Greece: Firostefani (Santorini)

Naxos, Greece: stopping at naxos en route to santorini
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I left Paros ready for the final leg of my summer tour - two+ weeks with my friends from Boston in the party islands.  This was my true vacation.  Not much moving around.  Just relaxing at the beach and enjoying the Greek isle nightlife.  A perfect end to my summer.

I was going to meet three of my best friends on Santorini - Phil, Mike, and Mark.  I had met up with Mark on Santorini the previous year, so he was familiar with the wonders of the isles.  For Mike and Phil it was their first trip to Greece, so of course we had to start the tour in Santorini, one of the world's most spectacular locations.

Crowded Cliffs

Oia, Greece: passing oia
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My ferry from Paros stopped at the adjacent island of Naxos which I would visit later in the trip with Mike, after Mark and Phil returned to Boston.  The ferry was packed, and, as we neared the famous cliffs of Santorini (which you could never tell existed from the angle we came in), everyone gathered along the west-facing rails of the ship, digital cameras and video cameras ready for action.

It truly is a remarkable sight, and, this being my third visit in four years to Santorini, doesn't really get old.  At first the houses on the cliff edge look like snow, but, as you get closer, their precarious perch is exposed to the awe of those seeing it for the first time.

Oia, Greece: the incredible cliffs of santorini
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Although overly crammed with package tourists, cruise ships, Americans, and amateur travelers, Santorini is still one of the most sensational locations in the entire world.  Its natural, unique beauty cannot be questioned, and the nightlife is surprisingly good.

Obviously there are drawbacks - countless honeymooners, expensive everything, lack of sandy beaches, little solitude, etc.  However, I really believe it is one of those few places that, no matter how many tourists are there, it still retains its splendor in a way few places can.

Firostefani, Greece: our apartment in santorini
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For those unaware of Santorini, the island is of volcanic origin, with a central massive, submerged volcanic crater, or caldera, separating the five islands of Santorini - Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Aspronisi, Therasia, and Thera (the main island).

It is thought that the most powerful volcanic eruption in the history of the earth occurred on Santorini approximately 3,500 years ago, possibly wiping out the nearby Minoan civilization, centered on the island of Crete.  Many people still believe that Santorini was the actual site of Atlantis, a mythical island famously proffered by the Greek philosopher Plato.

Firostefani, Greece: view from our santorini apartment
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Today Santorini thrives on its absurd amount of tourists, with a strong wine industry to back it up, not that it needs it.  I arrived at the port, down a zigzag road from the top of the cliff, several hours before my friends arrived from a Boston - Amsterdam - Athens - Santorini flight.

I took the public bus up to Firostefani, the next town over from Fira, the most populous town on the island which was a total population of 13,000.  Mike had booked the apartment for us, a spacious, clean place with a front and back balcony looking at the backside of the island (cliffside apartments are not cheap at all).

Firostefani, Greece: caldera leading to imerovigli
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It was a welcome change to have so much room, probably the biggest place I've slept in all summer.  The guys were due to arrive later that night, so I took a pleasant cliffside walk over to Fira and wandered the tiny alleys while admiring the majestic views.

My friends arrived just before sunset.  It was great to see them after almost two months on the road.  They were all pretty tired, but everyone rallied to go watch the sunset out by Imerovigli, a neighboring town on the caldera rim.

Firostefani, Greece: one of many cruise ships
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We set up shop near an exposed church, along with several other people, and snapped countless pics of the hard to believe sunset.  We then took the long walk into bustling Fira and, after several tries, finally found a place for dinner.

This would be our first installment of saganaki, the delicious Greek fried cheese.  I'm pretty sure we would order this every single night for the rest of our trip.  The heavy dinner made everyone even more tired, so we returned to the room and Mark and Phil went to sleep.

Firostefani, Greece: sweet pool
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However, Mike regained some energy, and we went out to hit up the Santorini nightlife.  Our first stop was a ridiculously loud rock bar that I visited the previous year, and we didn't stay long.

After our ears recovered, we wandered the streets of Fira, stopping at a massive outdoor club, Koo Club, and then went over to Murphy's Irish Pub.  I know, another Irish bar.  You can't escape them.  They're especially hard to avoid because they're almost always the most packed and exciting bars in any city.

Fira, Greece: the main town of santorini
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We took a leisurely stroll back to the apartment around 4:30 a.m., meeting a couple Boston girls along the way.  Not a surprise considering Santorini is an American tourist mecca.  It hasn't lost its magic though...