Places I would not like to get my driving permit: Santorini. Had an exciting van tour of Santorini today with Kostas the Bold. Kostas is a Santorini local who navigates the traffic chaos on the island like some kind of wizard. Stop signs? Optional. Tailgating? Mandatory. One-way roads? Not today. One-lane road facing down a ginormous bus? We can fit. Don’t worry. I worried.
Bonus: there was an automatic air freshener in Kostas’ car that kept spraying every 7 minutes or so. We all smell very fresh.
Some key takeaways from Kostas:
Santorini is expecting 750 cruise ships this year. Before Covid, that number was just under 600. If you’re in the touristy areas, Santorini is extremely crowded. Bring your patience. And your ridiculous floppy hat.
“The logistics involved to create a feeling of serenity for the guests on Santorini is insane. We have no fresh water. We have to bring it in from the mainland. Yet we have hundreds of swimming pools and hot tubs. This is crazy. “
Santorini has more pistachio trees than olive trees. Did not verify – will take Kostas’ word for it.
Kostas took us to the local (not touristy) village of Megalochori. It was a welcome change of pace from the chaos of Fira and Oía. Quiet and charming. A great photo opportunity around every curve of the narrow streets. Kostas told us to visit the traditional cave house if it was open — “It’s a private residence, and the owners are moody, so sometimes the door is closed. But if it’s open, walk inside.” It was open, so we walked inside. I went in as far as it was light, then hit the “nope” button.
Also visited the prehistoric city of Akrotíri — think Greek Pompeii. Only Akrotíri makes Pompeii look like a baby. Akrotíri existed 4,000 years before Pompeii. Akrotíri was a Cycladic Bronze Age settlement, destroyed by a volcanic eruption sometime in the 16th century BC. Curiously, no human or animal remains have been found there. Where did everyone go? Did they have time to evacuate before the eruption? Got hot and hangry, couldn’t concentrate on prehistoric rocks anymore.
Had dinner at a traditional family taverna tonight. The kind of restaurant where the waiter tells you what you want to eat. And insists on being in your photos. There’s a yaya in the kitchen, bouzouki in the background, dogs roaming the dining room, and a hundred years of candle wax dripping down the walls. It was perfection. My favorite meal since we arrived in Greece. And then came the tsipouro. Tsipouro is a cousin to grappa, ergo, it’s gross. But I was a trooper and got one sip down before finding a cactus nearby that looked thirsty for the rest.
