Saaaaaaantorini

Santorini is uniquely gorgeous, from its crystal blue waters to its pure white buildings clinging to its cliffs.  We stayed in two different cities while on the island, first in Imerovigli and then in Oia, and we had a blast exploring the architecture and geography in both.

Our walks to Fira, the capital city, allowed for some great views of the central part of the island.

The sand at "Red Beach."  There are two reasons you don't go to Santorini to sit on the beach: 1) there are very few picturesque beaches, and 2) Bernard and Gertrude like to go au naturel...and time and gravity have not been kind to ol' Bernie and Gert.  

Mosaic stones in front of one of the umpteen churches on the island...overlooking another church.

We rented a car for a day and used it to explore the coasts and vineyards.  One amazing destination was the archaeological site at Akrotiri.  They have done an incredible job of enclosing the area while they continue to uncover and reconstruct, and you are able to walk right up to structures that date back to 3000 BC.  An earthquake prior to a volcanic eruption that buried the city in ash, like Pompeii, is thought to have caused the people to flee, as very few bodies have been discovered.  These folks had multi-level buildings and hot and cold running water!  One would wonder why modern-day Santorini is still struggling to provide potable water in its pipes and plumbing that accommodates toilet paper, but I digress.

You can almost touch the history!  But don't.  Especially in Athens. (A little teaser for the next post.)

Skaros Rock, a great hike that takes you away from the mainland and out on a towering peninsula.  I want to take this opportunity to thank Andy for his amazing patience in waiting for me to photograph even the most mundane of scenes.  He never once said boo about it, and lent great input in some spots.  It led to a number of photos of him gazing off into the distance, perhaps fighting an internal battle of wills to keep a smiley face.

As we were turning to head back to the city, I caught just a glimpse of white amid the rocks and we discovered there was...yes, wait for it...a church out on the back side of the rock.

The view from the church back to the southern end of the island and many of the vineyards.

Truly sun-dried tomatoes

View from our residence in Oia

One mode of transportation down to and up from Amoudi Bay.  Of course we stayed true to the theme for the entire vacation and walked it, sliding this way and that thanks to either the smooth marble steps or the presents left by the alternate mode of transportation.

Yum

Watching the sunset in Oia is somewhat like going to see a U2 concert and the band not showing up.  You know those National Geographic movies that depict the water buffalo running along the plains in Africa?  That is what it looks like on the streets of Oia starting an hour before the sun goes down.  People are clamoring for a spot, and we actually saw several arguments start among people who felt others were obscuring their prime viewpoints.  It's the sun, people.  It rises and sets every day.  Andy and I were severely underwhelmed, and subjected ourselves to the whole kerfuffle not only once but twice, thinking we had surely missed something the first time because it was so blah.  A different viewing spot was undoubtedly the answer, right?  Nope, still boring.  At least it is documented here for posterity.  On a side note, we stayed in the the top floor of the salmon-colored house in the upper right corner.

The dictionary definition of Santorini should be "whitewash with pops of color." Andy is convinced that Martha Stewart stole her color palette from there.

Last stop, Athens!