Santorini, Greece

Santorini, Greece has been a place that we have wanted to visit since moving out to Dubai. We finally had the chance in July so we decided to do a bit of a last minute get away in between business meetings I had in the US and Lebanon.

We stayed in a small hotel, La Meduse, on Perivolos Beach. We expected there to be hordes of tourists from all across Europe on their summer holiday, however, from what we saw almost everyone around us was a Greek national.

Perivolos Beach is unique in that the sand is actually black volcanic ash. It would be an understatement to say that the sand gets a little warm in the afternoon to be walking bare foot across. Surprisingly the water was very chilly so we spent most of the first day soaking in the sun and enjoying some of the great Greek cuisine at the beach side cafes.

The second day, we decided to be a bit more adventurous. After talking over our options with the young lady behind the front desk (who happend to be from Ohio!) we decided on braving the narrow, winding roads of the island on the back of a quad bike! Having never been on a quad bike myself and with Vivian only having had only minor experience it seemed a reasonable thing to try.

Our first stop was the famous village of Fira situated on the high ridge overlooking the caldera. The submerged caldera is what is left after what most experts believe was the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The eruption was so severe it literally ripped the island apart. Smaller eruptions have come along through out history, with most being only minor.

The views from the rim of the caldera are absolutely beautiful. The striking contrast between the brown landscape, the blue and white buildings and the deep blue of the Mediterranean are stunning! The village of Fira clings to the cliffs with numerous shops and cafes situated along its narrow walkways.

After a short break at a cafe looking out over the cruise ships and ferrys coming into dock in the harbor below, it was back on our quad bike to Red Beach.

Red Beach got its name from the red volcanic sand that makes up not only the beach itself but the large cliff that the beach backs up to. As you can see, its a popular place!

We couldn't resist taking a picture of this massive yacht that was anchored just off of Red Beach. What a great looking ship!

So after a day exploring the island, it was time for a great dinner to conclude our Santorini experience and what better food to have than......Mexican! Yes, believe it or not, Mexican. Who would have guessed you would find decent Mexican in the Greek Isles! The location on the southern cliffs of the caldera was great! We couldn't have imagined a better place to watch the sun slowly set below the horizon and the weekend come to a close. What a beautiful woman below!