From Athens, Ryan and I took the Blue Star Ferry to the island of Santorini. The 8 hour ferry ride was like a mini-cruise. There were restaurants, decks to sit out on, and shopping stores – and it was the perfect start to a relaxing 3 days. Getting to the port, we had quad bikes there ready for us, and we packed our bags up, put our helmets on, and got our first view of the island.
After getting settled in our airbnb, we were itching to get back on the open road and see more of the beautiful island. We were staying on the southside of Santorini in Perivolos. However, the main tourist cities are on the north side in Oia (Ee-yah) and Fira. So Ryan and I decided to go check out Oia first. 45 minutes on the road was longer than we thought, but it flew by as we took in the scenery. We stayed in Oia till dark browsing this eclectic bookstore – Atlantis Books, finding what would be our favorite gyro restaurant on the island – Pita Gyro, and walking the old streets as the sun set. Driving through windy mountain roads with crazy drivers in the dark is NOT advised. I’m pretty sure Ryan’s heart still beats a little quick when thinking about that drive home (I was behind him low on gas, and he just knew that he’d turn around and I’d be gone). From then on, I was required to ride in front of him at all times. But we made it back safe and sound.
The next day we went exploring! Santorini is known for its red and black beaches. So we went to find them! The red beach was reachable only by foot or sailboat. After climbing over some rocks and along cliff edges, we got our first glimpse of the red beach – indescribable! I was itching to get into the clear blue water and immediately set out. The water was pretty chilly, but you got used to the cool temperatures quickly and they felt good with the sun straight in the sky. This beach felt so seclusive. Surprisingly it wasn’t crazy packed. A couple dozen people were in the water and a few more uncomfortably laying out on the rocky beach. There was a sailboat taxiing people between all of the beaches – so you could stay on the red beach for awhile and then when you were ready, head on down to the black beach. Ryan and I didn’t do that because we had our quad bikes, but lots of people enjoyed that luxury of going back and forth. The black beach was more of what you’d picture as a typical beach setting – umbrellas, some water toys, snorkel gear, etc. However, the sand was tiny black rocks!
Our last full day on the island we took a 7 mile hike from Fira to Oia. This is a must do if you ever go! We definitely should have started earlier in the day as we were baking in the hot sun. But I’m so glad we did the hike because the trail took us through the main 4 cities of the island – Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Oia – and walked us along the cliff of the Caldera. I had planned to go down to Amoudi Bay at the end of the hike and swim and cliff jump. However, we were so exhausted after the hike that we decided to just go back to our place and relax the rest of the evening.
We flew out of the island at 11 PM in the evening. So we still had most of the day to do the last things we wanted in Santorini. I had really wanted to jump off the cliff in Amoudi Bay, and went back and forth as to whether or not I should do it. After finally deciding that I would regret it if I didn’t go – Ryan and I headed to Oia and planned to go to Amoudi Bay and get Pita Gyro one last time and then come home to pack up. I am so very glad that I didn’t give up on the cliff jump. That was such a highlight for me. It’s quite a lot of stairs to get down off the cliff (where the city is built) and to the bay, and then we had to climb over rocks till it opened up a bit to people laying out and swimming in the bay. I swam out to the cliff, where a ladder was set up, and then walked up to the cliff. Then I jumped! I knew that if we came back to the island, I might be too old to climb and jump, so I needed to take my moment when I could! Amazing experience that I’ll never forget.
Santorini was one of my favorite places to visit. Ryan and I would forget that there was an outside world. It had this effect of just sweeping you up in its beauty and relaxation.
