Santorini was the first island that we were visiting in our itinerary. It didn’t look fascinating when we arrived. The airport terminal was small. The surrounding area was looking like a small town. It kind of reminded me of the time when we first arrived in Siargao. Well, to think about it, Santorini and Siargao were small islands with a small population. Siargao was even bigger as it was five times bigger in land area. Its tourist population though outnumber the local population during peak season.

Our travel agency had a tour bus shuttling us from the airport to the hotel. It made transferring easier. We checked in and made ourselves comfortable for a while. The room was comfortable. Then, it was out on the streets to start exploring Santorini.

We were warned beforehand that there were only a number of taxis that serve the tourist population on the island. Luckily, Santorini was starting to wind down for the off season. With a little help from the hotel front desk, we got on board a taxi that transported us to the capital of the island, Fira.

The long, winding path of the coast.

We found the long, winding path that was following the contours of the Santorini coast. Branches of alleyways were emanating and snaking up and down on both sides of the main path. It was tough navigating through its steep inclines and steps. The multitude of whitewashed cubiform buildings with domed roofs were connected by these alleyways. The path and alleyways had several vantage points for watching the Caldera.

The sunset view of the Caldera.

We were walking with a crowd of people that seemingly single filed like army ants looking for the same popular spots. The crowd became denser and were walking slower as the afternoon was winding down. Viewing and taking a photograph of the Caldera at sunset was an anticipated event. The people not holding at least one form of photographic equipment can be counted with the fingers. I was imagining the number of photographs that were being uploaded to the cloud.

The photograph above can be printed.

Everyone turned their eyes to see the sun setting below the horizon. The sky was changing its colors from blue to orange-red to pale-crimson. Then, the blue hour. Then darkness began bathing the night sky.

This photograph can be printed.

From the light of the sun to the neon lights.

It was the end of the day at the Santorini coast. The crowd began scattering like army ants without a queen. We nudged our tired feet to a different direction into the deeper recess of the alleyways. A restaurant, with its tiny balcony nook, was an amazing place to rest our tired feet. Two ladies from Finland sat next our tiny table and were conversing animatedly in their language. Below, the neon lights were illuminating the interiors of the white washed cubiform buildings with domed roofs. There was still much activity happening into the night. This time, it was away from the light of the sun. It was where the neon lights offered its illuminating brightness.

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