Santorini: the Island of Vampires and Volcanoes

Looking out over the caldera.

When you think of Greece, you probably think of Santorini. It is by far the most photographed island in the Cyclades and has millions of visitors each year. Away from the colorful villages, the landscape is rocky with scattered farms nestled in. The volcanic soil is very rich and the island boasts lots of wonderful produce, tomatoes and wine grapes being the most famous. There is an old tomato museum next to the Vlichada marina, which would be worth a visit (it was closed when we went by).

Santorini, or Thira, has quite the history. About 3,500 years ago, an immense explosion ripped the island apart, leaving behind the main island of Thira, and the smaller islands; Thirasia, Nea Kameni, and Palea Kameni. There are two hot springs off of these smaller two islets (we loved swimming in them!), as part of the volcanic activity underneath.  Another claim to faim? Plato's theory was this was home to the lost city of Atlantis.

The ancient city of Akrotiri (near Red Beach) has been partially excavated and is open for tours (we highly recommend going). Unlike Pompeii, no bodies have been found, indicating the residents had warning. There are very well preserved frescos and pottery, still with their vibrant colors.

Walking towards the entrance of the Akrotiri museum and archeological site.

Legend also claims Santorini is home to vampires. During ancient times, people who were thought to be vampires were brought to Santorini for the vampire slayers to deal with. We didn't find much in terms of this history while visiting, but it sure does peak ones curiosity.

Probably the most photographed church on Santorini.

For a sailboat, it isn’t the easiest island to visit. There is only one marina for visiting yachts, but not much space (definitely call ahead) and it is super shallow. Only a catamaran can fit inside, or a monohull with an extremely small draft. There are some mooring buoys inside the caldera, but they are mostly for fishing boats or the day charter boats. A couple of anchorages exist on the south side of the island, however, not tenable in south winds.

Sailing along the south-western coast of Thira towards Vlichada. Do you see why they named it Red Beach?

 Another option for a sailing crew is to consider leaving your boat at a neighboring island and ferrying over; but you then accrue extra costs of the ferry, hotel, and food. With five of us, it can add up quickly. We also couldn’t leave Sunny.

We decided to try our luck and headed over to Vlichada Marina, on the south side of the island. A friend of ours, who is a summer captain on Santorini, helped connect us with the harbormaster, Antonis. We called ahead to ask about staying there for a few days and he replied that there was plenty of space and depth.

Navigating the reefs off Folegandros.

We left Kythnos around 5:30 am and arrived to Vlichada (also spelled Vlikada) around 5pm. We wanted to make sure we arrived with plenty of light left, as the pilot book said the buoys marking the shallow reef areas may not always be present. With Jared at the helm, the kids and I kept watch at the bow. Fortunately, there was not a single problem entering the marina and the charts were pretty spot on. One note for those considering going: in the pilot book it says look for the blue hotel—it is now painted yellow. There is a conspicuous blue taverna nearby, though.

Our draft is 1.3 and the shallowest we saw was 1.4, near the entrance. Initially, we were placed on the outer dock right near the entrance. That was ok at first,  but with the constant coming and going of vessels, it got a bit uncomfortable. Some people really speed in and out of there! We asked to be moved further inside and liked that spot much better (it was all the way up and in the corner). It paid off, as we had one day of high SE winds, so we had much better protection.

Beautiful black sand beach with lots of pumice stone.

There isn't much in the vicinity of the marina, save for a very small market (snack foods, mostly) and a taverna. Further up the road are a few more tavernas and the bus stop. We really liked utilizing the bus, as it cost 1.80 euro per person (kids under 6 are free) and they came about every 30 minutes.

They were nice and clean charter buses, perfect for getting around the island. We used a taxi a couple of times for provisioning and when we were outside of the bus route. That was 25 euro one way! There is a nice black sand beach nearby though, so we took advantage and had a few beach excursions.

The kids loved riding the bus!

Thira is the main town and has lots to offer. We had to go there for the port authority stamp in our transit log anyway, so we wandered around the rest of the day. Once you get to the pathway next to the cliff, the views are simply out of this world! It is worth a visit, just to look down at the caldera and see the expanse of the explosion. The sailboats and cruise ships look like toys!

Isn't this bookstore amazing?! Books are one of our weaknesses...

Another cool shop to explore. Everything is hand-made by the artists in residence. We were given our Greek names here. =)

Like many other places over the world, people place locks to pledge their love. Here, is another pathway we took along the rim of the caldera.

Lots of churches with those famous blue roofs.

The following day, we went to Oia. Everyone we spoke to said to come here for the sunset.
It is very similar to Thira, but has more of those views you see in photos online. The multi-colored villas, sweeping views, and ancient castle ruins are just incredible.

The stairways were all different sizes and the villas changed colors with each step. It's like being Alice in Wonderland.

Whitewashing seems to be a never-ending process.  Octopus drying in the sun at Amouldi, Oia.

Food is part of the adventure! 

Still reading their books from the Atlatntis! Akrotiri, near Red Beach.

On our last day there, we sailed from Vlichada into the caldera. What an experience! One feels quite small while staring up in awe at the towering cliffs above. We picked up a mooring near one of the two hot springs and went for a little swim. The highest temp we saw near the boat was 73 degrees. We took the dinghy further into the hot springs, through a narrow channel and guessed the temperature increased into the 80s. Ash floated in the water and made it look eery.

Then, we moved over to Thirassia Bay and took a friend's mooring buoy (he skippers for a day charter company) and spent a lovely night. The views were just beautiful, especially at night. It looked as if the island's rim was on fire, or wore a sparkling jeweled crown.

For tons more photos, check out our facebook page.

We are working on editing our video for this post and will update as soon as it is ready! =)