One Thing Thursdays: Santorini

During a glorious month off classes during my time studying abroad, a pal and I trotted our pasty buns to sunny Greece for a few days of beach time on the island of Santorini. We’d read that it was gorgeous and not over run with rambunctious youth – something we deeply craved after jaunts in Amsterdam and wildandohsocrazy Brussels.

My one thing: Get yourself to that red sand beach!

Santorini (like Hawai’i) is a volcanic island, so beaches around the island come in different colors: white, red and black. The black beach is pretty easy to get to, right off a main road. To get to the red beach, we had to scramble over some huge red rocks – not advised in flip flops! But, it was so worth it. We visited in late April, pre-tourist season and the beach was basically empty except for a very precious, very old Greek man selling bottles of Coke and some middle school types. It was warm enough to go for a dip and seriously, the red beach is so stunning, I’d have sat there for the whole afternoon in freezing temperatures.

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My darling travel companion, Miss T, rocking the requisite backpack and front pack. Oh yes, we had little shame. Also, we totally saw the actress who played Kimmy Gibler on Full House on this ship. I'll always regret that I didn't get a snappy photo with Ms. G.

If you have time for two things: Eat a dolma! Oh, stuffed grape leaves – you will never taste as good as you did in Greece. The rice was so fluffy and buttery and the veggies inside were perfect and that grape leaf was never stringy like the dolmas I’ve had in these parts. I wish I could tell you the name of the restaurant where I ate these, but I’m getting old. I do know it wasn’t by the caldera (but you should eat at one of the restaurants with the amazing caldera views, too! Coolest sunset evah, dawg.), and I think it was by a scooter rental place. Anyway, I bet every dolma on that island is impeccable, so it probably doesn’t even matter.*

Me and T, dining volcano-side. Photo by our drunk Polish waiter.

*Update: Found the business card I tucked away in my scrapbook: get a dolma specifically at Poseidon. And....bring me a few home. Smuggle them amongst your vagabond belongings and hurry my dolma to me!