santorini
Oia is more colorful than most would think
Views from the trail to Firá
Church in Oia
Steps from our Airbnb in Oia
View from the balcony of our Airbnb in Oia
Parfait Bowl & Freddo Cappuccino from Mes Amis
A local in Oia
The beginnings of sunset
Bart
See Bart Jump!
One of the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen
Local doggo
Local doggo & Bart
Turns out dogs love to watch sunsets, too
Santorini cloud porn
Ammoudi Bay
Octopus drying on the line at Ammoudi Fish Tavern
Views from our Sunset Oia catamaran cruise
Swimming in the hot springs area
Bart and I on the catamaran
Bart diving in
Bart’s splash
Crystal blue waters
Christian + Bandana
Sunset on the Caldera
Sunrise over Santorini
Everything you’ve heard about Santorini/Thira is true. It is crowded—super crowded, definitely the most crowded of all the islands we visited. It is beautiful, too—really beautiful, more colorful than just the white and blue you’ve imagined though, in the best way. And guess what? All that white that high up actually just accentuates the colors in the sky. Thinking back on Manarola at sunset with all those peachy toned buildings, these Mediterraneans are on to something when it comes to postcard marketing sunset genius. I think the white might actually make the sunset pop even more than the peach. I had heard that the sunsets in Oia were spectacular but having seen so many in my lifetime I had kind of shrugged it off until I was actually in it. Even the feral dogs came to watch it with us. No joke, these dogs showed up like clockwork at the most vibrant part of the sunset, and stayed until the point the colors faded to dusk. It was pretty special.
As soon as we got off the ferry we took the winding road up to Santo Winery that overlooks the Caldera. The views were incredible and the wine and snacks were quite tasty. We made our way to our Airbnb on the sunset side of Oia and settled in. We pushed our way through the narrow streets, packed like sardines with tourists, to enjoy one of the most marvelous sunsets I’ve ever laid eyes on, sharing it with the dogs of Santorini. What exactly do they see, I wonder?
After a few drinks and some subpar snacks at Nocturna Cafe we asked our waiter where we might catch the Chelsea/Arsenal game:
”Is there a Thai/Asian restaurant named Paradox or something like that close by? We are trying to watch the football match and we heard that might be where we could see it.”
“No no, I don’t think so. But there is this Chinese place called Paradox around the corner and I know they have TVs and show games.”
Not sure how this got lost in translation but we shared some huge belly laughs about it. We made it to Paradox and it was Thai and they did have the game on. The food was actually amazing and run by a Thai staff, a welcome break from the many Saganakis, grilled octopus, and Lamb Souvlakis we’d had on the trip. The place was filled with fans and we were lucky to have a good table with a good view. Chelsea killed Arsenal 4-1 leaving Christian, an Arsenal super fan, to sulk back to the Airbnb with us to end the night.
The next morning I woke up early and walked some of the trail to Firá solo, enjoying a mostly empty scene and getting some quality time with the famous hillside. After a few hours of wandering and snapping I stopped for breakfast at Mes Amis which was a tasty greek yogurt with fresh honey, fruit, nuts, and chocolate shavings.
After rounding up the troops we made our way down to Ammoudi Bay for our sunset catamaran cruise with Sunset Oia. The tour began with a stop at the hot springs area near the volcano for some swimming and snorkeling. In the open water the geothermal heat was available in small patches so finding these little areas was fun and rewarding. Back onboard we enjoyed unlimited beer, wine, and ouzo and enjoyed a massive BBQ cookout. Until this trip I had really underestimated how tasty boat food could be! We stopped for more swimming at both the Red Beach and the White Beach, laid out and danced over the water on the catamaran net, and mingled with the other passengers onboard. We got to take in the sunset from the sea, below the caldera watching the other ships become silhouetted against the orange horizon and the white buildings on the cliff bask in the golden glow, it was a very special way to end our time in Greece and I would highly recommend adding a cruise (or two) to your Cyclades adventures. We rounded out a stellar evening with dinner at Ammoudi Fish Tavern which was one of the most delicious meals we had on the trip as well as one of the most beautiful settings. To cap it all off they brought us loukoumades for dessert which are these delectable little Greek honey doughnuts.
Overall, our time in Greece was so special and memorable and we can’t wait to go back. Which islands should we visit next?!
