Santorini

I don't yet have pictures to post from Santorini, but here is a map I found online to show you where I spent my weekend.

Near the bottom right you see the town of Perissa. This is where my travel buddy Katie and I stayed. Our hotel, "Anny's Studios", was only 12 euro a night (equivalent of $16). Anny's was not only located right on the beach, but they had a pool and a poolside bar that served great pina coladas :) Tourist season is approaching but not quite here yet, which is why our accomodations were inexpensive. I thought it was perfect timing to go; the island was quiet and the weather was great.

Instead of taking buses around the island, we opted to rent an ATV (4-wheeler) for two days. On Saturday we went from Perissa - Akrotiri - the "Red Beach" (the sand really is red) - Fira. In the capital of Fira, we got on a boat that took us to that little island, rather, Volcano. We toured the national park to see the volcano that last erupted in 1950.

The boat also took us to the hot springs, where we were able to swim. The catch is you have to jump off of the boat into FREEZING cold water and swim to the warm stuff. We braved it. The hot springs aren't exactly pretty - the water is a yellowish color from the volcanic sulfur. For the rest of the day, I was covered in a rusty residue. I discovered that Santorini is an island of many colors - the beach at Perissa has black sand, the red beach has red sand, and other parts of the island have the typical white beaches. There is no shortage of greenery, either.

The ATV rental was a good purchase. We told ourselves that it was like a convertible, only cheaper. (Ok, so it was more dangerous too... sorry mom.) It was exhilarating to drive on the winding mountainous roads up to the town of Oia (see top of map). If driving by ATV, the trip from Perissa to Oia is only about 45 minutes. Oia, or Ia (ee-ah), is known for its beautiful sunset. Beautiful is an understatement. It is ranked among the best sunsets in the entire world. Here is another photo I found online, which will have to do until I post my own.

Not bad, huh?