Katie Thorne: Blogger Extraordinaire

From Katie Scarlett:

I am excited to have the opportunity to guest blog, which is a direct result of the group separating after losing each other in Santorini. Because I had my motorcycle license (special shout out to my dad for helping me purse that dream) I was able to rent a vespa while the other ladies rented ATV’s to ride around the island for the day. After losing Catherine and Becky, Caitlynn, Kristin, and I decided to head to the beach for about an hour. The beach was beautiful, rocky and filled with lava pebbles, and water that was crystal clear. We relaxed and soaked up the sun, and those of you who know me, understand my love of tanning so I thoroughly enjoyed our sojourn on the beach at Kumari.

Even though we could have spent the day relaxing there, we decided that we must Seize the Day and ventured back to get our vehicles to head our for a cruise of the island. We then proceeded to ride to the northern most point of the isle, taking the scenic coastal route all the way to the Bay of Armenia. We leisurely made our way twisting and turning through the mountainous landscape, viewing sights that one only could imagine would exist in their dreams. The wind blowing through my hair, and the picturesque mountainside filled with white villas with blue roofs, I had a moment where I truly felt as though I was in heaven. Now mind you there are no street signs on the entire island, and really no rules to the road, so at times when large tour buses would pass us it was a little unnerving, but made for an adventure I will never forget.

After about and hour we wound our way down from the top of the mountain to the Bay. We turned the corner, and what we saw is more than words can describe, but I will try my best. The Bay of Armenia was a small fishing village, at the bottom of the mountain, which stood around 1000 feet above the cove. The water was crystal clear, unlike any I had seen before. Blues, greens, aquamarine, really any shade of azul that you can imagine was how one could describe the water. And the fishing boats were as colorful as an artist’s pallet. We decided this was the perfect place to break for lunch so we found a small restaurant where we could sit and enjoy the view. Then came lunch and boy do I like to eat, especially fresh seafood. There was fresh calamari, fish, muscles, straight off of the fishing boats, my mouth is watering right now reminiscing about how decadent it tasted.

After we finished lunch, we proceeded back to our vehicles’ and decided we wanted to see the southern most point of the island. Again we twisted and turned, passing countless wineries and villas along the road. And for you horticulture lovers out there, the vineyards are quite different than any I have ever seen. The vines grow on the ground, in little mounds, due to the lack of water. They absorb water through the humidity, so you don’t really see rows and rows of grapes, but little mounds planted sporadically in the ground. The same goes for the cherry tomatoes, which at every stand you stop at they have drying in the sun. Enough of my horticulture rant, I could go on for hours about how impressive the utilization of the land is with limited resources, but back to our adventure.

Around an hour later we made it to the Red Beach, where to our surprise we ran into Catherine and Becky. They were on there way back to Fira and suggested we spend some time hiking our way to the beach to relax for a bit. We made our way via the jagged cliffs to a hidden oasis on the southern side of the island. In our distance we could see yachts and smaller island, a pictures landscape I never will forget. With our bellies still full from lunch we sprawled out like fat sea lions on the red and black lava pebbles every so often dipping in the water to sooth our sun kissed skin. It was perfect and I realized then that this island would be one that would be etched in my memory forever.

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 :)