Santorini - Day One

Well. We did indeed wake up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready, find a cab, and get to the airport for our 5:30 AM flight, where we met up with Krystin and Becky. Was it fun? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Some of the people working on the Agora dig with Krystin and Becky also came to Santorini this weekend, and they took the overnight ferry, which left at midnight and got in at 8:00 AM. That was our only other option for getting here, so no thank you.

We were able to check in to our hostel at 7:15, which was fabulous, because check-in is not normally until noon, and we napped a little until breakfast was served. After breakfast, we talked to the people at the hostel about tour options etc, and we decided to do the formal tour on Sunday, and spend Saturday cruising around the island on ATVs. That was an awesome decision. Katie got a Vespa, while Caitlynn, Krystin, Becky and I shared two ATVs. It was 20 euro (plus gas) for an all day rental with insurance included.

After we got situated, we took off for the beach at Kamari. We wandered around for a while doing some non-committal shopping, and almost immediately managed to get split up (so I can only tell you what Becky and I did... Maybe Katie will do a guest appearance blog later). Becky and I continued to wander, and then went swimming for a while. Recurring theme - while the water is gorgeous and clear, the high salinity makes it pretty disgusting if you should happen to get some in your mouth.

After sitting out, drying, and applying more sunscreen, Becky and I wandered around looking for the others. No go. They had left a note for us on our ATV saying that they were heading north to check out some of the beaches there. So Becky and I got lunch and checked out the map. We decided to go south to the red beach (which, surprisingly enough, is actually red). It took a little while to get there, and then we had to do a little bit of climbing but overall, a very pleasant experience. We sat on rocks out in the water and just chatted for a while. On our way back from the Red Beach, we ran into Caitlynn, Katie, and Krystin, who were just arriving. They had gone all the way north, and then had headed south. Becky and I were feeling a little beached out, so we continued on to our next point of interest, the lighthouse at Cape Akrotiri, which was stunning (more the view than the lighthouse, but that's okay.

By the time we got back to our hostel, it was 7:30 at night, and we desperately needed showers. Given that it only rains in the winter in Santorini, there is a lot of dust to be kicked up by the ATVs. By the time we had showered and generally felt like people again, Katie had gotten back (though Caitlynn and Krystin had gone on to one more site), and wanted to shower and find dinner. Around 8:00, we started walking to Fira (from our hostel in Karterados). We found a "classical Greek taverna," which is in quotes because I got tortellini (delicious) and tried some of the wine that Santorini is famous for.

Around 9:30, we started wandering around Fira. All of the shops were open (apparently until 2 in the morning), so we did a little souvenir shopping and poking around. We stumbled in to an Irish bar where the World Cup 3rd and 4th place game was playing, so we stopped to watch that. We (Katie) made friends with three gay gentlemen (the fact that they were gay came out in the first five minutes of conversation), so we chatted with them in between "dramatic soccer moments." After the game, the bar turned into an impromptu dance club, which was a ton of fun. Becky got a drink that had a sparkler (one of those things that you light on fire for the fourth of July) in it, which was not what she was expecting, but was really cool to look at.

Overall, the day was great, and I can't imagine having more fun on Santorini. On Sunday, we're taking (we took) a guided tour that includes the ancient settlements, climbing the volcano, the hot springs/mud baths, and the sunset at Oia, which is supposed to be absolutely stunning. I will post on that later today. And, since it is 2:25 on the East Coast, I hope that everyone sleeps well :)