Santorini

I arrived to Santorini at 2am and spent another overnight in the airport haha. However, I woke up to an incredible sun rising on an island! This place is quite amazing. I spent the first day walking uphill the famous route through the center of the island, Thera. The island has literally hundreds of white-washed church buildings with the typical three solid-blue domes. I found the Three Bells Church, the Skaros Rock, and finally went to my host’s flat after enjoying a pastry.

It was so sunny and beautiful each day. I spent a few hours on one of the many beaches, which all happen to have black sand (the sand isn’t quite sand, but rather tiny pebbles). I walked through the ancient cities Akrotiri and Thera, enjoyed some more views, and met some people. I also experienced my first, second, third, and fourth time hitchhiking in Santorini! The island only has a few roads and is prime for hitchhiking, which is far safer than it sounds! I highly recommend this beautiful place. If only, my dearest Devon was with me! Maybe we’ll go for our anniversary in the future .

Duration

3 days

Accommodation

Couchsurfing (2 nights)

Favorite Food

Greek Falafel

Favorite Site

Imerovigli

Cool Person I Met

Fermin. Fermin is originally from Barcelona, but has recently lived in Thessaloniki. He makes a living by playing the saxophone around the world. We met on our way to Red Beach. I stuck my thumb up (first time hitchhiking!) on the side of the road and he picked me up. He is leaving Santorini in a few days after two months of sleeping in his van and playing the saxophone.

Highlight

Enjoying the island views as I walked from Fira to Imerovigli.

Big Takeaway

The culture on a beautiful island in the Mediterranean is quite different than the fast-paced life in London. I noticed that cashiers, waiters, tour guides, and almost everyone acted “so chill”. I didn’t sense a rush for my waiter to serve food or for couples to quickly walk back to their hotel from the beach. The island-life has a different vibe. I can see why it’s a vacation (or as Europeans say “holiday”) destination! I’m interested as to why the island culture is different than a city’s culture. First, the physical environment has a strong influence. I think it rains 30 days a year in Santorini, while most days are sunny with bright blue skies. People tend to be happier and more relaxed in this environment. Also, the culture of people groups throughout history has affected the current city’s vibe. Greeks and English people share a common humanity but have a different lifestyle. In general, Greeks have a warmer, family-like culture, whereas the English seem to not have as much. These are two probable factors influencing the experience a tourist receives while visiting new cities, but undoubtedly there are still more complicated factors determining culture.

Your Turn

How do you think culture develops?

Have you visited an island before? How’d you like it?