This morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise. We'll definitely miss this amazing view from our balcony. It's where we spent most of our time. After discussing our options on what to do today (as mentioned in a previous post, we didn't have an itinerary planned for our honeymoon), we decided to rent a scooter and tour the island of Santorini.
The island of Santorini (from Oia to Akrotiri) is only about 16 miles. There are plenty of scenic points along the way, so make sure to bring your camera.
After a short ride, we made it to Akrotiri (the other end of the island). This church is located at the beginning of the trail that leads to the Red Beach in Akrotiri.
A viewpoint along the trail leading to the Red Beach.
Red Beach near the ancient site of Akrotiri (red and black volcanic rocks line the cliff)
The outside of the archeological site of ancient Akrotiri. The entrance fee is 12 euros, and you can pay an additional amount for a guided tour.
Similar to Pompeii, Akrotiri was buried in volcanic ash around 1627 BC, which preserved the remains of this Minoan Bronze Age settlement. Akrotiri started as a small farming and fishing village, and later expanded into a center for processing copper.
Akrotiri was a sophisticated village with paved streets, extensive drainage system, and high-quality crafts.
After touring Akrotiri, we rode up the hill to the town of Pyrgos. Since Pyrgos is perched high on top of a hill, there are panoramic views of the entire island of Santorini.
Since Pyrgos is very small and further away from the larger towns, there were no tourists to be found.
Church in Pyrgos
View from the top of Pyrgos
Pyrgos has the typical shops and boutiques of Santorini. However, you'll feel like you have the entire town to yourself.
Kantouni Traditional Cafe; we stumbled upon this place at the bottom of the hill in Pyrgos. Their menu was like a newspaper and their food was local and very fresh. A good choice if you're in Pyrgos.
Santorinian fava scented with orange zest, served with roasted almonds and local sausage; pita on the side
Fried calamari in a crunchy crust with semolina and corn flour, served with sun dried tomato cocktail sauce
Although we had rented the scooter for 24 hours, we decided to return it early since we knew we would be leaving Santorini tomorrow. We ate dinner back in Oia and this was our view!
Black olives, sundried tomatoes, and capers with freshly-baked bread
A delicious hand-tossed pizza (because we didn't get enough in Italy!)
Church of Panagia Platsani
The main street of Oia in the evening
So romantical!
Tomorrow will not only be our last day in Santorini, but also the last day of our honeymoon. It has certainly been the best honeymoon we could have ever hoped for.