Santorini, Greece or Thira has one of the most breathtaking landscapes in Greece.  It is located in the Cyclades islands in the middle of the numerous Greek lslands in the Aegean Sea. The little villages of the island show their white walls on tall cliffs and overlook a submerged volcano.

The volcano is one of the most famous attractions of Santorini. Taking a tour to the volcano is a 20 minute walk on a moon-like land, where steam and lava formations can be seen.  From this vantage point is an amazing view of the mainland.

The capital of the island is Fira and has over 1500 villagers on the west part of the island. Fira is found on the edge of a 260 meter cliff with a panoramic view of the volcano.

There are many diverse beaches in Sanorini and you have your pick of different colored sand, black and red sand being the most famous.

The island of Santorini is also related to the myth of Atlantis.

Santorini is one of the most famous holiday destinations in Greece. Tourism is a hot commodity. It isn’t a surprise to see 11 cruise ships docked nearby in one day. With Fira’s narrow streets it can feel very crowded on those days. Never fear! There are many little villages along the cliffs to explore.

To get to Fira, one must chose out of three transportations: ride up in a cable car, walk up a winding set of wide stairs or hop on a donkey. Any of the ways to the top offer amazing views and stories to tell later.

Images property of author

It is however disappointing to see how many people go to Greece and see absolutely nothing of the country. It is typical, for a large group of holiday makers, to trust their money and precious time abroad to the tour operator. This trust is often misplaced and many British tourists come back without having seen anything of the beauties of Greece, or tried anything outside the hotel buffet.

Typical of the hotel food are the “british breakfasts”, the “fish and chips” and a series of other dishes like “hamburgers”!!! It is amazing to believe that people pay a good sum of money to go to a place like Greece (or any other Mediterranean destination for that matter) and come back without having visited a small village tavern, with some house wine, fresh olive oil made from the tavern owner’s own olive trees, and fresh fruits picked up from the trees a few hours ago.

My hometown, Patras, is not a small place, but there are many beautiful, idyllic taverns and restaurants, numerous cafes and open air bars to cater for every taste. Once I was with my friends in a nice small tavern called Stavrodromi (cross roads) and I saw on the menu an item labelled “Grandma’s Meatballs”. So I asked if they were made according to grandma’s recipe. The answered really came as a surprise. They were actually cooked by grandma, who would not let anyone else do the meatballs. Then I noticed that there was a rose-flavoured ice-cream. It sounded interesting, so I asked about it. The lady (owner/manager/cook/waitress) said that it was vanilla ice cream, covered with her own recipe home made rose syrup. I said I would certainly have that one for desert. Sometime during our feast, the lady came to me, almost ready to cry, to apologise, because they run out of the rose syrup. I assured her that there was no problem and that I would be happy with any other flavour (which I would).

When the desert came, to my surprise, I got my rose flavoured ice cream. I said I was nicely surprised, and the lady replied that she sent her son with his bike to go home and bring a rose syrup jar. Now, if that is not customer care … then I do not know how it is.

It is this personal service, the local touch and the overall experience that thousands of tourists miss out.

If you want to go to the islands instead, you have the obvious choices of Rhodes, Kos, Corfu and Crete. But why would you want to go to a place where there will be thousands and thousands of other british tourists? Have you ever considered that there are more than 2,000 islands in Greece? Have you thought of going to a place where you do not have to fight for half a square meter to put your towel, but you could actually get a boat, land on a beach with your friends, and keep the beach to yourselves for as long as you want? Because the next boat that will come by your beach, will skip it and get the next available one!

If you go to small islands of the Aegean like Folegandros, Amorgos, Astypalaia, you will get the chance to get amazing seas, cleaner than anywhere else, and the feeling that you own the place. If you go to a rented room, the owners will let you pick up your fruits from their trees, invite you home for dinner, and even have a party in your honour (if you behave !!!). In the morning you can go to the harbour and wait for the fishing boats to arrive. Then you can select the fishes you want to have for lunch. Take a few more, go to the nearest tavern, and ask the owner to cook them for you. Instead of paying him, he will accept some fishes for himself. He will through in a salad, bread and some wine, and everybody will be happy. Who said that barter is dead?

Imaging not having to wait to be seated. Imagine the tavern owner telling you stories about the place, asking you what do you want him to cook for you (not just what is on the menu). Imagine going to sleep at night and have jasmine and  honeysuckle’s scent flooding your room, and the breeze coming through the trees cooling you down, instead of having to put the air condition on all night (with the fear of catching a cold) or listening to the endless karaoke night of your resort!

Another misconception of british tourists is that they need to go to the islands to swim and sunbathe. Greece has 16,000 kilometres of coastline. There is no place in Greece that is further than 100 Km from the sea. And there are beaches that can cater for even the more demanding visitors. The sands of Kilini expand further than the eyes can see, in a miles long beach with warm and shallow waters

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Or if you want something with less sand… more gravel or cobbles, then the ever clean and deep waters of Trapeza in Achaia are the place for you. Five minutes by car, you drive to the side of the mountain, and have your lunch or coffee at the edge of the cliff, admiring the majestic views of the Gulfs of Patras and Corinth.

If you want to stay in a small place, but with nightlife, a place with busy beaches and small quiet spots; a place where you can dine at night under a Venetian castle, overlooking a small bay and the island at its entrance, then Parga is your best choice.

If you search in Google Images for the words “Parga”, “trapeza beach”, “Kyllini”, “Astypalea”, “Amorgos” and “Folegandros” you will get a first taste of the Real Greek Experience.

There will be a series of articles following this one, that will try to introduce more and more Greek experiences, small but unique places and things to do that your resort will never tell you about!!!

Some more photos can be found in the following links. They are all copyrighted material of the stated owners.

Trapeza beach

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11047278

Parga by night

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5425332

Opting for early retirement meant that our work/life balance was about to change for the better.  Why not spend the first year travelling, a sort of gap year in middle-age? Okay, driving to a Greek island isn’t wildly adventurous and we didn’t intend to rough it with tents and backpacks but it would be a great way to begin our travels.

Why Skopelos?  We first visited in 1993 and it quickly became special for us.  Five years ago we even held our wedding there.  Situated in the west Aegean Sea, it is stunningly beautiful with pine-clad mountains, secluded beaches and water so clear you can see your shadow below as you swim.   The lifestyle is traditional and laid-back, the perfect place to unwind and contemplate this new phase in our lives.

The journey was part of the holiday so we laid careful plans, poring over the maps to find interesting places to stay en route.   We intended to make the most of our brief visits.  At the very least we wanted time for a walk and a civilised dinner in the evenings.  We limited the driving to an average 350 miles a day. After all, there was absolutely no rush.

Six overnight stops seemed realistic.  We settled on two each in France and Italy, with the fifth on the overnight ferry from Bari to the western port of Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland.  From there, a day’s drive over the mountains took us to Volos in eastern Greece for a final night and a boat to Skopelos the next day.

Our first stop was the delightful city of Reims in northern France, famous for its thirteenth-century cathedral and champagne, both just crying out to be sampled.  We explored ancient Notre-Dame de Reims, where Joan of Arc watched Charles VII being crowned.  Later, relaxing over a glass of champagne and some great French food in the square, we couldn’t help feeling our gap year had got off to an excellent start.

Chambery, on the French/Italian border was next.  A popular winter ski resort, its most famous landmark is Fontaine des Elephants, the elephant fountain. Built in 1838 in honour of a townsman who amassed a fortune in India, using it to help his home town, the monument is a startling sight.  It depicts the huge front legs of four elephants arranged in the shape of a cross.  The locals hated it at first but eventually came to appreciate its strange charm.

After another al fresco evening of red wine and excellent food we were beginning to feel rather smug about our choice of sleepovers.

Next day we headed for Italy through the Alps via the Mont Blanc and Frejus road tunnels.  In spite of spending quite a few miles in the dark, we still saw plenty of spectacular mountain scenery and tiny alpine villages. The alternative was to drive over the Alps – not a good idea in a right-hand drive car.

Our first Italian destination was a real discovery.  The small medieval town of Urbino sits high on a hillside in the Marches region.  There is such a wealth of places to see that we were spoilt for choice.  We contented ourselves with the Ducal Palace and its fantastic collection of Renaissance paintings.  Urbino has a thriving university founded in 1506 and the town was full of students returning for the autumn term so the beautiful squares buzzed with life.  Another visit is definitely on our list.

Back on the freeway the next day, we headed to Mattinata in Puglia. Approaching via an ugly industrial area, our first impression was disappointing.  It was siesta time and only a couple of scraggy dogs were out and about in the scorching street.  This choice might be a mistake.  Still, three out of four wasn’t bad and a siesta was a good idea.

Peering out of our window that evening, we realised how wrong we’d been.  The little town had come to life.  The main street teemed with families dressed to the nines, out for their evening promenade.   We were a bit of a curiosity with our halting Italian, but wine was brought, along with a continuous supply of tempting snacks – crisps, olives and wonderful savoury pastries and fruit.  Dinner would have been excessive so we stayed where we were and simply watched the world of Mattinata go by. 

Next day we headed to Bari for the twelve hour overnight crossing to Greece.  We expected this to be the most boring part of the journey.  Wrong again! It turned out to be a service for truckers from all over Europe who mostly knew each other so there was quite a party atmosphere.  

We were the only car passengers and our right-hand drive Golf, sandwiched between huge Turkish and Croatian juggernauts, attracted much pointing and bemused shoulder-shrugging. We eventually got to bed, after spaghetti bolognaise and beer in the canteen.  We slept like logs, waking to see the Greek mainland on the horizon.  

We were in Greece!  Now we just had to drive cross-country from west to east, a mere two hundred and twenty miles. Greek friends advised that it would be slow going and full concentration was needed for this terrain.  They were right.  It took the whole day, over eight hours, yet was never tedious. Time flew by as we passed through stately mountain ranges and an ever-changing vista of canyons and lakes.  No sooner did we reach the bottom of one mountain pass that another one loomed. Truly we had never seen scenery to match this.

Our Greek friends also told us to look out for Meteora in Central Greece.  We couldn’t miss it.  Meteora means “suspended in the air” and is a strange, breathtaking sight – massive grey pinnacles of smooth vertical rock jutting straight from the mountain, sculpted by wind and water over centuries.  The really mind-blowing thing is that in medieval times Greek Orthodox monks built monasteries on the very top of the peaks, some of which are still in use today.

After one more overnight stop in Greece’s eastern port of Volos, a mere seven days after leaving home, four countries, more than two thousand miles and three ferries later we drove the car off the boat in Skopelos.  The sun was shining, the sea sparkled, and all was just as we remembered. 

That evening we went to our favourite taverna, Perivoli, where we held our wedding reception five years ago.  There was more than the usual buzz and Reginos, the owner, was in a state of high excitement.  No wonder.  At the next table sat Meryl Streep with Pearce Brosnan and Colin Firth!  Skopelos had been chosen as the setting for Hollywood’s version of Mamma Mia.  We weren’t the only ones to think it would be the perfect place for a wedding – though we beat the film-makers to it.

Since then the gap year has included visits to Spain, Sri Lanka and Rwanda.  It seems set to continue.  As we sink deeper into our English winter my husband has started to talk wistfully of visiting the orang-utans in Borneo.  Watch this gap!

The Greek island of Skopelos in the Western Aegean has long been a favourite of ours.  Since our first visit in 1997 we’ve been drawn back many times, even holding our wedding there a few years ago.  Obviously we weren’t the only ones to think it would be the perfect setting for a wedding.  Last year Hollywood film-makers chose it as Mamma Mia’s island.

We were there in September last year whilst the filming was taking place so it was great to share in the anticipation in June this year when everyone crowded into the tiny open-air cinema to watch the Greek premiere. 

The scenery needs no enhancement for the big screen.  The locals proudly tell visitors that in 1997 the Biopolitics International Organisation awarded Skopelos the title “Green and Blue Island.”

After the initial excitement the islanders took the Hollywood stars in their stride and were soon referring to them like old friends. “Meryl” had eaten at this or that taverna, and “Pierce” had been seen buying jewellery and local honey for his wife.

There was Meryl now up on the screen, driving like a Greek, weaving chaotically around hairpin bends on an unmade road that was little more than a goat-track. 

There was great excitement as familiar landmarks appeared. There was Kastani, the beautiful secluded beach the film crew made their own, not quite so secluded or quiet with Julie Walters, Colin Firth and the rest, dancing and belting out Abba songs for all they were worth.  Feet started tapping and each number was greeted with a round of applause, in spite of the general agreement that Pierce Brosnan was no Bjorn when it came to singing!

Skopelos has an abundance of gorgeous white sand and shingle beaches.  You might have to walk a bit but it’s worth it when you pitch your umbrella in your own remote corner.  You can cool off after your trek with a swim in bright turquoise sea so clear you’ll see your shadow below as you swim.

And there was the tiny white monastery of Agios Ioannis perched high on the rock where the film wedding was to take place.  The director was turned down, firmly but good-naturedly, when he asked the local volunteer extras to sprint up the steep mountain road.  In this heat?  In these shoes?

At 11.30 pm, when the film had ended and we’d all mopped our tears of laughter at the antics of the stars at the end – I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t yet seen it but don’t leave as soon as the credits come up, you’ll be missing a treat – everyone headed out to eat.

There are lots of great restaurants and tavernas to choose from.  You can eat and drink Shirley Valentine style – remember that?  Try Pablo’s at Agnondas – your table will be set right at the edge of the sea.  It’s a great vantage point to watch the sunset and the fried calamari is to die for. 

Or try Perivoli in town where Reginos conjures a wonderful array of dishes.  Here your table is in his garden where he grows all his own vegetables.  The ceiling is made of vines and if you visit when the grapes are harvested you will be given a bunch to accompany dessert – I can highly recommend his almond cake.  I think Meryl can too, I saw her sampling some!