Greek Trek 2017: Santorini Part 2– Oia

Our last stop on this trip is the town of Oia on the island of Santorini.  First, the name is pronounced Ē’ă.  That is a long e with a short a, with the emphasis on the e.  Oia is the polar opposite of Fira.  Fira you had to go up and down tons of stairs.  Oia has all its major shops on one main pedestrian walkway at the top of the town.  You can descend stairs to other places, if you so desire.  Oia is also the best place for watching sunsets.

              Oia is on a peninsula while Fira’s location is at about the center of the island.

This is the main shopping area.  It is linear so you don’t have to go up and down stairs.  Makes shopping a much more pleasant experience on a hot day.

Original inhabitants lived in the caves, which are now luxury hotels.  They are naturally cool in the summer.  The temperature inside the caves can reach a balmy 68O and as low as 62O.  That compared to the high 90’s outside on a summer day.

This interesting item is, believe it or not, on top of a building that is below street level clinging to the side of the cliff.

This shop had two interesting Pinocchio puppets on display outside on an old child’s tricycle.

Art is everywhere like this mosaic on the wall of a restaurant.

This restaurant had a very classical painting type sign out front.

As well as this art gallery.

 

I decided to have something to eat on the rooftop dining area of a taverna.  This place offered a variety of nice views from the terrace.  You can look out over the caldera and enjoy the scene.

Or you can look out over the town of Oia and enjoy the view.

Or you can concentrate on the view closer to the taverna.

This church was along the main walking area at the top of Oia.  Unfortunately, it was closed to visitors at this time.

Here is an unfortunate sign of the times.  Because of Oia’s rich and famous visitors, the Paparazzi in particular, and the public in general, cannot fly drones around Oia without special permission.  There was a sign on the school that said that photos of the children are prohibited.  It is a sad commentary of our times.

Oia is a jumble of juxtapositions and contradictions.  Here is a beautiful church.

But zooming in closer there is a bikini babe working on her tan on the wall next to the church.

It was a very hot day but this woman looks a cool as can be.

Artisans of all types have their shops along the main shopping walkway.

And even the Great White Whale has a shop here.

There are steps along this main shopping walkway but they are very gentle descents and ascents, unlike Fira.

The fish are busy here in Oia as well cleaning people’s feet.  (We first saw the fish do their thing in Athens.)

As with all the islands, the cats are on Santorini as well.

One shopkeeper was so enterprising as to set up a cat rental.

This building stood out because it wasn’t white.

I couldn’t help but notice that there was always a place close by if the need for food or drink suddenly overtook you.  This was the case all over Greece.  If anything, you will never go thirsty or hungry.

Oia has stunning views no matter where you looked over the caldera.  And yes, Oia has windmills.

But as the sun sets I must go back to my hotel and busy myself with getting ready to return home.  I have bags to drag and planes to catch.  It is on to the next adventure.

If you are interested in taking the same tour I did, you must not be faint of heart.  It is a grueling trek.  It consisted on 3 nights in Athens, 3 nights on Mykonos, 3 nights on the cruise ship, and 3 nights on Santorini.  Homeric Tours offers this tour and it is called the Aegean Escape.  Be aware, depending on your flight arrival in Athens, you must be up early the next morning for the Athens tour.  The cruise ship taking you to Mykonos leaves Athens at noon your 4th day and takes until 6:30 pm to arrive at the port in Mykonos.  You do not leave the hotel to board the ship for your cruise until 5:30 pm in your 4th day on Mykonos.  When you leave Santorini, you have the choice of paying to fly out or take a ferry back to Athens for your return flight.  I suggest paying for the flight.  I will say that if you are up to the schedule, this tour is great.  You get to catch the different flavors of Greece.  By this I mean not just the food, which was fantastic, but the people you meet along the way as well.  But, like I said above, it is time to say good bye to Greece and be off on a new adventure.

Copyright © 2018  John J Campo

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