Scooters & Santorini

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

We felt very lucky to spend our one month wedding anniversary in Santorini. To celebrate, we rented a scooter so we could explore the island. Donning my red helmet, I wrapped my arms around Yuriy, held on tight, and enjoyed the breeze and views. We drove from the capital city of Fira (where we were staying overnight) to the other bigger towns on the island, including Kamari and Oia. The landscape is bare, except for wild clumps of cacti and occasional olive trees. Santorini is one of only two hot desert climates in all of Europe. All over the island, churches are easy to spot with their bright blue dome roofs. We stopped at a small bakery for baklava and chocolate, then headed up to check out the highest point of the island, a lone mountain in the middle of the desert. One side of the island’s coast is full of steep rocky cliffs, and the other side is lined with red, white, and black beaches (the colors are attributed to the volcanic activity). The towns around the beaches were utterly deserted since the busy summer season has long passed by this point. Outdoor tables and chairs were stacked, windows and light fixtures wrapped in plastic. Sand has covered the patios and won't be swept until next spring. We took a break at Vlichada beach to sit on the rocks by the marina and walk along the black sandy shore. Yuriy made me try driving the scooter with him in the back, and I'm glad he did, because it was unbelievably fun. The little sucker went up to 70kph (although I stuck around 30). 

The last stop on our scooter was Oia, the most beautiful town and best spot on the island for sunsets. The town is situated on the northern tip of the island. The houses and shops hug the edges of the cliffs, as if to get as close to the water as possible without falling off. We sat on a ledge and watched the white buildings turn golden from the setting sun. We certainly were not alone; Oia sunsets are no secret. Regardless, I still felt at peace.

- Julia


Next up: Rhodes, Greece



19 comments :

  1. wow! what a beautiful place! I would love to go there one day! You guys are so lucky! this place looks like the place where one of the TRAVELING PANTS movie took place and the MAMA MIA movie!

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  2. You always find fabulous ideas. You guys look so cool on scooter.
    amazing pictures as always.
    I'm going to use all this information when I'll travel to Greece.
    The view is dreamy. Island, my weekness.

    perfect perfect perfect:)

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  3. your one month anniversary kinda beats out my coffee and crepe filled one month celebration. speaking of... tomorrow is your two month!

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  4. santorini looks so beautiful and scooters are tons of fun

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  5. Darn you, Kae.. we were hoping no one would notice we're a month behind on our posting! But yes it is. 2 months already! Excellent memory you have.

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  6. man, you two are babes. and i can't wait to see your rhodes photos - i loved that place!! thanks for the email!! xoxo

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  7. Gorgeous photos...reminds me a little of Amelie :)

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  8. The one with the black cat is awesome. really awesome.

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  9. WOW. it's soo incredibly beautiful there! it looks like you guys are having a blast, i love the photos of Julia driving the scooter, she looks very focused. :) and those tilt shift photos are pretty amazing, especially considering it's from a little point and shoot. your blog really makes me want to travel more.

    as always, thanks for sharing your amazing photos and stories.
    can't wait to hear more!
    Tina

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  10. Every time you do another post on Santorini, I fall more and more in love with the place!

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  11. AH! That tilt shift on the 7th one up from the bottom is SO INCREDIBLY FUN LOOKING! Nicely done :)

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  12. The city looks so beautiful all lit up :)

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  13. to be in your shoes folks....

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  14. DOUBLE HAPPY ANIVERSARY!!! lol :D (i know i'm late but oh well)
    it seams the perfect place for your first month aniversary! you two look so cute and so in love!!!i'm happy for you and i hope some day i'll find what you have!! ^^

    i hope you'll keep having fun like that!! :D

    val

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  15. Insanely stunning photos! You two are living the dream...

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  16. There they are! The beautful blue roof tops known for Greece. The ocean looks Surreal simply magnificent!

    I think i'm gonna scroll up and look again..
    (((sigh)))...


    Pearl

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  17. oh and Happy Anniversary!
    God Bless you Both!

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  18. I saw your postings on GreenWeddingShoes.com and loved your photography! I'm interested in getting into photography and have been looking at a Nikon D90--do you have any suggestions or warnings against cameras? Thanks!

    Amy
    ahiebs@gmail.com

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  19. im going to greece in may and visiting santorini. what hotel did you stay in. would you recommend it in fira???

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