A Vacation from our Vacation: A trip to Santorini

Hurray the internet has come back to us and we are once again on-line! here is a post written on July 2nd.

On Sunday, June 28, we took a trip to Santorini for a few days. Yvonne was researching places to stay on this other Cyclades Island a few hours from here and found that renters unanimously raised their rates July 1, so we just thought, “ Why not go now?” We really felt that we should see at least one other place in Greece and the ferry schedule worked for Santorini.

The very cute, old style Small Cyclades Ferry left from Katapola at 9AM, Ullie ordered us a taxi for 8am (that phoned back and said he was coming at 7:30) and off we went. The on time, cab driver had an evil eye surrounded by a horseshoe hanging from his mirror so we felt very confident on the windy road. (Though I did wish I had a rabbit’s foot to give him). The ferry took three and a half hours to arrive at the port of Athenios, where we boarded a bus to Fira and there caught another bus to our final destination Oia (pronounced eeah).

There are claims that, Santorini was Atlantis, the legendary continent that plunged to the bottom of the sea while it was at its zenith. A volcanic eruption 3600 years ago, more powerful than any other ever recorded, is proven, to have interrupted a very prosperous civilization and gives the island a strange geography. Oia, like the capital of Fira, is built on the top of what they call the “caldera” the edge of the volcano and cliffs tumble straight down from the towns to the sea; where there used to be no sea (before the eruption). Oia is brilliant, white and gorgeous, “like being in a postcard’ someone said. We walked the pedestrian walkway, lined with upscale shops and galleries and churches and squares and located our accommodation. It was about two in the afternoon and hot and BRIGHT! We found some shade at Poka (pronounced ROKA) a traditional Greek ouzeri, where we lunched on delicious appetizers: calamari, tomato fritters (Santorini specialty), zucchini pie, potato salad and a few bottles of water.

The main event in Oia, is the sunset. Tourists are bused from all over the island, and people come from far and wide to witness and photograph its beauty. This most excellent tourist attraction happens EVERY NIGHT! (This time of year it happens about 8:45). Everyone gathers at the western tip of town, each nook, cranny and balcony filled with cameras and watchers hoping to get the great shot. There is a lot of talk about “the best place to see the sunset”. Even though we were still in the early part of the season the pedestrian walkways and the “good spots” were all jam-packed. For some reason we found the whole pilgrimage to the sunset amusing BUT nonetheless we found a great place to combine sunset viewing with a couple of drinks and it was SPECTACULAR as you can see from our fantastic shots!

The next day we hopped on the tourist trail and took an organized boat tour to the Volcano Island, (Nea Kameni), we climbed all around the black, loose, lava rubble in the heat to look inside the craters, along with many other boat loads of people doing the same thing. I marveled at our guide (in her forties) a very fun, local Santorinian who flies up and down that volcano twice daily and explains things in seven languages. The volcano is mostly dormant now, but modern eruptions 1925, 1939, 1950 have been watched and photographed by residents of the caldera towns of Santorini. You can still feel the heat from the main crater as you walk the path and I am sure in August it could make your shoes smolder. After that crazy tourist attraction, the boat pulled over at volcano island’s sulphur hot springs (I would call them luke warm springs) for a much-needed swim. It was fun to meet and chat with some other travellers, the Cuban Americans, the Australian honeymooners, the guys from Chicago having a commitment ceremony and all in all it was a fun day.

We had already booked our table, (of course where we could see the sunset) at Kyprida for our 15-appetizer meal for two. (Please see a photograph of each course on Flickr). But before going there we had time to visit the maritime museum, (extensive displays of knots and their uses), see some of our new, shopkeeper friends and do a little shopping.

At Kyprida, over organic, wine made on the island we talked to our waitress, daughter of the owner. They lived in a small village on the island. She said that from October to March, Oia is a ghost town, she often walks through the town in the winter months and only meets cats and dogs who reside all year and the odd Japanese photographer, who come to take pictures of, guess what ? the sunset (when it is really puts on its best shows). All the shopkeepers come from Athens arriving at around Easter and leaving in October. They bring some beautiful art, clothing and jewelry from mostly Greek designers and artists.

There was a show in one of the galleries (where our new Mexican friend worked) of a fantastic Greek sculptor Apostol, who made fanciful things in glass and metal our favorites were the bull in the china cabinet and the fiddling octopus. His website is www.apostolart.com

Though we never got to the archaeological dig, or the beach with black sand or countless other places we could have gone on Santorini, I became fascinated with the frescos that have been found from ye olde, ancient times on the island. There are many reproductions in the galleries.

The frescoes are very beautiful and colourful and depict regular life on the island. (Not like the more common frescoes that portray religious scenes). The most famous one, that is kind of the symbol for Santorini is of a fisherman with two full lines of fish one in either hand. The frescoes were found in regular dwellings as well as public buildings. There is a charming one of children boxing and of birds and dolphins and boats and boating and antelopes…watch for one coming to you soon since Round 5 of “The Postcard Race” is the Santorini Round.

We left Oia, Tuesday morning busing to the boat but this time catching the fast ferry (It really is a FAST ferry) back to Katapala in one hour instead of three. Meanwhile Amorgos had greatly enhanced the bus schedule so we were home in time for a late afternoon swim and our traditional Tuesday 2-euro each gyro dinner. We were VERY glad to be home and once again HAPPY that we had chosen to spend the summer on kind of sleepy Amorgos.

Since our tip we have seen an increase in the number of people in town and somewhat regular early morning power outages. We have set-up “beach base camp” at stonewall on the beach with chairs and an umbrella and are settling in for a lovely relaxing summer. Our Internet connection is gone for the time being and we realize how dependant we are on it and what a constant source of entertainment it is, never mind letting us communicate with friends. Just when we were going to learn the rules of backgammon. In Greece there is three ways to play and though we both used to play that was a long time ago and we need to re learn the rules.

What things cost:

Early morning cab to Katapala - 23E

Ferry to Santorini (Small Cyclades Line) - 23E for 2

Bus to Oia - 3.40E each

Ferry to Amorgos (Sea Jets Line) - 64E for 2

Lunch at Poka (with tip) - 42E

Dinner at Kyprida (with tip) - 84E

Renting a car on Amorgos for a day before July 1 - 25E

Chocolate croissants in Aigiali – 2 for 3E bottom of the hill 2 for 2E top of the hill