Oh, Santorini, so beautiful, so rugged, so lives up to its iconic reputation. After the lushness of Samos and the subtle tones of Mykonos, Santorini was a completely different minx.
When you look out at her from the top of the mountain, she looks barren, craggy, dramatic, yet monochromatic. But then she bombards you up close with her colours. And those colours change greatly depending on which part of the island you’re standing on. Black sands to the south, red beaches to the west, blue and white villages in the north, and the brown, basalt grey and wheat tones of its wild volcanic landscapes all around.
Ultimately, it was a total treat that each Greek Island we visited on our Turkey & Greece adventure was so unique. Do I have a favourite? Actually, no. Each one was special to us for different reasons. 🇬🇷💙🧿
Go south 🧿
As soon as we disembarked from the ferry, we were whisked to the lovely Santo Mira Mare beach resort on the south-end of the island. It sits right alongside the black sand beach of Perívolos.
Our room came with a cozy balcony and a great view. We visited in late May and couldn’t have asked for better weather. Warm, but not blistering, coolish at night. And the breeze rolling off the sea was so fresh as it flowed into our room.
The resort was a serene spot away from the crowds of Oia. The black sand might have been burning hot, but the sea was crisp. Like, super crisp! There was no way I wasn’t going in though. I had to! It felt amazing after the initial shock. I’m always happiest when floating. The sea water was so clear I could see fish swimming around my feet. Delightful.
We dined at Savvas Popeye on our first night as it was highly recommended. It was delish, but no grilled octopus! The horror! We did try octopus with fava beans (no chianti 😉) and grilled scorpion fish. So good. And of course there was a cat sniffing around nearby. There’s always a cat.
Go west! 🧿
Since we were on the opposite side of the island from the famous town of Oia, we decided to rent a car with Paulette and Becky (‘The Californians‘) again like we did in Samos. With keys in hand, we then set out to explore as much as we could in the one full day we had together on the island.
Our first stop was the red lava cliffs and turquoise waters of Red Beach. We arrived in the late morning just as the sun was starting to bring the heat. Before strolling over to the beach, we stopped to take photos in front of this stunning white-washed church in the parking lot.
Then we trekked over to the beach lookout area and saw this:
Stunning. The bright red volcanic sand beach and cliffs are truly something to behold.
While we strolled around the area, taking photos and absorbing all that beauty into our souls, a man was stationed nearby playing music on his violin. I love when someone plays an instrument at a jaw-dropping location. It brings the drama. Makes your moment in that place resonate that much more.
Chuck decided to journey down to the beach, take some shots, and dip his toes in the sea.
As we moved up the island, spots like this along the road would stop us in our tracks:
Go north 🧿
Then it was time to explore Oia. You know, the town with all those iconic white buildings and blue accents sitting on top of volcanic cliffs. It truly lives up to exactly what you think a Greek Island is supposed to look like.
Going up stairs, down alleyways, dipping into stores, dodging folks, looking up at blue domes, looking down at marble floors, looking out at a sea so blue it takes your breath away, standing in front of doors because they are so damn beautiful. Strolling, gasping in delight, repeat.
And then we turned a corner and saw THE shot. The famous blue domes of Santorini.
The island is a saturated dream.
I obviously could not get enough of that colour blue.
Go up 🧿
After Oia, we drove along the eastern coast to reach the summit of Mount Profitis Ilias where a monastery with the same name rests. The views from the top were stunning.
Go sunset 🧿
We ended our day getting truly lost winding upwards through the tiny alleyways of Pyrgos town to find Franco’s Cafe and settle in for a glorious sunset.
We picked a few goodies off the menu and sat back waiting for the show to start.
The cafe perfectly times their music to finish at the exact moment the sun finally dips below the horizon. How dramatic. And what a treat! And what an ending to a dreamy stay in Santorini.
Had to capture the last burst of saturated Santorini colours (this time oranges and yellows) before calling it a day…a magnificent day!
Sighhhhhhhhhhhh
Chuck: “Wow….woooow.”
Me: “Wow indeed, Santorini. Wow, indeed.” 🇬🇷💙
😵💫 Get to shakin’ 😵💫
So, besides Santorini’s breathtaking beauty, why, like the title says, was I ‘shooketh?’ Well, because we literally woke up shaking in our beds one morning due to a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck 55 kms north of Crete (not that far from us). Our whole room shook like a mofo for about 10 seconds. FREAKED. ME. OUT.
But cut to breakfast an hour later and our travel buddies, Paulette and Becky (‘The Californians‘), came and sat with us all easy-peasy, looking chill like there wasn’t just an earthquake. Oh, Californians, they know the drill when it comes to earthquakes… much more than my prairie ass. I was still on edge, but they were like, “want me to grab you an egg?” Love them.
When I started looking at the quake details online I found out there was over 480 quakes near the Santorini volcano in May. Just in May! Whaaaat? Crazy. They were small though, but that detail still has me shooketh. 😉
All photos and videos taken on iPhone 14 PRO.
Lady Kirsten, this piece is an apt depiction of our experiences. Well articulated and on-point! Couldn’t have been better written. Great job, well done!