Day 3: Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri, Red Beach, Oia & Murphy’s

On our last full day in Santorini, we headed to Akrotiri to find out more about the history of the island. Like Pompeii, Akrotiri’s buildings were preserved by residue from a volcanic eruption.

The Ancient Town of Akrotiri

Remnants – Pottery

Honestly, all three of us didn’t enjoy ourselves. Without a tour guide, you probably will not realise the significance. I am not sure how much the guided tour costs, but from the bits and pieces that I eavesdropped on, it seems much more interesting.

Next, we walked to Red Beach. Getting to Red Beach requires a walk along rocky paths. But the beach and the area surrounding it is definitely one of the most beautiful on the island. The cliffs and sand, rich in iron, are red (or in school, we say copper brown). We were not dressed for the beach, and honestly, were already extremely sunburnt by then, so we only took photographs overlooking Red Beach.

A lady selling handmade accessories

Red Beach

 I love the amazing colours. Blue waters, red sand.

Saving the best for last, we took the bus back to Fira, then another to Oia. We would catch the world’s most beautiful sunset! All travel magazines showcase the beautiful town of Oia on its pages with its whitewashed buildings with blue domes.

Warning: Photo spam ahead

A gift from the boyfriend. A necklace with lava rocks. And it matches my clothes! ❤

We were walking along and noticed a cafe with an amazing display of cakes, pies and all ’em sweet stuff that I love. We ordered the milk pie and walnut pie with chocolate.

Milk Pie

Walnut Pie with Chocolate 

The milk pie was so good! The pastry was perfectly done, the milk custard was smooth and not too sweet. The walnut pie, however, not so good. It was a tad too sweet and cloying for us. We were struggling to finish it.

Following the throng of people, we quickly made our way to the viewpoint. We got there more than half an hour before the sunset, but it was already packed. We climbed on a ledge just so our view would not be obstructed by the crowd. We had the perfect spot, until people started climbing over fences and buildings in front of us. Still, the sunset was MAGNIFICENT! Now, if only I took better pictures!

The crowd at the viewpoint

I guess the people do make the picture a little more interesting.

To say the sunset was beautiful would be an understatement. The sun set, and the hundreds of people started applauding. I would say that watching the sunset at Oia is a MUST! The whole atmosphere also makes the experience all the more memorable. Although the sunset at Santo Wines was also beautiful, and we didn’t need to squeeze with hundreds of people, it wasn’t as enjoyable as the sunset at Oia.

We had our favourite gyros while waiting for the crowd to clear out of Oia.

Later that night, we visited two clubs in Fira – Enigma and Murphy’s. Our first stop was Enigma. We weren’t so impressed by it, so we left in less than three minutes to look for somewhere more “happening”. Remembering that we passed a bar/club called Murphy’s, we looked around for it. It was free entry for us (at both Enigma and Murphy’s), because we used a trick. Just say that your friend was in Santorini recently, and she entered for free. Also ensure the bouncers that you will most certainly buy drinks. Before saying so, they tried to charge us for entry.

Murphy’s

The music at Murphy’s – insanely good. The service – insanely good. We had the most amazing night in Santorini at Murphy’s, and I would recommend Murphy’s to anyone looking for some good nightlife.

Us, with more pork gyros. And my slightly intoxicated look.

We did head back to Enigma to give it another shot, but it wasn’t as fun as Murphy’s. So back to Murphy’s for a short while, then back home. What a fun night!

Day 4: Fira

On our very last day in Santorini (sobs!), we just had to return to Souvlaros Cooking. That’s how much we love the food there. We really wanted to have the Moussaka again, but sadly, they didn’t have it.

Eggplant Saganaki with 5 Cheeses

Omelette with Bacon and Cheese

We also had the pork gyros once again. The eggplant saganaki was nice, but I think my disappointment at not being able to have my Moussaka once again was too overwhelming to really enjoy my food!

Our last few hours spent in Santorini were spent walking around Fira once again, looking for souvenirs, taking more photos, and sulking at times because we had to leave!

We also had dessert!

Baklava ice cream

The ice cream was delish! Syrup-soaked phyllo in vanilla ice cream.

And of course, the last of the best froyos we’ve ever had.

This was the best one we had in Santorini. How I long to have you once again!

We headed back to Anessis to pack up and finish up the wines we’d bought.

Dimitris, owner of Anessis Appartments

This marked the end of our favourite leg of our travels. Santorini, you are beautiful, your people – the most hospitable and kind. We will be back 🙂

Stay tuned for our next stop – Athens.

Love, Maddie