This morning, we woke up early and ate breakfast on our balcony. We knew our day would be filled with a lot of walking, so we wore our tennis shoes this time. We would be taking the bus to Fira, and then hiking from Fira to Oia, which is about 6 miles. It's not a long hike, but the hills can be steep and the terrain is rugged (mostly dirt and loose rocks).
Eating breakfast on our balcony before our trip to Fira.
Our first view of Fira (the bus ride from Oia to Fira was only 30 minutes and 1.60 euros/person.)
Fira is the capital of Santorini and it is much larger than Oia, which means more room for tour groups and cruise ships.
You'll find plenty of musicians playing music on the sidewalk.
Just like Oia, the restaurants in Fira have incredible views.
Our hike hasn't even started yet and we are amazed by the scenic views and deep blue waters. Fira is closer to the center of Santorini (as opposed to Oia), which gives it a different vantage point.
Plenty of small boutiques to browse through. This shop (to the left) sells genuine leather handbags and purses.
Lucky's is small, but they are fast and you don't have to wait long at all. This place had the best souvlaki wrap that we had in Santorini (pictured below.)
Souvlaki wrap at Lucky's in Fira...delicious!
We also stopped at the Santorini Brewing Company for some beers and snacks before we ventured on our hike.
Authentic Greek fava dip (yellow split peas) with capers; very simple and light, good flavor
Fried cheese...so good!
It was a little difficult to find the trail that started the hike. After asking a few of the locals, we finally made our way out of Fira. Make sure to stock up on several bottles of water before you leave Fira (it was very hot when we were there). It's also a good idea to have a hat and plenty of sunscreen. Also, make sure to use the restroom, since there are no public restrooms along way. Plan for the hike to take about 1.5-4 hours (it took us 3 hours; I stopped quite a bit to take pictures).
The panoramic views are spectacular! If you look closely, you can see Oia at the very end of the caldera.
You'll pass by many smaller towns along the way. Each of them has their own unique set of hotels and shops.
These churches have some of the best views in the world.
The blue domes of the church match the deep blue sky and sea below.
Stay on the trail, it's a steep slope down to the sea.
This church was at the very top of a hill with no easy access by car. There was a man was waiting outside of this empty church. He didn't speak any English, but motioned to us if we'd like to look inside. We agreed, and looked around the small, one room chapel. We thanked him and he politely shook our hands as we left.
A little less than halfway back to Oia. As you can see, Oia's still in the distance at the very end of the caldera.
A private hotel. Once we make it down this hill, we follow the road a little before we ascend the next large hill.
These views made the hike a little easier.
This trail leads up to a church, which has the best view of Oia from above.
At this point, we still had about a mile to go, but we didn't mind. We were so happy that we didn't have any more hills to climb!
After we got back to our hotel, we swam and lounged around the pool for a while before we headed out to dinner. This is our view from dinner.
Santorini Salad
Moussaka; an eggplant and potato-based dish with minced meat, cheese, and a bechamel sauce that is layered like a casserole; very good
Cheese croquettes
Santorini has some of the best sunsets in the world. There is a specific point where people "camp out" waiting several hours for the sunset. But, I found that if you explore the alleys, you'll find an even better view that's not nearly as crowded.
We stopped by the Kissing Fish on our walk back to our hotel to have our feet tickled.
It was quite the experience! We couldn't tell if our feet were different afterwards, but this is something you won't be able to experience in the U.S.
The hike was definitely well-worth the views. Another perfect ending to a perfect day. Tomorrow, we're traveling to another part of the island (but not by foot or by bus). Stay tuned to see where we're headed!