Santorini, Greece II -- A Walk to Oia

Thursday, November 18, 2010

One day we decided to take a walk from Fira, where we stayed, to the next big city over, Oia. The town is situated on the cliffs of the northernmost tip of the island and is the center of tourism in Santorini. Both cities are set on the coast, and a street along the scenic coastline connects the two cities. Yuriy and I set out so we could walk during sunset time since the street offers such magical views over the water. We were told that the walk will take 3 hours, but since we think we’re so fit and tough, we knew we could beat that time. We walked among many charming homes, restaurants, and posh hotels with pools overlooking the sea (many of which were closed for the season). Then we walked through desert landscape with enormous cacti, red dirt, and pretty succulents. Nearly the entire time, we could see the sea and nearby islands against the setting sun. Along the way, we were distracted with a cool hike up a peak that juts out into the water. This totally messed up our time. Our walk turned out to be 4 hours long and we reached Oia after the sun had already set, with just enough light in the sky to light our way.

At dusk, the city reminded me of a spa… the streets appear tiled with the light reflecting off them, and the lit white buildings with rounded corners look calming. The cool and neutral colors make the town appear clean and soothing. Oia was more upscale than Fira, the town we stayed in (and consequently was more expensive). We noticed fancy shops and cleaner, neater sidewalks. We really enjoyed staying in Fira though, because it was more of a local town (being the capital of the island) rather than just a tourist town.

We rewarded ourselves for the long walk with a nice [pricey] dinner and a bottle of wine to soothe our aching legs, then caught a taxi back home. After so many European pastry shops and bakeries, the exercise was probably long overdue for us. No doubt, this was one of the most beautiful [and longest] sunsets we’ve ever experienced. 


41 comments :

  1. These photos are so amazing. I love the tone to them.

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  2. I love love your blog just started reading it .. and its so inspiring ... where next are you guys going to .... ☺

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  3. I love Santorini - My husband and I traveled there last year. If you are still there and have the chance eat at Ambrosia Nectar in Oia for dinner, it's great!

    http://www.ambrosia-nectar.com/

    Enjoy!

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  4. oh my! thanks for sharing these beautiful photographs! lovely lovely santorini <3

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  5. Thanks for the sweet words and recommendations for Oia, but we're not in Greece anymore! We are in Bodrum, Turkey.. Headed to Kapadokia and Istanbul in the near future.

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  6. omg this looks like paradise! greece is indeed a place filled with whites and blues, isn't it? The photos are so beautiful!

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  7. wow. stunning photos. santorini almost looks unreal :) too beautiful!

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  8. A friend sent me a link to your blog, I love it! I'm heading to Greece and Turkey next year, can't wait, it looks so beautiful.
    I love your idea of traveling for 6 months after getting married, I'm totally doing that if I ever get married! (Ha, that's another good excuse to travel! Now gotta find a husband lol)

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  9. this looks far more cozy than the pacific northwest.

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  10. It looks so gorgeous there! I hope to visit one day. :)

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  11. these are just GORGEOUS! your blog is making me o-so-happy!

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  12. oh my goodness so beautiful I can hardly stand it! I am in love with your travel photography! keep it comin' :)

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  13. wow, these are beautiful guys! that one of the city all lit up took my breath away. such an amazing city! thanks for sharing. :)

    Tina

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  14. Absolutely stunning! My friends and I travelled around Europe and spent some time in Santorini, my memory and photos don't do it justice. Luckily yours do. Thankyou for sharing your gifts with the rest of the universe.
    X
    Cara

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  15. You two are so lucky. It's freezing cold where I am. I can't get enough of your travels.

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  16. your posts are overwhelming because every photo is breathtaking!

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  17. My first time in Greece was in Oia - this is bringing me back to that mind-blowing, heart-thumping time of great beauty.

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  18. :O
    amazzzzzzing photos
    this place looks like heaven

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  19. INCREDIBLE! I love love love these! so nice and well done!
    x
    Nicole
    http://nicolefranzen.blogspot.com/

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  20. Wow...you guys! These past few posts are just amazing.. My wife & I have been looking & reading along & we are soooooo jealous ....sooooo jealous!
    Amazing places, amazing food, amazing pictures, everything is just so awesome!
    This is definitely a dream! :-)

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  21. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. you get it.

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  22. I loove Greece ! I'm planning to visit it..one day.
    It's just impressive. Ancient culture, white & blue, little houses, specific food, sea.
    with all this pictures and friendly writing, you brought a little of greek life.

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  23. Love your blog! I have a little question for Julia: Where did you get the jeans you're wearing in these pictures? I'm on the hunt for some new jeans and the ones you're wearing are pretty much exactly what I've been looking for.

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  24. Why, thank you. :) The jeans are from Express. I need super long pants for these super long legs, and Express jeans always fit me well. And last a long time. And are reasonably priced.

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  25. Oh my goodness, it's so clean and fresh and beautiful there!

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  26. Love this blog!! Such great shots! Julia, I was wondering where you got your sunglasses?! They are soooo cute, and I would love to get some like them! Thanks!

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  27. alluring..breathtaking...striking..stunning..
    Heavenly!


    Pearl

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  28. i read about santorini in the sisterhood of the traveling pants and even my overactive imagination couldn't do it justice. the photos here are spectacular! so amazing, the island looks unreal. thanks so much for sharing you art and love of life. your patience and dedication to the very best shows through your photographs.

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  29. Like someone wrote before, the tone of your photos are simply amazing. How to you come up with it ?

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  30. Amazing photo gallery. Hope to see you again in our island!

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  31. Amazing Beautiful and Lovely Blog . Way to go !!! Loved you blog and post about Santorini in Greece. Love this Place we planned our second anniversary here and were stunned by this beautiful island destination. The colorful houses and the the backdrop of stunning sea views and beautiful accommodation facility was memorable one. One of the most amazing trip we ever had. Thank you for sharing these beautiful pics . Enjoyyy !!!

    http://www.romanticbug.com/greece.html

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  32. Is it a good idea to be visiting Greece in December this year? Say the first or second week of December?! I am getting mixed reviews about the weather..

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  33. Walking between the towns was a great idea. You get to see so much more when you're on foot. I'll have to remember to do this next trip :) Loved the photos!

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  34. Amazing photos! Thanks for sharing. We got our wedding ceremony in Santorini this summer http://7.agency/destination/santorini. I want to go back every single day!!! Love it so much! It's truly a magic place for couples and family holidays.

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