We left Athens really early so we didn't miss our 7.25am ferry like the Mexicans had. We were an hour early. I couldn't believe how clean the water was at the port. In Thailand the pollution around the port we left for the Phi Phi tour at was appalling. The water here is an amazing colour, like nothing I've seen. For the first few hours of the trip I was really cold and it was uneventful. We dozed on and off for most of the day. We arrived at Santorini Port at 3pm and my first impression of the island was that it was barren.
The port is located on the side of the island that is virtually a cliff face. So the bus we got to the hostel had to make it's way zig zagging slowly up the cliff face to the top of the island. From there the island flattened out. And it was covered all over by scrubby grass and wildflowers. None of the trees on the island are over 3m tall (all of 5 them :P). The buildings are all concrete, light in colour and feature the curves typical of the dwellings you see in the picture perfect post cards in Greece. Apparently Santorini is the only one of the Greek Islands that uses that building style so I am glad we went there as they are amazing.Thailand was beautiful, but the terrain is like Australia's in a lot of ways. Greece is a different creature. I fell instantly in love with Santorini.
We checked into our hostel which we scored for 6 or 7 Euros a night ($12-14 Au) and proceeded to the hire place to hire an ATV (all terrain vehicle) for the 2 days we were there. It turned out to be really slow, averaging 40km/h. We got it up to 60 once, down a hill. We also got stuck because it couldn't make it up a hill, so we had to turn around and go a different way once.
Oia (ee-ah) is located at the top of the Island of Santorini and famed for it's sunsets. You can pay for a tour there for the sunset but as we had hired the ATV we were keen to drive there ourselves and see some of the island. In the sun it was quite hot but as soon as the bike was moving it was cold as the air temp was a fair bit lower. It took around an hour to drive out there but the scenery on the way was breath-taking. There is an odd haze that surrounds the Greek Islands and so it lends the horizon a softened look.We arrived at Oia too early for the sunset so we had a meal while we waited. It was there we discovered the Greek tradition of providing bread for a meal without you asking, and then charging you for it. After that we wandered around Oia looking at the amazing buildings and scenery - words just can't describe it so you'll just have to look at the pictures! I recommend clicking to enlarge!
We sat at a cafe to have a few beers and watch the sun set and we met 3 English girls who we chatted to for hours. Steve's camera battery died and so he took them out and moved the around in the hope it would revive them, which is did for only a couple of shots. Hundreds of people gradually gathered the surrounding area to watch, sitting on top of buildings or where ever they could. There was a big round of applause when the sun disappeared which was a bit odd but added to the atmosphere.
We left Oia and headed back to the hostel where we met the girls in our room. They were on uni holidays - from Canada. The told us of a bar that was doing free Sangria and food tonight so after a wander down the beach front we headed there to check it out. The staff were very friendly and the food was excellent, we didn't get our Sangria but we had some Ouzo and cocktails. I tried an Alexander - Metaxa, cinnamon, Creme Curacao and Kaluha. OMG I fell in love again. I asked about the Metaxa, it's a Greek raisin brandy (probably bad for my fructose levels but until I am told it's bad ignorance is bliss). It's fairly cheap by the bottle here but I bet it's expensive back home. Anyone want to do some research for me?Headed to the hostel to sleep after that.
Ruth
No comments:
Post a Comment