Let's go to Santorini, Greece

by - September 08, 2019

building landscape

Santorini is a small island about 200km southeast of mainland Greece. It is one of the Cyclades islands, a small group of islands located in the Aegean sea which was a former administrative prefecture of Greece.It is accessible by ferry or by airplane which leaves from Athens, an approximated 30 minute journey.

 Let's go...
building with blue door
Photo by Ryan Spencer
landscape of buildings and ocean
Photo by Ryan Spencer

Upon arrival on the island, struck first by the sight of pristine white and blue buildings, a feeling of awe overtook me. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The locals were warm and welcoming and that cosy home-away-from-home feeling was what I admired on the island. 

For the duration of the trip, the accommodation was a hostel located in the town center of the island. From there, everything was easily accessible. The hostel provided information on different restaurants and various activities that could be done in Santorini while providing the opportunity to meet other travellers. 

One activity in particular that was quite exciting was an escape game and for those of you that don’t know what it is, well, an escape game is a team-based activity where participants are locked in a room and are required to work collaboratively in order to find clues and solve puzzles and ultimately escape the room or series of rooms before the time is up.

This escape game was called “Escape Santorini”, what a fitting name. The room in which my team and I were assigned to was called… drum roll please… “the Volcano room”... I bet you were expecting the Santorini room, well no, that would be too cliché, don’t you think? 
This room was based on the historical occurences of the volcano located in Santorini and its eruptions and speaking of the volcano, you should add that to your to-do list as I did. 

When travelling, you should do things that you never thought you would ever do… so here begins my horror story… there I was heart in hand, terrified of heights but my friends persuaded me to do this… was I regretting coming along for the trip... Oh well, it was too late now. You needed to take a short boat ride to arrive at your “Final Destination” and for those of you who have never watched the film, spoiler alert, it’s not for the faint of heart. 

Guess what activity came before actually arriving at the boat’s location… *cue drum roll*... walking! Yes, you needed to walk or hike rather, a few thousand steps to arrive at the dock but it was not as exhausting as it may have seemed. Another option would have been to take the funicular if you didn’t feel like walking or if you’re weren’t in a position to do so. It’s much more convenient, but if you like the exercise, walking is the way to go.
landscape of volcano in Santorini
Photo by Artiom Vallat
Santorini volcano in distance
Santorini Volcano
After arrival at the base of the volcano, we disembarked and we now needed to take a hike up to the summit of the volcano. Let’s just say that my heart was still pumping and the adrenaline was building even more now. Climbing up the volcano and passing many craters, I envisaged myself falling to my doom. I was quite nervous. Wouldn’t you be? This is not the moment where I plummet to my death, after all I am the hero of my story, it would be unjust for me to die at this point and by now you have gathered that I didn’t die or I wouldn’t be able to tell this tale. Thus, I reached the top, I was feeling triumphant at this point but then I smelt Sulphur quite prominently. I was sure the Devil was coming from hell to devour… my friends…they were the ones who persuaded me to come. I was humbled and intrigued all at once at the sight and feeling of the heat and steam rising from the rocks because the volcano though dormant, was still active.

We had to go back to the dock but this time we took the funicular which was somewhat nerve-wracking due to my aforementioned fear of heights. You could also take a donkey to arrive at the dock site. The donkey did the walking for you, all that was missing were the palm leaves and the people to announce your arrival. In the end though, this was an experience that I am glad I had the opportunity to have had.
a typical santorini sunset on a beautiful day
A typical Santorini Sunset
At the end of a beautiful day, a Santorini sunset is definitely a sight to behold so feel free to add that to your list of things to do when going to Santorini, Greece. You can take a taxi ride or a nice hike from one end of the island to the other to gaze upon the picturesque, iconic white and blue buildings in all their splendor and the beautiful sunset over the horizon. Whether travelling, in a group or alone, ending your day in admiration of a magical Santorini sunset should surely be a part of your experience on this island.

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4 comments

  1. Unknown15 September 2019 at 19:04

    Looking forward to reading more adventures. How many days would you say are needed to explore Santorini

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ArthurIdyllicVoyages22 September 2019 at 18:31

      Thank you for your comment.

      We would recommend 3 days to 1 week but this depends on what type of traveller you are and if you get 'restless' in one place for long periods of time.

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  2. Ohr16 September 2019 at 10:09

    It was an interesting read. I like your use of language. Keep doing what you're doing to bring that jovial view of life to us.:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. ArthurIdyllicVoyages22 September 2019 at 18:31

    Thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete

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