OPA! Greek Island itinerary

Imagine yourself walking along the narrow passageways of checkered white and black cobblestoned Grecian streets. The pathway is uneven with stairs and alleyways creating a maze of white washed walls with blue accent doors. Every corner you turn is more beautiful than the last as you stumble upon blooming pink wildflowers that hang from every balcony. Music surrounds you as it bounces off the walls from every direction. Local vendors with handmade goods, clothing, jewelry and olives flood the main walkways. The smell of fresh fish and lamb kabobs fill your nose making your stomach grumble. And a heard of beautifully adorned donkeys pass you along a narrow street led by their keeper. Once you get to a point of lookout, you can see the beautiful blue waters from atop a plunging cliff for miles. This is everything I experienced in Greece, and it's hard to even explain it all. Being in this culturally rich environment creates a atmosphere of passion, beauty, love and will intensely bond you and whoever you are traveling with. The haze of summer made it that much more cozy and warm because not only is the sun shining on your skin releasing all of your endorphins, but you are able to do most things that you can't in Winter. Immerse yourself into the Greek culture of music, dancing, delicious food, hot sunny summers and white washed cave houses overlooking the Mediterranean sea. Greece is a place of dreams.

Joe and I spent a week exploring the islands of Santorini and Crete. Santorini is one of the most photographed of the Greek islands. This is the place where you see all of the beautiful white cliff houses stacked upon each other overlooking the ocean in all of the postcards and instagram travel photos you see. Crete is a lesser traveled island as it's a bit farther away. But for those of you who hate crowds mucking up your pictures and experience, I suggest visiting this gorgeous island. It has some of the best beaches around. With a combination of exploring, adventure and relaxation, I have the perfect week long itinerary for you for island hoping between Santorini and Crete.

Oía, Santorini

Day 1: Exploring Santorini

What a dream, getting to stay on this small corner of the island. Located on the northern tip of the island, Santorini sits at the perfect spot for overlooking the ocean. The island of Santorini is shaped like a giant round island that looks like the middle has sunken into the ocean. Here is where they believe the mythical underwater realm of Atlantis is located ;)

Joe and I rented this beautiful cave house in the neighboring town of Finikia. Finikia is a 10 minute walk from the Oía's main village. If you are looking for a less crowded area to relax and wake up to as well as relatively cheaper price, I suggest the adorable little suburb of Finikia. Our cave house was decorated with red fence accents, a small courtyard, and a sunflower garden overlooking the ocean.

Finikia itself is a little maze of cliff houses and is like a miniature Oía. I had the best time roaming these EMPTY streets and taking loads of pictures. You can't really do this is Oía, its always crowded.

My favorite are the blue doored houses with the pink flowers overflowing from behind the gates.

Today, you should take the time to explore Oía and all of the great things this town has to offer. There are so many shops throughout all of the little alleyways. They sell tapestries, silk clothing and scarfs, handmade jewelry as well as higher end jewelry, sandals, hand painted plateware, the list goes on and on. I could have spend two weeks just shopping Oía alone. I ended up buying a bracelet made out of volcanic rocks from the island.

If you're a photographer, exploring this area will be heaven. The white walls and houses make the sun shine off of them which makes the whole world around you seem to glow. You can walk down any path from the main street along Oía and come to a slope in the cliff houses. Anywhere is the perfect spot to snap a picture of the ocean and the inhabiting civilization. It's almost impossible not to get a perfect picture of these stacked dwellings.

Finding the famous Blue Domes were a mission we were determined to accomplish. Any photographer would understand this need to find them. As one of the most photographed places on Oía and as one of the most top selling postcards, this location is any amateur photographers dream. Located behind a store (I'm so sorry I can not remember the name) on the west side of the little peninsula, you'll have to walk a ways down the white washed steps and there they are. A few people will be crowding your way because I'm sure more people than us hunt for it. But if you can find it, you'll snap some of your favorite pictures.

And the best part is that there are donkeys everywhere. They are adorned with bright and colorful blankets and jewelry. They have saddles to carry people up from the bay but I also see them carrying goods (like water, olives, food products, etc) on their back around the island to all the shops as there are no cars or roads close to these streets. When they come through the narrow streets, you have to squeeze up against the wall so you don't get in there way :P

https://vimeo.com/196602152

After a long day of exploring, stop off and grab a bite to eat. If you've never had it before, Greek food is spectacular. They use a lot of herbs such as: oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint, basil and parsley to make their dishes burst with even more flavor than it naturally has. And if you are a lover of Feta cheese, you came to the right place. Some of the main dishes of Greek cuisine include: taziki, lamb kabobs, Greek salad, and pita.

Taziki is a Greek yogurt mixed with minced cucumbers, Greek herbs and spices, garlic, and a little olive oil. It is so good and refreshing and you eat it with pita bread. Pita bread is a thick doughy bread that is soft and filling. But the taziki is often served as an appetizer and it was so yummy we got it with every meal.

The Greek salad is a lot different than the Greek salads you see from mainstream America. What's unique about a real Greek salad is that you have no lettuce at all. Instead, it is a mixture of cucumber, thick cut tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, black olives, and capers with a little olive oil and a huge block Feta cheese on top which you can crumble yourself. It's such a refreshing, healthy alternative to other Greek foods.

The lamb Kabob is also also different than what you would think. Instead of being on a spit, the kabob is a mixture of herbs and spices and ground meat and it is served with vegetables, a cream sauce and pita on the side. This meat is so tender and delicious. I highly recommend getting one.

Day 2: Amoudi Bay and Cliff Jumping

Today is the day to explore the beautiful Greek coastline around santorini. At the very edge of Oía is a bay called Amoudi Bay which is famous for it's rocky beach, clear waters, red rocks, and cliff jumping spots. The only way to get there is to walk down 300 steps of stairs. Walking down the steps is easy because you're excited to go cliff jumping. Just know that you will be walking back up this way too. All along the way are lines of donkeys either bringing goods up from the port or carrying them down. Some are even hired to carry people back up if they what to pay for it. The donkeys are beautiful and covered in colorful jewelry. Just watch out for donkey landmines along the way.

Once you get to the bottom of the stairs, you'll be met with a gorgeous overlook of the bay from a restaurant's edge. The prices are a bit steep here so if you're on a budget, bring snacks like we did. The conditions were slightly windy so our view of the water wasn't as clear as it could be, but it was still pretty crystal. On a still, non windy day you are able to see 20 feet deep and it looks as if the boats are floating.

From here, you walk past the restaurant and along a rocky, dirt pathway around the curve of the cliff edge. Looking back towards the restaurant, the rocks look a beautiful red color and contrasts perfectly with the white houses.

Once you get to the bay, there is a nice place to lay out your towel or bask on a long flat rock. The water is chilly and the best way to get in is to jump in. Otherwise, you'll take too long and end up chickening out. There is an abandoned church on a rocky little island just a few yards off shore. Once you get to the little island, you have to climb up a rocky wall. There are plenty of footholes to help you. At the top, there is a platform for some cliff jumping. It is about 15 ft high and it is intimidating at first. But once you jump you'll want to do it over and over agin. Here's an awesome video of joe and I taking the leap.

https://vimeo.com/196949237

After a long day of basking in the sun, playing in the Mediterranean ocean, jumping from cliffs, and getting your Greek tan on, head back up the three hundred something steps to the "Theraion Polis" abandoned and crumbling castle at the very edge of Oía for some sunset watching. The steps to the top are numbered. This can make it better or worse for some people who are either excited about what number they are on or upset about how many steps they have to go. It all depends on if you are a glass half full or half empty kinda person. Look out for donkey foot traffic along the way :)

During the summer, this spot is full of people. Tourists will get to the top of castle hours before sunset just to secure the best spots to catch this gorgeous event. This is probably the most photographed spot on the island because it gives you a wide view. We had to fight with people to capture this image. It wasn't worth it and we moved on to another spot.

There's a better spot anyways just a few steps down where you can get more up close and personal to the cliff houses. Here's Joe being my Greek model.

If you wait just a bit until the sun goes down, you'll experience another spectacle worth the wait. The whole cliffside begins to glow with the lights illuminating from each cave house. The blue pools lite up and it's a dazzling view.

These images isn't nearly as beautiful as seeing this glorious sunset and these lights in real life. The colors are more vibrant and the atmosphere keeps you warm and cozy.This is an amazing way to end your second day on the island of Santorini. The view of this unforgettable sunset will last you a lifetime.

Day 3: Diving Santorini and Sunset Boat Tour

Joe and I had recently become brand new certified scuba divers and we couldn't wait to scuba dive the world. We signed up for a day of diving in Santorini which included two dives with a wreck and a drop off. We used Aegean Divers (http://aegeandivers.com/boat-dives-greece.php) dive shop which i highly recommend if you plan on diving here. They were very professional young men and quite entertaining. They took us to a World war II Wreck for our first dive. Because it is only a ship skeleton, you are able to dive this without having the proper "wreck diving" certification. You can weave in and out of the ship skeleton and through corridors. What an amazing experience being able to swim though this wreck. I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I even became so excited, I ran out of air underwater from all of the heavy breathing and had to surface early.

The second dive of the day included a wall and drop off of a coral reef. Tall green grasses reached to the surface from the bottom and it was fun weaving through this green forest. The coral reefs here are not very abundant, but it was still really beautiful with many schools of fish swimming about. There was one point where we sat at the bottom of the ocean and just let the fish swim all around us. Magical.

Diving tuckered us out so we went back to our cave to take a nap before we set off on a sunset boat tour of Santorini. It was about 100 Euro each for this boat tour, but it was absolutely worth it. They take you around the island, stopping off at the volcanoes to swim in the hot springs created by the heat from these active giants. Cruising around, you get to visit Red sands beach, Black sands beach, and anchor at a secluded location to have an authentic home cooked Greek dinner. The food was incredible. You share dinner with many others on the trip and make new friends while drinking wine as the sun is setting. What more could you want.

Day 4: Cruise over to Crete and visit the Fort Market

Today head over to the most Southern Greek island of Crete; also one of the largest islands. From Santorini's main port, you take a large cruise ship over to Heraklion, Crete. This will take about three hours. Heraklion is located on the central northern area of Crete, however, the place we wanted to be was in Chania which is located on the North Western tip. As opposed to Santorini, Crete is more flat along the coastline and does not have a sloping cliff edge where water meets sea. Crete has proper beaches and the houses are more spread apart. But it is still decorated wildly with those beautiful pink and purple blooming flowers winding about every house. And even though the views aren't as perfect as the ones on Oía, this island is just as charming, warm and cozy as any other. This is the place where the Greeks come to vacation.

Crete's culture feels incredibly authentic. It is less crowded, less touristic, and there are definitely alot more Greeks. On our first night, we went out around Chania to explore. There is a beautiful old fort called "Firkas Fortress" that lines the harbor. With towering stone walls that create a barrier between the Mediterranean Sea and Chania, the harbor waters are calm and still which makes a reflection clear and like a mirror. With Venetian influence, this fortress is like something out of a fairytale. You can walk along it out to the small lighthouse surrounded by ocean. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the lovely sunset we watched at the end of the fortress by the lighthouse over the water. But trust me, it's just as beautiful as you can imagine it to be.

Along the harbor are many little shops filled with authentic Greek souvenirs. From spices to jewelry, they have everything... a souvenir hoarder would have a field day over. They are notorious for selling natural dried sea sponges that the fisherman catch in their nets. You use them as you would a luffa and they are great for exfoliation. I bought a few small ones for myself.

Day 5: Gramvousa Bay and Balos Beach

Ahhhh... Imagine yourself sprawled out on a turquoise beach with the sun rays warming your skin, white sands, and mountains as your backdrop. This is everything that the day tour to Gramvousa Bay and Balos beach was. Taking a bus for a few euro down to the dock, you can purchase a day cruise from Chania to these lovely beaches. It cost about 40 euro each person for this excursion and leaves every hour. The ship has two stories which are filled with community benches and tables to relax and chat with friends or make new ones. This ship is equipped with an entire kitchen and snack bar so if your hungry or craving some beer, they have whatever your heart desires.

The first stop is Gramvousa Bay. A Venitian style old and crumbling castle is perched high up on the cliff of this little bay. The cruise gives you about an hour to explore this bay. You have the option to walk up to the castle and explore but the walk is quite steep and tall and would take up a majority of your time. Or you can have the option to relax on the beach and swim in the glowing blue waters. If you're ambitious, you could try to fit in both... but I wanted a more relaxed day. Joe and I stayed on the beach and I'm so happy we did. The water glows a brilliant blue with gradients of color. And underwater, it's unbelievably clear.

There were a few fishing boats bobbing about in the bay, perfect for some authentic Cretian island vibes.

My favorite thing about this beach was an abandoned shipwreck just off shore. Old and rusted with chunks falling off and sticking halfway out of the water, I felt like I had discovered treasure (all of you 'abandoned places' junkies will understand). The water was a little chilly, but I was willing to get in to explore this thing.

You can swim up to the eroded body of the ship to look into the skeleton of it. But don't try to climb in. There are lots of sharp and unstable edges. Climbing inside this rusty old boat is not worth a gash and Tetanus shot that ruins your entire vacation.

Lastly, this beach has some beautiful tide pools. These shallow pools were much warmer because they're basically little jacuzzis.

After a loud blast from the boat's horn herding everyone back to the boat, the cruise continues to Balos Beach. This beach is the main reason I chose to come to Greece in the first place and I was ecstatic to finally find myself there. What's so unique about this beach are the layers. If you see this beach from above, there will be different hues of blue all about the beach because of the different depths. In one section, you'll have a deep 10 ft pool that has a dark blue hue to it while 30 ft away, the color will change to a turquoise/emerald color since the depth has decreased to 5 ft. One area of the beach has about an inch of water. We spent the majority of our time basking in this tiny wading pool, getting tan, and lazing about.

A dream isn't it :)

Day 6: Elafonissi Beach and Olive Grooves

Plucked from your fairytale dreams, Elafonissi Beach is something you must see once in your lifetime. Located on the South Western region of Crete, this beach is actually on a tiny island that is connected by a sand bar about a few inches deep. So you have to get your feet wet to get over there. But you will never find water more clear and blue than on this beach. You have two options to get here: 1. You can travel over to this area of the island and explore the south western coast a bit more. 2. You can take a day trip from Chania and not have to relocate hotels (the option we chose) which was about 50 Euro. The tour we took was great. It takes about three hours by bus to get to Elafonissi Beach. The tours usually stops off in a olive groove because the pathway to this beach is surrounded by them. I unfortunately do not have pictures of the Olive grooves, but it's a lovely experience. The trees look like weeping willows and Katydids buzz all around you. Moving on, you'll reach Elafonissi beach and have about 5 hours to explore and relax before the bus leaves. And trust me, you won't get bored here, you'll need all of the time.

The water is unbelievably clear.

And the best part of this beach is the PINK SAND! Due to the components in the waters, the sand turns pink and it's gorgeous. The sand comes in and out with the waves so I was chasing this pink sand all day trying to find a dense patch. I finally caught this gem of a shot.

By the end of the day, you'll be tanned (or sunburnt), exhausted, and full of endorphins from frolicking in the warm waters all day long. Bask in this beautiful blue wonderland.

Day 7: Enjoy the night off/ Drink Oozo/ Eat Gyros

On the last night, we were exhausted, burnt, and excited to relax. Take your time and enjoy the quaint island of Crete. We were here during the World Cup and of course we had to watch it. So we sat at a little restaurant in the main square of Chania while we ate Gyros and drank Oozo with a front row seat to the game.

Do you like black licorice? Then you'll love Oozo. Ooze is the Grecian liquor with a milky white appearance and tastes just like black licorice. It hits you quick too. Enjoy.

When you fly home, you'll be left with endless memories of white washed cliff houses, blue beaches, and full bellies. Have a wonderful dream vacation.