Emerald Water

Embarked on a ferry to the Cyclades, I am set to feel romantic!

The ferry is quite slow and stops on many islands on the way from Piraeus to Santorini, however it is nice to have a slow boat if you are in Greece for the first time. You can spot dolphins sometimes and notice all the small islands on the way.

Ah, Emeraldo, I’m forever yours ! ……. now I have a favorite name :))

Here it is, after a longish cruising and stopping to discard passengers, we reach Thira! It looks congested out there on this tiny island……. emerged out of lava.

Greece is about history, but also about islands. Greece has approx. 1400 islands ( just for a quick comparison, Maldives has approx. 1200 islands ) . We gonna visit Santorini. It is a special one by all means! I’m sure when I’m gonna visit the other islands I will fall in love with them as much as with this one … however, many people who have seen much more of the Greek islands than me say that Santorini is a special one!

Everybody should take their sweethearts to Santorini …. (and after that don’t forget to take them to Petra too) 🙂

There is literally a beautiful view from ANY corner of Fira, the capital of Santorini.

Hey, the volcano is still active. The volcanic center of Santorini is located at Nea Kameni island, in the center of the flooded caldera. The last eruption was in 1950. Despite the tragic earthquakes, tourism has flourished.

Many cruise ships stop in Santorini…

These volcanoes always create dramatic landscapes…

It is all about romance and peace!

or….. is it all about blue and white? : ))

I have no clue how they dragged that boat up there …

There are quite a few churches in Santorini, but most of them are closed after the liturgy. Luckily, there is an active female monastery right at a few hundred meters from Fira. You can always ring the bell. They will be happy to let you in.

Oh, Santorini Real Estate, yeah!

Do you agree with me – no destination is so cool without donkeys, isn’t it? … So Santorini is definitely cool :P. The stiff paths are quite long for walking, it is impossible to ride or cycle up and down. Donkeys and mules are just perfect…. but mind that white dress:))

Try some Greek cuisine, some seafood, some wine – delicioussss… Enjoy the view!

Oia is the most western town in Santorini. It can get very crowded during sunset. It’s famous, hey!

Cactus fruits are delicious. The Greeks call them fragosico. Don’t rush to pick the fruits with bare hands, just pass by, just pass by … better buy it in the supermarket already cut and piled from spikes. I did a biiiiiiiig mistake touching that cactus. As a result I was crying for 2 weeks, discovering little spikes in my hands, lips and tongue.

And somebody tell me the name of this Mediterranean splendor of a flower? It has no smell thou. However I like it, it is EVERYWHERE: in Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Tunis, Algeria, Spain, Italy, Israel, Egypt, UAE……. except in Ukraine :((.

The cute windmills at the horizon became the iconic sign of many Greek islands, especially Mykonos. There are many of them in the Cyclades. In Santorini you can spot a few too. Invented in the 12th – 13th century, ecologic windmills were using the power of wind to prepare flower for the bread.

The windmills were always built on the hills, but they had to be in the vicinity of the village, so that villagers wouldn’t have to walk long distances with heavy loads of grains.

Nowadays the windmills are used as accommodation. Some of them were turned into museums or exhibition halls.