Kamari Beach & Ia, Here We Come

Smart Car
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Written on 5/26/06, 11:30 PM on our patio overlooking the town of Fira, weather is about 68º with a chilly breeze.

May 26, 2006

seeing it in person is far more superior than what any picture can ever illustrate.

Eric & I slept in till about 11 AM this morning. The rental car company who delivered our Smart Car woke us up. I was so excited about driving in the same car Sophie Noveu drove in the DaVinci Code. We chose to eat at this restaurant right next to our hotel called “The Iris Restaurant” – I thought it was good, but Eric did not feel the same way about his 3rd or 4th (I can’t keep up anymore) Souvlaki.

Lunch at Kamari Beach
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We got in the car and drove to the town of Kamari to check out the beach. This black sand beach stretches for 7 km (4 miles) in length along the eastern coast of the island. There were tons of beach bars, fish taverns, souvenir shops and a variety of water activity spots along the length of the beach. We walked around the town going in and out of gift shops. We realized if we did want to go to the beach we needed towels. Eric chose a Greece soccer team towel and I finally decided on a Louis Vuitton Murakami printed one, a pretty decent knock off. Speaking of which, there were TONS of them in, pretty much, every store we went to. Bags, wallets, shirts, bucket caps, watches, and sunglasses – you name it. I, of course, just so happen to need another bag & wallet. I now own an LV wallet & bag, and say I got it in Greece. I’m so stupid.

Kamari Beach
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Eric snagged a cool Greece Soccer Team Jersey, or I should say Football instead of soccer. He also, finally, bought his first bottle of bona fide Greek red wine. After a refreshing cold glass of cappuccino frappe and a plate of banana & pineapple crêpe, we drove back to the hotel to change for dinner. Destination: Oia/Ia, pronounced eeh-yah.

The road to get to Ia is a winding road that hugs the hills of the northeastern coastline. Eric was in focused concentration as he drove uphill and downhill in our little Smart Car. I was getting worried about the less than ¼ tank gas we had left. The closest petrol station was about 10 km away, back where our hotel is.

Ia's beautiful sunset
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Ia is famous for its picturesque rooftops and landscapes. Seeing it in person is far more superior than what any picture can ever illustrate. It just so happens that the time we decided to go was when the sun was about to set – 8:30 PM, perfect timing! We found parking and walked along, high above, the shoreline overlooking the most striking scenery we had ever seen. The thought of running out of gas in the windy roads of Santorini quickly disappeared in my mind. Everyone was looking in the same direction – the amazing sun setting on the horizon of the Aegean Sea. After that was over, the hunger started setting in. Eric went into a mini-market to ask about the town of Amoudi. He’d heard that they had the best seafood in the island. The guy was nice enough to give us directions, but this meant more driving. He then informed Eric that petrol stations close at 9:00 PM. We raced our way back to Imerovigli, towards our hotel. Thank goodness we just made it. We were then set to go back to have the freshest seafood ever.

Eric waiting for his fresh bass
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The Bay of Amoudi is located at the bottom of the cliff that stretches up to the city of Ia. We ate at this restaurant called Katina. I had grilled octopus, while Eric was lucky enough to eat one of the fresh fish that had just been caught and unloaded off of their cargo. He had a grilled Red Snapper – dee-licious!

We decided to make it an early night, 11 PM, since we wanted to hit one of the many beaches early in the morning. We return the car around noon tomorrow, so we have to get back early. Also tomorrow, we set sail at 3 PM in a chartered yacht to see more of what Santorini has to offer…