Loving It Oia
Life on Oia – which you would expect to pronounce as ‘oyah’ but is actually pronounced ‘eeyah’ (as in that thing on the side of your head that you use to heeyah) – is not too shabby at all.
Just sitting out the front and taking in the view is our favourite pastime. There’s an espresso machine, a pool to cool off in, blue skies, comfy chairs and no real reason to want to leave the house…ever!
After a nice easy morning, we did dare to venture past our front gate and boarded a bus to Thira, confusingly pronounced ‘Fira’ (or maybe it’s the other way around?) Thira had a lot more going on than Oia and was a busy little metropolis with shops, hotels, petrol stations and businesses. We had our very first taste of European Maccas, which weirdly substitutes the signature red and yellow with green and yellow. We hardly even recognised it. They didn’t have as many burgers as we do back home but they did have something we don’t have…the McGreek! The boys’ curiosity compelled them to order this tasty parcel of Greek goodness, the Greek Mac consisting of a meat pattie, lettuce, tomato, red onion and Greek yoghurt, wrapped in a soft, thick pita bun folded in half. They both gave it the thumbs up.
Taking our lives in our hands, we entered the bus depot at Thira, with the aim of getting on a bus that would deliver us to Akrotiri. Buses were lined up in a gravel car park and with no area whatsoever designated for passengers, people were congregated in clumps, scurrying in all directions to avoid being mown down whenever a bus randomly entered or exited. It was dodgeball with buses. We had to get on the number 7 bus but no one seemed to know where that was. Finally we located it and were seated in the air conditioned coach comfort when the grumpy conductor came and sold us our tickets.
Unfortunately, none of the brochures we read about the ancient city of Akrotiri had informed us of its early closing time of 3pm and with our arrival somewhere in the vicinity of 2:30, that made for a speedy but worthwhile tour. Toby is currently studying this very city in ancient history so it was extremely cool to be able to visit and for him to be able to see what he’s been learning about, with his own eyes. The Akrotiri excavation site is SO incredible. They’ve discovered the city is of the Minoan people, from the BRONZE AGE, 5000 years BC!!! It was hit with an enormous volcanic explosion in the 17th century and the site we saw was all that is left. It’s incredibly well preserved, with pottery, furniture, walls, windows, doors and whole three storey buildings still standing. Going by the size of the beds we saw and the height of the doorways, the Minoans must have been fairly compact in stature. It would’ve been perfect for me. Apparently this city was the real-life lost city of Atlantis. It was awesome!
Akrotiri was a few hundred metres from what we thought was Red Beach, a Santorini beach known for its striking red sand. Curiously, the sand didn’t look red at all. We all agreed unanimously the sand was very much black but explained it away thinking that the high tide was probably just concealing all that red sand underneath. It turns out Red Beach was actually around the corner.
The beach was beautiful despite its colour and there was even some small swell coming through. It was bizarre to see so many waves without a soul in the water. We had a drink at a gorgeous little seaside beer garden, taking in the view, before cramming into a bus to take us back to Oia, via Thera. The conductor was still grumpy and as I was getting onboard, simultaneously spoke to me in his gruff Greek accent saying “No drinks on bus” while whisking it out of my hand and tossing it in the bin before I could say “I’ll quickly finish thahhh…”
Ross and I took a stroll around the village late this afternoon and were almost bowled over by the mass of camera-toting tourists vying for pole position to capture the sun as it descended into the western sky. It was the battle of the selfie sticks. People were flocking in droves and we were taking our lives in our hands trying to go against the flow. Total mayhem was unfolding as the deadline for sunset drew nearer. In pursuit of the perfect shot, dressed to the nines, trying to negotiate the rough stony paths in the highest of heels, girls particularly, were clambering onto rooves and scaling walls for the ideal vantage point to pose, pout and pucker. The lack of railings and number of sheer drops -too many to count – has me freaked out. The death-defying lengths people will go to just for a photo is scary.
Speaking of photos, everyone in Santorini is a model. Our next-door neighbour is only here, we are sure, to take photos of herself on the balcony. Modelling sessions each day are numerous and lengthy; her patient boyfriend snaps away as she holds her hands above her head, peeps at him cheekily over her shoulder and flies scarves of varying colours into the wind, brushing her hair for the perfect Bee Gees hairblown look. It’s mesmerising to watch. We have felt the need to join in somewhat, capturing ourselves amongst the whitewash with hair blowing and lips puckered.
We met up with some friends tonight. Libby and Nic, who used to work with us, and their friends, popped in for a quick catch up before we went out to dinner. It was great to see some familiar faces and share this exquisite location with them.
We are loving the food in Greece and our dinner tonight, where we were spoilt with 360 degree ocean views – even spying neighbouring island Ios- was no exception. Thankfully they will only be weighing our bags when we fly home.
