We were really looking forward to our visit to the Island of Santorini, Greece, but not to the challenge of getting from the ship to Fira City. Fira sits atop a caldera cliff approximately 220 meters (720 feet) above the Old Port where cruise ship passengers arrive by tender. Tour literature says ship passengers can walk up the stairs that zigzag up the cliff face, ride a donkey, catch a ferry to the new port in Oia, or stand in a long line to ride a cable car. Since we were meeting our guide in Fira, we decided to stand in the cable car line. I felt sorry for the people who said it was only 220 meters (720 feet) up the cliff and that they could walk that distance. Apparently, they had never spent much time hiking outdoors, or they would have realized how much effort is required to hike up a cliff 220 meters (720 feet) high on a zigzag trail.
I asked the concierge about getting on one of the first tenders to leave the ship, but he told me the first tenders were reserved for passengers who booked their shore tours through their company. Anyway, they tender ship passengers to the new port in Oia where tour buses pick them up.
We did manage to get on the first tender to the Old Port, and the cable car line wasn't too bad. We made it to the top in about 30 minutes, where we found our guide, Aphrodite Micheli, waiting for us (https://www.santoriginal.com.santorini-private-guide/aphrodite-micheli). We liked Aphrodite right away, and she turned out to be an awesome guide.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Our first stop was the Catholic Church of the Dormition (Three Bells of Fira), one of Santorini's most recognizable landmarks. It stands on the caldera rim between Fira and Firostefani, overlooking the Aegean Sea.
The current church was built in 1757, but religious facilities have stood on this site since the mid-1600s. It is one of Santorini's most photographed landmarks.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Aphrodite suggested we visit Oia first because it is the island's most popular tourist area and tends to get very crowded as more tourists arrive from the cruise ships.
Along the way to Oia, we stopped several times to enjoy the views and take pictures. At one stop, we saw a traditional whitewashed chapel with a two-bell gate tower overlooking the Aegean Sea, which made for an interesting photo.
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| Picture by Sophia |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
At Oia's eastern entrance is a large arch that leads to the Church of Agios Georgios (Saint George), a historic Greek Orthodox church. It was built in the early 19th century and also known as Agios Georgios Perivolas or Apanomeritis (referring to Oia's former name, Apano Meria).
A devastating earthquake almost completely destroyed the church in 1956, but shipowner Loukas Nomikos restored it in 1966. His bust stands in the courtyard, along with what I think was the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which commemorates the Virgin Mary's being taken into heaven. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, this event is associated with the Dormition of the Theotokos, celebrated annually on August 15.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The marble-tiled pedestrian walkway (Nikolaou Nomikou) through Oia is part of the famous Fira-Oia hiking route and passes shops, restaurants, and traditional whitewashed buildings. From the promenade, there are great views of Santorini's volcanic caldera and the Aegean Sea.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
While walking along Nikolaou Nomikou, we passed a small public park with the Oia War Memorial (Monument to the Fallen), which commemorates local residents who died in wartime.
Located behind the monument is the Chapel of the Transfiguration of Christ the Saviour.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
While we were walking along Nikolaou Nomikou there was an old telephone on a table in front of the Lauda Restaurant. A placard explained that the restaurant installed this telephone as Oia's first, and it played an important role in the "development of Santorini's tourism and culinary culture."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
In Oia's main square stands the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Akathist Hymn (Church of Panagia Platsani). Originally, the church stood within the Venetian Castle of Oia, but an earthquake destroyed it in 1956, and it was rebuilt in 1965 at this location.
Just a short distance away is the Stauros (Holy Cross) church, which also has a blue dome
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Blue-Domed Churches of Oia are among Santorini's most photographed landmarks. In the foreground is the Church of Agios Spyridonas (Saint Spyridon); behind it is the Church of Anastasis (Resurrection of Christ), and the smaller blue-domed bell tower on the left completes this famous picturesque group.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
We walked westward past the Santorini Maritime Museum and the Church of Agios Dimnitrios (Saint Demetrius) before reaching the historic Windmills of Oia overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Windmills have been used on Santorini since at least the 14th century, and at one time, 70 mills were being operated, grinding wheat and barley into flour for bread and other foods. Most windmills were located on hills near the sea to take advantage of the strong Aegean winds known as "Meltemi."
The windmills were cylindrical stone structures with whitewashed walls and conical roofs. Large wooden sails captured the wind, turned the drive mechanism, and, through a system of wooden gears, transferred the energy to rotating millstones that ground grain into flour.
Some of the windmills have now been converted into private residences or luxury tourist accommodations.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Near the ruins of the Venetian Castle of Oia stands a whitewashed bell tower with four bells. The four bells are arranged in a Cycladic bell gable, with three bells below and one above. Different-sized bells produce different tones and can be rung in various combinations. Tourist literature states that church bells have long played an important role in Greek Orthodox communities, announcing religious services, celebrating important occasions, and marking solemn events.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
A sign on a church was translated to read: "Holy Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary Dependency of the Monastery of Hozoviotissa, Amorgos." Literature explains that "The dedication commemorates the Orthodox tradition that the Virgin Mary, while still a young child, was brought by her parents, Joachim and Anna, to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated to God. The Orthodox Church celebrates the feast annually on November 21." The sign also notes that the Oia church is connected with the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa on the Greek island of Amorgos, which dates to the 11th century.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Before leaving Oia, some couples attach a padlock to the railing near Oia Castle, known as "love locks" as a symbol of lasting love. They discard the key so the lock remains unbroken.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Santorini is a relatively small island, about 16.5 miles long by car, so we went from Oia on the north tip to the Akrotiri Lighthouse on the south tip. This allowed us to spend as much time as we wanted at the end of the day in Fira, where the cable car is located.
A French lighthouse company built the Akrotiri Lighthouse in 1892, and it is one of Greece's oldest surviving lighthouses. Originally, the light was fueled by oil and required a lighthouse keeper, but in 1983 it was connected to electricity and became fully automated in 1988. It has a range of about 24 nautical miles (44 km/28 miles).
After leaving the lighthouse, we stopped for lunch at Faros Santorini, a family-run restaurant serving traditional Greek and Santorinian food. Aphrodite knew all of the best places to stop.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
White Beach is located near Akrotiri in a secluded cove that is only reached by boat. Unfortunately, we didn't have a boat, so we only photographed the beach from the road.
The next cove to the north contains Red Beach, and we could drive down to it. It gets its name from the coloration associated with iron-rich volcanic rock and is one of the island's most recognizable and photographed landscapes.
Beneath the red volcanic cliffs is the Church of Agios Nikolaos Mavrorachidi (Saint Nicholas), which stands near the end of the road where the walking path to Red Beach begins. Saint Nicholas is traditionally honored as the protector of sailors and seafarers, which helps explain why it stands near the Aegean Sea.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
(Continued in the next blog)
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