The traveling adventures of Midwest photographer Courtney Tompson

Santorini
I’d romanticized the whitewashed houses and blue domes set against the Aegean Sea. Santorini is known for it’s beauty but when actually there, it exceeds all expectations. This Greek island is hard to sum up into words, but… Romantic, Magical, and Stunning might come close.

STAY
When booking a trip to Santorini I’d highly recommend staying in either Fira or Oia—the two main towns on the Island. Oia was our choice and our cave house airbnb was situated with an up close view of the iconic blue domes. While a few steps were involved (thank you porter for carrying our suitcase up and down those steps) our Oia residence was enough off the beaten path to drown out the noise of tourist traffic while simultaneously keeping us near the action. I can’t recommend Rose’s Cave enough! In addition to an unbelievable view I have never received that level of hospitality at any Airbnb. Rose arranged transportation, tours, and whatever else we needed.

ADVENTURE
Prehistoric site on the island, Akrotiri: Akortiri is a Minoan Bronze Age settlement destroyed in the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BC and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and artworks.

Catamaran tour with Santorini Yachting Club: The catamaran tour is a great way to enjoy the water, as there aren’t many prominent beaches on Santorini.

Fira to Oia Hike: This 6.5 mile hike takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. We took a bus to Fira and spent the day exploring. Deciding to take the hike back to Oia a couple hours prior to sunset. The caldera views make it worth every step.

EAT

Thalami: When you go back a second time just for the baklava you know it’s a great choice.
Pitogyros: I can’t imagine ever having a gyro that tops this one. If you find yourself in Oia and don’t try this gyro you are doing yourself a disservice.
Candouni: Wild mushroom risotto was yum.
Lolitas: The line is often long but it goes by quick when you need your gelato fix. Cave of Nikolas: If you find yourself on the other side of the island this is a great restaurant near Akrotiri. With a view of the water, the seafood was delicious.

DRINK
One of our days in Santorini we created our own winery tour. We rented a car and Chris offered to be our designated driver. Below are the three wineries we visited—all of which I’d highly recommend.

Artemis Karamolegos: This was our entire group’s favorite. Everything we tried I loved.

Vassaltis: This tasting had a great food/wine pairing,

Santos Winery: The view is phenomenal. A great stop at sunset. This winery also has a US distributor and can be purchased online. The sparkling Rose was my favorite.

Santorini, Greece

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