"Our First Greek Island - Memories To... " a Santorini Island Travel Page by Mikebb

Our visit to Greece and Santorini was a late addition to our 6 week holiday in Europe during the period mid August to early October, 2008. At the time of booking with our travel agent I mentioned we should have a stopover in Greece to break the return flight to Australia and the next thing we had 8 days in Greece.

Often the unexpected turns out to be the best, with little planning and fingers crossed we arrived at Athens airport for a connecting flight to Santorini and found our flight departure had been delayed 6 hours resulting in us arriving at Santorini airport after midnight.

From that time on everything was spot on, particularly the weather, food, sightseeing and the relaxed nature of the local people.

You can learn the history from a guide book from your local library. When I travel I attempt to ccapture and enjoy the local culture and if you achieve this ambition you will have a magnificent time on Santorini or any other Greek Island.

Something I learnt was that the island was devastated by an earthquake in1956 and most of the buildings on the island were destroyed. Fira has been rebuilt and the majority of the villas you see cliffside have been built since the earthquake.

You will find that Fira gets very busy during the day as the passengers from the visiting cruise boats invade the island. They are usually back onboard ship by late afternoon and those staying on the island can enjoy the evening in the local restaurants, cafes and bars.

For those staying a few days I recommend you hire a car for 8 hours to see the island, get away from Fira and Oia and enjoy the local beaches, ancient Thira and Mount Profitis, the highest point on the island which provides an excellent view of the island.