Day 8 - 05/08/17
Ferry to Santorini
The ferry ride to Santorini was very similar to the one we took from Athens to Mykonos. This time, I sat upstairs in the club level (seat 33B to be exact). It took about two hours to get from Mykonos to Santorini, and our ferry ride was very crowded for it being early in the morning. Although I sat with strangers, the ride itself was very quiet and peaceful. Most of our group was split up throughout the boat. When I wasn't sleeping, I was reading one of the articles for my Sports Media class. It was a feature piece on Tiger Woods focusing on his life after the death of his father and their relationship as Woods was growing up. I'm not a big golf fan, but I knew about Woods' amazing talents when it came to golf. I had also heard about the mistakes he made that led to his downfall personally and professionally. The article gave me a true insight to the man behind the game and how he was viewed by his friends, family and peers. When we arrived at the port, I was not very impressed by the island at first glance. It did not give off the same appeal that Mykonos did when we docked. The port, much like Mykonos, was very crowded and hectic. Our coach buses were awaiting us and our luggage, but it was very difficult to get to them in a timely manner once we docked because of all of the people and confusion.
Bus Ride to the El Greco Hotel
As we drove to our hotel, our coach ride gave us a good insight to Santorini island life. Unlike Mykonos, the island was very barren and many buildings looked like they were incomplete/still under construction. We learned throughout our time on the island that because of the poor economy many of these homes and buildings were started before things took a turn for the worse and could not be completed because owners could no longer afford them to be completed and could not compensate the builders for their work. The buildings that we did see completed were not your typical stark-white structures. Instead, many were multi-colored and had a different aesthetic. The land itself was also very rocky and gave off a strange feeling. The view, however, was very pretty as we could see much of the ocean and smaller islands around us.
El Greco Hotel
The El Greco was very beautiful. Our luggage was offloaded by the hotel staff while we waited in the lobby for further instruction. Our AIFS staff gave us our room assignments and we quickly found our luggage to take with us back to our rooms. We were staying in the rear of the hotel so we were able to see a lot of it on the way to our room. The El Greco had five swimming pools, a bar, two conference rooms, a dining hall, and a large patio area. The hotel itself was kind of buggy (little flies all over the place), but we all knew that was just a part of the experience and cultural atmosphere. The wifi was not the best, but the fact that we could walk to downtown was very nice.
Downtown and Lunch at Dionysus
Our walk to downtown lasted about 15 minutes from the hotel. Trying to figure out our way around town was very confusing and we got lost a couple of times, but we found a restaurant to eat some late lunch since it had been such a long day. The restaurant was called Dionysus and it was a very nice atmosphere with picnic-like tables and a wide variety of food choices on their menu. Many of us ordered falafel with a special dipping sauce. It wasn't my favorite thing I'd tried in Greece, but it was still okay overall. After shopping around for a bit, we headed back to the hotel to work on some homework and hang out by the pool.
Dinner at the Hotel
It was later in the evening when we decided to get dinner so we just ate at the hotel restaurant. The Garlic Pasta was pretty cheap and very tasty for it being such a simple meal. The six of us split a table water and the dining room was not that crowded, which made it more relaxing as we ate our meals.
The ferry ride to Santorini was very similar to the one we took from Athens to Mykonos. This time, I sat upstairs in the club level (seat 33B to be exact). It took about two hours to get from Mykonos to Santorini, and our ferry ride was very crowded for it being early in the morning. Although I sat with strangers, the ride itself was very quiet and peaceful. Most of our group was split up throughout the boat. When I wasn't sleeping, I was reading one of the articles for my Sports Media class. It was a feature piece on Tiger Woods focusing on his life after the death of his father and their relationship as Woods was growing up. I'm not a big golf fan, but I knew about Woods' amazing talents when it came to golf. I had also heard about the mistakes he made that led to his downfall personally and professionally. The article gave me a true insight to the man behind the game and how he was viewed by his friends, family and peers. When we arrived at the port, I was not very impressed by the island at first glance. It did not give off the same appeal that Mykonos did when we docked. The port, much like Mykonos, was very crowded and hectic. Our coach buses were awaiting us and our luggage, but it was very difficult to get to them in a timely manner once we docked because of all of the people and confusion.
Bus Ride to the El Greco Hotel
As we drove to our hotel, our coach ride gave us a good insight to Santorini island life. Unlike Mykonos, the island was very barren and many buildings looked like they were incomplete/still under construction. We learned throughout our time on the island that because of the poor economy many of these homes and buildings were started before things took a turn for the worse and could not be completed because owners could no longer afford them to be completed and could not compensate the builders for their work. The buildings that we did see completed were not your typical stark-white structures. Instead, many were multi-colored and had a different aesthetic. The land itself was also very rocky and gave off a strange feeling. The view, however, was very pretty as we could see much of the ocean and smaller islands around us.
El Greco Hotel
The El Greco was very beautiful. Our luggage was offloaded by the hotel staff while we waited in the lobby for further instruction. Our AIFS staff gave us our room assignments and we quickly found our luggage to take with us back to our rooms. We were staying in the rear of the hotel so we were able to see a lot of it on the way to our room. The El Greco had five swimming pools, a bar, two conference rooms, a dining hall, and a large patio area. The hotel itself was kind of buggy (little flies all over the place), but we all knew that was just a part of the experience and cultural atmosphere. The wifi was not the best, but the fact that we could walk to downtown was very nice.
Downtown and Lunch at Dionysus
Our walk to downtown lasted about 15 minutes from the hotel. Trying to figure out our way around town was very confusing and we got lost a couple of times, but we found a restaurant to eat some late lunch since it had been such a long day. The restaurant was called Dionysus and it was a very nice atmosphere with picnic-like tables and a wide variety of food choices on their menu. Many of us ordered falafel with a special dipping sauce. It wasn't my favorite thing I'd tried in Greece, but it was still okay overall. After shopping around for a bit, we headed back to the hotel to work on some homework and hang out by the pool.
Dinner at the Hotel
It was later in the evening when we decided to get dinner so we just ate at the hotel restaurant. The Garlic Pasta was pretty cheap and very tasty for it being such a simple meal. The six of us split a table water and the dining room was not that crowded, which made it more relaxing as we ate our meals.
Day 9 - 05/09/17
Breakfast
Our first morning at the El Greco was consumed with information regarding where we would have classes for the last week in Greece and other important information about the island. After orientation, we went to the dining hall to eat breakfast. They had a large buffet with many dishes to choose from. For breakfast, I had eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, a croissant, chocolate chip shortbread and some chamomile tea. It was a pretty good meal to start off the day.
Downtown Santorini
Walking around Downtown in the afternoon was very interesting. We stopped on the major strip to grab a quick bite to eat. Missing cheap Chinese food, we decided to stop at Asia Club. The chicken lo mein was pretty good and filling for only costing €6. After lunch, we went deeper into downtown. A majority of the shops were very touristy and sold t-shirts, hats and other accessories. Many locals were very passionate about their work and had some really great pieces, but it was pricey for most of these items so we didn't really spend a lot of time in these shops. One of the local artisans recommended some non-touristy things for us to do, which was very helpful for us on deciding on what we really wanted to do. She recommended us going to the Akrotiri area to see the sunset (instead of the very popular spot known Oia) and visiting Faros Products for an authentic experience. We stopped at Solo Gelato for some caffeine on our way back to the hotel. I decided to get a Frappe (like a few of my friends), but the coffee was very strong and left me feeling almost jittery because of the large amount of caffeine.
Faros Products
After a 15-minute taxi ride from our hotel to Faros Products, we arrived at a quaint little shop with a vineyard next door and various grazing animals (donkeys and goats). Faros Products specializes in homemade goods such as wines, marmalades, and other items. Maria, the shop owner, gave us a tour of her facility. The marmalade station had a variety of spreads including honey with sugar, olive oil, watermelon rind, and grape. All were delicious, but the watermelon rind was my favorite overall. We were able to sample the marmalades on bread chips so we could appreciate the sweet flavors of the marmalade. After sampling the marmalades inside, we went to the wine cellar outside to sample the house wines. All of the wines we tasted and learned about are produced on site and use the grapes from the vineyard on the property. Cultivation is done by hand and no machinery is used throughout the process. They use their feet to press the grapes instead of mechanical presses. The grapes grow right above ground instead of on trellis' because of the lack of water in Greece. The roots have to be able to go deeper in the ground to obtain the water they need to survive. There are 22 larger wineries on the island to help with wine production. Red grapes are of low quality in Santorini, but their white wines last forever. We learned that “yamas” means “cheers” in Greek. Maria’s wine process does not include the use of yeast so that her wine is nothing but natural flavors. She told us that the wine is better with age and cooler temperatures. When we got inside the cellar, Maria handed each of us a shot glass so that we could taste the wine she poured. There were bread chips in the center of the table to clean our palates after we tasted each wine. The first wine we tasted was called Asyrtico. It was a bitter white wine with a sweet aftertaste and 13.5% alcohol. The next wine was called Nicheri. It was a white wine that’s known for being used at night with a meal. It was full of flavor, but had a more bitter aftertaste than the Asyrtico. Nicheri also had a 13.5% alcohol count. The third wine we tasted was called Roze. It was a white wine that uses the skin of red grapes to give its red color. It was very similar to the Nicheri except it was more bitter and very strong. Like the Asyrtico and Nicheri, it also had 13.5% alcohol content. The fourth wine we tasted was called Mezzo. This wine uses dried white and red grapes and is very sweet and strong. It has 16% alcohol content. The final wine we tasted was called Vinsanto. This wine only uses white grapes that are dried until they are raisins. This wine is the most expensive because it has 18% alcohol content and is often used in the practice of communion. The Vinsanto is the sweetest of all the wines and takes a few years to mature to its proper flavor. After tasting each of the wines, my friends and I were able to bottle our favorite wines to take home with us. Maria took us through the process of bottling the wine, corking it, applying the label on the front and heating the foil capsule over the cork. The process itself was very enlightening and exciting to go experience in person.
Akrotiri Lighthouse
After spending a majority of the evening at Faros Products, we decided to go see the Akrotiri lighthouse. The hike to the lighthouse from Faros Products was about a 20-minute walk. When we got to the lighthouse, we waited only minutes before we saw the sunset. This sunset had to have been the most gorgeous one I’ve ever seen. The vibrant colors of the purples, pinks and oranges in the sky and the crashing of the waves against the cliffs were an unbelievable combination. It was the first time I could ever recall watching the sun as a glowing ball descending behind the ocean. The lighthouse was neat, but not accessible from where we were watching the sunset so we only saw the backside of the lighthouse. It was very windy and sandy as we watched the sunset and when it started getting dark it became a little chilly outside. Little did I know that this would be my favorite part about Santorini.
Our first morning at the El Greco was consumed with information regarding where we would have classes for the last week in Greece and other important information about the island. After orientation, we went to the dining hall to eat breakfast. They had a large buffet with many dishes to choose from. For breakfast, I had eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, a croissant, chocolate chip shortbread and some chamomile tea. It was a pretty good meal to start off the day.
Downtown Santorini
Walking around Downtown in the afternoon was very interesting. We stopped on the major strip to grab a quick bite to eat. Missing cheap Chinese food, we decided to stop at Asia Club. The chicken lo mein was pretty good and filling for only costing €6. After lunch, we went deeper into downtown. A majority of the shops were very touristy and sold t-shirts, hats and other accessories. Many locals were very passionate about their work and had some really great pieces, but it was pricey for most of these items so we didn't really spend a lot of time in these shops. One of the local artisans recommended some non-touristy things for us to do, which was very helpful for us on deciding on what we really wanted to do. She recommended us going to the Akrotiri area to see the sunset (instead of the very popular spot known Oia) and visiting Faros Products for an authentic experience. We stopped at Solo Gelato for some caffeine on our way back to the hotel. I decided to get a Frappe (like a few of my friends), but the coffee was very strong and left me feeling almost jittery because of the large amount of caffeine.
Faros Products
After a 15-minute taxi ride from our hotel to Faros Products, we arrived at a quaint little shop with a vineyard next door and various grazing animals (donkeys and goats). Faros Products specializes in homemade goods such as wines, marmalades, and other items. Maria, the shop owner, gave us a tour of her facility. The marmalade station had a variety of spreads including honey with sugar, olive oil, watermelon rind, and grape. All were delicious, but the watermelon rind was my favorite overall. We were able to sample the marmalades on bread chips so we could appreciate the sweet flavors of the marmalade. After sampling the marmalades inside, we went to the wine cellar outside to sample the house wines. All of the wines we tasted and learned about are produced on site and use the grapes from the vineyard on the property. Cultivation is done by hand and no machinery is used throughout the process. They use their feet to press the grapes instead of mechanical presses. The grapes grow right above ground instead of on trellis' because of the lack of water in Greece. The roots have to be able to go deeper in the ground to obtain the water they need to survive. There are 22 larger wineries on the island to help with wine production. Red grapes are of low quality in Santorini, but their white wines last forever. We learned that “yamas” means “cheers” in Greek. Maria’s wine process does not include the use of yeast so that her wine is nothing but natural flavors. She told us that the wine is better with age and cooler temperatures. When we got inside the cellar, Maria handed each of us a shot glass so that we could taste the wine she poured. There were bread chips in the center of the table to clean our palates after we tasted each wine. The first wine we tasted was called Asyrtico. It was a bitter white wine with a sweet aftertaste and 13.5% alcohol. The next wine was called Nicheri. It was a white wine that’s known for being used at night with a meal. It was full of flavor, but had a more bitter aftertaste than the Asyrtico. Nicheri also had a 13.5% alcohol count. The third wine we tasted was called Roze. It was a white wine that uses the skin of red grapes to give its red color. It was very similar to the Nicheri except it was more bitter and very strong. Like the Asyrtico and Nicheri, it also had 13.5% alcohol content. The fourth wine we tasted was called Mezzo. This wine uses dried white and red grapes and is very sweet and strong. It has 16% alcohol content. The final wine we tasted was called Vinsanto. This wine only uses white grapes that are dried until they are raisins. This wine is the most expensive because it has 18% alcohol content and is often used in the practice of communion. The Vinsanto is the sweetest of all the wines and takes a few years to mature to its proper flavor. After tasting each of the wines, my friends and I were able to bottle our favorite wines to take home with us. Maria took us through the process of bottling the wine, corking it, applying the label on the front and heating the foil capsule over the cork. The process itself was very enlightening and exciting to go experience in person.
Akrotiri Lighthouse
After spending a majority of the evening at Faros Products, we decided to go see the Akrotiri lighthouse. The hike to the lighthouse from Faros Products was about a 20-minute walk. When we got to the lighthouse, we waited only minutes before we saw the sunset. This sunset had to have been the most gorgeous one I’ve ever seen. The vibrant colors of the purples, pinks and oranges in the sky and the crashing of the waves against the cliffs were an unbelievable combination. It was the first time I could ever recall watching the sun as a glowing ball descending behind the ocean. The lighthouse was neat, but not accessible from where we were watching the sunset so we only saw the backside of the lighthouse. It was very windy and sandy as we watched the sunset and when it started getting dark it became a little chilly outside. Little did I know that this would be my favorite part about Santorini.
Day 10 - 05/10/17
Fira to Oia Hike
After an early breakfast at the dining hall, a small group of us went on a 7-mile hike from Fira to Oia. The group was composed of two professors and seven students. We started our hike from the hotel at 9:03 a.m. and reached the traditional village of Oia by 12:14 p.m. We encountered a lot of different terrain on our hike - steep slopes, uphill and downhill walking, rocky surfaces, sandy surfaces, paved pathways, narrow pathways, etc. According to my health app on my iPhone I climbed 80 flights of stairs and took 17,368 steps. It felt like the hike took forever and some of the views very beautiful. I probably wouldn't do this hike again just because it felt like it took much longer than it actually did and we were all very exhausted afterwards, but it was a great experience. Our two professors actually hiked back to the hotel while myself and the rest of the group took the public bus.
Oia
Oia, or Pano Meria, is one of the most well-known traditional villages in Santorini. The village was very crowded and touristy. At times I felt my claustrophobia kick in, but finding open spaces helped settle my nerves. It was a very compact atmosphere with little room to move around. After our hike, the group decided to grab a bite to eat at one of the outside venues near the bus stop. We ate a quick meal and then stumbled upon a popular gelato place called Lolita's. I ordered a scoop of coconut and stracciatella for two and a half euros. Although the gelato at Lolita's was pretty good, the place in Mykonos was still the best. After gelato, we walked around town and came across Atlantis Books. There's a cool history behind this bookstore and you may have heard of it from an article in Vanity Fair. The idea behind the store started in 2002 when a couple of college students vacationed in Santorini and became inspired by the land to build the island's first bookstore. Oliver Wise and Craig Walzer fulfilled their bookstore dream in 2004. After spending some time in their store, I have to say it truly lives up to the hype. It's an awesome jewel hidden in the depths of Oia. It's easy to miss, which makes it even more intriguing. The store holds many first editions of classics and more modern novels, but also carries a variety of more standard books. Being able to see The Harry Potter series featuring Greek covers were one of the highlights to my visit as was purchasing a copy of The Book Thief (which now bears a stamp from the bookstore marking a part of my journey in Santorini). The store was very trendy and aesthetically appealing with plenty of quotes inscripted on the walls in various fonts and a timeline drawn by hand of the store's history thus far. Scrabble letters lined the bookshelves to mark the different genres and popular authors. Following our trip to Atlantis Books, the group and I decided to take the bus back to Fira. It was a strange ride and packed to the brim with tourists and locals alike. A bus ticket cost 1,80 euros and the ride itself only took 20 minutes.
Souvlaki Pita Gyro
Once we reached Fira and got off the bus, we started looking for a place to eat. We went to the main strip in town and decided on a gyro place that had good prices and fresh ingredients. It only cost 2,60 euros for a chicken gyro with lettuce, tzatziki, seasoning, red onion and fries inside the pita bread. The flavor was absolutely amazing and it was by far the best gyro I had tried in Greece. The food shack was cute and very crowded by the time we left.
After an early breakfast at the dining hall, a small group of us went on a 7-mile hike from Fira to Oia. The group was composed of two professors and seven students. We started our hike from the hotel at 9:03 a.m. and reached the traditional village of Oia by 12:14 p.m. We encountered a lot of different terrain on our hike - steep slopes, uphill and downhill walking, rocky surfaces, sandy surfaces, paved pathways, narrow pathways, etc. According to my health app on my iPhone I climbed 80 flights of stairs and took 17,368 steps. It felt like the hike took forever and some of the views very beautiful. I probably wouldn't do this hike again just because it felt like it took much longer than it actually did and we were all very exhausted afterwards, but it was a great experience. Our two professors actually hiked back to the hotel while myself and the rest of the group took the public bus.
Oia
Oia, or Pano Meria, is one of the most well-known traditional villages in Santorini. The village was very crowded and touristy. At times I felt my claustrophobia kick in, but finding open spaces helped settle my nerves. It was a very compact atmosphere with little room to move around. After our hike, the group decided to grab a bite to eat at one of the outside venues near the bus stop. We ate a quick meal and then stumbled upon a popular gelato place called Lolita's. I ordered a scoop of coconut and stracciatella for two and a half euros. Although the gelato at Lolita's was pretty good, the place in Mykonos was still the best. After gelato, we walked around town and came across Atlantis Books. There's a cool history behind this bookstore and you may have heard of it from an article in Vanity Fair. The idea behind the store started in 2002 when a couple of college students vacationed in Santorini and became inspired by the land to build the island's first bookstore. Oliver Wise and Craig Walzer fulfilled their bookstore dream in 2004. After spending some time in their store, I have to say it truly lives up to the hype. It's an awesome jewel hidden in the depths of Oia. It's easy to miss, which makes it even more intriguing. The store holds many first editions of classics and more modern novels, but also carries a variety of more standard books. Being able to see The Harry Potter series featuring Greek covers were one of the highlights to my visit as was purchasing a copy of The Book Thief (which now bears a stamp from the bookstore marking a part of my journey in Santorini). The store was very trendy and aesthetically appealing with plenty of quotes inscripted on the walls in various fonts and a timeline drawn by hand of the store's history thus far. Scrabble letters lined the bookshelves to mark the different genres and popular authors. Following our trip to Atlantis Books, the group and I decided to take the bus back to Fira. It was a strange ride and packed to the brim with tourists and locals alike. A bus ticket cost 1,80 euros and the ride itself only took 20 minutes.
Souvlaki Pita Gyro
Once we reached Fira and got off the bus, we started looking for a place to eat. We went to the main strip in town and decided on a gyro place that had good prices and fresh ingredients. It only cost 2,60 euros for a chicken gyro with lettuce, tzatziki, seasoning, red onion and fries inside the pita bread. The flavor was absolutely amazing and it was by far the best gyro I had tried in Greece. The food shack was cute and very crowded by the time we left.
Day 11 - 05/11/17
Lunch at Souvlaki Pita Gyro
For lunch, my friends and I went into downtown to visit our new favorite gyro place. We all got chicken souvlaki gryos again to start off our day. While we were finishing up I went to the ice cream and gelato shop next door called Crema Latte. I decided to try their volcano gelato. It was grey and tasted like sugar-free vanilla, but it helped cool me down on such a hot summer day.
Bus Ride to Perissa and Black Sand Beach
After lunch, my friends and I took a bus to Perissa. Our tickets cost €2,40 per way. The bus was very similar to the charter buses we had been using as a group when traveling together. It took about 20 minutes to get to Perissa where we wanted to visit the famous black sand beach. The beach wasn’t too crowded since it was such a hot day. Despite its name, we soon figured out that the black sand wasn’t really sand but more like super tiny, micro-sized pebbles. Some of the rocks off the shore were painted with the famous blue domes that Santorini is known for and there was a huge cliff off to our right side as we relaxed on the beach. The water was very chilly which helped us cool off from the hot sand. Luckily, my friends and I found a shady spot to put our personal belongings and relax.
For lunch, my friends and I went into downtown to visit our new favorite gyro place. We all got chicken souvlaki gryos again to start off our day. While we were finishing up I went to the ice cream and gelato shop next door called Crema Latte. I decided to try their volcano gelato. It was grey and tasted like sugar-free vanilla, but it helped cool me down on such a hot summer day.
Bus Ride to Perissa and Black Sand Beach
After lunch, my friends and I took a bus to Perissa. Our tickets cost €2,40 per way. The bus was very similar to the charter buses we had been using as a group when traveling together. It took about 20 minutes to get to Perissa where we wanted to visit the famous black sand beach. The beach wasn’t too crowded since it was such a hot day. Despite its name, we soon figured out that the black sand wasn’t really sand but more like super tiny, micro-sized pebbles. Some of the rocks off the shore were painted with the famous blue domes that Santorini is known for and there was a huge cliff off to our right side as we relaxed on the beach. The water was very chilly which helped us cool off from the hot sand. Luckily, my friends and I found a shady spot to put our personal belongings and relax.
Day 12 - 05/12/17
Akrotiri Excavation
A larger group of friends and I decided to go visit the Akrotiri Excavations. This excavation site features some of the most important prehistoric settlements of the Aegean dating back as early at the 5th millennium BC. In 1700 BC, a volcanic eruption halted life in Akrotiri. Inhabitants abandoned Akrotiri and many earthquakes ensued after they escaped the area and before the volcanic eruption. No bodies have been found on site to date, which helps support this claim. Many believe the people had some sort of warning to escape the volcanic eruption. Excavators compare Akrotiri and its history to that of Pompeii because of the preservation of the buildings and contents from the volcanic rock. We were able to get the student discounted price of six euros to visit the site. The site is covered with wooden plank walkways so visitors can view the site without destroying the excavations, especially since it is still a work in progress. The site is covered (it’s actually inside a building) to protect the excavation from weather and extreme heat. The settlement is believed to be one of wealth and status because of the elaborate draining system, sophisticated multi-storied buildings with beautiful wall paintings, furniture, and vessels. Excavations began in 1967 and are ongoing. The site was very interesting, but I think it would have been more beneficial to visit the site with a tour guide or someone with knowledge of the area.
Red Beach
After visiting the Akrotiri excavation site my friends and I visited the Red Beach in Akrotiri. I was very disappointed with this particular beach compared to the beaches in Mykonos and the Black Sand Beach we visited yesterday. The shoreline was very small because it was surrounded by cliffs on all sides excluding the ocean and it was more difficult to get to compared to the other beaches. In order to get there, we had to hike about a mile from the main road but our hike was full of ups and downs and a lot of rough terrain that wouldn’t have been suitable for those with serious health conditions or physical disabilities. The shore was covered in dried seaweed, but unlike Florida, the seaweed was white and was piled a foot high. There was nothing special about the sand and the beach is dignified as red because of the rock/cliff surrounding it. The scalding heat also made our experience less desirable, which is why we only spent about 30 minutes there.
A larger group of friends and I decided to go visit the Akrotiri Excavations. This excavation site features some of the most important prehistoric settlements of the Aegean dating back as early at the 5th millennium BC. In 1700 BC, a volcanic eruption halted life in Akrotiri. Inhabitants abandoned Akrotiri and many earthquakes ensued after they escaped the area and before the volcanic eruption. No bodies have been found on site to date, which helps support this claim. Many believe the people had some sort of warning to escape the volcanic eruption. Excavators compare Akrotiri and its history to that of Pompeii because of the preservation of the buildings and contents from the volcanic rock. We were able to get the student discounted price of six euros to visit the site. The site is covered with wooden plank walkways so visitors can view the site without destroying the excavations, especially since it is still a work in progress. The site is covered (it’s actually inside a building) to protect the excavation from weather and extreme heat. The settlement is believed to be one of wealth and status because of the elaborate draining system, sophisticated multi-storied buildings with beautiful wall paintings, furniture, and vessels. Excavations began in 1967 and are ongoing. The site was very interesting, but I think it would have been more beneficial to visit the site with a tour guide or someone with knowledge of the area.
Red Beach
After visiting the Akrotiri excavation site my friends and I visited the Red Beach in Akrotiri. I was very disappointed with this particular beach compared to the beaches in Mykonos and the Black Sand Beach we visited yesterday. The shoreline was very small because it was surrounded by cliffs on all sides excluding the ocean and it was more difficult to get to compared to the other beaches. In order to get there, we had to hike about a mile from the main road but our hike was full of ups and downs and a lot of rough terrain that wouldn’t have been suitable for those with serious health conditions or physical disabilities. The shore was covered in dried seaweed, but unlike Florida, the seaweed was white and was piled a foot high. There was nothing special about the sand and the beach is dignified as red because of the rock/cliff surrounding it. The scalding heat also made our experience less desirable, which is why we only spent about 30 minutes there.
Day 13 - 05/13/17
Old Port
As we were finishing up our time in Santorini, some of my friends and I decided to go visit Old Port and take a boat to the active volcano and hot springs. After walking to downtown from the hotel we took the table car down to Old Port since it was a very steep decline. Our tickets cost six euros a piece per way and each cable car held six people. Only six cars went down as six cars came up, so there was always people loading and unloading from the cars. Old Port itself wasn’t that impressive since most of it was store fronts selling various boat excursions for tourists. They had a couple of tourist shops, café-type restaurants, and even a post office.
Volcano/Hot Springs
My friends and I decided on the €20 Volcano and Hot Spring tour at 11 a.m. Our ship was called the Santa Irini. It took about 15 minutes to get from Old Port to the hot springs, which apparently were not even that hot. I opted to stay on the ship and watch our personal belongings while my friends swam to the springs. Our tour had some very pretty ocean views that we couldn’t get from the shore which was very nice as we sailed to the volcano. Once we reached the dock it took about 30 minutes to hike to the top of the volcano. Since the volcano is considered “active” we saw some pretty interesting things on our hike like the lava rock fields. Once we reached the peak of the volcano, our tour guide pulled out a rock that was somewhat underground. He passed it around and said we would basically be playing “hot potato” because the rock was so hot. The volcano has a magnitude of eight and one of its previous eruptions explains why Santorini is split up the way it is.
Old Port
After completing our voyage to the active volcano, my friends and I discussed ways of getting back to downtown from Old Port. Two of my friends planned on riding donkeys back to downtown for six euros a piece. I wasn’t too keen on riding a donkey so Emily and I planned on waiting in line for a cable car, but Emily didn’t have any more cash with her so instead we climbed 588 steps back to downtown. Walking up the steps after hiking the volcano and the 7-mile hike a few days earlier was definitely a challenge, especially since we were low on water too. The way up is very steep since the steps are longer in length and shorter in heights. Luckily, there were several large bends we could rest at when we got too tired to keep climbing. The whole stair climbing experience was pretty miserable for me since I was pretty tired and we were surrounded by a crowd of people and donkeys the entire time. They use the “Karavolades” stairs for their donkey rides too so there was a lot of donkey poop on the stairs. In addition to the horrid smell (made worse by the heat), the donkeys would run wild down the stairs after completing their rides up. When we reached the top part of the stairs, we had to navigate through at least forty donkeys that were parked at the top of the stairs. It was pretty chaotic trying to get through them.
Oia
Since it was our last night in Santorini, and Greece as a whole, we decided to go into Oia to eat a nice dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Blue Sky. The atmosphere was very buggy for some reason, more so than the other places we’ve eaten at outdoors. I chose the chicken risotto and was not too impressed with the dish either since I found a hair in my meal and it pretty much quenched my appetite for the rest of the evening. Since we finished eating right around sunset, we were able to find an empty area to take some cute group and individual photos. While I can't say it was the best way to finish off my time in Greece, spending some time with some great friends made it worth it.
As we were finishing up our time in Santorini, some of my friends and I decided to go visit Old Port and take a boat to the active volcano and hot springs. After walking to downtown from the hotel we took the table car down to Old Port since it was a very steep decline. Our tickets cost six euros a piece per way and each cable car held six people. Only six cars went down as six cars came up, so there was always people loading and unloading from the cars. Old Port itself wasn’t that impressive since most of it was store fronts selling various boat excursions for tourists. They had a couple of tourist shops, café-type restaurants, and even a post office.
Volcano/Hot Springs
My friends and I decided on the €20 Volcano and Hot Spring tour at 11 a.m. Our ship was called the Santa Irini. It took about 15 minutes to get from Old Port to the hot springs, which apparently were not even that hot. I opted to stay on the ship and watch our personal belongings while my friends swam to the springs. Our tour had some very pretty ocean views that we couldn’t get from the shore which was very nice as we sailed to the volcano. Once we reached the dock it took about 30 minutes to hike to the top of the volcano. Since the volcano is considered “active” we saw some pretty interesting things on our hike like the lava rock fields. Once we reached the peak of the volcano, our tour guide pulled out a rock that was somewhat underground. He passed it around and said we would basically be playing “hot potato” because the rock was so hot. The volcano has a magnitude of eight and one of its previous eruptions explains why Santorini is split up the way it is.
Old Port
After completing our voyage to the active volcano, my friends and I discussed ways of getting back to downtown from Old Port. Two of my friends planned on riding donkeys back to downtown for six euros a piece. I wasn’t too keen on riding a donkey so Emily and I planned on waiting in line for a cable car, but Emily didn’t have any more cash with her so instead we climbed 588 steps back to downtown. Walking up the steps after hiking the volcano and the 7-mile hike a few days earlier was definitely a challenge, especially since we were low on water too. The way up is very steep since the steps are longer in length and shorter in heights. Luckily, there were several large bends we could rest at when we got too tired to keep climbing. The whole stair climbing experience was pretty miserable for me since I was pretty tired and we were surrounded by a crowd of people and donkeys the entire time. They use the “Karavolades” stairs for their donkey rides too so there was a lot of donkey poop on the stairs. In addition to the horrid smell (made worse by the heat), the donkeys would run wild down the stairs after completing their rides up. When we reached the top part of the stairs, we had to navigate through at least forty donkeys that were parked at the top of the stairs. It was pretty chaotic trying to get through them.
Oia
Since it was our last night in Santorini, and Greece as a whole, we decided to go into Oia to eat a nice dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Blue Sky. The atmosphere was very buggy for some reason, more so than the other places we’ve eaten at outdoors. I chose the chicken risotto and was not too impressed with the dish either since I found a hair in my meal and it pretty much quenched my appetite for the rest of the evening. Since we finished eating right around sunset, we were able to find an empty area to take some cute group and individual photos. While I can't say it was the best way to finish off my time in Greece, spending some time with some great friends made it worth it.
Day 14 - 05/14/17
Departure at Santorini Airport
Since our flight was not leaving until almost 7:00 p.m., our professors and AIFS representatives gave us until 1 p.m. to do whatever we wanted on our last day. Our hotel requested that we check out of our rooms by 11 a.m., but we were more than welcome to spend the transition time in the lobby. While most of the group went out into Fira, a lot of us decided to just hang out at the hotel until we had to leave for the airport.
We ended up leaving our hotel around 2:30 p.m. and we arrived at the airport at 2:45 p.m. The airport was very small and run down. We were told by security we had to stand outside the actual airport until it was closer to our departure time. Two hours later, they finally started letting our group check in their bags and go through security. They were being very strict with the weight of our bags so I was a little anxious about mine getting through smoothly because of the extra souvenirs I bought as we traveled the islands. My bag weighed in at 21.3 kilograms (limit was 23) and I was cleared by the desk attendant. After my bags were labeled and my passport was checked, I had to bring my bag over to the conveyor belt on the other side of the airport. After that, I was told to go through security at the other end. The line for security was growing by the minute and it was a very chaotic atmosphere as TSA personnel was scattered throughout the area. The airport only had two metal detectors and carry-on baggage belts, so that slowed down the process even more. I didn’t get through security until about 5:10 p.m., after waiting twenty minutes in line. There were three gates at this airport (we learned it was the only one on the island) and none of the flights had left on time so there were about four flights worth of people scattered around the airport that was about half the size of a CVS or Walgreens. A majority of the group was sitting at our gate so I left my stuff with some friends while I went to the snack cart to get a bottle of water. While I was gone, security came by and started yelling at everyone sitting down at our gate because no one had their passport checked yet. Everyone had to move their stuff and themselves out of the room and get their passports checked. After waiting about 45 minutes, my passport was checked and I had my bottle of water. The next step was waiting for someone to check our tickets so that we could wait outside for a shuttle to take us to the tarmac. It took about 20 minutes for all of us to get our tickets checked and we waited outside for the shuttle for another 20 minutes. It was getting closer and closer to our departure time so a lot of us were getting more anxious. Once the shuttle came, the first bunch of us took the 30 second ride to the tarmac and we boarded our fight. Despite our original departure time of 6:50 p.m., we didn’t actually take off until 7:30 p.m. My window seat made my three-hour flight to London a little more enjoyable, but honestly, I had never been so happy to leave a place in my life.
Arrival at London Heathrow Airport
When we got to the London Heathrow Airport a wave of exhaustion fell over the entire group. Our horrible travel day combined with it being midnight in London and us being on Greece time made it even worse. The airport was huge but very well organized with clear signage and helpful personnel. As I went through customs the agent at the desk mocked my AIFS letter saying I was traveling for study abroad purposes. That lightened the mood a little. After we collected our luggage from downstairs we went to the general lobby area and checked in with our London AIFS agents. We waited about 30 minutes before we boarded the coach buses that would take us to our dorms in Chelsea. Lightfoot Hall was located about 40 minutes from the Heathrow Airport. It was a strange feeling driving on the opposite side of the road and despite the late hour the roads were heavy with traffic. Luckily, our bus driver was very impressive with getting around the tight corners and busy highways. Despite the pitch-black night sky, I could already tell London was amazingly beautiful. The architecture, landscape and aesthetic appeal of the city left me in awe as a calm sleep filled our coach bus.
Lightfoot Hall
Once we arrived at Lightfoot Hall we were given our key cards, orientation envelopes (filled with maps of the city, our Mamma Mia play ticket, and other helpful pamphlets we would need for the next two weeks) and roommate assignments. Emily and I’s room was located on the second floor and since we had a good amount of luggage we decided to take the elevator. There were only two elevators in the building and they could barely hold four people inside. Once we got upstairs we found our room at the end of the hall. The dorm room was probably smaller than the size of my kitchen. It was very narrow and was your typical “shoebox room.” We knew as soon as we entered that room that we would be very close and personal for the next two weeks. The comforter/sheet set they gave us was very rough and the walls were paper-thin, but the thought of staying in the same room for two weeks was very comforting. Emily and I decided that I would take the top bunk while she took the bottom one since she had a tendency to use the restroom more than I did in the middle of the night and that would lessen the chances of waking me up. We were able to locate a Starbucks on Google Maps right down the street and we saw a cute café across the street coming in. Since our room did not come with towels, I had to manage a shower without one by using a clean t-shirt to dry myself off. Sleep came easy to me that night as I knew I had to be up at 7:30 a.m. and it was already 1:30 a.m. As grim and uncomfortable as our room was, I just knew that London would be my favorite place in the entire world.
Since our flight was not leaving until almost 7:00 p.m., our professors and AIFS representatives gave us until 1 p.m. to do whatever we wanted on our last day. Our hotel requested that we check out of our rooms by 11 a.m., but we were more than welcome to spend the transition time in the lobby. While most of the group went out into Fira, a lot of us decided to just hang out at the hotel until we had to leave for the airport.
We ended up leaving our hotel around 2:30 p.m. and we arrived at the airport at 2:45 p.m. The airport was very small and run down. We were told by security we had to stand outside the actual airport until it was closer to our departure time. Two hours later, they finally started letting our group check in their bags and go through security. They were being very strict with the weight of our bags so I was a little anxious about mine getting through smoothly because of the extra souvenirs I bought as we traveled the islands. My bag weighed in at 21.3 kilograms (limit was 23) and I was cleared by the desk attendant. After my bags were labeled and my passport was checked, I had to bring my bag over to the conveyor belt on the other side of the airport. After that, I was told to go through security at the other end. The line for security was growing by the minute and it was a very chaotic atmosphere as TSA personnel was scattered throughout the area. The airport only had two metal detectors and carry-on baggage belts, so that slowed down the process even more. I didn’t get through security until about 5:10 p.m., after waiting twenty minutes in line. There were three gates at this airport (we learned it was the only one on the island) and none of the flights had left on time so there were about four flights worth of people scattered around the airport that was about half the size of a CVS or Walgreens. A majority of the group was sitting at our gate so I left my stuff with some friends while I went to the snack cart to get a bottle of water. While I was gone, security came by and started yelling at everyone sitting down at our gate because no one had their passport checked yet. Everyone had to move their stuff and themselves out of the room and get their passports checked. After waiting about 45 minutes, my passport was checked and I had my bottle of water. The next step was waiting for someone to check our tickets so that we could wait outside for a shuttle to take us to the tarmac. It took about 20 minutes for all of us to get our tickets checked and we waited outside for the shuttle for another 20 minutes. It was getting closer and closer to our departure time so a lot of us were getting more anxious. Once the shuttle came, the first bunch of us took the 30 second ride to the tarmac and we boarded our fight. Despite our original departure time of 6:50 p.m., we didn’t actually take off until 7:30 p.m. My window seat made my three-hour flight to London a little more enjoyable, but honestly, I had never been so happy to leave a place in my life.
Arrival at London Heathrow Airport
When we got to the London Heathrow Airport a wave of exhaustion fell over the entire group. Our horrible travel day combined with it being midnight in London and us being on Greece time made it even worse. The airport was huge but very well organized with clear signage and helpful personnel. As I went through customs the agent at the desk mocked my AIFS letter saying I was traveling for study abroad purposes. That lightened the mood a little. After we collected our luggage from downstairs we went to the general lobby area and checked in with our London AIFS agents. We waited about 30 minutes before we boarded the coach buses that would take us to our dorms in Chelsea. Lightfoot Hall was located about 40 minutes from the Heathrow Airport. It was a strange feeling driving on the opposite side of the road and despite the late hour the roads were heavy with traffic. Luckily, our bus driver was very impressive with getting around the tight corners and busy highways. Despite the pitch-black night sky, I could already tell London was amazingly beautiful. The architecture, landscape and aesthetic appeal of the city left me in awe as a calm sleep filled our coach bus.
Lightfoot Hall
Once we arrived at Lightfoot Hall we were given our key cards, orientation envelopes (filled with maps of the city, our Mamma Mia play ticket, and other helpful pamphlets we would need for the next two weeks) and roommate assignments. Emily and I’s room was located on the second floor and since we had a good amount of luggage we decided to take the elevator. There were only two elevators in the building and they could barely hold four people inside. Once we got upstairs we found our room at the end of the hall. The dorm room was probably smaller than the size of my kitchen. It was very narrow and was your typical “shoebox room.” We knew as soon as we entered that room that we would be very close and personal for the next two weeks. The comforter/sheet set they gave us was very rough and the walls were paper-thin, but the thought of staying in the same room for two weeks was very comforting. Emily and I decided that I would take the top bunk while she took the bottom one since she had a tendency to use the restroom more than I did in the middle of the night and that would lessen the chances of waking me up. We were able to locate a Starbucks on Google Maps right down the street and we saw a cute café across the street coming in. Since our room did not come with towels, I had to manage a shower without one by using a clean t-shirt to dry myself off. Sleep came easy to me that night as I knew I had to be up at 7:30 a.m. and it was already 1:30 a.m. As grim and uncomfortable as our room was, I just knew that London would be my favorite place in the entire world.