I visited Santorini during my final backpacking trip as a student.
Arriving by ship it becomes apparant the crescent shaped island is the rim of a collapsed caldera. The old port is connected to the village by a switchedbacked cobblestone path containing 586 steps. In the past, teams of mules hauled tourists and their luggage to the hilltop village. Fortunately for these hardy creatures the new port is connected to the rest of the island by road.
There is no denying the entire island is touristic. However, for those willing to slow down and explore the island offers a charming stay beyond the Instagram famous shots.
Bring sunglasses. The day is a great time for visiting the non cliff side of the island and sample wines produced on the coarse volcanic soils.
As the shadows lengthen the sun bleached island comes alive.
The evenings are cooler and are equally charming. On the ferry to Athens I saw another fine sunset over the Aegean and looked forward to exploring more islands another time.
