Welcome to the third and final installation of Adventures Abroad! My last international trip was to—surprise!!—Santorini, Greece! Though it took a while to travel here, the trip is well worth this little slice of paradise on the tiny Greek isle. In fact, it took us in total about 25 hours (or maybe even a bit more) to arrive in Santorini! We traveled by bus, plane, train, ferry, and foot—you name it, we took it. Our first stop that was actually in Greece itself was Athens. Because we were pressed for time/strapped down & sweating like pack mules with luggage, we unfortunately only viewed the Parthenon from below the Acropolis hill; however, it was still nice to have seen it. The rest of our time was spent wandering through the marketplace in the criss-cross web of streets surrounding the Acropolis.
Though the
atmosphere was nice, I can’t say our experience of Athens was truly that great…
Well maybe that’s an understatement. Not only did I physically feel the hand of
a pickpocket trying to slip into my purse the same time and I made to clutch it
for safety while on the train to the ferry port, but Brittney and I also
fantastically failed to make our 6 hour ferry to Santorini island. Unaware that
we had about a 45 minute walk from the ticket office to our actual ferry, we
sputtered out from a full-on sprint into a sad panting mess, barely dragging
our feet as we dejectedly watched our lovely ferry sail away into the sunset. Not to worry—we ended up being able to grab the next ferry available a
few hours later. In all honesty, this second ferry made up for the first ferry
mishap, because we actually we able to sleep the whole night through on it
(since it arrived at Santorini island at 6:00am the next morning rather than
the 1:00am arrival time of the original ferry). That day, we ironically noted,
was truly the first time we had run into ANY travel problems the entire
semester; for that I consider us lucky!
Thus
reassured and back in good spirits, we stepped off the huge ferry into the port
of Thira. With a population of about 2000, Thira is the bustling hub town of
the island. The caldera, or the series of grouped buildings (often whitewashed
and painted with accenting bright colors) built into the side of a sloping
cliff that looks down into the bay, is criss-crossed (seemingly haphazardly)
with tiny pedestrian streets and alleyways. Our first opportunity to truly take
in the breath-taking view of the Thira caldera was over breakfast at Zafora,
right next to the cable car that ran from the port to the top caldera edge. We
also had fantastic views of the bay and surrounding volcanic islets.
Perhaps a
map would be helpful: Santorini itself is an island in the Cyclades Greek island
chain in the southern Aegean Sea. The main curved island stretches no longer
than 13 miles long and no more than 4 miles wide, and small volcanic islets
litter the lagoon-like bay. We personally found it perfectly situated in the
beautiful Grecian sunshine!
 |
| A picture map of Santorini one the walls of one of our hostels. Thira is in the middle, and Oia up top (with the ferry lines leading from it to the islets). |
After
breakfast we set out to explore the Thira streets. A quick tour through the Museum of Prehistoric Thira
helped give an archaeological and historical background to the ancient
civilizations that had once populated the island. 
Next we simply began to wander on foot. The alleys
here are filled with curious little restaurants and shops offering local
specialities, be they linens, foodstuffs, jewellery, desserts, clothing, you
name it! We could wander those caldera streets forever (and did, nearly every
day!). But one special alcove in particular caught our eye on that first day—a place
called “Kissing Fish Pedicures.” Initially suspicious/disgusted/horrified by
the thought of tiny silver fish nibbling at my toes, Brittney convinced me to
try this place out on the grounds that it would be a cultural experience. I
have to say that it was definitely an… experience. As soon as we put our feet
in the water, the tiny fish rushed at our feet. We could honestly barely watch
the fish at all, alternating between laughing and screaming in downright panic
for the fifteen minutes of “kissing fish” exfoliation. I am definitely glad we
did it, as well as am glad we could entertain some passers-by; but I can’t
exactly say I’d do that again, Greek local specialty or not!!  |
| "We are having fun, right??" |
Other shopping throughout the day proved perhaps less exciting but definitely satisfying, my own little finds being some wild floral-print raw string silk pants and a beautifully embroidered square wool pillow case. We also stopped into a tempting local winery shop and were immediately set upon by the owner who was more than happy to have us sample everything in his stock, from dry white to peppery reds, from balsamic vinegar to Kalamata olives. Something especially enticing to me was the locally produced dessert wine called Vinsanto (vin=wine; santo=Santorini). This wine is so sugary that it can only be sipped upon in a glass hardly bigger than a shot glass!
 |
| Dreams really do come true |
After dinner we retired to our oh-so-quiet little hostel, the Villa San Giorgio. At less than 15 euros per person a night, Brittney and I were able to have a private room with an ensuite bathroom (all perfectly homey and 100% functional), free breakfast (home-baked coffeecake anyone?), daily cleaning service, and shuttered windows that opened onto a patio, pool, and sundeck. I can’t recommend this hostel more!
We
rose the next morning to the beginning of another sunshiney and quiet day in delightful
Thira town, refreshed and looking forward to a day at the beach! A local bus
(whose official timetable is yet to be determined by ourselves, locals, other
tourists, and perhaps even the bus driver) took us from Thira to Kamari for
€1.40 each. Kamari lies on the south-eastern shore of Santorini and remains the
best developed resort town on the island. As tourist season had only just
barely begun, Brittney and I had our choice of lounge chairs on the
black-pebble volcanic beach.
Though the breeze kept the temperature below 70,
we were determined to get some color into our pasty white skin, and laid out
for a few hours before we left for lunch. However, we seemed to forget how sensitive
our skin had become to the sun, since we have seen so very little of it in
Ireland. Though I wore sunscreen, tiny areas that had escaped my reach turned
tomato red (my hairline, my belly button, the tops of my feet) and it slowly
became apparent during lunch that Brittney (who hadn’t put on any sunscreen)
was going to have a rough next few days with her burn too. (Sorry, Dad.) It
takes being the daughter of a dermatologist to have a sunburn induce feelings
of guilt, too. Regardless, we thoroughly our lunch on the patio deck of the
beach-bar restaurant Prince, where I had the most incredible feta and tomato
stuffed burger. Like the saganaki, I would eat this for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner every day if I could.
 |
| So bad it's good |
Having bussed back to Thira for the evening, Brittney and I were determined to enjoy a sunset dinner that everyone kept telling us about—apparently, the sunsets over the Aegean Sea enjoyed from Santorini are renowned as the best in the world. What better place to enjoy it than from the caldera overlooking the western bay? Before dinner we went to a guidebook-recommended hotspot called Palea Kameni Cocktail Bar overlooking the volcano and opposite the Orthodox Cathedral. More of a beautiful patio than a bar, this gorgeous perch afforded the most astoundingly beautiful views of the caldera and bay we had seen yet. The half-Brit-half-Greek son of the owner bartended for us, but I think he may have played more the role of attempting to shield us from the wind a majority of the time we were there. The gusts were unreal, as the pictures might betray. Despite it, we enjoyed the friendly conversation and slowly sinking sun, while I tried an ouzo cocktail. Thank goodness I had it is this diluted form, because I don’t know about you but I personally do not enjoy black liquorice in strong syrupy liquid form and will be steering clear of ouzo, thankyouverymuch. Lastly, we ran up to a restaurant called Ampelos’ spacious second-floor terrace for another delectable dinner as we watched the sun set at 8:00pm. The myths were true—this is definitely one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. But as soon as it set, and all the appropriate pictures had been taken, we jetted too. That wind without the sun now was just a little too cold for comfort!
Day number three of island living saw us moving along to a new city, Oia! On the northernmost tip of Santorini lies this blinding white village. Though smaller than Thira, Oia is perhaps even nicer and more beautiful to wander through, and had higher-end designer shops scattered throughout its streets. Here are just a few of the dozens of Oia pictures I took in this stunning villiage!
We scouted out
(read: walked around aimlessly) the pathway down to the secret little port
called Ammoudi Bay we had heard of in hopes of what we always desired, good food
and even better views. Some 300-odd steps later down into the base of blood-red
cliffs we found ourselves in the midst of several little tavernas and colourful
sailboats, settling down at a little place called Katina to breathe in the
fresh sea air.
 |
| Um... |
 |
| Yum! |
Fresh is the word of choice here: my Greek salad was legitimately the freshest, crispest salad of paradise I have ever had the blessing to eat. Brittney thought she’d try some seafood as it was their specialty; and you might say her barely-battered large rubbery tentacles of kalamari were quite “fresh” as well.No matter, though; after a good laugh and a hike back up to Oia, we thought we had earned ourselves some gelato from Lolita’s. Though we never figured out just who Lolita was, the shopowner created all of his flavors and made all of his own gelato under the sign “I make good gelato—Marry me.” I don’t know about that, but it definitely was some dang good gelato.
 |
| Oia by night |
In fact, we ended up being able to book our adventure for the next day straight through the Oia Youth Hostel—a major plus for us to not have to deal with tour company hassles in town. We headed back down to Ammoudi Bay (via minibus this time, thankfully) for the sailing of our volcanic islets tour ship! Three islet stops were planned: Palia Kameni, the volcanic crater; Nea Kameni, the hot springs; and finally Thirrasia, a quaint village. Palia Kameni was exactly as promised. We hiked through volcanic rock, lunar-like landscapes up to the crater that still smoked and is set to erupt in about 10-15 years. Sorry if you were hoping to visit Santorini anytime from 2024-2029.
Tired out from the day’s
activities, we decided to relax on the hostel terrace with some sangria for that
night’s sunset. Although clouds thwarted us, we weren’t disappointed by the
company! We had ended up meeting an extremely kind girl who was not only from
San Diego and knew all about where I had grown up, but was also married to a
soldier based out of Camp Pendleton like my dad had been. While he was on tour,
she had been taking advantage of free military flights to tour the world and
see all the countries she had always wanted to. We had a great time discussing
the best/worst countries, foods, crazy situations, etc., etc. When Brittney and
I left to grab some *scrumptious* street-vendor gyros for dinner, we couldn’t help
but admire her bravery and initiative to travel alone for several months. I
definitely wouldn’t have the guts to do it, so more power to her! She and her
husband should actually be reuniting in California very soon, and her awesome
story stands out in my mind among the several people I have met while studying
abroad.
The next day was the beginning of
the end. With one last breakfast/lunch at Zafora in Thira, it was a fitting way
to end where we began in Santorini. And while we managed to be on time for our
ferry, the 26-hour travel time through Athens was again unkind to us! Maybe
from the sea, or from travelling, or from Lord knows what, or a lovely
combination of all of the above, I had to deal with the inopportunistic timing
of several hideous bouts of nausea as we navigated from the ferry to the
airport shuttle bus. Throwing up behind some bushes on a strange street in
Athens at 1:12am is not the proudest moment of my life, but hey, let’s just say
I thankfully dealt with all of it before we actually had to board our plane. Tired
but still all in one piece, we finally arrived in Dublin. It felt good to be
back at our home-away-from-home! And it was here that Brittney and I finally
had to part ways, as she was returning home the next day to the US. After a
semester of hilarity, crazy adventures, traveling, and just unbelievable friendship,
Brichael had to end in person, but never in spirit (Brittney I hope you’re
enjoying this cheesiness). In all seriousness, I am so grateful for having met
this excellent friend of mine, and can’t wait until I can see her again!!
 |
| Morning caldera, evening caldera! Miss you already! |
