Oia

Santorini, Greece

On Wednesday morning, we arrived in Santorini, Greece.

Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, southeast of Greece’s mainland. It is the largest island of a small circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. There is no docking port, so we had to arrive by tender.
The city of Santorini or “Oia” is a settlement on the north of the island at the top of the Caldera cliffs. The village is approximately 150 meters above sea level and to reach the top, we had to get on a tour bus, it took about 45 minutes to reach the city at the top of the island.
Almost everyone who has visited Santorini has taken a picture somewhere with this church in the background. The blue-domed church, is called “Anastaseos”, which means “Resurrection of Christ”.
In Oia there are two types of dwellings, the cave houses dug into the volcanic rock on the Caldera cliffs and the Captain’s houses. The cave houses used to be the Captain’s ship crews, whereas the Captain’s houses belonged to the affluent class of ship owners. Many of the churches in Oia were dedicated to sailors.
Another view of the village with charming houses in narrow streets, blue domed churches, and sun-bathed verandas. Its streets have plenty of shops, taverns, cafes, and other specialty shops. The busiest area is the main pedestrian walkway that runs along length of the top of the hill. At the entrance of the village is a car park where visitors can leave their vehicle and enjoy long walks in the picturesque paths.
You’ll need to bring your water and walking shoes and just walk and enjoy this beautiful town. I loved it here so much. I can’t wait to come back.
After a day of exploring Santorini, I had a nice Greek beer called “Volkan”.