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| Fira to Oia Hike |
Before I start, let me clarify that I quote Mamma Mia as
an expression of our experience, not because it was set in Santorini. The movie
was set in another island, Skopelos.
Santorini was majestic and beautiful. We got to appreciate
its beauty through our 10-km hike, a true challenge to this mamma.
By the time we got to Santorini and the start of our hike
from Fira to Oia, we had already clocked in way over a hundred thousand steps
over the previous days. We had hiked to the top of the Acropolis, Cynthos, got
lost in the streets of Fira and even hiked to the beautiful Heart of Santorini.
We were feeling tired. Ok, so now that I’ve got that disclaimer out…it took us
5 hours to complete the average 3 hour hike. Well, we were strolling and taking
lots of photos—this was what we kept saying, every time another group of hikers
overtook us on the trail.
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| Fira |
Anyway, we were aiming to catch the sunset at Oia and I
wanted some time to go around Oia so we started at about noon, at the height of
the heat. But as it was so windy, we did not feel sticky nor did we overheat,
even if we wore long-sleeved shirts to protect us from the sun. It was the best
hike we had ever taken. It was not the most difficult, but it was definitely
challenging, with the trail changing from cobbled path to paved roads and then gravel
and stone.
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| gravel path on Fira to Oia hike |
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| we have to go through that?! |
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| trails at Fira to Oia hike |
There was hardly any shade, which was a challenge in the noon-day
heat. It was also hard for me to keep my hat on because it was very windy.
There was enough signage to make sure you were going in the right direction and
the views were just amazing. Anywhere you point your camera, it was just
beautiful. Walking through the hotels along the caldera and passing many, many
churches on the trail was just something we would not normally have on any
hike. We passed by the beautiful towns of Firostefani and Imerovigli.
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| boutique hotels @Imerogivli |
We
skipped (and thankfully we did) the side hike to Skaros Rock which would take
us an extra hour (so they say. This would probably take us two, with our pace).
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| Skaros Rock |
We got to Oia at 5pm, tired and not finding any public
washrooms. The one we did find was closed. So, we couldn’t drink so much as
well. We had planned to have dinner back in Fira (taking the bus back) after
watching the sunset. In hindsight, we should have just eaten in one of the pricey
restaurants, used the WC and watched the sunset relaxingly. The most popular
place to view the sunset was…well… popular. It was so crowded, we really didn’t
want to squeeze in. There were a couple of cruise ships that I saw docked so
that didn’t help with the crowds. If you had the time or inclination, you can
also book a catamaran sunset cruise. And while it was a great experience, we
wished we could have enjoyed the destination as much as the journey. Our feet
were not happy (nor were our bladders) but all in all, it was an experience I
would not trade off. The journey was very memorable and the sunset was gorgeous.
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| Oia |
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| Sunset @Oia |
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| Sunset @Oia |
