After a nice breakfast of yogurt, fruit, bread and cheese on the porch overlooking the caldera, we took off to explore the tourist town of Thira (and Thirastefani) and to dip our feet in the water at Agios Georgios (St. George’s) beach. I neglected to take any photos of the beach—a narrow, black sand strand that is populated with neat rows of cabanas and boardwalks and offers parasailing, jet skiing, and other similar activities. We had lunch at a “new age Greek” restaurant that was highly recommended and which gave us access to their part of the beach. I grew up going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Edisto, the South Carolina low country, and Myrtle Beach, so St. George’s doesn’t fit my archetype of a beach experience. Still, it was nice to doze off under the cabana to the sound of small waves breaking on the shore.
Lunch was good, but the most interesting aspect of it was our waiter, who told us that we’d see the “real” Greece after we leave Santorini.
It’s likely that most people’s mental picture of Santorini is of Thira. It consists of bright white buildings with blue trim lodged precariously on steep rocky cliffs, jammed together in a haphazard fashion like so many Legos spilled on the highest ridges of the caldera. The streets are narrow, steep, and cobbledstoned and no two of them meet at right angles. There are thousands of small shops ranging from souvlaki stands to exclusive restaurants and from souvenir stores to high end jewelers and art galleries. The hard sell is constant. Many owners stand outside their establishments beckoning wanderers in. I wandered into a music store to try an exquisite baglama and was immediately badgered for several minutes into making a deal for it. I didn’t, but was it was a beautiful instrument.
The Thira experience actually takes place two neighboring towns—Thira Dan Thirasstefani—which are functionally and aesthetically the same place. Thira is the terminal town for the Cyclades ferries and cruise ships, and they continually disgorge passengers into the town creating waves of wanderers in the narrow streets and alleys.
Given all that, on a beautiful blue sky day the experience of wandering around Thira is beautiful and not to be missed. Here are some photos.
