Santorini - Day One

Santorini-  the first day in my heaven island.

• Explore Thira (Fira)

At 1:00 am on April 10, 2017, my Ryanair airplane has finally landed at Santorini Airport. Before that trip, I and my friends have decided to save money as we were still “poor students” so we decided to sleep at the airport that night.

Then, we call a taxi in the early morning about 6 am to go to our hostel. Our hostel is about 4km away from the airport as the island is not so big; however, as we are a group of 4 people so taxi is still very cheap when I divide the money per person. To be honestly, it is just 25 euros for 4 people to travel from the airport to the hostel.

When we arrived at the hostel entrance, it was also the time of sunrise in Santorini which I could only see from our taxi cab, I have spoken out loudly.

- Great, fantastic! It is such a great view that I have not seen for a long time!

-How can it be fantastic like that!

After that we did the early checkin in our hostel then we went to sleep.

I did not wake up in the morning after waking up from the airport the night before. My friends are still sleeping, not awake, but how can I wake up them after a cold night in the airport. Actually, I'm also very tired, but my time here is limited, but this island I have long wished to visit – a lovely romantic and fantastic place on the earth so I cannot waste my precious time here. Therefore, I also had the idea of calling the three of them up for fun, but looking at the good night sleep, clothing thrown out, there should be no hope of waking.

My hotel – Ikaros hotel is quite spacious and also has a tourist cooking area. It lies under a small slope and right next to the highway is the main axis of Santorini. Outside and on the rooftop with a balcony, I also found a swimming pool but in late Spring they probably did not pump water there as the weather was still a little bit cold. Overall, the service and facilities here for me are quite satisfactory, location is right near the center of Thira, bus station, but the price is too good. One bed costs only 15 euros per night for a famous Greek island that is too good, much cheaper in the village of Oia where the pace is much more vibrant.

Before my eyes is the blue sea, far away I can see there are many churches ‘s roofs painted in blue which is a very characteristic color of Santorini, which I feel prominent on the white background. For me, I would say there is no word to describe this ecstatic beauty.

Then, I awakened up my friends, they were all very sleepy and tired, but after we went down to the floors, we would be served with perfect breakfast in Santorini.

It was such a great breakfast included in the hostel booking fee of 15 euros, unbelievably, the full stuff of breakfast has given us more energy to go out after such a long trip.

So I asked my friends walked to Fira, the main town of this island. The hotel receptionist gave us the map and instructions to go out the town very thoroughly, so we go.

In the morning, the air in the island is fresh and  still a little bit of cold, however I know that sunshine is dying everywhere. At 10am the city is still very quiet, sometimes only a few cars run through, occasionally the church bell in the town rang.

• Fira – the main town of Santorini Island.

  

  
  

Thira is the largest and most crowded village in Santorini because it is located in the center of the island, which is home to the majority of the population. Therefore, the shops here are quite abundant, goods in the market and supermarkets are also diverse at reasonable price. Stepping out of the hostel, crossing the nearby highway, I entered the center of Thira. I did not immediately find out that I visited a small souvenirs shop in the village to see the beautiful stuff sold here then we have been just watching the original activities of the inhabitants of the island.

In general, I saw the scenery in the village is quite simple and peaceful, but the highlight is clean and neat planning, the road is laid flat stone likes white legs. I have called the village as a normal, but actually looking at Fira, I felt it is like a small town; rather it is full of vehicles from motorcycles, cars or buses. The people on the island seem quite  and quiet, with black body and white body and black people, they serve as thoughtful and professional as the other famous tourist island. A large part of the people are workers from other parts of the country, especially from Athens, for the tourist season, when the area is extremely busy welcoming visitors massively and shop full capacity day and night.

 

To be honest, when I arrived in Santorini, I knew that I had nothing to regret. Romantic and beautiful,  Santorini does not challenge me anything. Everything in this beautiful, sunny island of Greece is light, relaxed, orderly and very dreamy. That is a beautiful obsession. No, it must be called a phobia!

Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands of the Greek island system. Looks like anyone who comes to Santorini will fall in love with this island.

A friend of mine exclaimed, "Santorini! Perhaps your love for the Greek island of Cyclades (*) begins here, from a mysterious morning waking up to see the volcanic lava between the blue of the sky and the sea. "

I was a strange red lover, but apparently after leaving Santorini, I began to buy myself blue things, from the blue T-shirt to the green book. Blue Santorini! From the moment we set foot on the Hellenic Seaway high seas at Athens' Piraeus seaport to Santorini, except for the sunset, my eyes would no longer receive any color except blue and white. of the Mediterranean Sea with white sand beaches, houses built on the islands are also small, white, rounded top features prominently in the sun. The window frames are also green and the cat is lazy and tilted slowly to the sea, and the lynx also enters the blue background. Ancient Greek traces have been discovered on this island since BC, but volcanic eruptions have caused Santorini to start again. The same eruptions brought about the cobalt blue that characterized the water, the sky and the house in Santorini.

• Santorini - love at the first sight

• 

To Santorini cannot help me as  I cannot resist to taste Santorini Yogurt with the famous traditional flavor here. Then there is Pita scented bread and grilled potato chips. This is something that I had no information before coming here, not knowing how I wandered and discovered this dish. So from then on I eat this dish on the island without being bored. If you want to eat better then you can go to the restaurants and order directly caught seafood, you will not be disappointed in the quality of cuisine and service here.

And I'm a dusty and love-food tourist so eating simply and the main purpose is to ensure the belly to go exploration is full enough with food which will provide more energy

But also the cost of living on the island is not too high, I also often buy bottled water at the grocery store because the price of a bottle of 1l water only about 0.5-1euro is the same. It is normal in other expensive European cities that my country is only taken from the public tap. A small note is that in Santorini or Athens, public tap water will not be able to drink directly like other cities like Paris, Rome or Barcelona.

The house in the center stretches along the mountain, I pass through each corner to gradually feel the land of angels, touching each brick and looking at each window frame selling all the souvenirs around here. . Occasionally I glance to the side to know that our position is very close to the slope overlooking the sea, then I cannot help but rush straight toward the blue sky off a small path. A grand spectacle opened up in front of me...

 

Fira is a small town, but very clean and neat. The bars, restaurants, coffee bars, souvenir shops, tourist offices, car rental shops ... create a multicolored picture of Greece.

 

The interesting thing about this town is that I can feel the roads go downhill, gently, and the stairs go from one point to the next, just go and explore and see so many interesting things on life on this famous island. I just wandered the whole city from row to row, from the alley to the alley to feel the peaceful life and the gentle people.

These are houses with homogeneous white paintings with coban blue domes like mushrooms growing in the midst of a blue sea. I'm lost in the Wonderland. The sun is warm with the cool weather, I enjoy this unique time. I was stunned and I have looked at this beautiful scene for a moment and then I began to move. The construction of houses in succession and spreading from the top to the beach, I can go from house to house with stairs in succession without any obstacle, and whether the landlord saw them It was as if greeting me, perhaps it was the unique way of moving here.

• Santorini – Unique Color for me

I have visited my islands in tropical area such I am from Vietnam. However, in my opinion, Santorini has chosen the unique architecture and color combination which are extremely harmonious and delicate for its own.

I was impressed by the blue-white mark appearing as the main color of the Greek flag, and blends in with the colors of the sky, the sea, creating a sense of lightness and never boring. This made a great impression on me because of the homogeneous architecture that still has the charms which it represents of each house; sometimes the orange, yellow and red spots are pleasant and diverse. But the most amazing thing to me is that the houses that are deep in the heart of the mountain, above the roof are majestic mountains and they are very clever to create harmonious homes in terms of ants. and the conditions of light, air and space in the home.

Feeling through narrow paths down the mountain, and then up through the stairs connecting the houses with each other very interesting, just go and feel, then look down, look up, look to see the sea sky. Each house here can be a cafe, a hotel, or simply a normal small house. What would it be like sitting here, sipping some coffee to watch the sunset, or waking up one morning, opening the window and enjoying the paradise right in front of your eyes?

 

• Watch the sunset in Oia

After Fira is Oia, a small town twenty minutes away by bus. If Fira gives me a strong impression of a crowded, but dreaming island life, about hoofs hovering over rocky slopes, under the bright sun and dry with a look patiently, miserably, OIA gives me a strange sense of relief. OIA is always crowded from four pm to nine pm because this place was voted one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. OIA in Greek reads only IA, but I joke with my friends that perhaps the visitors came here to sing in front of the impressive and romantic beauty of the sunset.

 

I do not know how many couples have come to OIA, leaning head to shoulder together watching the sun gently landed on the calm sea.

Creativity has cleverly blended the sea with warm yellow, purple, and red sunset to turn Santorini into a fairyland with warm colors and blooms. The first is the sails stretching the wind in the afternoon, followed by the old windmill as emerged as the sun gradually slipped into the sea. All proceeds slowly, gently in the soft music and nightmares emanating from the cafes beside the cliffs.

I saw that most of the bars are named sunset, also called sunset OIA. The earth seemed to stop moving and when the last rays of the day slipped down into the ocean, no one told anyone, all the visitors on the island waving hands, whisper softly said: "Bye bye, see you tomorrow ". In Santorini, with many people this social greeting synonymous with the appointment to see the dawn tomorrow.

By the way, you cannot go to Santorini but not visit the sunset in Oia (read Ia), which is rumored to be the most beautiful sunset in the world. I say this to an old friend while looking for a bus route through Oia village. By the last bus route from Oia back to Thira at 8:15 pm, at that time the sunset in Oia was just off, but the road from sunset view to bus station is far away I did not come back in time. So it's about forever ...

 

"Why do you have to worry about that, watching the sunset in Thira is very beautiful, where it is necessary to see through Oia - foreign old friend said.

- Oh, you do not know, it's the most beautiful sunset in the world! - I smile.

He answer

- I do not think so, the best sunset you must go to Kenya, that is the most beautiful place.

 

I have not had the opportunity to go to Kenya to enjoy the place where he speaks, but I still reserve my opinion on Oia. It happened that while wandering in Thira that morning we met two young people from Vietnam are also exploring Santorini like me. They are Thao and Huy, two of them are international students in Belgium. Thao is in the couch surfing of a Perissa resident on the eastern side of the island, while Huy is in the hostel right near me.

• Santorini – Motorbike team

At first we were shocked to meet Vietnamese students here but just after a couple of minutes, we felt more familiar and talked about that we decided to join the group and proposed the afternoon plan to rent a motorbike through Oia. I think it is possible to ride a motorbike because at a hostel I have a glimpse of the car rental price here, only 12 euros / day for a small scooter that travels more convenient. There are a lot of car rental shops, there are all kinds of scooters like small scooter 2 for sale, 3 for big scooter and also for sale. A small note is that the price of gasoline on the island is quite expensive, nearly twice the price of gasoline in Vietnam.

 

We ran along the seafront road to Oia, the roads were quite strong, but generally easy to walk. The people here are very aware of this, so we have to have a motorbike license and a helmet carefully when we get on the car, as far as Vietnam is concerned. Those things when you go to some localities, or when I come to Langkawi Island in Malaysia, there are places where they hire international driver's license, where they are not so strict.

 

Oia is a village located at the top of the top of the island, which is protruding from the sea. You can descend to the edge of the outer edge of the ocean to watch the clear, clear water and then leave the motorcycle at the foot. mountain and walk along the stairs along the mountain to pick up a suitable place to watch the sunset. But in my experience, you should stop at the last bus station in the village, then stroll wandering into the central area of Oia is best because back to get the car will be much easier.

Oia is also home to the same architecture and architecture as Thira, but here it looks a bit more advanced. The restaurants, hotels overlooking the sea also seem nobler luxury because this place specializes in tourism, few indigenous people live here. We walk around a lot in Oia as wandering the old town in Athens or Hoi An, but the difference is that Oia is an old town, walking along the mountain, you will find yourself as tiny in a world full of undulating undulating houses.

If I run out of energy, I will just go back to visit a souvenir shop or clothing store to look at these beautiful souvenirs made for tourists. And finally, I remember the feeling of being in the middle of the forest of tiny cute houses in Oia in order to choose the perfect place to watch the sunset on a small batch. You should go to this place soon because the range from 5h onwards is crowded with people, who sit, sit five fingers hand camera to prepare for the most beautiful moment of the day. I do not bypass the opportunity to quickly find yourself a position best to make the shot in the place is considered the most beautiful sunset in the world such rumored!

The sky is not so beautiful at sunset, but it is enough to satisfy my expectations. The bright red glow of the sun setting on the horizon off the mountain shine creates a majestic spectacle that perhaps few places in the world have.

Having finished the set of sunset, it was dark, now Oia is beautiful under my eyes because the nightlight covered the lights from the houses, cafes and luxury restaurants stretching along the mountains.

And finally, I remember the feeling of being in the middle of the forest to choose the perfect place to watch the sunset on a small batch. We should go to this place soon because the range from 5h onwards is crowded with people, who sit, sit five fingers hand camera to prepare for the most beautiful moment of the day. I do not bypass the opportunity to quickly find yourself a position best to make the shot in the place is considered the most beautiful sunset in the world such rumored! The sky is not so beautiful at sunset, but it is enough to satisfy my expectations. The bright red glow of the sun setting on the horizon off the mountain shine creates a majestic spectacle that perhaps few places in the world have.

• Finished Sunset Shooting in Oia

Having finished the set of sunset in Santorini, it was dark, now Oia is beautiful under my eyes because the nightlight covered the lights from the houses, cafes and luxury restaurants stretching along the mountain. . We look at another time and then decide to take the car to Thira, because it is also 9h already. One day tired of walking and running the motorbike constantly, but what is really worthwhile, I returned to hostel early to sleep for the day to discover the next day.tain. . We look at another time and then decide to take the car to Thira, because it is also 9h already. One day tired of walking and running the motorbike constantly, but what is really worthwhile, I returned to hostel early to sleep to recover power for the next day to discover this beautiful island.

---

Photo gallery