Destination #40 - Santorini, Greece

After spending the morning in Paros, we were on our way to the beautiful island of Santorini. I had been looking forward to this one the most and for good reason. As we approached the island, it was amazing just looking at all the buildings situated high up on the cliffs. It made me wonder how they got up their in the first place.

By the time we had settled in, it was already time to have dinner. We first had a drink at a bar that overlooked the ocean and we got our first of many breathtaking views. The weather wasn't all that great and it was very windy so the best was yet to come. Our dinner was at another place that also overlooked the ocean but with the sunset in the background.

We ordered way too much food for dinner and we thought it would be a good idea to try some ouzo, a Greek spirit. Here we thought they would just be shots but nope, we got full regular sized glasses of this stuff. The rest of the evening is as you can imagine, spent at a nearby pub.

The next day, we had a tour of the island that took us to a beach with black sand (Perissa beach) and a beach with red sand (due to the amount of iron in it). It felt like I was on Mars.

Later in the afternoon, we went to a winery that had a stunning view overlooking the ocean. We could not have asked for a better view and to have such a beautiful day as well.

When we finished up at the winery, we headed to the town of Oia where we got probably the most famous view of Santorini with its white buildings and blue churches. Along with about a million other tourists, we took in the sunset while we had a picnic of gyros and Greek salad.

I couldn't help but notice that so many people were spending more time taking photos than actually enjoying the sunset. There was even some who would take their photos, turn their back on the sun, and review their photos to make sure they got a good shot. I love taking photos and I'm always looking for that perfect shot, but I constantly remind myself to enjoy the moment as well. It's worthy to note that as soon as the sun went down, everyone deserted the area, even though it was still a gorgeous view. We took the opportunity and stuck around to get some photos.

For the evening, some of us went back to the same pub to have a drink.

Santorini met all my expectations and I can say it was easily my favourite island and possibly ranks among my top 5 places. I will definitely be coming back as I don't feel like I spent enough time there.

Next:
Ios
Milan
Venice
Cinque Terre
Rome
Sorrento
Assisi
Florence