Walking to Oia

Today we decided to take the scenic 3-hour walk along the caldera and cliffs of Santorini to the town of Oia (Ia). Everyone in Greece says “Ia, the most beautiful sunsets, you must go”, so we went. Once we made it outside of the town of Fira, it was amazing to have the views and trail to ourselves. It was a gorgeous walk tracing the caldera all along the west coast of Santorini, over lava rocks and sandstone, and through abandoned terraces that once grew olives or wine. It was strenuous at points, but always beautiful, and such a change from everything we have seen so far of Santorini.

We arrived in Oia around 7:30 and wandered around the town trying to find the perfect spot to view this perfect sunset from, knowing that we had to jump on a bus back to Fira at 8:30 or potentially be stuck in Oia. We ended up joining dozens of other folks who hopped up on a retaining wall to watch the sunset over a donkey pasture in Oia. I may be a little biased, but I think that sunsets are breathtaking wherever they are seen.

It was an exhausting but beautiful day.