Day 1: Once upon a time a group of six students studying abroad……..left Lecce bright an early. Everything was going smoothly, we found the train station, we got on the right train, the train to Bari was on time, we found the bus stop to the airport, security was a breeze and then……our flight got delayed. You can never have perfect travel karma, but one out of six is not bad. Except the flight was delayed for four hours and we arrived to the airport two hours early. So what do six people with a backpack full of clothes do? We sleep, we talk, we eat paninis drink caffe and read magazines. There really is nothing you can do in an airport, especially because it was smaller than West Palm Beach airport in Florida, and that is small! After buying a panini for dinner, the airlines informed us that we had a free panini and drink on them, so what did I do? I got another panini for later! They were very delicious. Finally the volotea plane arrived and before I knew it I was in Santorini, Greece. The six of us squeezed into one taxi and made it to our hostel before midnight! The hostel we stayed at was called the Kykladonisia, in Fira and it is a five minute walk from the center of town. I highly recommend it! By this point I was exhausted and I said hi to my Israeli friend (Kafir) and met his friend (Nadav). I hung out with them for a bit and then went to bed.
Day 2: On Saturday, I woke up bright and early to see the amazing view from outside the hostel. I could see the ocean, a blue and white church, and cruise ships in the harbor. I could not believe I was back in Santorini again! The last time I was there was four years ago on a cruise with my mom. Everyone woke up early to have a complementary breakfast from the hostel and discuss the plans for the day. We decided we would go exploring during the morning/afternoon and meet up at 3 p.m. for a hike to Oia. I decided this would be the perfect time to start shopping for souvenirs and items I wanted. I went into many little shops, remembering the streets when I visited with my mom. I bought bracelets for my roommates in Bologna and for my friends, a shot glass, earrings, an anklet, a green cover up and two pairs of pants. All of my friends decided to ride the donkeys down the path but I passed because I just rode a donkey while in Israel and experienced it. After enjoying the view from the bottom we decided to take the cable car back up and grab lunch. For lunch we stopped at a shack and I had my first greek salad of the trip. It was delicious. Then it was hiking time! The main reason we wanted to hike was to see the sunset in Oia. The hike was my favorite time of the trip. I was able to stop and take pictures whenever I wanted and I walked through the whole island from Fira to Oia. We walked through sand, rocks, cobble stone, grass, weeds, and up hills, mountains, along paths, on roads, and through narrow streets. I took some amazing pictures and I was able to catch up with Kafir. Also during the hike I was constantly thinking, and taking everything in. After 3 and half hours, 15km=10 miles later we arrived in Oia and watched the sunset. Everyone gathered at the edge of the island to watch the magnificent event. It was beautiful. I took the bus back with Kafir while the others stayed in Oia and we ate gyros at this little shack known for the best gyros in Santorini. I had a chicken gyro and it was the best gyro I had. Once we finished dinner we went back to the hostel, and I showered and drank more water to hydrate my body. Everyone returned and we enjoyed a night out in town hitting up popular bars like the Highlander. It was an amazing end to the night and I had a perfect day.
Day 3: On Sunday I woke up just in time to get my morning coffee from breakfast and then I went back to bed. At noon Kafir and I went to the local bakery down the street and split a bread resembling a bagel stuffed with cream cheese. It is not the same thing as a bagel with lox and cream cheese, but it will do. I also bought some local fruit at the market for snacks and then I went back to change into my bathing suit. The whole group headed down to the harbor and we waited patiently for our pirate ship boat to arrive. The staff at the hostel suggested we take a guided-cruise to see and hike the volcano in the middle of the caldera of islands and swim in the hot springs. Our boat was beautiful and it was a restored 18th century pirate ship with tons of space. There were many couples on the honeymoon as well as a giant group of Austrian youths on some sort of excursion and then there was eight young adults (that would be my group) One couple on the boat stood out in particular to me. They were absolutely adorable and from where do you think? Israel. I may have taken "some" pictures of their photogenic love. However I showed them one or two and they gave me their email address so I can send the other pictures I sent too. I think I might have taken over thirty pictures of them. What can I say? They were perfect. I also took other pictures too, don't you worry. So we hiked to the top of the volcano and the view was insane. It was also incredible that I was on top of a volcano. After the volcano the ship sailed to the hot springs. I was not scared when I jumped off the cliff in Santa Maria di Leuca but for some reason jumping off a pirate ship boat into the water is scary. Of course I jumped off and I swam to the hot springs. The water was nice and warm and there was orange mud that has rejuvenating properties. I wanted to put it on my body but the tour guide said it stained clothes so I opted out. I got back onto the ship and air dried from the wind. The ship sailed to another caldera island called Therasia. Some of my friends and the Austrian children were diving off the boat and doing back flips so I decided to photograph them. Then dinner was served! The dinner was traditional greek food and it was delicious. There was fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, spanakopita, greek feta pastry, fresh chicken, eggplant dip, lamb meatballs and santo wine. What more could you ask for! Oh wait there is more! The ship sailed to the tip of Santorini to watch the sunset from Oia. The sunset was one the top three most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen (the other two are in Africa). It was incredible to experience this moment with my friends and with Kfir. Once again it was another magical moment in Santorini. Then one of the sailors, who was Italian played his saxophone while the sun was about to set, and Nadav played his harmonica and played the song from the Titanic called my heart will go on. It was such a romantic moment with beautiful scenery while drifting in the water near Oia. As the boat sailed back to Fira the crew played Greek music and everyone danced in a circle. It was a fabulous way to end the cruise. Everyone agreed to walk the donkey path up to the top of the island and we enjoyed our last full night in Fira, Santorini. This day was like living in a fairytale and I am so fortunate to have experience this day on the water.
Day 4: I woke up bright and early and saw the sunset in the morning from the rooftop of the buildings. There was a cruise ship arriving on the island and the sky was crystal clear. While the majority of my friends went to the beach I decided to go hang out near the hotel, go shopping, relax and swim in the beautiful pool. It was an excellent choice. I hung out with my Israeli friend Kfir for most of the day and it was really nice to catch up with him. I also bought some of my family members and friends gifts and did some last minute shopping, picture taking and sight seeing. I also went swimming in the pool with a beautiful view overlooking the ocean. I took a nap outside on a lawn chair and enjoyed my last day. When my friends returned we all took our last shower in Greece and went to dinner. We made a reservation for nine ahead of time because in Santorini they only have tables for two (honeymoon island). The meal was delicious. I had grilled squid and I was in heaven. I have been waiting four years to have this dish again and it lived up to its expectation. We watched our last sunset and ate our last meal in Greece together. It was such an amazing trip and I am so fortunate to have spent four spectacular days in Santorini. I will really miss this island but I know I will be back again. Now my friends and I are off to Venice on a flight at 1 am! Stay tuned.
Con tanto amore,
Samantha
P.S. I hope over 100 pictures makes up for my lack of posting. Unfortunately I do not have time to comment on each and every picture but I hope my itinerary of the trip will help you figure out the context of each picture! I miss everyone :) Enjoy
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