Day 9: All roads lead to Fira

Today, we went to Santorini! We got up at our usual time, had our typical breakfast of Greek yogurt with honey, went on a nice walk, and then wheeled our suitcases down to the port. Standing in line with everyone to get on the Blue Star ferries can be overwhelming, but Will and I have a system down to guarantee we make it to the front of the line.

Two hours later, the beautiful white houses of Santorini dotted the cliffside. We got off the boat and I had arranged for a driver to take us to our Airbnb. Another Italian family got in the car as well, and we were on our way with every seat filled.

The roads, or I should say, road, in Santorini confuses me. There is one narrow road that winds up the path from the new port to the top of the cliff. Buses and bikers barely avoid collision. Our driver swerves in and out of lanes trying to pass other drivers and thirty minutes later I have my eyes shut tight, trying not to be sick.

I was 100% convinced that as soon as we got to our Airbnb that I was going to be sick, I just needed to wait that long. Right when we got there the host collected us and another group to give us a little orientation on the island and that was the perfect distraction. He gave us maps with good beaches and restaurants, as well as tour opportunities.

It was getting late by the time he was done so Will and I headed into our town, Kamari, to explore and get dinner. Kamari is a smaller tourist town on Santorini. Our host informed us that the southern side of the island is less expensive than the northern side and we are located directly in the middle.

The beach on Kamari is black pebbles and it runs very hot! In fact, Santorini runs way hotter than any of the previous islands, due to the lack of wind. There is a pedestrian walk parallel to the beach with cute stores and seaside restaurants. From our side of the island, we cannot see the sun actually set (sorry Will), but the sunrise, which I personally prefer.

We went to the #1 recommended restaurant in town, Almiras, and both tried Red Donkey, an amber ale created by a brewing company on the island. We tried Tomatokeftedes, traditional Santorini tomato balls, as an appetizer, which was wonderful. Will now has a list of Greek foods he wants to try, so he got moussaka and I got a Santorini salad. Both were great!

At the end of the night, we had to hike back to our rooms. Our airbnb is at the top of a winding, steep hill only accessible by walking up the main road. The views at the top are great, but we were both sweating by the time we got to our room.

We had big plans for the next day, so we crawled into bed early.