Santorini, Greece

If ever there was a postcard that came to life, it has to be those of the island of Santorini. Everything about our six day stay has been idyllic, serene and incredibly picturesque. As I write this blog, I am looking out across the white tile floor that leads to the Greek blue double wood doors that open to our patio. Alex and Madeleine are playing with the local kitties and beyond them stretch forever views of the Aegean Sea and the other side of the island. The dramatic cliffs across the way are roofed with clusters of snowy white villages, accented with the bright blue domes of the Greek Orthodox churches. It’s spectacular.

Since we arrived in Oia, we have been extremely content to fill our days surveying the daily routine of the people who live and work here. Our patio gives us the perfect opportunity to play the voyeuristic role of an outside observer. At 9:30am, the Greek woman who owns the hotel across the way, stands on her patio with her hand on her hips and gives her daily instruction to her two faithful workers. At 10:00am, the wooden Greek fishing boat comes into Armeni Harbor to pick up passengers for a tour of the caldera. At precisely 11:00am, three Greek cowboys wrangle their twelve jingling donkeys down the 280 stone steps that lead to the beach below. They will return to the village at 5:30pm, after having spent the day hauling weary tourists up and down the steep hill. At 6:00pm, the Greek Orthodox Church begins its nightly mass and the sounds of the Father singing his prayers waft through the entire village. The evenings are peaceful and when the sun sets on Armoudi Harbor, a whole new palette emerges and the cliffs of Santorini sparkle with warm golden lights.

We’ve spent our mornings walking the village buying tomatoes from one vendor, Greek olives and feta from another, and whatever else we could find for the day. The girls would feed the cats daily and quickly assigned names to match personalities – Luna, Panther, Molly, Scratchy, Shiloh, Tony Cajones, Spot, Lucy and Wiley! After reading, napping, sunning and noshing for a few hours, we would set off to hike the stairs to one of the two beaches. Alex, Matt and I plunged ourselves into the Aegean Sea on one of the hikes and it was icy cold! At night we’d cook, or grab a bite in town, then crash in our little sanctuary.

Our days were enhanced with the presence of our neighbors, Jim and Shell Warfield. Jim’s an emeritus professor of architecture from University of Illinois and he was in Santorini teaching a class to about 14 students. They were a delight to get to know and very interesting travelers. We had some good talks and might actually get to see them again when we’re in Shanghai in July. They left a day earlier then us and the “neighborhood” wasn’t the same without them!

We rented a car and spent the day driving around the entire island on our last full day. We stopped at three Greek Orthodox churches that were so incredibly beautiful. The last one was freshly painted for Easter and it was the most pristine vision I have ever seen. We ended the day at Armoudi Beach, famous for its fresh fish taverns. We chose our live fish and within 15 minutes, it was on plates on our table – it was wonderful.

We are leaving Santorini just before the mad crush of travelers show up for Easter and the four month holiday season that follows. The village has been scrubbed, stocked, trimmed and painted and have been the beneficiaries of the performance without the crowds. Another unplanned moment of perfection on this remarkable journey.