Relaxing in Santorini

Life got a bit more relaxing the moment we got off the plane from Athens and stepped out on the Greek island of Santorini. We stayed in two towns while we were there - one called Parissa and another called Oia (pronounced "ia").

Parissa was a really cute, tiny town right on the coast of the island. There were great black sand beaches (the island was produced by a volcano) and cute little bakeries and yummy places to eat. The town itself was pretty quiet because we came during the very end of the high season, so basically all we did the entire time we were there was lay on the beach (we got in the water a couple of times, but it was so much colder than the water in Costa Rica!!), which is exactly what we needed.

Oia is a little tourist town nestled on a cliff known for having the best sunsets in the world (see below). It was a beautiful little town, full of white Spanish-style buildings and cute little pathways, but it was a little bit too touristy for me. The second we got there we heard all these American voices, and we hadn't met any other Americans our entire time in Greece. It also was not a very young crowd. And compared to Parissa, it was packed - I'm just thankful we didn't go during the high season, I was claustraphobic enough as it was! We had a great time though, and yes, we saw the sunset, and it was very pretty, although I almost prefer the one at my parents' house...

Below are a few pictures from the trip:

Sitting on a black sand beach in Parissa

The town of Oia

A little fishing village down from Oia - we walked down a road to get here and then walked up a really long, steep staircase to get back to the town - trust me, it was a lot of stairs


The sunset at Oia

- Krista