Dear Reader
Santorini, a picturesque honeymoon island off the coast of Greece that will keep your cameras flashing. The mountainous area is covered with cement houses painted in a myriad of colors. All the homes are somehow connected, their arches and flat roofs entwining. An ancient stone step case spirals through all the island villages, with more steps than you can count. Of course, that means that climbing down to the harbor and back up to the village is quite a chore considering there are over 500 steps! You couldn’t possibly do that alone, especially on the way back up. But don’t worry there are a plethora of mules offering their services to you for a mere 5 euros! It makes quite a bumpy ride and the mules seem to race between themselves to see who can get up first. That doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable experience, and my entire family came back for seconds and thirds! The Island of Santorini is divided into to main towns. Fira is the larger of the two, and also where we stayed. While Oia, pronounced Oh-ya, is smaller. Both villages are beautiful, and similar, yet surprisingly different. In Fira there are mostly restaurants, big hotels, and shops. Fira is where families and larger groups go to travel. In Oia, there is mostly restaurants, shops and small honeymoon getaway cottages. The cottages are breathtaking, with a small two-person pool, views to the ocean and cushions on balconies. Other than the cottages, photographers and women in wedding gowns can be seen posing with their husbands. We spent one day in Oia and the other three in Fira. The two most enjoyable things we did, other than the mules, of course, were a hike up and old volcano and then a dip in the not so hot springs, and a fake Greek wedding which we attended to get a sense of what a Greek wedding is.
The Volcano of Santorini is on a small island off the shore of the mainland. The whole island is covered, from figurative head to toe, in volcanic rock, of all kinds. Red rocks, black rocks, porous rocks smooth rocks, boulders, and tiny pebbles. It was a very scenic hiking trail, and the view was fantastic from the top. We then took a boat and stopped next to a ridge next to a cliff. This was where the not so hot spring was. Our guide told everyone on the vessel that the water would be cold in the beginning but would get better. She under exaggerated, by a lot. I felt as if I had pins being stuck into my frigid body, and all my muscles cramped up. I swear I would’ve drowned If it weren’t for the adrenaline that rushed through my blood. I kept swimming and waiting for the nice warm water to hit me, but soon I realized it wouldn’t. I quickly turned around and swam back to the boat. Overall this was an enjoyable experience, minus the frigid water.
Our plans for the “Greek Wedding” were slightly altered when it started pouring in the early evening. The stone streets of Fire were flooded, but we managed to make it to the place where the “wedding” was held in relative safety. The rain had caused the whole wedding to be moved inside which was a bit disappointing, but what could we do. We soon realized that another family there was Dutch, and we socialized with them. Lucky for me the children were all girls. We were seated at tables covered in little Greek snacks and the wedding commenced. It started with a little play that put us into the story and before we knew it, it was the wedding reception. We were told to dig in while the actors started to dance across the stage. I worried we would have to watch them dance the whole time, but soon enough they called us to come dance too. Dance we did, or at least we tried. I, being a very clumsy person may have tripped over my own feet once, or twice, but who's counting? At the end of the ceremony, when every drop of wine was gone from the adults glasses, we were given plates to smash at the ground, as is Greek custom. It reminded me a bit of the Jewish custom for the newly wed groom to smash a cup under his foot. I found the action of smashing the plates and later once again dancing over the shards very therapeutic and found that it really can calm you down. The wedding ended late, and we hopped straight into bed afterward still humming the tunes…
I had an amazing time in Santorini, though it is very touristic, I highly suggest visiting if you want a relaxing weekend away from the bustle of Athens during your visit Greece.
Keep posted!
Liv the Explorer
Santorini, a picturesque honeymoon island off the coast of Greece that will keep your cameras flashing. The mountainous area is covered with cement houses painted in a myriad of colors. All the homes are somehow connected, their arches and flat roofs entwining. An ancient stone step case spirals through all the island villages, with more steps than you can count. Of course, that means that climbing down to the harbor and back up to the village is quite a chore considering there are over 500 steps! You couldn’t possibly do that alone, especially on the way back up. But don’t worry there are a plethora of mules offering their services to you for a mere 5 euros! It makes quite a bumpy ride and the mules seem to race between themselves to see who can get up first. That doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable experience, and my entire family came back for seconds and thirds! The Island of Santorini is divided into to main towns. Fira is the larger of the two, and also where we stayed. While Oia, pronounced Oh-ya, is smaller. Both villages are beautiful, and similar, yet surprisingly different. In Fira there are mostly restaurants, big hotels, and shops. Fira is where families and larger groups go to travel. In Oia, there is mostly restaurants, shops and small honeymoon getaway cottages. The cottages are breathtaking, with a small two-person pool, views to the ocean and cushions on balconies. Other than the cottages, photographers and women in wedding gowns can be seen posing with their husbands. We spent one day in Oia and the other three in Fira. The two most enjoyable things we did, other than the mules, of course, were a hike up and old volcano and then a dip in the not so hot springs, and a fake Greek wedding which we attended to get a sense of what a Greek wedding is.
The Volcano of Santorini is on a small island off the shore of the mainland. The whole island is covered, from figurative head to toe, in volcanic rock, of all kinds. Red rocks, black rocks, porous rocks smooth rocks, boulders, and tiny pebbles. It was a very scenic hiking trail, and the view was fantastic from the top. We then took a boat and stopped next to a ridge next to a cliff. This was where the not so hot spring was. Our guide told everyone on the vessel that the water would be cold in the beginning but would get better. She under exaggerated, by a lot. I felt as if I had pins being stuck into my frigid body, and all my muscles cramped up. I swear I would’ve drowned If it weren’t for the adrenaline that rushed through my blood. I kept swimming and waiting for the nice warm water to hit me, but soon I realized it wouldn’t. I quickly turned around and swam back to the boat. Overall this was an enjoyable experience, minus the frigid water.
Our plans for the “Greek Wedding” were slightly altered when it started pouring in the early evening. The stone streets of Fire were flooded, but we managed to make it to the place where the “wedding” was held in relative safety. The rain had caused the whole wedding to be moved inside which was a bit disappointing, but what could we do. We soon realized that another family there was Dutch, and we socialized with them. Lucky for me the children were all girls. We were seated at tables covered in little Greek snacks and the wedding commenced. It started with a little play that put us into the story and before we knew it, it was the wedding reception. We were told to dig in while the actors started to dance across the stage. I worried we would have to watch them dance the whole time, but soon enough they called us to come dance too. Dance we did, or at least we tried. I, being a very clumsy person may have tripped over my own feet once, or twice, but who's counting? At the end of the ceremony, when every drop of wine was gone from the adults glasses, we were given plates to smash at the ground, as is Greek custom. It reminded me a bit of the Jewish custom for the newly wed groom to smash a cup under his foot. I found the action of smashing the plates and later once again dancing over the shards very therapeutic and found that it really can calm you down. The wedding ended late, and we hopped straight into bed afterward still humming the tunes…
I had an amazing time in Santorini, though it is very touristic, I highly suggest visiting if you want a relaxing weekend away from the bustle of Athens during your visit Greece.
Keep posted!
Liv the Explorer