On the afternoon of May 29, 2016, at 17:05, we took off from Athens, the capital of Greece, heading to Santorini Island.
In Athens, we visited the ruins of ancient Greek civilization, the Acropolis and the museum, and witnessed the site of the first Olympic Games. We were very eager for the next leg of our journey: flying to the island of love. To see the Aegean Sea, to see the most beautiful sunset.
We landed at the world-famous resort of Santorini Island at 17:50.
Having traveled from Beijing to Greece and flown from Athens to the island, we smoothly checked into the first hotel of our itinerary, where we saw the blue sea at the entrance, and everyone was very happy.
Some people were excited and eager to leave the hotel to go shopping.
The streets were lined with small shops.
There were also motorcycles available for tourists to rent. Europeans often rent cars, but the local Chinese tour guide told us that it’s best not to drive on the island due to poor traffic order and roads.
Fira is a traditional settlement on Santorini Island and also the capital of Santorini. Fira is a small town filled with white houses, located on the edge of the volcano 400 meters west of Thira. The scenery in Fira is spectacular, where you can see the 18-kilometer-long volcanic panorama from the southern Akrotiri to the northern Nicholas, the Kameni Island in the middle, and the Thirasia Island to the west.
The next morning, we went to the volcanic island. From the old port of Fira on the island, we took the cliff cable car to board the boat.
We bought tickets to take a wooden sailboat to the volcanic island.
Kameni Island is an uninhabited active volcano located on the west side of Santorini Island. In the past 300 years, Kameni Volcano has erupted four times, the most recent being in 1950. In summer, boats bring tourists to climb the volcano and soak in the volcanic hot springs.
Climbing onto the volcanic island, looking at the road beneath my feet, it felt like landing on an alien planet from a Star Wars movie.
As I walked, I felt it was too sunny and too hot. I didn’t dare to stay on the mountain for long, and soon I returned to the dock, hiding in a cool and ventilated place to cool off.
Climbing onto the antique sailboat for photos.
At that time, I was almost sixty years old, but I felt very young on the island!
Getting old, but still romantic. Old and romantic!
Returning to Fira on the big sailboat, it was lunchtime, and we each formed groups to go for meals.
We saw a local restaurant that looked good from the outside, with a large sunshade terrace.
We decided to eat here.
This Greek seafood feast was indeed great! Fresh, finely prepared, and delicious, it cost 104 euros for five people (1:7.5). It was really worth it!
The above is my initial impression of the second day of our visit to Santorini.
The tour guide said that what follows is even more beautiful and exciting.
On the second morning on the island, we visited the volcanic island and had a seafood feast. In the afternoon, we entered the most famous scenic area of the island: Oia.
This small town called Oia is located on the crown of Greece, Santorini Island, and is the brightest pearl of the island, known for having the most beautiful sunset in the world. Oia boasts the world’s most famous sunset, the prettiest churches, and the most charming white houses. Walking in Oia, every cell in your body can feel that this is a paradise on earth. Oia is the second largest town on Santorini Island and an excellent spot to enjoy the sunset over the Aegean Sea, hailed as the most beautiful sunset in the world.
The best season to visit Santorini: May to August. Summer is the most beautiful!
Oia is the most charming town on the island, the best place in the world to watch the most beautiful sunset, and it has unbeatable scenery.
The true image of Santorini: blue sky and white clouds, blue domes and white houses, blue sea and white sails.
I witnessed the beautiful legend with my own eyes.
Donkeys! A scene from a European seaside city. Last year in Mihai on the Mediterranean coast of Spain was like this, and the same goes for the Aegean Sea's Santorini.
The town is full of small shops with an artistic flair.
Sailing on the Aegean Sea! Confidently taking photos with my own phone.
As evening approached, all the tourists on the island came to Oia to watch the sunset, making the narrow streets feel crowded.
Here, you can feel the romantic atmosphere of Santorini's sunset, filled with couples and young people.
I captured many portraits with my telephoto lens, and I think this last shot of a person is the best. The expression in a moment of looking back is very natural, and the lighting is good. Quite rare.
I really like this photo I took that looks like an oil painting: the romance of the elderly is still touching in the sunset.
On the third morning on Santorini Island, six of us voluntarily formed a group and separated from the main tour. The other travelers went to visit the Akrotiri ruins, a winery, and the "black sand beach" seaside resort.
Our group of six went to take a yacht out to sea.
We privately chartered a yacht to swim, fish, and eat seafood....
Several of us have been to many coastal cities in various countries, and the yachts at the marina always attract attention. So we were very interested in this opportunity to take a yacht out to sea, and during a temporary discussion, we quickly reached a consensus. Before departure, we had high expectations for this yacht trip!
Two hundred euros per person, setting off to play on the Aegean Sea for six hours.
It is very common for Europeans to rent yachts to go out to sea in Santorini.
The coastline grew more distant as we found ourselves in the blue sea.
Feeling relaxed and happy.
On the Aegean Sea, with clear skies and calm waves, I didn’t feel any bumps or seasickness.
In 2016, the oldest among us was 68 years old, four were 57 (including me), and one was 55.
With the blue sky overhead, we sailed through the waves, fully enjoying the sunshine of Santorini on the Aegean Sea...
I had to jump in the water to swim.
The water temperature was 30 degrees Celsius (this area has volcanic hot springs), and the water was 40 meters deep.
This is the captain, who brought us fishing rods.
Actually, everyone was no longer focused on fishing because something even more exciting was about to happen...
The sailor called us: Hello!
When we approached to take a closer look, we exclaimed: Wow!
Sailor: There’s more, plenty of it.
Before we knew it, he quickly prepared a seafood feast for the six of us.
It was truly a magnificent seafood feast at sea.
At the same time, white wine was served with the meal.
An hour later, as the meal was coming to an end, the sailor came again: Don’t rush, there’s after-dinner drink, champagne!
After the meal, the captain, the sailor, and the beautiful waitress played music and danced rock and roll for us.
Captain: Chinese friends, are you happy? Welcome to come again!
I took the pen to write a warm message on behalf of the travelers.
Laughter echoed like the seagulls chasing at the stern of the boat, rising and falling on the sea.
It was perfect fun, delicious food, and I gained so much; we returned to shore.
This rare feast at sea left a deep impression on us, but it was not the end of our Santorini trip.
Back on the island, we would check into the famous cliff hotel, which was an important part of our long-awaited itinerary on Santorini, Greece. (Another article will introduce this.)
So many years have passed, but the charm and romance of Santorini Island and the Aegean Sea still remain in my memory.