Greece

Talking about Santorini is my kind of after-dinner dessert. It’s one of the very few places that looks exactly like the photos you’d find on Google. It’s breathtaking… and I don’t use that word lightly. I’ve been to some jaw-dropping absolutely beautiful places. You can’t stop talking about it while you’re there, you literally can’t escape its beauty.

There are a couple reason why we chose Santorini. A fun girls trip, a postgrad one year anniversary trip, celebrating my best friend who was getting married just one month later. But the main one was that we did it because we could. Bought tickets in November and planned for 5 months. We went in May, which we were told was just right before the busy touristy season. The weather was perfect and locals who asked where we were from only knew what/where Tennessee was from Jack Daniels.

Staying in the infamous white houses with blue tops in Oia is extremely expensive. We stayed at a hotel booked through hostelworld.com that was 15 minute bus ride away and was significantly cheaper.

We took a catamaran cruise on one of our first days there and it was such an incredible experience, we considered doing it again before we left. You get a view of the whole island, snorkel in cool spots, unlimited drinks with meals and snacks served, and jackets provided for when it gets chilly. I witnessed the most amazing sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it for too long or look back at photos. It truly felt like the world stopped to watch the sun bid farewell to you. I recommend going to Santorini for the sunsets alone.

4-wheeling around the island is the way to go for another day activity. I wanted to see and drive through parts of the island that we wouldn’t see otherwise. It’s fairly inexpensive, especially if you book a two-seater with a friend and split the cost. In Oia there’s an underground bookshop that is full of gems. One that was particularly special to me was that it housed the original recording of Judy Garland’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It was going for about 2500 euro, just ya know, ever so slightly out of my budget. Ever since I was a kid, whenever I’m feeling sick I always watch Wizard of Oz so to see that recording make its way to where we were was such a cool memory.

You can’t go wrong with anywhere you eat in Santorini with it’s fresh seafood and baklava that’s to die for. Any restaurant with a view will cost more, so we would pick and choose what meals we wanted to spend more on.

When I think of an island and activities, I think: jet skiing, parasailing, beachfronts. Santorini isn’t quite like that. You can travel to the Red Beach and the Black Beach on the island but don’t expect white sands and someone serving you cocktails. The Red Beach can only be reached by foot and the Black Beach is accessed by boat. A bar, chairs/umbrellas, and a hidden cave you can swim through is what awaits you at the Black Beach. After a quick round of drinks and appetizers, we swam through the cave which is the one place I didn’t bring my GoPro. Sometimes I wish I documented it but ultimately I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t want to be the kind of traveler that is constantly looking at a screen and missing the actual experience itself. I’m still learning this as I go.

The last night, we splurged on a fancy dinner beneath the cliffs just on the water. After finishing, we did a bathing suit quick change and swam at a local spot. We made it to a rock island and watched our last Santorini sunset. We sat in silence, shed a couple tears, and contemplated staying another day.

I have found, throughout my travels, these little moments of magic. It’s a busy city that stills at night. The first bite of an unforgettable dessert. Swimming to get the best view and catching the sun before its goodbye. It’s full moons and happenstance and taking the scenic route. It’s fulfilling dreams & adventures you’ve always had in your head and accomplishing ones that you never knew you had until you did.

I felt so many of those moments in Santorini. It happened almost every day. And I am so thankful that we stopped talking about it, took the leap, and marked it off our bucket lists.

P.s. Don’t bring back multiple bottles of wine. Heavier than you think and you’ll end up stuffing most of your clothes balled up in a large sweatshirt to make it on the plane. True story.

“See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream” -Ray Bradbury