Santorini, Greece
Santorini, Greece was the last stop on my fall break trip. It was my favorite of the three cities I visited in Greece, by a long-shot! It’s very obvious to see why it always makes it to lists of must-see places. Everything in Santorini is so unbelievably charming. The locals were very friendly, and they all seemed excited that we were visiting.
Our hotel was in Fira, the capital of Santorini. It is filled with little tourist shops and restaurants. Typically I’m not a huge fan of shops filled with little tourist trinkets – but in Santorini they were so charming. I ended up buying all of my family members a little something from Santorini because it was such a fun place.
Meghann, Carly, Me, and Kendahl in Fira, Santorini.
One thing about Santorini that I found a little bit surprising, was that a lot of the landscape has sort of a desert look. There was a lot of open land. There are lots of ways to get around Santorini and explore new places. Kendahl, Meghann, Carly and I decided to rent ATV’s and drive them around. We stopped at the red beach, which was absolutely stunning. There was a little old man in a speedo selling jewelry on the beach. It was so fun, I just had to buy a bracelet from him. There was a little roadside restaurant right by the beach, so we stopped for some gyros.
If you’re looking for the “typical” blue dome Santorini, head to Oia! Kendahl, Meghann, Carly and I rode our ATV’s to Oia to watch the sunset and have some dinner. I could have easily spent days here. Everywhere you look, there’s some small detail that is so endearing.
In Oia, I remember seeing a little sign that said Santorini is the top place for marriage proposals. Sure enough, my roommate Melanie went to Santorini with her boyfriend a few weeks later, and he proposed! I had a gut feeling that he was going to propose to her there, so it was so exciting when I got her text of her holding up her ring!!
As it got closer to Sunset, we decided to try and look for a place to sit. There were a lot of people all trying to do the same thing, so make sure you give yourself enough time to find a spot. After watching the sunset, we ate dinner on a rooftop that overlooked Oia. It was the perfect way to end the day!
The last thing that I really wanted to do while in Santorini was ride a donkey. It was a lot scarier than I would have expected. You ride them down stone steps that are right on the edge of the ocean. It was a very pretty view, but I was concentrating more on staying on the donkey!
I hope you enjoyed seeing a little bit of Santorini. The pictures don’t even do it justice! There is so much more to do there, so I’ll just have to do it all next time I visit! ;) Santorini should 100% be on our list of places to travel.
About the Author
Rachel Budke Rachel is a senior at Kansas State University, where she is studying Bakery Science. In the fall of 2013 she studied abroad in Florence, Italy. She loves cooking, photography and DIY projects.
