Southern Santorini

Today's post is more of a photo post than a written one, so enjoy the views of Southern Santorini which include views from Megalochori, Emborio, Pyrgos, and Prophet Elias. Enjoy the views!


Emborio is one of the two villages with a castle ruin; you can see how people used to live in the surrounding streets, with small doorways so you had to bow before entering someone's home. I thought these doorways were built perfectly for someone my height :)


Emborio residents live in some of the homes. The interior is modern, even though the outside is preserved as it was built.


The streets of Emborio are narrow, but clean.


Every village has a town square, this is the one in Megalohori.

The church by the sea in Megalohori, the town built along a river bed (which is actually a stream since Santorini only gets about 11 inches of rain a year).


Prophet Elias Monastery.


Tile work in the walls surrounding the monastery showing the vines that support the monastery.


Also showing the "secret" signs that the ancient followers used to identify themselves to each other.


Since all churches must sustain themselves without state support, they sell wines, icons, and olives.


The church in Pyrgos.

Only in Greece do you find a Ouzeria (Ouzo bar) INSIDE a church.


The walkways around Pyrgos are cool because they are carved out paths which are protected from sun and wind.

The view from Pyrgos.

Akrotiri & Perivolos Beach

Although I love Kamari beach, there are several beaches in Santorini and to give you an idea of some of the others, this is Perivolos (or little Perissa). It is much calmer in both wind and surf than Kamari, but also the atmosphere is quite different. Perivolos is very small and quiet with a total of five restaurants and one shop on the entire beach. You may prefer this if you like quiet beaches with amenities and don't mind paying $100 for a Tshirt (the price in the one shop on the beach).
There is also sand here as opposed to the rocks and pebbles of Kamari.

Akrotiri on the Southern end of the island is a very barren secluded area, with only one hotel and attached restaurant/cafe.

If you walk around the bend here you will arrive at the famous Red Beach and Moon Beach.

As you walk around the bend, you see sights like this, where the sea and surf has literally washed away what used to be homes and restaurants (although a few restaurants still remain and are operational).

Climbing to the top of the hill to Red and Moon beach, there is a church built into the hillside.


To get to Red and Moon Beach, you must climb over the hill, like these people.
Or climb past the boulders like these people to get the the Red Beach that looks like it is on Mars.

To get to Moon Beach, you must climb over the hill to the white part showing on the left part of the photo.

This is Moon Beach, which is even more barren and secluded than Red Beach.

I chose to just take pictures and hiked back to the hotel in Akrotiri to sip a freshly squeezed orange juice as I watched the waves.

Shopping & Ice Cream

Andromeda is located on a side street in Kamari, leading to the beach and to the main bus stop, so it gets a steady flow of foot traffic. Even though it sells unique items that are not the average beachwear or souvenir shop staples, many boutique lovers (like me) are drawn to the colorful displays of jewelry, clothing, and accessories which adorn the storefront. Andromeda has everything from red coral and lava stone earrings, pendants, and bracelets, to gorgeous embroidered sundresses.
I bought this red embroidered dress (which was on the mannequin in front of the store on the right side of the photo) for only 15 euros ($18).


Poniros Jewelery in Fira has a a beautiful showcase of their volcano inspired diamond jewelry which uses black diamonds to simulate the black lava. I thought that the inspiration of making flowers out of the deadly lava color stones was brilliant. If you buy anything dutiable, make sure you keep your receipt so you can get your VAT refund at the airport before returning stateside.

Some pleasures don't last as long as dresses and jewelry, but having a scoop of the local Greek yogurt and sour cherry gelato at the beach is one of those priceless memories that last forever.

Nichteri

Nichteri was one of my three favorite places to eat on Santorini. Both the manager of my hotel, Vaggelis, and Tripadvisor highly recommended eating at this Kamari Beach restaurant; a great sign when both tourists and locals like a place that is situated on a prime beachfront location.

The number and variety of patrons attested to the popularity of the place and I was happy to find the quality of the food was excellent. Locals regulars were greeted by name and they knew to reserve ahead of time to get one of the tables along the beach (although all tables had a view).

Many came in groups to share appetizers like the white eggplant salad (which is more like a spread), or this saganaki cheese. The cheese is fried and has a slightly salty taste with the consistency of string cheese, not too soft nor firm, but even though it was addictive, the portion was definitely too much for one person.

Their fried tomato balls are fantastic fritters of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and herbs in a crispy light batter that could be a meal in and of itself.

I loved the slight taste of fresh minty basil infused into every bite.

They make the best grilled calamari I had during my entire stay. The calamari itself was about 10 inches long and a good 4 inches wide, tender and perfectly grilled with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and a light drizzle of lemon. Served with a side tower of peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, this is a very filling dish (if you eat it all, which I did).


Although many restaurants advertised grilled sardines, they were one of the few which had them and served them as delightful bites drizzled with a red pepper sauce (not spicy) on a bed of green peppers (also not spicy). I managed to eat most of this dish, but it would have been great to share this as an appetizer.


None of the dishes pictured here cost more than 12 Euros ($15) and some were 5 Euros ($7), wines by the glass were also 5 Euros ($7), so you can see why locals and tourists flock here for the quality of the dishes and the professionalism of the staff. I ate here nearly every other day and barely made a dent through the extensive menu; guess that means I just have to go back with more people next time!

Cayo Perivolos Beach

I had lunch one day at Perivolos beach, just to see if the food at this quiet beach was as fabulous as Kamari, where I was staying. After walking up and down the two block stretch of beachfront restaurants, I chose to eat at Cayo, which seemed laid back, local, and when the manager assured me that if I did not like the moussaka he would not charge me, I said, ok.

This is the view from the restaurant, unlike Kamari, there is only one side of the beachfront road which is built up with restaurants (and only six restaurants in total along the entire stretch).


I started with a Santorini salad, made with local cheese, sun dried tomatoes, arugula and spring greens. Unfortunately there was so much (and so much dressing) that I could only manage to eat about a third of this dish. The arugula had large chewy stems, so it was definitely wild, but not very tender.

The moussaka was made with the famous white eggplant of Santorini, making it tender and slightly sweet (no bitterness at all). It was a huge portion (enough for two) and good enough that I did not have to ask for it to be taken off the bill :-)


I was served a complimentary wedge of watermelon for dessert and it was a welcome refreshment after the rich moussaka.

I ordered a Greek Coffee to end my meal, and for those of you who have never had it, it is strong like espresso, but made with grounds, so you drink only about half of this cup or you will literally end up with grounds in your mouth because it is not filtered like espresso.



Cayo was very friendly and the view was unbeatable, but the food compared to my favorite places in Kamari and Firostefani fell short, so I went back to one of my favorite restaurants in Kamari for dinner, Nichteri (tomorrow's post).

Oia

Oia (pronounced Eea) is probably the most famous village in Santorini for its views of the Caldera.


Everywhere you walk or look, there is another stunning vista, whether it's from behind a church, or from the main road.

Since Santorini has 350 churches scattered throughout the island, there are always several churches in a village.


The views of the Caldera are breath taking from every angle.


The way that sunlight illuminates the buildings here gives them a magical quality.


The ingenuity and skill it took to build here is a testament to willpower.

Some hotels give you both a view and a pool (since the nearest beach is a hike away on the other side of the island).

There was an earthquake in 1956 that destroyed most of this village. The population went from 1900 to 500 after the quake. Some homes have never been repaired.


Some homes are "For Sale" (written on the wall in red), talk about a fixer upper with a view!


(This is the view from that home that is for sale)


The nearest beach to Oia is Ammoudi and you must hike down to it (and hike back up at the end of your day).


Oia is an artist colony, with artisans displaying and selling their work in the village.

The things sold here are unique and you can actually say you bought something made by hand in Greece if you shop here.

I returned to Oia several times during my stay, but learned to avoid week-ends and cruise ship arrival times when the streets are literally clogged with people. If you go in the afternoon during the week, you will get to stroll the streets and drink in the sights without drowning in a sea of humanity, and you will say "Ahhhh Oia".