Santorini, Greece

Yassus!

It took me 24 hours and four cancelled flights (due to high winds on the island) to get here, but I made it. And I have that feeling. The one that you get when you’re finally in the exact place you’ve wanted to be your whole life and it’s exactly how you’ve imagined it.

Only it’s better.

It’s real.

Everywhere I look, the houses and buildings are white with blue doors, windows and rooftops. Even the gas stations. The drive from the airport to the hotel was beautiful. I’m going to have to rent a car to explore other parts of the island, including the lighthouse on the southwestern tip of the big island; Red Beach, which is just east of the lighthouse; Oia, famous for its spectacular sunsets; and Fira, the capital town of Santorini. I may even try to make it over to the Hot Springs omn New Kameni, the volcano island in the center of the caldera. I would go up to see the top of Mesa Vouno, the tallest mountain on Santorini, but because I’ll be driving myself and I’m terribly afraid of heights (and mountain roads with cars leisurely speeding down the twists and turns scaring the crap out of me), I think I’ll just admire it from the gorgeous black sand beach that is about 30 meters from my hotel.

I am so happy I decided to fly to Santorini, which happened mostly because I booked my hotel before checking ferry availability. The ferry, however, takes eight hours, unless you get the ‘fast’ one that only takes five hours. The bonus to the ferry was that I could get a ticket at a very economical price of about 35 euros. The flight was much more than that, but worth every penny, even after the cancelled flight debacle yesterday. The flight only took about 30 minutes, a meal was provided, and my seat was changed last minute which placed me in ‘premiere’ seating, giving me more leg room on a plane that I’ve ever had thus far. I could actually stretch my legs completely out in front of me. It was nice.

I was picked up from the airport by Mr. Stelios, whose family owns the hotel I’m staying at, Stelios Place. It’s a lovely, quaint, Santorini-esque hotel in Perissa, a relatively large town in the southeastern part of the big island. I booked a double room and I am in love with it – the room, the hotel, the location and proximity to the beach... I could stay here forever.

Before picking me up at the airport, Mr. Stelios picked up two others at the Athinios Port, a couple of younger-than-me friends who’ve known each other since growing up in Mexico and are now studying in different countries in Europe. We talked briefly in the van on the way to the hotel, and agreed to have dinner together one night before we all leave again on Thursday.

My first order of business on Santorini? Sample the local cuisine. I walked down to the black sand beach (I’ll never tire of saying that), and, after testing the waters, decided to head up to one of the little cafes we passed on the way in to the hotel, Yazz Beach Club. I ordered a Greek salad and a tasty tropical cocktail with ‘San Francisco’ in the name. It was delicious – the second most delicious food I’ve had since being in Greece. (The first was the chicken gyro I had a few nights ago.) The salad, though, was nothing like the Greek salads in the US, at least none that I’ve had. It was just cut-up tomatoes, cucumber (thinking back to the last cucumber I had, I have to laugh!), red onion, and green pepper topped with generous chunks of feta cheese. It was delicious.

It’s quite chilly outside, as the winds are somewhat high and it rained recently, so I walked back to my hotel to grab a thicker sweater before doing some more exploring. I got sidetracked and here I am. Time to unplug now though, and go explore this incredibly beautiful island that I’ve just landed myself on for the next few days.