I was very excited to arrive in Santorini. There had been so much talk up until now about its beauty, energy and serene vitality, I almost couldn’t imagine a place with such luster.

When the ferry pulled into the tiny port, I saw for the first time a glimpse of an island that encompassed a magical body with a unique and strikingly beautiful face. I would soon learn of its vast and endless photogenic abilities. Just like a supermodel, it couldn’t take a bad picture.

I had planned to stay 2 weeks on the island. I wanted to explore every view, every turn and every point of interest it had to offer. I wanted to know this island like the back of my hand before I left.

I was lucky enough the first day I arrived to be approached by a young man who wanted to share a coffee with me. I accepted and was shortly after offered an impromptu tour of the island on his motorbike.

Touring the island on the motorbike

It was a nice introduction to the island from a local’s perspective. He showed me things that no tour group or guidebook would have tapped on, like the prickly pear fruit from a cactus plant he stopped on the side of the road to show me. He picked a piece of fruit and peeled it back for me to try.

Picking prickly pear fruit from the cactus

He taught me the way they grow their grapes for wine on the island that is a little different than usual. They train the vines to grow in a circular motion very low to the ground in order to avoid the high winds that sometimes pass through.

Showing me how they grow the grape vines

He brought me to a special spot that even I, an adventurous wanderer, would have never found. It was tucked away in the side of the caldera far from any normal foot traffic. It would be the perfect spot for an engagement. There is a natural heart carved out from the wind in the side of the caldera leaving for a unique view of the volcano. There is also a chapel built into the side of the caldera near the heart. I will talk more in detail in a later post about where this spot is.

The heart in the side of the caldera

Looking down from the heart at the chapel

I thought this was a fun pose

We stopped by the Ammoudi area, where again, I’m not sure I would have ventured if he had not shown me. It was a spot at the bottom of the caldera just below the town of Oia. There is a sweet little fishing village with a few small tavernas tucked into a cove. If you wander a bit further from the village along a small foot path that curves around the side of the caldera, you will find a beautiful and private swimming spot. We found a flat rock to lay our towels and jumped in for a swim. We swam over to the large rock, climbed up and visited a church built into the side.

Ammoudi swimming area

My friend taking a dive

He taught me of the caper bushes that grow on the island in the side of the caldera which I later went on a hunt to find (details coming to a later post) and of one other special spot. He pointed it out to me at the highest point of the caldera. There is a church located at the top that if you hiked up to it in the evening, it wouldn’t disappoint in giving the best sunset view on the whole island (another spot I will talk more about in a later post).

The best spot to see the sunset at the highest point of the caldera

Another friend of mine offered me a tour of the island, but this time it was by boat. I was able to catch a glimpse of the caldera from a different angle and see some of the famous beaches (Red beach and Black beach) from another perspective.

Red Beach....actually this shot is from land. The picture was better and more close up than from the boat.

Black Beach......same here

We went to the volcano where we hopped off and made an attempt to climb into the crater, but the foot path had collapsed from the recent rains and there wasn’t an easy route around it. We also visited the hot springs that are continuously emitting a warm burst of sulfur into the water near the volcano.

The view from the volcano looking back at Santorini

All in all, I was pretty lucky this trip to have two nice men give me a local’s view of such a beautiful place. Here are some of the photos that even the most amateur photographer couldn’t help but capture the beauty of this ‘Supermodel of the Greek Islands’.

The famous sunset from the town of Oia

You see many donkeys on the island

Me waiting for Prince Charming on the steps of the chapel built into the side of the caldera

Santorini capers. I am always on the 'Hunt for Capers'....a later post will explain!

The view from Oia

Enjoying another beautiful sunset

The volcano at sunset

Oia, Santorini

I thought this was a fun picture. It can get very windy on the island

Related articles

• Santorini, Greece (ukloft117.wordpress.com)
• Santorini, Greece (thepassportreport.com)
• Solos holiday in Santorini (telegraph.co.uk)
• The Caldera of Santorini breathtaking (dobianchi.com)
• Welcome to Santorini (austinrovetti.wordpress.com)
• Santorini Smile – Santorini, Greece (travelpod.com)
• Ten Things You Must Do in Santorini (mysatelite.wordpress.com)

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