Advertisement
Published: July 19th 2019
Edit Blog Post
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 romantic! They are such a fabulous couple, so kind and generous! I had to leave that detail out of my last blog until they announced their news publicly. Drinks by the pool were actually in celebration of their engagement. This also is another reason why the pool of men for single women is more like a shallow puddle- most of the best men out there
are gay but that’s another story. Back to Santorini! What can I say, I am just smitten with the island and will continue to return to its incredible beauty, sunsets, donkey bells, church bells and spectacular cave hotels.
I did not encounter one Aussie in Naxos but as soon as arrived in Santorini port I could hear Australian voices everywhere. I got a shuttle bus to my hotel for 20 Euro, my hotel was in Fira one of the main towns on the island. Of course, I went to Lucky’s souvlaki (as I mentioned in my previous blog). Lucky (the owner) was working in the store when I went in and as usual the crazy drunk made his harmless sleazy comments calling me beautiful and so on. The food is too good to let this stop anyone from eating there and what do you expect from someone who has a sign on the wall of their restaurant advertising beer with the slogan ‘best head in town’.
The taverns in Fira serve delicious Aegean meals and on my first night I was lured into one by the promise of a free wine by one of staff members who was
attempting to recruit customers from the street. Free wine- my Achilles heel! The meal was a mix of grilled lamb and chicken, hummus and salad. When I paid my bill, the waiter told me when he handed me the change that if I came back at 11pm I would be given another free glass of wine, an offer from a staff member that would reveal his identify if I returned. I tried very hard not to laugh as all the waiters were between 40-60 years old and were no oil painting. I told the waiter or pimp that 11pm was past my bed time, smiled and walked out. The second tavern I visited had older men working there also but they were a little more subtle with their pick-up lines. Just one comment was made when I asked for the WIFI code, the waiter told me the password was his phone number. I don’t remember the name of the first tavern but the second was called 'Dionysus'. I choose it because dionysus is the Greek god of wine. The food here is heaven, I had a divine eggplant dip and pork for my main. The meat dishes in Greece are
not heavy- they are light and are shavings from the meat spit and contain so much flavour. Just as the name suggests the wine at this establishment was great- sometimes it is a hit and miss in Greece and is very reasonable priced.
The sunsets over the caldera are just divine and words will not do it justice and will give you goose bumps each time you see it set. Just before sunset everyone flocks to the edge of the caldera or are located in the many bars and restaurants on the cliffs edge to witness this miracle. You will pinch yourself to make sure it’s not a dream and if you have seen it before you can relate and if you see it again you will pinch yourself again- it never gets old. Once the sunsets most people clap- it is very cheesy but it’s nice to have some cheese in the world. Many terrible things occur each day it is great to have something that is harmless, good, happy, pleasant, simple that exists in the world today.
I went to the Oia for the first time during this trip to Santorini- Oia is a
25-minute bus trip from Fira. Buses are 1.80 Euro and run every ten minutes-very easy to get around. Oia is very swanky- it is like Fira’s posh cousin. Even the cobble stones felt like they had been buffed and waxed each night when the tourists are sleeping. Oia is extremely clean and the restaurants and shops are five class. I went to a pool bar named Lioyerma located at the end of the town overlooking the cliffs and near the wind mills. It was free entry, but you had to purchase something from the menu for at least 10 euros. Cocktails were 11 euros- I selected a mango and pear cocktail with a shot of rum-very refreshing and a chef’s salad. I recommended a dip in Lioyerma pool after exploring Oia-a nice way to cool off and relax before heading back to Fira. The pool bar is designed to cater for the people staying in Oia who don’t have a hotel pool and therefore is not as swanky as the town outside its gates. The ‘posh people’ have hotel pools of course darling! So, you will feel comfortable there and will not need to insert a carrot up you know
where! Oia also contains a gorgeous bookshop named Atlantis book store and it has a stunning view of the caldera- standard in Santorini. Definitely worth a look! On another day I did the Fira to Oia hike and then caught the bus back to Fira. It was a fantastic walk, with stunning views the whole way and is a perfect way to connect back to nature and to have some time soul searching and personal reflection. Gratitude is easy when the scenery is so beautiful that you want to cry. Most reviews said it can take between 3-5 hours, but it took me 2 hours and I was taking my time, but I didn’t stop. The hike goes very quickly as there is so much to look at along the way and there are oodles of fabulous photo opportunities. The middle part of the walk is the hardest as it is a dirt/rocky track and is slippery. You need good walking shoes; I saw some girls wearing sandals-no way! Maybe this is why it takes some people 5 hours? This section of the trail reminded me of the Great Wall of China for some reason? There are no resorts or hotels in this part just rocks. I didn’t go to the wineries or the hots springs or beaches because I have already done these activities but highly recommended them if you haven’t been to the island before. I did go and visit the donkeys the are located at the old port in centre of Fira. You can ride Donkey’s up and down the cliff for 5 Euros- I did this my first time to Santorini and I hated it (very scary, the Donkeys slip on the stairs) and I felt horrible for the Donkey’s. Maybe it is something you have to say you did but I think it is better to visit and pat them. I chilled around my hotel pool a lot because I have seen most of the island before so maybe not the best blog for tips. My tip is just go mate!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.118s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 10; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0909s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb