As soon as I got to Oia, I became very ill and couldn't keep any food or water in my system. I had a terrible fever and got used to only being able to eat a slice or so of bread a day and a few bites of real food. I'm not sure what it was but I decided to fight through it and not let it ruin my time on this beautiful island.
I thought my first few days would be uneventful, spent at a beach close by and enjoying the sun. Boy was I wrong. I met a guy during breakfast that used to work at the hostel I was staying in and got invited to go to a local beach with him. About an hour later, he asked if I'd rather go out on a friend's boat with him. Of course!!!
We were driven to the other side of Santorini and picked up the boat. To say I had a blast in an understatement. We rode around and saw the different beaches on the island, black sand beach, red sand beach, white sand beach. All of them were gorgeous but also crowded, making me glad I had skipped out on going to the tourist places. After speeding around in the boat for a bit, we pulled up to this small, beautiful beach on Aspronisi. Aspronisi is a small private island that makes up Santorini and we had the beach to ourselves except for a small family. The cool water felt absolutely amazing after sitting in the heat of the sun.
After a bit of swimming, we were back on the boat and headed to get our lunch for the day. Our wonderful host took us to a village at the top of Therasia, another island nearby. The restaurant we went to was nothing short of amazing and had panoramic views of the bay area of the island. The owners are kind hearted and welcoming and the food is home made. They served each of us a use a huge serving of moussaka, a plate of fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, sausage and another typical greek food I can't remember the name of. By the end of the meal, I was positively stuffed and incredibly satisfied.
Soon after, we headed back to the boat and made our way back to Oia. My traditional Greek day wasn't over yet. Once back at the hostel, we got dressed and ready, watched the beautiful sunset from the private terrace of the hostel and made our way to a restaurant right outside the main road in Oia, Santorini-Mou. I got to listen to and enjoy a traditional greek band and dancing, the typical breaking of plates and yells of "OPA!" In celebration of a couple's marriage, free shots were handed out and everyone, including me had a great time.
My first day on this island was more than I ever expected and tops my list of favorite days during my whole trip.
While on the island, I stayed at Youth Hostel Oia. The prices are decent considering you're in the more expensive part of the island. You also get free breakfast, a private terrace to view the sunset (which after you see the amount of tourists that pile in to Oia, you'll be thankful for) and are just a short walk to the most picturesque part of the island.
The restaurant we went to in Thirasia was called Panorama Restaurant in Manolas. You can get there by taking a boat to the bay area and then a donkey up the road to the village. You can also walk up to it but the road is very steep and zig zags. It's worth it though.
I didn't get paid to talk about these places, just want to share my wonderful experience and hope that other people will enjoy these experiences as well :).
