Santorini

On Friday the 25th of May it was time for me and Miina to start our way towards SANTORINI!! On our way to the boat we were asked for our studentcards and because they didn't quite believe us we were asked to come to the info desk after the departure.. The whole journey we sat comfortably on the floor of the "first class".. When we went to the info we were sure that we would have to pay the full price of the tickets 'cause again they didn't believe that we are studying here even though we really are students! Eventually we didn't have to pay since the boss wanted to introduce us to one of his co-workers.. On our way to Santorini we stopped at the islands of Naxos, Paros and Ios. The trip to Santorini from Pireus took around 9h and we arrived to the harbour in the afternoon were our hotel worker of Villa Manos was waiting for us. :) 

Villa Manos

Our hotel, Villa Manos wasn't situated in the center of Santorini in Fira, but it was around 2km from it and the place was called Karterados. Our room was nice and comfortable and the hotel owner and her husband were so nice and helpful!! :) The hotel also had a beautiful swimming pool!

We left to walk to Fira and the way didn't feel long at all and it was nice to look around while walking. :) Fira  and the view to the sea was beautiful!! We took immediately so many photos! We walked around the center and when we asked for directions from some boat-trip-company-woman and started talking with her came up that she and her sister had basically grown up in Poros! They were in their forties so when they have lived their youth in the bars in Poros I've been playing on the beach with a pile of sand.. It was crazy to know all the same streets, coffee places, restaurants, bars and even some people from the island!! It was a nice talk with them!!! :) After walking we went to eat in a restaurant and watch the sunset of course, while I forgot to eat since I really loved taking photos with Miina's system's camera!

Fira

Old Port

After the sun went down it was actually really cold. We started rushing to the supermarket before we supposed it would close at 9 pm (later we found it that it closes around 10-11 pm) to get some stuff for breakfast the next morning. We made it to the supermarket and while walking back and talking at the same time we kind of got a little lost. Not much but it was dark so.. Miina had an application called sport tracker on from her phone and it showed that we had walked almost 10km that night! (Not because we got lost!). When we got back to our hotel we had a nice chat with two older men from Norway who stayed next to our room. They had been coming to Santorini for 12 years twice every year! And at the same hotel!! Funny old guys! :D

On Saturday morning (26th) we went to the swimming pool to enjoy the weather! I had forgotten how much I love swimming pools! Then we went to the hotel reception to tell them that we want to hire ATV for a day. They called the company which came to pick us up. I was the driver since Miina didn't have a driver's license. I was so nervous before since I had never driven anything like that before.. At first it was really, well, not difficult but different at least. When I got used to it it was really simple and easy and I really enjoyed it!! :) 

We drove around the island and went to the Red Beach, Black Beach, Perivolos and Perissa.

Red beach

Just chilling..

Perissa, Black beach

Before the nap and getting dressed to start our way to Oia (a bit farter away) to see the sunset we spent time at the swimming pool. It took us around 30 minutes to drive to Oia. There we walked around and tried to find a good place to watch the famous Oia sunset. The sunset was beautiful, of course, but I was a bit disappointed. I had expected so much more. I thought that the sun sets beyond the sea not behind the mountains as I've seen so many times before. After the sunset people started clapping?!? Really!! Seriously, are you kiding me!? After the sunset we took more photos and started to drive back to our hotel. :)

On our way to Oia

On a Sunday morning we returned the ATV to the center of Fira and started making our way to the old harbour by stairs which the rumour said to be over 800. It wasn't that bad, but all the donkeys going up and down past us made it a bit more challenging. It was good that we had time since it took much longer than we had thought that it would.

Again, through our hotel we bought this boat trip for around 3 hours paying around 20 euros from it. From the Old Harbour we left to see the Volcano which basically meant walking 20-30 minutes uphill in a crazy heat to see a big whole of nothing. The view to the see was nice though. :) After being back on the boat we drove to see and swim in the hot springs near by. The boat left us pretty far away and told to swim there if you want to see them. Again, I expected more, yes, you could feel some spots that were warmer than the sea water but not that much. The best thing was a wooden toilet built high high on the rock wall in the middle of nothing! :D After swimming in the hot springs our skins were all clayey..  When back at the port we took the lift up paying 4 euros each for a three minute ride up! Then we rewarded ourselves by going to eat souvlakis! NAM! :)

Old Port

Volcano

In the lift :D

The way to the volcano..

Then we went to our hotel by walking, to the swimming pool, slept a while and hichhiked back to Fira in the evening. We went to eat in this amazing view restaurant and of course with my luck to the table next to us came two finnish women. It was nice talking with them but I found it a bit weird talking in Finnish with them. Yeah, I speak finnish with Miina of course but it wasn't the same. I also figured how much I don't want to go back to Finland. :( I don't know why I got the feeling but that was what I felt. After walking back to the hotel the sport tracker showed again that we walked almost 10km.

On a Monday morning the 28th it was really cloudy but we stayed a while in the pool before walking to the Fira to eat souvlaki for the last time. After we just hang around in the pool since the sky was by this point cloudless again and took it easy and waited our boat to leave at 3.30 pm.

The boat ride went really fast and we didn't have any troubles with our tickets since they were the same men who remembered us. The 1st purser tried to marry me with a 34-year-old man working under him. He bought us coffee and hang around with us. We also got a better seats from the boat. Interesting journey back.. At some point they started to be really annoying. But all in all the Santorini trip with Miina was so relaxing and nice!! :) We enjoyed a lot and Santorini was a beautiful island but with so many tourists even thought the high season hadn't even started yet. Euxaristo para poli Miina!! :)