DREAMS COME TRUE Part 2 BEACHES AND CALDERA
Sunset in Fira
After resting from the road, we woke up with sappetite together. You need to go scout the area and, preferably, find a supermarket. We asked Andreas, he was surprised why we need a large supermarket, there are 2 minimarkets within walking distance. At the same time, they asked about the beach, which also caused deep amazement. Walk to the beach? That's 3 km! Why do you need? Sunbathe by the pool! If you want a beach, then take a bus and go to Kamari or Perissa. Well! On these issues, we clearly disagreed.
Big supermarket found out a 10-minute walk
Supermarket in Karterados
On the road to Fira. Another one in Fira itself. We maneuvered between them, because. the assortment was slightly different.
Prices are, of course, higher than in the rest of Greece, but the supermarket in Karterados is considered one of the most inexpensive on the island.
We move on towards Fira. Go half an hour. It's evening. People in large numbers are moving fast somewhere, we join this stream and follow them. Emerging from the narrow streets lined with stalls, dodging traffic scurrying at a breakneck speed, you involuntarily forget what the purpose of your movement is. And suddenly this hell ends, breaks off in mid-sentence, and you find yourself in a completely different world: a world of beauty, amazing colors and incredible sunsets! Unexpectedly for ourselves, we find ourselves near the central Orthodox Cathedral of Fira,
Main Orthodox Cathedral in Fira
and it is from it that the promenade along the caldera begins. This is the front side of Santorini. Pedestrian streets,
Old streets of Fira
boutiques and jewelry stores of the most prestigious brands (the calculation is clearly not for a budget tourist),
The boss is sleeping, work is going on
galleries,
Galleries in Fira
expensive restaurants and hotels with swimming pools and hot tubs in every room overlooking the caldera.
Pools of hotels on the caldera in Firostefani
All this is a fair of prestige and pathos. But it's amazingly beautiful!
Galleries in Fira
Santorini was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1956 and rebuilt by the most famous architects and designers of Greece.
View from Firostefani to Imerovigli
The Greeks love and know how to decorate everything!
Firostefani
But here they outdid themselves!
Firostefani
White and cream-colored Cycladic-style hotel houses, built right on a cliff with ledges stretching towards the sea
View of Fira
with pools, with amazing inserts of some flowers,
Decorators
pots,
Imerovigli
spinning wheel
Jewelry in Oia
and old wooden boats!
Decorators
And these doors "to nowhere"!
Doors to nowhere
All this looks great in any weather,
Imerovigli
but especially beautiful in the rays of the setting sun.
Everything is beautiful in the sunset
The sun plays with natural, delightful colors, no camera will convey them.
Imerovigli
A huge number of shades!
Decorators
Here you need to look not so much at the sun leaving the horizon, but at the halftones with which it illuminates all the buildings on the caldera. To say that it is fascinating is to say nothing!
Firostefani
Our stomachs have forgotten that we didn't feed them. We absorbed this beauty with all our guts.
Sunset in Fira
The promenade starts in Fira,
Streets of Fira
flows smoothly into the neighboring town of Firostefani
Promenade from Fira to Firostefani
and continues in the third town, the highest on the coast - Imerovigli.
Imerovigli
The road along the caldera continues further, until Oia itself, about 10 km more to stomp on foot. It’s a bit far, and there’s not much to see until Iya itself.
On this evening, we did not advance further fira, it was necessary to solve food issues.
Our town of Karterados
Karterados
- a very convenient location: from it to the Fira bus station, from where regular buses run in all directions, - 20 minutes on foot, to the promenade - 30 minutes, to the nearest beach of Monolithos - 40 minutes. (You didn’t think that we would sunbathe near the pool? : ))) There is nothing to see in the town itself: a couple of old winding streets,
Streets of Karterados
You can't see the buildings behind the dense fences (one gets the impression that at first they built their houses, and then somehow cut the streets between them). Several temples,
Carterados
none of which was open at our usual time during the 2 weeks of our stay.
Karterados
Even on Trinity, the locals lined up and went to work together.
However, we were interested in everything! For example, how grapes grow in volcanic soil. After all, the island is famous for its wines such as Santorini Nectar or Vinsanto. The dry climate of the island, the almost complete lack of precipitation and volcanic soil, as it turned out, is perfect for growing grapes. No one is tying up the vine. On the contrary, it is twisted into a hole.
Vineyards of Santorini
Already in early June, the grapes were quite impressive in size, although, of course, they were still green.
I wonder how sea snails crawl to vineyards and eat all the greenery?
Sea snails on grapes
I don’t know if anyone is fighting these pests, but there are places closer to the sea where they have already destroyed all the greenery.
We tried the wines, of course. Prices for Vinsanto in a glass bottle are 23 euros, there is also an economy offer in a plastic bottle, such a pleasure costs 5.45.
Indeed, the taste of the wine is a little unusual, the aroma is subtle with hints of citrus.
* Apparently this is the beginning of the season in Santorini, judging by the number of tourists arriving daily.
Temple in Imerovigli
On non-excursion days, we sunbathed on Monolithos beach from 9 am to 11 am.
Monolithos Beach
The beach is interesting, with black volcanic sand, which is no longer possible to step on after 11 am, it gets so hot.
Black volcanic sand
Monolithos beach is very wide, large, stretches from the village of Karterados to the airport itself. Due to the constant winds, the beach is popular with surfers.
The sea was stormy for 12 days out of 14, so we didn’t swim properly. But everything worked out with a tan.
We found such small shells
It was possible to be in the sun until a maximum of 11 and after 18 hours. The sun is very active, it is necessary to use creams.
According to the rules of the low-cost company, you can only take liquid in hand luggage in a container of 100 mg, such containers for 1 passenger in the amount of no more than 1 liter in a transparent bag with a zipper. Mascara and lipstick are also considered liquids.
While at home, we worried in advance to buy sunscreens in acceptable containers, because we knew that in Santorini they were, to put it mildly, a little expensive (from 12 euros).
It's very windy in Santorini. And on our arrival, the wind was from the north all the time. Therefore, on the beaches of Monolithos and Kamari, which are near the airport, there were constantly waves, and it was very cool because of the wind.
After the storm
Further along the coast, the huge rock of Mesa Vouno blocks the path of the wind, and the popular black sand beaches of Perissa and Perivolos lying behind it are protected from the wind, there is a relatively calm sea and good entry into the water. But Perissa and Perivolos are far enough from Fira, the bus fare is 2 euros one way, and you still have to get to the bus stop and wait. You can’t travel there to the beach or from there to Fira on the promenade every day. Unless you rent a car or an ATV, which has its pros and cons.
The next day we explored Ex Gialos beach adjacent to Monolithos beach.
Ex Gialos Beach
The bizarrely weathered sand cliffs above the beach continue to erode, and small landslides occur regularly, it can be dangerous to stay near these rocks. Wind, waves, entry into the water is very rocky. Ex Gialos beach is not equipped, in the morning it is used by locals for walking dogs (it is not customary to clean up after dogs). Immediately behind the beach, a gutter opens into the sea.
At the beginning of the beach there is a sandy gorge of amazing beauty. But because of the wind it is difficult to be in it, sand flies from the peaks directly into the eyes and into the camera lens.
Sand Gorge
On the way to the beach, we felt sorry for the poor pregnant mule.
Pregnant Mule
What did it eat there, that animal? Dry land, almost no grass. They fed him bread. Eats with pleasure.
In the evenings we went to the promenade again,
Someone was lucky to be born here
from Fira, Firostefani, towards Imerovigli and back.
Doors to nowhere
We met the sunset on the caldera and each time we found something new for ourselves.
Decorators
Each of these towns has its own look, unique charm and, of course, some beautiful postcard views known throughout the world.
} And by bus from Fira to Oia, it takes about 15 minutes.
Streets of Ii
We knew that every day there are many tourists of ferries and buses about 12 hours, and you need to have time to visit the already to this crowd.
Streets of Ii
We decided to go to Oia by the second bus from Fira at 8.30 in the morning, since we are 20 minutes on foot from the Fira train station.
The beauty of Ai
*
It is better to clarify this point.
.
Iya
He then covers the passengers on the bus
(Travel costs 1.60 euros per person one way).
We arrived in Oia by 9 am.
Ii Main Orthodox Cathedral
The city was still clean and empty.
Iya
We returned back at 12, and 16 large buses with tourists were already driving towards us.
The dog is sleeping, and the caravan of tourists is moving along Oia
Imagine what will happen there! The town is small, the streets are narrow and winding.
Ii Mills
Everyone wants to capture the famous windmills of Ii (and this is the hallmark of the island) in the exact angle in which they were shot by National Geographic.
The most famous view of Ii (without photoshop)
Thanks to these pictures, people from all over the world are drawn to Santorini.
Old boat in Oia
Whom you can't see and hear there! Japanese, Australians, ubiquitous Chinese, lots of Italians.
Oia is a very small, but very smart and pretentious town.
On the central street paved with white marble, you will not find any Zara shops, there are only Versace and Moncler.
Boutiques on Marble Street in Oia
The price per night in a hotel on the caldera in Oia can reach up to 800 euros (up to 500 in Fira). To be honest, when I looked at photos of people bathing in their own hot tubs on the caldera before the trip, I imagined it somehow differently. Judging by the photo, this is me, the pool and the caldera. In fact, it's terrible.
This is how the pools on the caldera in Oia are located
There is no attractive privacy in this.
Imerovigli. Beautiful, but in plain sight
People sit in their pools, and crowds of other tourists walk past them, like in a zoo, and look at the "lucky ones". Taking pictures and discussing
No privacy
. What a blessing that we are not rich enough to live in such hotels!
Pools of hotels on the caldera in Firostefani
And I am also struck by one fact: I did not see such a number of people in the gypsum in my life! I understand why: people book hotels and flights probably six months in advance, just like us. And then there is an injury, but you can not refuse. Everything will be lost. And people ride on crutches. Most of all, I was surprised by an elderly German woman who boarded a boat with her leg plastered up to the knee. The ship went to the volcano on an excursion. She can't go! However. . . I also remember a cute Chinese girl who walked along the promenade on crutches in a beautiful dress and one heeled shoe.
I would like to end this part of the story, but not on a sad note.
In Santorini, people celebrate weddings. It's so beautiful and very much in demand. Local photographers who know beautiful angles make great photo shoots. Here is a Chinese couple getting married in Firostefani,
Chinese wedding
but the photographer made the newlyweds go up to the roof of a small church in Imerovigli, and the assistant puts on the light.
Rooftop wedding
This young couple is running towards their wedding arch,
Wedding in Imerovigli
then we saw them solemnly standing side by side, and a respectable gentleman uttered all the necessary words. It's a pity we didn't have such opportunities at the time! It's so romantic!
