One day trip to Santorini, Greece

Hello travelers!

Today I'm sliding down the memory lane back to the summer of 2011. It was my second summer season working on Crete island and my first as an entertainer in the "Animation Team" of a hotel. Great atmosphere, friendly customers, talented colleagues, incredible places that I visited and so many parties, maybe too many: all of these made my summer one to never forget.
Overall it was my 5th summer working in Greece and that year I started in Rhodes as an entertainer but the things didn't go quit well so I decided to try my luck in Crete. All said and done I have to admit it was a better choice and I was also lucky. But today we're going to focus on one of the best one day trips of that summer: Santorini!!

It was a crazy night at work having a great dance show and afterwards dancing in the hotel's club until very late. After just 3 or 4 hours of sleep I had to be fresh and ready to jump in the bus to Heraklion. After many stops to pick up customers from different hotels we end up on the ferry boat to  the incredible island of Thira.

We left Heraklion behind us around 7:30AM and we enjoyed a little nap on the boat. After 2 hours and a half we arrived to Santorini. I remember a very small harbour at the bottom of the mountain, a lot of tourists from different countries and the heat which was already rising fast.

The road from the harbour to Oia, our first stop, was an adventure. I must congratulate the greek bus drivers for their skills, patience and control. The road is made of so many curves at a high angle and it is also very narrow. Thank God I am not afraid of heights.

"Santorini was named by the Latin Empire in the 13th century and is a reference to Saint Irene, from the name of the old cathedral in the village of Perissa – the name Santorini is a contraction of the name Santa Irini." (Wikipedia) Once we arrived in Oia(or Ia) we truly felt the high temperature. I remember that 20th of July with its real feel 44 degrees Celsius.

"The town is noted for its white and blue domed houses. The houses are painted in white lime water so that the rainwater which falls over it runs down and can be collected. The other reason for painting the houses white is for aesthetic purposes. The other explanation given is that during the Ottoman rule of Greece, which lasted for over 400 years, Greeks were not allowed to fly their white flag. In defiance, in Oia they painted their entire housing complex in white with domes giving the village an effective white perspective and elegance."(Wikipedia)

We had around one hour and a half to explore the streets of Oia. Our first stop was the Church of Panagia of Platsani and the Caldera Square.

The streets are crowded and the heat is taking over. I feel like I am in a gigantic oven. Thank God for the beautiful view of the Caldera, an Oia classic.
There are many souvenir shops, bars, restaurants and art galleries on the streets. See some of them in the pictures below.

Our journey continued and after beautiful views of monasteries and windmills on our road, we arrived to Fira. The central square of Fira is called Plateia Theotokopoulou, with a bus and taxi station, banks and pharmacies.

"From Fira there is a panoramic view of the 18 km long caldera from southern Cape Akrotiri to northern Cape Ag. Nikolaos, plus the volcanic island Nea Kameni at the center with Thirassia Island. Large cruise ships anchor in the small harbor between Nea Kameni and Fira." Wikipedia

We have only one hour to spend here and admire this beautiful town. I decide to walk a bit along the streets, buy couple of souvenirs and have a cold beer on one of the many beautiful bars above the sea.

After a short ride we arrived to Perissa where we were amazed by the beach with black sand. There are couple of restaurants on the beach and we entered in one of them to have lunch, fresh seafood and local white wine. After one hour and a half of swimming and sun bathing we were back on the bus on our way to the ferry.

Around 5:30PM we embarked on the ferry and we arrived in the evening back to Heraklion. I was a little disappointed regarding the sunset. I was expecting an explosion of colours but, aw well, this is the only thing I got:

Overall Santorini is an amazing place to visit and there are many other attractions on the island. I would recommend you to visit it in May or early June and at the end of September, beginning of October. During the high season it's very hot, the streets are crowded and frankly it's also more expensive. If you decide to go on a one day trip from Crete to Santorini be prepared to run, run, run, you know how it goes with the organised trips: 1 hour here, 1 hour there, 10-20 pictures, faster, people, faster...and that's it! One day it is not enough to truly experience such a wonderful place as Santorini. I would love to go back there again!

More about one day trips to Milan and Bergamo you can find HERE!!! 
Looking for a weekend getaway?! Why not trying Larnaca in Cyprus?! Find more details about my trip to the island of love HERE!!!

Until next time, travel well, everywhere!

Beldi

Jumpin'Journal - pages of a diary (II)

"Popularity is the slutty cousin of prestige."

     Let's go back in highschool, a period of time so important for every person's development, a time for questions, confusion, discoveries, competitivity, a period that marks everyone in one way or another. We've watched so many movies showing the american highschool life, we see the popular boys and girls, the jocks and the cheerleaders, the nerds, the outsiders and we realise that almost everywhere is the same; highschool is a very hard period of time. If it was for me I would recommend highschool to be attended when we are 25-30 years old, this is how hard it can be going through this hell of a phase.

Kalithea Therme, Rodos

     It's a time for labels and bullying, for superficial values, but hopefully there is also a silver lining, a time for good, healthy friendships and beautiful romantic love stories. But what I wanna talk about today is popularity. Let's be honest, we all wanted at a certain time to be popular in highschool. We know how important are the looks, the car, the clothes, the people you're hanging with, but all of this is such a shallow way of going through adolescence, without parent's money the popular ones wouldn't be anything else but empty recipients. And still we all wanted to be in the limelight for a reason or other. As the years go by I realise being popular is just as ephemeral as the smoke of a cigarette that back then the cool ones were sneaking around the corner to inhale.
     This is when I realise that having prestige is a whole new page of the book. There is such a big difference between being popular and being prestigious. Having your work appreciated by relevant people, offering unselfish help, being a respectful person is much more rewarding than being popular. Leaving a mark in a certain domain of activity or being noted for the contribution brought to a discovery, touching someone's life in a positive, uplifting way, these are things that really, truly matter.
     Living in a world dominated by non valors is very easy to lose yourself in the abundance of information, people and places. They say the future belongs not to the strongest one but to the most adaptable to change. Well, I come and ask: what is this suppose to mean? Should I change as a cameleon from a day to another, just to keep up with the changes? It feels false and antagonic compared with staying true to yourself, right?! And if I would want to survive and so become flexible, that means I approve being false and narcissistic, selfish, hedonistic. Well I dare to say every person has the right to live their lives the way they please as long as they don't influence negatively the ones around.

Lindos Beach, Lindos, Rodos(1), Kalimera Kriti Hotel, Sissi, Crete(2), Vai Beach, Crete(3)

     Let's talk a little bit about friends and friendships. Being friends lost its main purpose. Too many people are pretending to be so called friends but actually having hidden interests. They say you see who your true friends are when you hit rock bottom. You see their true faces when you need somebody's help the most. It use to be a time in my life when I used to say that I have so many diverse friends and they are all the kind of people I could call at 3 in the morning from the middle of nowhere and they will rush to help me. Aw, well, as time passed by my so called "friends" got sifted the same way as you do with flour through a sieve. Every relation, either is a friendship, a partnership or love, it has to have, in my opinion, 3 solid bricks at its ground: understanding, respect and trust. Friends should not judge each other but listen and support, they should not gossip each other but trust each other and respect their privacy. They should accept each other and learn from one another.
     I met many types of people, some of them became my summer friends, others just acquaintances, good friends that I have since I was in primary school and many many more. Every friendship is different, with some you can be friends for life, with others for a short period of time and with others you just grow apart slowly but surely.

Kalithea Therme, Rodos

     Now I arrived at the point where I can honestly say: who left, left, who stayed, stayed, who will come, will come. I'm gonna enjoy the very present moment, learning from the past and keeping an eye on the future - balance restored. I will spend my time with people that I love, people that care about me truly and not waste any other second with cheap people.

     "I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I've become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I don't want to waste more time with what displeases or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me.
     I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that's why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I gave difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience." Source

Kounopetra, Kefalonia(1,3), Ancient Acropolis of Same, Sami, Kefalonia(2)

     The pictures in this post were taken in Kalithea Therme and Lindos on Rhodes Is., two very beautiful places where you can relax, sunbathe or explore the surroundings, places I totally recommend for a may/september getaway otherwise are pretty busy during the summer months; other pics were taken on Kalimera Kriti beach and Vai beach on Crete Is. -  Crete is the biggest and southern island of Greece and it's a marvelous place with so many attractions, from long sandy beaches to high mountains, caves and gorges, from mosques and castles to shopping malls, lakes, monasteries, lagoons and many other. It is a must see.
     Last but not least the last colaj is composed by pictures taken on the wild, stunning island of Kefalonia, a great holiday retreat for young and elderly and especially for those nature lovers.

    Catch the first Jumpin'Journal post HERE!

Discover some good music for the road below:

Hozier     Jessie Ware     Bruno Mars

To be continued


Beldi

Jumpin'Journal - pages of a diary (I)

     Summer - when I think about summer I immediately associate it with my experiences in Greece. I have worked and lived there for 2 years and a half during 7 summer seasons. In couple of words I went there for the first time in 2007 and I kept going back all over again because I was mesmerised by the beauty of the landscapes and the false but sweet impression of freedom.

Kalimera Kriti Hotel, Sissi, Crete(1,2), Rodos Maris Hotel, Kiotari(3), Rodos

     When I started this journal I had to lookup pictures from years ago. Watching these pictures I became nostalgic at first, angry and then calm, contemplative. After that I started thinking why are all these emotions in my head?! Every summer I spent in Greece was unique: new places, new people I met, new experiences but the thing that for me connects all the pieces together is the feeling of independence, of freedom. I was doing something for my own. I was travelling, making my own money, I was enjoying the climate, the views, the friends, the drinks, the food, the parties, the job and the list can go on and on. I felt that I was enriching my soul and everytime I have a conversation with someone about what makes us rich I say with all my heart: our experiences, our memories.

     I watched a very good movie recently, it's called "Birdman", it's nominated for the Oscars. The main idea of the movie was, in my opinion, how to stay relevant in a society in which values fade in the shadow of the grotesque which is promoted with a shameless nonchalance; it becomes frustrating to struggle to stay relevant. And I'm asking you now, how do you keep yourself relevant?

Costa Lindia Hotel, Lardos, Rodos 

     Most of us, mostly without even acknowledging, are in a permanent race to stay relevant. We are struggling on a daily bases, buying new clothes, books, games, downloading the newest aps, attending events that we consider important, following trends, trying to set new trends, having conversations, planning holidays etc etc. Nowadays internet allows us to upload anything we want and to access such a diverse palet of information. Sometimes it becomes frustrating to find a way to stand up from the crowd. We were raised in a society that sustains competitivity and I don't have anything against it as long as it doesn't go off the rails but at the end of the day we can't all be the best. And that is that. And now I'm asking you: is it that bad to be simple? Is it that bad to just be your own self? We weren't all born to be math geniuses or to walk on the Moon but the fact is nobody is totally the same like another. We are unique and we have a purpose. Everything happens for a reason and even though sometimes we don't know what is that reason , we need to keep moving, stay true to ourselves by evolving in a better us and keeping a balance and a mutual positive relation with the environement and the people around us.
     I know it sounds utopic and many other more intelligent people wrote about this subject but I arrived at the conclusion that all of this is true.

     Back to the subject of relevancy, some people are so desperate to stand out that all they achieve is to show off so much falling on the ridiculous waggon. The lucky ones make peace with themselves and realise that it's not about what the others think but themselves and the persons who truly matter in their lives.

Costa Lindia Hotel, Lardos(1), Prasonisi(2), Tsambika Beach(3), Rodos

     Looking back at the pictures I relive those moments when subconsciously I was trying so hard to stay relevant in the eyes of everyone else , except myself. Now I arrived at the conclusion that it's ok to struggle to impress for a while in an experimental phase, it's ok to make mistakes, especially when you feel the need to try everything at least once, but as the time goes by the purpose is to grow, to improve yourself, to learn from the previous experiences and to evolve into a better self.

     Even this blog if I take it as an example is in fact a way to stay relevant at a certain level. I don't have followers and probably not more than 20 people will bother reading until this point but what matters the most is that I leave a mark, a small one, an insignificant one, but still it is there in the big blogosphere, so maybe one day, who knows, somebody will read these lines and if at least one person will feel intrigued or touched by these words then even better.

     "Jumpin'Journal" I called it and I called it so because at a first sight you'll see pictures with me obviously jumping out of enthusiasm or for fun but the real meaning is between the lines, sometimes jumping over obstacles, other times smashing my head into them, jumping to conclusions compared with thinking first before I speak, a trajectory of my way of thinking and evolving over the years.
    The pics shown in this first page of this journal had been taken on Crete and Rhodes Islands between 2008 and 2011, 2 beautiful places that are worth visiting.


     Looking for a great summer holiday destination, check out also one of these:

  Kefalonia     Zakynthos     Lefkada 

 To be continued

Beldi

Un paradise sauvage - Chrissi Island