Greece: Fira (Santorini)

Akrotiri, Greece: en route to red beach
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Despite our late night, Mike and I were ready for a full day of sightseeing, as were Mark and Phil.  Our first order of business was to rent a car, since public transportation in the Greek Isles is not exactly the greatest, most efficient way to travel.

We originally planned on renting ATVs, but Phil was not thrilled with the idea, so we picked up a small rental car for about $30.00/day.  Everyone wanted to relax on the beach for the afternoon, and, although Santorini doesn't have classic, sandy beaches, it does have its share of unique volcanic sunspots.

Beach, Donkeys, Sunset, Drinks, Sunrise

Akrotiri, Greece: red beach
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I had previously been to the vast Kamari Beach, a black sand beach so hot you had to use sunbeds and wear flip flops at all times.  I figured we might as well check out a new beach, and Mark told us about one he visited last time on the opposite side of the island called, simply, Red Beach.

It proved to be an excellent choice.  The ride across the island provided stunning vistas of the cliffs and we stopped on the way out for some beautiful photos.  It didn't take us long to get to Red Beach, and we quickly discovered that many people had the same idea.

Akrotiri, Greece: phil and the fruit guy
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To get to the beach you have to walk along a rocky trail that leads around a cliff which then opens up to the small, but magnificent reddish tinted beach.  It looks like it was carved right into the rock.

The beach was composed of fine pebbles, but certainly not sandy.  The water had its fair share of rocks, so, overall, the beach is not exactly the most perfect playa I had ever visited.  The views made the effort worthwhile however.  And, no, I don't necessarily mean the views of the numerous topless sunbathers.

Fira, Greece: on the road to fira
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We delighted in buying a tub of fresh grapes from a local vendor, and Phil didn't hesitate to get a funny picture with the happy man.  There was a large group of Italian girls sitting near us, and Phil did his best to interact with them.

We didn't stay at the beach terribly long, as we were eager to get into town and ride the donkeys.  En route to Fira, we stopped at a spectacular lookout below a whitewashed church facing the caldera, a view from which I had numerous pictures when I visited in 2002.

Fira, Greece: no explanation needed
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We walked through the busy streets to the cable car which would carry us to the bottom of the cliff.  Phil, unfortunately, declined, as he was scared of the cable car and the donkey ride (although he would not admit this).

The cable car ride was quite fun, if not slightly unsettling, but the real fun was just beginning.  We stayed at the port for about five minutes before we got in line to ride the donkeys.

For those unfamiliar with the practice, the Santorini donkey rides are quite legendary and have been the tourist excursion of choice for years.  The locals lead a pack of donkeys up the steep, zigzag path to the top of the cliff into Fira town.  The views are sensational as expected, and the donkeys add to the unique experience.

Fira, Greece: rugged cliffs of santorini
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Mike, Mark, and I had a fun competition, but Mark's donkey pulled away in the end.  The trick with the donkeys is to avoid scraping your legs against the walls when you turn the corner.  I always get knocked into the wall at some point.  The ride never gets old though, a true Greek experience.

Following the donkey rides, we picked up Phil and drove to Oia, a town at the northern tip of Santorini, to watch one of the world's most famous sunsets from the most popular spot.  I had never viewed the sunset from Oia the two previous times I visited, so I was really looking forward to it.

Fira, Greece: santorini's volcanic islets
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When we got to Oia, we couldn't believe the amount of people packed into the cramped alleyways.  We walked to the edge where there was some kind of ancient fortification and set up shop along with several hundred other tourists.

No one was disappointed.  The sun set brilliantly, in a way that only the Greek Isles could provide.  This was the first sunset I've ever seen in my life where people actually clapped after it went down.  It was that good.

We drove back into Firostefani where we had a fantastic traditional meal at a local taverna that was far from a tourist trap.  Then we headed into town for an absolutely raucous evening.

Fira, Greece: phil and i
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Our evening began and ended at Koo Club, the massive open-air club in Fira.  Countless drinks were consumed and many friends were made.  There were Americans, Australians, Greeks, and many more nationalities represented.

We hung out with a large group of rowdy Australians (are they ever not fun?) and basically took over our section of the club.  It would be a long, long night.  We talked to some Greek girls from Thessaloniki (Mike's favorite Greek city), and then finally made our way into town after shutting down the club.

Fira, Greece: cable car action
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Of course there had to be some macho American guy who started a fight with a local.  We were all embarrassed for our country after seeing this pathetic sight.   Gives us all a bad name.

Our arrival at the apartment came at the early hour of 6:15 a.m., just in time to see the beautiful sunrise over the neighboring island of Anafi.  This would begin a string of consecutive sunrises watched that I'll probably never match again in my life.