The Greek islands had been on my bucket list for decades and, when we finally made it to Santorini, this island paradise was all I had dreamed about and so much more. Beautiful beaches, an azure sea and brilliantly whitewashed houses climbing to the top of the steep hillsides make this one of the most popular destinations in the Mediterranean. The photo above shows the port, where small tenders from numerous cruise ships drop off their passengers to take the funicular to the top or the famous donkey ride along the zig-zagging trail leading from the port to the island trail to its largest city, Fira.
Fira and the other sizable city on the island of Thera, Oia, are carved out of the remnants of a massive volcanic eruption around 1650 B.C. As seen from our hotel room’s balcony, the ocean is where there was one island before the volcano eruption. The volcano caused the center of that single island to sink into the sea, creating a caldera that filled with water and leaving portions of the volcano walls that now make up the islands and islets known as Santorini.
Legend — (never proven, of course) — has it that this was the original home of the lost city of Atlantis, which long ago disappeared into the ocean’s depths.
The buildings clinging to the steep sides of the caldera are carved into the volcanic rock and seemingly endless steps connect these homes, hotels, restaurants and shops to the main thoroughfare at the top of the cliff, where vehicles can maneuver.
We were thankful we had paid the extra 40 euro to have a driver from our hotel pick us up at the airport because he hauled our bags down the 98 steps (yes, I counted them) to our room at the Hotel Keti. He was red-faced and panting from the effort but refused our help.
Because it’s carved into the hillside, our simple hotel room looked a little like a cave: The only window is at the front of the room beside the door, which opened onto an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean.
The hotel’s hot tub. Thira is a party town. We were fortunate in that our hotel was just far enough from the main part of town to avoid most of the night-time revelry noise. But we often heard the deep thrumming of the bass from bands playing into the late night hours. At least two cruise ships arrived every day, and the streets became clogged with people shopping in the high-end shops lining the streets and crowding into restaurants and bars. So we rented a car and headed to the other parts of the island to avoid the crowds and enjoy the sites. Our hotel concierge had great suggestions for all our day trips and arranged the car rental as well.
Above is Oia, the other major city on the island of Thera, and its blue domed buildings are so popular for photographs that people had lined up to get the best possible Instagram photo with the blue dome in the background.
This fat cat is lounging above the pricey boutiques on Oia’s major walkways. Like Fira, walking and climbing steps are the only ways to get around most of the shopping area.
People also line up at the tip of the island in Oia to watch the sunset every day.
This is the famous red sand beach that we visited during one of our day trips.
We took a boat to a nearby volcanic island, where we could hike and some of the braver souls on board jumped into the water where hot water poured out from an underground source to make the chilly ocean water just a little bit warmer.
The hike to the volcano.
The volcano’s crater.
The beauty of the countryside — where the land is flatter and people can spread out.
We stopped in Megalochori for this delicious kebab and pita lunch.
The entrance to the town of Megalochori, a labyrinth of whitewashed homes, churches and restaurants.
The town of Pyrgos, with vistas and ruins.
Above, a group of men enjoying each others’ company outside a local cathedral. An example of the colorful ruins below.
In the town of Pyrgos, we strolled through cobbled streets and among ruins.
Small, seemingly impassable stairways led up to the doors of some of the homes.
We ducked into small ornate cathedrals.
When we stopped to look at one house, the owner invited us in and urged us to climb his narrow staircase to the rooftop where we could see for miles.
This is how you pick out your fish that you’re going to eat at one of the popular seafood restaurants. They keep it in refrigerated drawers and pull them open for you to see the fish before it’s cooked.
Here is the John Dory cooked. Delicious! Below are more examples of some of the fantastic food.
And a fond farewell drink and final sunset from our perch above the caldera. We will be back!
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