It’s All Greek to Me

While there was no plate-crashing or donkey-riding, our volcano-climbing, hot-springs swimming, feta, and yogurt eating trip was all grand, and Greek, to me.

A great site that I highly recommend and has recently been gaining popularity is Airbnb where one can discover amazing places and book stays for great prices. In Santorini, we booked our stay at Rhapsody Apartments through Airbnb and could not have imagined a more magnificent room, service, and view!

Greece has always been on my bucket list and while there is an endless amount of cities and islands to visit, I could never get the blue-domed white house lined cliffs and for that, the island of Santorini was the place to be. After a long day of traveling, our first dinner at Bella Fira filled us up with fresh salads, delicious seafood, and internal happiness that we finally made it to Greece! Since we stayed in Imerovigli, it was the perfect location for a nice night walk to Firostefani.

The next day we woke up and as recommended by our great host, we booked a Volcano and Hot Springs tour. From Fira, we took the cable car down the cliffs to meet at the Old Port. From the Old Port, our tour took us by ferry to explore Nea Kameni, a rocky island emerging from 16th-century volcanic eruptions and still currently active today. After hiking to the top of the volcano with its amazing view of the caldera and island panoramas, our boat took us to the hot springs. Once there, we swam over to the naturally formed pools, which are said to have medicinal powers against skin and bone disease, or in our case, just leave you covered in brown sulfur.

Once we returned from a fun and adventurous morning, we enjoyed lunch back in town at the locally owned and delicious Salt and Pepper that I definitely recommend for great service and even better Greek food. Though modern and busy, Fira is the capital and most important village on the island. Theotokopoulou Square is the main square where locals meet, but you can follow any of the many streets to find lava made jewelry, art, restaurants, and other small shops filled with all your Greek souvenir needs.

To finish a wonderful day, we wanted to watch the sunset from the town of Oia. For only 1.60€ each way, you can hop on the local bus and head to the village of Oia. Oia is a scenic village on the northwest end of the island and famous for its unparalleled views of the sunset. Unfortunately, it was overcast and our sunset was more of a sun blur, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

Though blue-domed, white houses can be found all over the island, the most famous view is from Oia at the very end of the island. To terms of efficiency, head on over to the village earlier in the afternoon to take in all it’s beauty both during the day and night. Walking among Its narrow passageways and charming traditional Cycladic houses made for the perfect, peaceful late night stroll. For some late-night snacking, we ended up at the quaint, alley hidden, treasure of a restaurant Karma and while I must say feta cheese is the epitome of Greece, you would be missing out if you didn’t try the Grecian Manouri cheese … or in our case, every cheese in Greece and every other enjoyable dish here.

Never enough sea, we spent our last day soaking up the sun on the Kamari beach, Located at the opposite end of the island from Oia, the beach is known for its black sand and enormous rock Mesa Vouno. A great dinner at Prince Restaurant along the waterfront, fresh grilled corn on the cob and hair string braids could not leave three girls happier with their trip to Santorini.

In just a few short days, the overwhelming kindness, unexpected tranquility, beautiful views, and of course delicious food made my trip to Greece an absolute delight for my first… and most definitely not my last! Efharisto Greece!