Greece Adventures Day 2 (30/6/17): Stairs & Sunsets

I don't think I've ever had this many photos in one post before, so enjoy!

♥
 

Our original plan for the morning of Day 2 was to take a scenic walk all the way from Fira to Oia, a roughly 10km hike that would have taken us a bit more than two hours, probably closer to three including photo-taking and snack breaks.

What we didn't consider was the extreme heat that we'd be walking in, so only a few minutes in we had turned into the five most cranky tourists in the world, each sweating gallons and already tired of the views. Needless to say, after less than 2km we stopped at Imerovigli, the next village along the way, and hopped onto the next bus that would take us to Oia.

Ah, God bless the bus' air conditioning!

Oia is pretty, I'll give it that. I don't think it's worth walking the entire way from Fira to get there, in a heatwave or not, so I'm glad we decided to take the bus. The views were nice, but the views are always nice wherever you are on Santorini.

There's the Church of Panagia in the main square, which is a classic example of a Santorini building. Stark white walls and a blue dome, and even a Greek flag in front, just in case you forget you're on a Greek island. It's definitely more than a normal building though, especially with its beautiful interior decor, and the peacefulness that surrounds it.

Back in Fira, we spent a portion of the evening walking down the Karavolades Stairs, around 600 steps down the steep cliff from the town to the port. There are donkeys at both ends of the staircase for those who don't want to walk it, and while they are tamed, walking past them was quite a terrifying ordeal. And they stink.

And their faeces stink too.

The walk was surprisingly pleasant, despite how it may sound. The steps themselves are really gentle, and once you get past the lines of donkeys and the smell, there are some amazing photo opportunities along the way.

The port was a bit of a disappointment when we arrived, mainly because it was too late, so it wasn't busy enough to have a lot of the hustle and bustle it usually has, yet it was also too early, so no-one was around to see the sunset that would happen later. We took advantage of the quietness of the port to take photos without being tsked for being in the way, or having hordes photobombing every image, which was nice for once!

Being too lazy to walk up the stairs again, we took the cable car back to Fira and started our hunt for the perfect location to watch the sunset.

Then we found the perfect spot, to see the most perfect sunset.

♥

I love you

xxx

Greece Adventures Day 1 (29/6/17): First Look at Santorini

I'm well and truly back!

Exams are over, I have the whole summer ahead of me, and I've recently returned from an amazing holiday in the gorgeous Greek islands, Santorini and Naxos. I went from the 29th June to the 4th July with a group of friends, and now that I'm back and well-rested, I'm here to share my experience with you!

Before I start, I'll give you a little rundown of what we did each day:

29/06/17 - Arrive in Santorini, explore the town of Fira

30/06/17 - Explore Oia, walk the Karavolades Stairs down to the port at Fira, catch the sunset at Fira (expect some stunning photos!)

1/07/17 - Visit the ancient site of Akrotiri, ferry to Naxos

2/07/17 - visit the Portara (also known as Apollo's Gate), explore Old Town, go to the beach :)

3/07/17 - visit Kastro (the Castle of Naxos), beach

4/07/17 - one last visit to the beach (!), ferry back to Santorini, visit the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, catch the flight back to London

I'll be talking about Day 1 today, and the rest in the next few days, so don't forget to come back to see some bombass photos!

♥

On the day we left, I woke up at an ungodly 3 am to catch a plane from London Gatwick to Santorini. I think the only things that kept me up for the rest of the day was the excitement of this new adventure, and maybe the large coffee I had at the airport...

The first day was mainly spent settling into our hotel, Anemomilos Suites, and exploring the nearby town of Fira. Anemomilos Suites, although being a mouthful to say and write, is a quaint and cute hotel which has an aesthetic that fits perfectly with the typical Santorini surroundings. There's a view of the sea from the windows and outdoor pool, which is the perfect place to cool down in the evenings when the sun isn't so harsh overhead.

The town of Fira is so beautiful, I can see why so many photographers love it! From the edges of the town, you can see both ends of the island as they curve inwards to form the circular shape of the caldera that Santorini is a part of and the volcanic island in the centre. The famous high walls of Santorini and its blue and white houses are, of course, one of the main focuses of many tourists' photos, and mine are definitely no exception!

Further inside the town are narrow picturesque roads that lead to a typical central area with tourist shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlours, which we did not forget to visit every day ;)

I had my first gyro from a little fast food restaurant in the town centre, and it was de-li-cious. I've had my fair share of nasty surprises when trying new foods (flashback to the capers on the last day), but gyros are definitely worth a try.

We finished the day by chilling in the pool at the hotel as the sun set, and although we couldn't see it from our side of the island, we had a great time anyway.

♥

I love you

xxx