After a long 3 grading periods of school, I was looking forward to spring break more than anything else. My family and I planned a trip to Greece, and it was definitely one of my most favorite trips ever. Our trip was for one week, and we visited many places. My most favorite place on this trip was Santorini. We stayed in Santorini for about 2 and a half days.
It started in Athens, where we took a Blue Star Delos Ferry from the port of Athens to the port in Santorini. A flight would take around 45 minutes but the ferry took about 7 hours. Although a long wait, the views, and scenery of the small islands and blue water were amazing. Once in Santorini, we stayed at a house a few minutes from Oia, the most expensive and famous part of the island. The view from our house was amazing as it was right by the water and the gentle cool breeze brushed past our faces. The caldera, which means the area on the cliff, is the place in Oia with the best views, so we decided to head there for awesome pictures. One thing about Santorini and Greece, in general, is that walking is the most efficient way of transportation here. With narrow roads and crowded streets walking is the fastest and most effective way to get around. We parked our car in a nearby parking lot and walked 15 minutes up the cliff to the Caldera. The town of Oia was straight out of a movie. What amazed me the most was the architecture and precision required to balance each building on the side of the cliff while maintaining a great view and keeping it easy to get around town. The buildings in the caldera were mainly white, and the churches had blue painted on their domes. The idea of keeping the entire town one color really made it stand out as it all looked like a synchronized colony. From a distance the white houses made the caldera look like a mountain top covered in snow ready to be skied on.
My family and I took a stroll down the streets as we admired the beautiful buildings and the attention to detail. We stopped at a local restaurant called Skiza Cafe where we had a traditional Greek lunch including Greek salad and chicken souvlaki. We also got a few cappuccinos and ice cream to sip down as we admired the view. As we reached the top of the caldera we could see different islands in the distance, even the volcano that’s responsible for creating the island of Santorini. My favorite part about the caldera was the donkeys that carried materials for construction. With tight narrow roads, cars and trucks wouldn’t be able to deliver materials from point A to B, therefore dozens of donkeys carried materials on their backs up the caldera. The caldera will go down as one of my favorite trips with its beautiful views of the islands, cliffs, greek architecture, and peaceful stone streets.