Through the clouds into a dream (to the island of Santorini)
See Santorini and die. I did not even think that it was possible: to get from Halkidiki to this island. Impressions are just a sea. We flew on a small Ellinair plane for about an hour, and here it is - a miracle. My dream has come true. I still can’t believe that I saw all this beauty with my own eyes. We landed at the small Santorini airport, collected all our sunscreen from the luggage compartment (at first I did not want to take it at all, but then I realized that I did the right thing) and went to the city of Oia. At an altitude of about 300 m above sea level, you can almost feel like a bird. It's insanely beautiful here. It's an endless array of white houses with blue shutters and doors, chic churches with sky-colored domes, and gorgeous cobbled streets lined with local vendors. I want to say that those 30 minutes until we reached the city were not easy for me. Serpentine almost constantly. So, if you get sick, it's better to take a pill before leaving. Along the way, our guide, Alexei, talked about the origin of this island and these mysterious little houses, which are so loved by photographers and tourists. It turns out that the light walls of dwellings are nothing more than protection from malarial mosquitoes, which used to haunt the locals, carrying deadly diseases. Well, the roof is the blue sky.
We walked along the streets of Oia and wondered how everything is arranged here. It is immediately clear that the city is touristic. And in fact, there are much more guests here than local residents. You walk around and see people from all over the world. This is not surprising. Santorini is indeed a real fairy tale. I just didn't have time to take pictures of everything I saw. At the end of the trip, there were about 1000 pictures on the camera. I can’t even imagine how people used to live without digital media))).
Of course, it is impossible to come to this island and not see its capital. Therefore, the next point in our program was the city of Fira and Imerovigli. The second is a small town near Fira. Here, of course, there is also something to see and try. The famous wine from a special grape variety "Asyrtiko". I took home 5 bottles. It is insanely delicious and not very expensive. The same white houses and insanely beautiful views of the Aegean Sea. Huge cargo ships and small steamers with tourists pass here. Of course, it is impossible to imagine this place without chic white sailboats that swim like seagulls in the blue of sea water. I fell in love with Santorini at first sight. No wonder the island is also called a paradise for couples. Indeed, it seems to me that if I had not yet been married, I would definitely come here to celebrate my wedding. But who knows, perhaps a wedding in a local church will be my next trip to the island of St. Irene.
For now, back to the journey. After we had already explored all the most beautiful places of the island, we were taken to wonder further. We ended up on a gorgeous beach with black volcanic sand. In fact, it is pumice, and most of the mountains of Santorini are made up of it. Perhaps that is why it is sold here at every step almost as a souvenir. By the way, jewelry is also something worth buying on the island. Of course, they are not cheap here, but you will not be able to resist when you see the owners of jewelry shops. These are tall, stately men with a dazzling smile, who are all dressed in approximately the same way. These are necessarily white trousers and a black or white shirt. Of course, it is impossible not to try on some magnificent necklace. But still, back to the beach and treats.
I think many people know that each region of Greece has something special in its arsenal. It can be some local fruit that grows only here or unique traditions, not to mention wine and other national drinks. So, in Santorini, these are Domatos Santorinien tomatoes, Asyrtiko grapes and Fava pea paste. I managed to try everything. To be honest, sweet little tomatoes paired with wine are divine.
And so our trip came to an end. We said goodbye to the island of Santorini at the archaeological museum of Akrotiri, where Alexey introduced us to the ancient city, which, during a volcanic eruption in 1500 BC. completely submerged under a layer of lava and therefore preserved to this day.
It is a pity that this fairy tale ended so quickly. I wanted to stay here forever. I don’t know how you can come to Greece and not fall in love with this country, but what can I say if you see the divine island of Santorini with your own eyes. And here I am again on the plane and cute smiling flight attendants deliver drinks with croissants. You drink coffee, look out of the window at the archipelago and understand that it would be a crime not to return here.
