Blogs from Santorini, South Aegean, Greece, Europe - page 8

A rooftop in Santorini. That unknown blue, the "Santorini Blue" colored table I'm writing on. Sitting on layers of uneven stucco walls that I continually nearly break my legs on in the dark. All different heights and shapes. I've been traveling, I've been places, but it just finally hit me, sitting right here... Right now. Literally less than a mile from the sea, the pink sky and clouds slowly departing into the distance to unearth the stars for the night and give way to shadow the islands in the far off ocean. This, this moment right here is where it hit me. I'm doing this. I'm alone. I'm so far from home. I am in Santorini, an island of beauty. ALONE. It brings a near shudder over my body, a feeling of worry. What am I ... read more

Last night Deke and I, while walking to a restaurant for dinner, saw a beautiful site. It appeared that a couple was renewing their vows, inclusive of not only a red carpet, but of fireworks as well. From what our guide Leftelis said, Santorini is a big wedding and vow-renewal destination. I suppose that in a sense, Deke and I have renewed our vows by taking this trip to Greece to celebrate our three-year anniversary. Though I suffer from motion sickness, I felt that I just had to take a tour of a couple of volcanic islands; I thought that the tour might entail a ferry ride; instead I learned it was a catamaran tour. We left from the southern part of Santorini, and the waters were very rough. I did what the crew and captain ... read more

I awoke before dawn and was treated to what I can only describe as a rainbow dawn. At the horizon was a layering of color above the Aegean and the city of Oia. Skaros, ever present before our balcony, appeared to be waiting patiently anticipating the full rise of the sun. It was the beginning of another sporadically windy day in Imerovigli. Our breakfast server, Marinos, didn’t disappoint us; he is always entertaining when he shows up. Deke wanted to take it easy again. Sometimes, I miss Deke when I embark upon an excursion out when he wants to stay in. I have come to think of our times together and our times apart as, “the dance of together and away.” We seem to do this dance better than most, but it still takes a measure ... read more

The staff at Astra Suites Hotel arranged for us to have a private tour of Santorini by car. Deke was running a little late, but eventually we met our driver, Lefteris. Lefteris is a young, handsome man who said that he enjoys his work, though he was at one time, working two jobs. I mentioned that George, the waiter at The Myconian Ambassador Hotel, was sending home part of his wages to his parents. Lefteris stated that from time to time, he does as well. I have been impressed with the quality of young people here willing to care for their parents monetarily. It has been just the opposite for me; my dad, “The Count,” and my mom, “Mamma S,” have helped me in times of financial troubles. Outside of economic concerns, I think there is ... read more

Santorini. It appears out of the Aegean Sea as mountainous islands that must be home to millions of seabirds…but what looks like a vastness of guano cascading down the cliff tops changes as the fast ferry powers closer into glistening white towns and villages. It’s as if Weta Workshop was asked to create a magical island paradise – only CGI could conjure up the wedding cake houses, precariously perched hotels with their dinky pools in all shades of blue, cliffs dripping with restaurant terraces and draped with magenta bougainvillea. Breathtakingly, gobsmackingly, eye-rubbingly beautiful, it’s a miracle Santorini exists at all and not just because of the locals’ vertiginous building habits. Regular earthquakes and devastating volcanic eruptions have plagued the Cycladic Islands since forever. Santorini is in fact a volcano and the stunning views from our ac ... read more