During the quarantine, I’m doing my best to dig through my archives and work on fresh images. Last week, I took you on a virtual tour through Athens. In the next few posts, I’ll be showing you around Santorini.
If you aren’t familiar with it, you’re in for some visual excitement! This little island is about 120 miles off the coast of mainland Greece. Its unusual ring-like shape reminds visitors it’s all that remains of a volcanic caldera.
Believe it or not, the eruption of Santorini (or Thira in Greek) was one of the biggest ever recorded. Around 3,600 years ago, life for those thriving in the Minoan civilization would never be the same again. The blast caused a tsunami, reeking havoc on the Bronze Age Aegean people.
It’s hard to imagine that this quaint island could be the source of the tale of Atlantis. However, many believe that the eruption and following destruction is stuff of legend.
Against all reason (after reading all the terrible reviews on trip advisor), we decided to risk it and take the smaller ferry from Athens to Santorini. This was a HUGE mistake. The more expensive flight would have been worth every extra penny. Our ferry ride took 8 hours, when it was scheduled to only take 4. The winds of the Aegean are mighty indeed!
Once we finally stepped foot on solid ground, we tried to put the journey out of our minds and relax. We made our way to the hotel, Above Blue Suites in Imerovigli, a beautiful boutique hotel with stunning views. Take a look around the room and our private courtyard in these next few pictures.
The hotel door (pictured above) had a beautiful window so you could enjoy the view even when it was closed.
Enjoying a few local offerings in our private hot tub at Above Blue Suites.
Santorini Brewing Company is the only brewery on the entire island. I really enjoyed their beer! This region is more known for their wine–which is also great and so cheap by American standards.
That night, we at ate Anogi Restaurant, only a short walk from Above Blue. It was delicious.
Every morning at Above Blue Suites, breakfast is served on the patio outside of your room. In the photo below you’ll see our view of Oia, another famous neighborhood of Santorini.
Cape Skaros (pictured below) juts out from the banks of Imerovigli. It’s a great place for a semi-challenging hike. As early as the the Byzantine Empire, this was the location of several forts. The first was called La Roka, which means Upper Castle in English. 
This little blue dome was damaged by a lighting strike.
We walked from our hotel to the market place in Fira. Imerovigli is only about a mile and a half away from a wealth of businesses and restaurants. This part of the city can get pretty hectic, but it’s fun to brave the crowds and look into all the little shop windows.
We ended up accidentally going to the exact same restaurant I went with my parents almost 15 years prior, Lucky’s Souvlakis. This was the cheapest, and one of the most delicious meals we had in all of Greece. The image below on the left is from 2019, the image on the right is from 2005.
Stay tuned as we explore more neighborhoods in Santorini!
for the love of nike 
Hi, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!
hi! Thank you so much!!!
Beautiful photos. Been there on a day trip. Hovercraft ferry as I recall. Not too bad. Would have loved to stay overnight.
That’s so funny–the first time I visited with my parents we did a day trip. I thought this go round it might be fun to stay overnight. Trick is to go at the end of the tourist season for cheaper hotels and less crowds. It’s just a little chilly, but that doesn’t bother me!
👍
The wine and the meat made my mouth water.. it’s such a long time ago I had shoarma. Everything looks just perfect! I really like your blog so I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. I hope that you will accept the award and that you enjoy answering the questions. You can find the award here https://debbyseo.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/liebster-award/ With love, Debby Winter