Hi guys! I'm Deborah from In Whirl of Inspiration and today I have stopped for a cup of tea and some love over Kitty's. Thanks for having me here in your little nest dear!
So let's get started! As everybody(?) knows I have just finished my uni exams and I am planning my upcoming vacations. One of this year's destinations will be Santorini (I am from Greece by the way) too. It will be my second time on this little heaven so here's what I already know about it. The reason why I want desperately to return there, is the fact that I just find magnificent that what occurred thousands of years ago in Santorini has never occurred anywhere else. And it occurred very good, truth to be told.
So here some experiences that you can live in Santorini. If you miss these (don't), you would have definitely missed a big part of the Santorinian culture.
// Try the local cuisine with the Santorinian products. Apart from looking at the volcano and escaping in the caldera, another great way to sense the island's aromas is to taste some of its famous foods. Caper, fava, the santorinian small and sweet tomato and the white eggplants are only some of the delicious products that can be found. The island's volcanic ash and the porous soil transform everything that grows there from a dull vegetable to a oh-my this.is.heavenly.tasty. vegetable.
// Scuba diving. Now I am talking to the adventure kids out there. Only the scuba diving lovers can really appreciate this experience of the underwater world. And just imagine that in this island this feeling is even greater, as you get the chance to see the distinctiveness of the bottom of the sea, the volcanic stones and the bottomless depth of the caldera (ehm. this black hole gives me the chills. really. )
// Have a romantic dinner on the rim of the Caldera. Seriously the feeling of eating and having such a view and atmosphere all around you are just a lifetime's experience. Even though there are many great restaurants outside the caldera, a romantic evening there is worth spending. And don't tell me now that you will visit Santorini with your friends, you all know that dining with friends is hell good. Even better than dining with the bf/gf. Hmm ok no, but can be great in an other way.
// Visit the island's museums. Visiting the Museum of Prehistoric Thera and the Archeological Museum is as if plunging into the long and rich history of this place. Findings from Archaic to the Roman Era can be found there. From this year, Akrotiri's archeological site is open. There there is a whole maintained prehistoric village back from the (apr.)2000BC.
// Go up the Caldera on mule ride. Ok let's be honest, I find this activity kinda funny, I mean it's funny to see tourists on the mules taking pictures but this was the only way of transport up the caldera due to the narrow roads. (until the teleferik (cable car) was built and mule rides are used only by the locals and the tourists). The winding 587-step path is a tough option to go on foot though. Trust me I have done this and in the end I had no fully-functional legs.
// Stay in a yposkafo (a.k.a. cave house). The Santorinian architecture is just unique. Yposkafo was a type of house built by the poor society class of Santorini in order to stay protected by the gusty winds. Nowadays, it is worth to experience (even for one night, as some of these cave hotels are really expensive) the claustrophobic feeling you get when you stay in a cave. This characteristic smell of the rocks, the sweet coolness, the minimalistic cycladitic design and the BEST sleep in your lifetime will be enough to enjoy your stay.
// Watch the sunset on board. Small boats that sail quietly in the middle of a color blast while the sun starts to paint the horizon. I feel that I got puked by a rainbow again. Just. do. this. End of the discussion.
// Dive into the sunset. You needn't have to go to Oia in the jam of people, to see "the world's most famous sunset". Wherever you are on the caldera, the sunset is just magical.
// Go to Ammoudi for swimming and eating. Among my favorite moments on the island: walking along the dust road to reach the small beach surrounded by the cliffs, diving into the deep cold waters and swimming below the caldera, above the sea bottom chaos (the last one is something that I have only imagined doing of course). Oh and this isn't you ordinary sunbathing beach, fellas sorry. Then going to the taverna with the yellowfish colors on the walls for fish and sea dishes, while waiting for the sunset. The sun vanishes behind Thirasia island and from this spot the sunset has the longest duration! In this moment life seems a little bit sweeter!
// Visit a winery. The volcanic soil gives to the Santorinian wines a variety of special characteristics. Visit a winery to see the traditional cultivation of a vine rad and the wine making process. Also take a chance to taste some of the extraordinary wines (eg. my favorite one is Asyrtiko).
Hmm so that's it, guys! I hope you didn't get bored by reading the "sunset" word in everything. I thought that everyone was overreacting about this sunset and " how the hell can it be so special" I was wondering. Well now I know. *I had here a little happiness heart attack* :) As it will be my second time there and since I have many friends from Santorini there will be no thing that I won't know, so if you are coming here just ask me everything you want to know.
xoxo, Deborah
No comments:
Post a Comment