cried with happiness! How ... read more
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Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini June 6th 2019

I was very fortunate to visit Greece. I didn't want to go to Athens, Greece because I've visited a lot of places that looked similar to Athens, Greece! Plus I go to visit the beach while driving on the scooter. I was way behind Greece's traffic system because my scooter didn't compete with the car's speed. The scooter was much slower than that. This was the second Mediterrean country I visited behind Spain. I did go on a cruise to Greece but I flew to Santorini, Greece from Barcelona, Spain on June 6th,2019. I enjoyed seeing the Orthodox Churches but they were closed while I was there. Luckily, I went to Greece because I had a car accident and almost had to do surgery. If it was surgery, then I wouldn't be able to go to ... read more
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Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini June 8th 2018

I arrived early in the morning when none of the shops were open yet. Stepping out of the bus I was so excited! Everything looked sooo beautiful! It was just like in the movies and all the travel magazines I've read. Walking along the pathways next to the cliff facing the ocean I had to stop a few times to take in everything. What a lovely morning with clear blue sky, the peaceful Aegean sea, the Cycladic architecture; and to have that all to myself. I felt like I was in a movie. Lost in Santorini. I literally was except without the cameras. It was still winter but it wasn't so bad. It's just like spring in Korea, about 12C. I was having problems locating my hotel even with Google Maps. There were three other hotels ... read more
Oia
Couple in Oia at night

Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini » Imerovigli May 25th 2018

Imerovigli, Santorini, Greece Trust me, the view’s not half bad, though I failed to take a decent picture of it. In my defence the caldera, from my viewpoint 1000 feet up, was too awesome to be truly ‘captured’. I had the same problem with the Grand Canyon. Neither I nor my camera were up to the task. In fact, in one sense, the manageress of Anastasis Apartments has one of the easiest jobs in the world. Every time a new guest arrives she checks them in and leads them to the rear of the hotel which is on the cliff top and, with a gentle wave of her hand, indicates the horizon. It’s stunning. I witnessed the performance several times. The manageress stands quietly by while the guests take the sight in. Some people gasp an ... read more
Breakfast...
The View 1
The View 2




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