Island of Mist and Sun
Santorini, Greece
In the final days of the 20-day trip to Greece the group fragmented from a high of 11 down to smaller groups of five and twos as the organized portion of the trip ended. Most of us allowed for extra days in Greece to visit some of the islands but we ended up going at different times. Some when to Milos and Santorini but I opted to only visit the latter. Milos would have been cool for beaches and cliff jumping but I needed time to plan after-Greece. This proved beneficial, but that’s for the next post.
Hongtao and I flew on early morning 7AM flights from Athens to Santorini for an overnight stay. Getting up at 4:30 for the flight was not fun but I found a cute bracelet on the sidewalk while waiting for our Uber and Hongtao found 25 euros when we stepped out of the taxi at the airport. Since we were booking last minute we were on different planes landing 5 minutes apart.
Santorini in the morning is fantastic. We took the local bus to Fira and then walked to the west side. Santorini is an ancient volcano that exploded, shaping the island into a crescent with a steep inner face on the west sloping gradually downt to the sea on the east. The crest is some 250m above sea level allowing for clouds to form in the shadow of the cliff. We were astounded by the beauty of the rolling clouds engulfing the buildings stacked along the steep incline.
Our morning consisted of walking from the towns of Fira to Imerovigil stopping frequently to take photos. The wide angle lens was key and I found many excellent moments. It was an exciting experience to see the clouds constantly transform around us. Being early in the morning there was barely anyone around. Our busiest moment was when a sheppard led a long line of micro horses down to the port for the tourists. We’d return in the afternoon and find the walk crowded with cruiseship tourists — much less ideal and an entirely different atmosphere.
The main reason I wanted to come to Santorini is because of the steps. Since the towns are built on steep slopes there’s a constant rhythm of stairs climbing up and down. These steps were talked about in The Experience of Architecture by Henry Plummer, one of my favourite architecture books so I was ecited to experience it for myself. What makes these steps interesting is that they come in all shapes and sizes, are not restricted to the dimensions of the building code, and are usually tactile in nature. While many will complain about the tiresome climb, I found the experience exhilerating.
Most of the hotels have beautiful terraces and refreshing pools far outside our budget. It’s no surprise, however, that this is a favourite destination for honey moons and Hongtao swore that he’d return.
After a refreshing brunch we hiked to Skaros rock. This use to be a fortified village from the 12th and 13th century that was eventually abandoned as the threat of piracy abated and later ruined by earthquakes. The former castle is barely evident with only a few rock walls remaining among the natural debris. It was hot out but beautiful to see the cruise ships in the caldera and the seagulls flying above.
At the base of the rock is a small church and at the top there is a way to climb up for a good view back to the island. I tried to enjoy the moment and and appreciate where I was.
Hongtao says that I have a different vibe in Santorini. I think it’s because Greece has been defined by three chapters. Athens was a group trip to see a lot of museums and archeology sites. Lipsi and the Aegean sea were quite busy and we were all a little sleep deprived. Santorini is more relaxing because its just two of us and I’m able to do my own thing without worrying about the other things in life. I’ve come to realize that what I enjoy about traveling most is seeing new places and taking memorable photos. I’m fortunate the Hongtao is easy going and willing to follow along with my plan. Not everyone would be willing to walk and hike as much as we did.
We took a rest in the hotel for the afternoon and had some time to enjoy the pool before taking a bus to Oia for the sunset. My research had indicated two viewpoints but we couldn’t find them. We were in a bit of a rush because sunset was coming quickly but fortunately we found a spot to climb up on the walls at the primary lookout. There were quite a lot of people but it wasn’t overly packed because it’s still early in the tourist season. Our vantage was fantastic and the sunset did not dissappoint.
I worried that the clouds and haze would cover the sunset but it did not disappoint. The sun fell in a blazing red, flaming stronger than I expected. This is what Santorini’s known for but I didn’t expect it to be so great. It was more vibrant than I anticipated and filled with colour.
I think our trip went well because we were able to walk the city in the morning mist when there wasn’t anyone around and see the sunset without having to rush to a plane. Our other friends saw the island mostly in the day with the boatloads of tourists and weren’t as impressed.
The next day we spent on a blacksand beach lounging on chairs and splashing in the water. This was a relaxing day stress free that I could enjoy without worrying about all the other problems in my life. The early morning flight and overnight was just about the right amount of time for Santorini. We could have gone to more beaches and an archeology site on the second day, as well as seen the sunset from Fira but we had no complaints about spending the day on a single nice beach. It was enjoyable to just be present in the moment.
