Regally situated in the Cyclades island clusters is the crescent-shaped and legendary Santorini. Get over the label of “touristy” or else you’ll miss the magic. A fellow Greek-American friend recently told me in his wisdom, “We ARE tourists, after all!” And that is so true. What makes something a tourist attraction, anyway?  Beauty, excursions, good reputation, sensational sunsets, boat rides to an active volcano, swimming in sulphuric springs, amazing restaurants? Why, yes! So what if crowds and cruise ships sail or fly into this sublime and celestial island? They all share one trait in common—-good taste.I was thrilled to see Santorini in the 1980’s, 1990’s and then 2000’s. The island is basically one large volcanic rock and reportedly the most destructive volcanic eruption ever. From winery tours to boat excursions to hiking an active volcano and posing next to fumaroles, Santorini provides such an array. A shopping frenzy in 2007 exposed me to the latest of fashions which I always appreciate about chic Greece. On our 1990 honeymoon, my husband and I took a long ferry boat ride there as we island hopped. Another time, I’ve flown there from Athens and later with our sons, we took a high speed ferry from Crete.

We still laugh at the memory of the boat excursion crew ordering us all to jump out of the boat and swim in the hot springs water of the volcano. No problem. Until it was time to swim back…..with no floats or lifejackets. We were only in our early twenties so in good, athletic shape but not Olympic swimmers by any means. I remember not panicking but floating on my back to regain my breath. Greeks in Greece are brave that way. Perhaps they thought the gods of the sea were there to protect us. Anyway, we made it back to the boat. Somehow. Spent and a little shocked at this challenge. When we returned 17 years later in 2007, we made sure our young sons had floats and life jackets for this swim. Back to our honeymoon reverie, I can still taste the cafe frappe in the chic coffeehouses (so ahead of America’s time to embrace the concept of the coffeehouse). Card games in every cafe or seaside taverna occupied some of our daylight hours, as well as reading novels on the beach, parasailing, sightseeing, riding mopeds, and finding clubs at night.Shopping in Santorini is an art form. Ascending the labyrinthine roads of Fira’s (or Thira) port town, I would find my favorite jewelry stores based on connections. I was mesmerized and hypnotized into the fashion stores with their alluring window displays and mannequins. The clothing labels and collections far surpassed the uniformity of American shopping malls. This was trance-like for me. My patient husband cheered me on. We were in our twenties, after all. Fashion was a priority.

The only clothing item he bought the entire 3 week honeymoon in Greece was a leather belt. That’s right. He only wanted a leather belt. Who can resist the smell of the leather hide stores in every shopping square? Greek leather purses are extraordinary. Their leather ages well and takes on that soft, loved, lived-in look and feel.  Moped rides to Oia village for the spellbinding sunset, winery excursions and archaeological tours of Akrotiri’s buried settlement enraptured us in the history and geology of Santorini. Strolls through the white-washed architectural perfection stimulated our senses until the lull and quell of late night dinnertime soothed us into our appetite fantasy of all the rich Greek flavors of cuisine.1985, 1990, 2007, 2009. Teenager, newlywed honeymooner, parent, travel writer and itinerary guide…..soon an empty nester; I have seen Santorini through all these stages. Sightseer but also befriender of local villagers who our sons bonded with while I translated, Santorini has provided all these experiences. You just need to know were to look; to get off the beaten path. We sampled the wine in the winery excursions but we were also gifted the local wine made by our villager friend, an 87 year old sweetheart who cleaned green beans outside next to our villa.

Our experiences there in 2007 and 2009 with our three sons were adventurous and more intrepid with scuba diving struggles, car troubles, wild dogs chasing my husband, etc. but our honeymoon reverie is what I recall at this moment. Looking out onto the caldera view from our villa rooftop, I specifically remember thinking this is what heaven will feel like. Years later, I heard a celebrity on TV express the same sentiment about Santorini. Its beauty is the great equalizer.

© Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

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