Sensational Santorini Island, Greece

We are by the Mediterranean Sea, for sure!

Another Sailing Adventure

Yes, we are still in Greece, but now we are heading outside of Athens towards Santorini Island.

We took a super-cool ferry that had at least 8 levels, 10 restaurants, 2500 passengers, over 200 cars, and even dog kennels (which of course, I visited!)

I have never been on a boat this big! It took us 8 hours to get there on this huge ferry, with two port stops along the way! Look at this short video where I describe the boat!

Who knew that there are over 7,000 islands in Greece? Wow! Look at the approach to Santorini Island:

Have you ever seen the postcards with blue and white structures that are stunning and picturesque?

Well, that’s where we were for five days! On the way to the beach house that we were staying in, I met a girl named Agnes on the airport shuttle. She and her family are from Sweden. We met Agnes and her family the next day for swimming, and we had a blast!

Something really cool about their beaches is that the sand is black! Yep, you read it correctly! On Santorini Island, just like the big Island of Hawaii, there are black, green, red, and white sand beaches.

The next day I met with Agnes and we had more fun in the water. That night we had a wonderful dinner at a small restaurant, and guess what? I met another friend, named Claire!

She is from Portland, and we both share a huge liking for the Percy Jackson series, which is about the Greek Gods and Godesses, and is one of the reasons we came to Greece.

While our parents chattered away, we had lots of fun running around the streets and counting cats.

…and dogs!

The day after, Claire and I met up at the beach to swim, and, the day after that, our families all went on a very scenic, tiring, and trying hike to a small town called Oia.

The hike is along the Caldera from Fira to Oia. The hike is 12K long, plus another 2K getting to the end of Oia. The hike passes through the two villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli, with some of the most beautiful scenery across the Aegean Sea.

We timed it right to see in amazing sunset, and we all had dinner at a rooftop restaurant with amazing views.

As you will see, Claire and I were giddy after the long hike and ice cream for dessert!

We took a bus to our cars/hotel and totally crashed for the evening.

Our last day on Santorini Island was spectacular, too. We returned to Oia, to take more photos and take in some refreshments, along with the sunset. It was lovely and the views were amazing…… ……even the milkshake was amazing!

This is the place where amateur and professional photographers come from all over the world to take photos — including my parents — pictures of the buildings, the sea, and yes, the sunsets.

You can see how popular the sunset is — it gets really crowded!

Santorini Island is so picturesque, that I thought you might like to see some more amazing photos —- Enjoy!

This dog was on top of a monastery — her Mom (a nun) was leaving.

Their grape vines are so old and ground water so high that they can grow on the ground.

Nice view from the swimming pool!

We sure did not want to leave Santorini Island, like so many places, but we know you want to learn more and follow my exciting adventures elsewhere.

We flew out early the next morning too, of course, more amazing views, on our short trip back to Athens and our hotel.

Reminiscent of Phuket because of the water and islands, but very different because of the building structures, and of course, the culture

Later in the afternoon, we are meeting our friend and guide Anna, and her daughter Katarina. We’ll be taking an-up-close-and-personal tour of the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.