Oia

Peggy caught this photo of an old Santorini windmill that I found quite stunning. We found similar windmills won other Greek islands.

Peggy caught this photo of an old Santorini windmill that I found quite striking outlined against the horizon. The blue striped flag belongs to Greece.

Wrapping up my Wednesday photo essays on Santorini, I thought I would go for a potpourri of things that either amused Peggy and me, or that we found interesting and picturesque. Enjoy. Next Wednesday I will randomly pick another selection from my collection of 20,000 iPhotos. Who knows where we will land…

We found this dog admiring the Aegean Sea while perched on a rock. In our travels through the Mediterranean we often found cats and occasionally dogs that seemed owner free or at least wandered at will.

We found this dog admiring the Aegean Sea while perched on the end of a rock. In our travels through the Mediterranean we often found cats and occasionally dogs that seemed owner free or at least wandered at will.

He and I shared a common perspective on the value of an afternoon nap.

Forget modern excavation equipment when it comes to building on the sides of the volcano. How are you going to get a backhoe and dump trucks down a narrow stairway? Dirt and rock dug out of the mountainside has to be bagged up and shipped out another way.

By mules. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

You quickly lean red you had to get out of the way or get stepped on. There was no posing for photos by these heavily laden mules.

You quickly learned that you had to get out of the way or get stepped on. There was no posing for photos by these heavily laden mules.

There were numerous small walkways to explore. During the height of tourist season these walkways would be packed with people.

Several of the people who follow my blog like murals. This one is for you. I really liked the way its tentacles wrapped around the door.

I am sure you've all had the experience of slow food. (grin) This restaurant apparently made an art out of it. And how could you complain. You had been warned.

We’ve all had the experience of food that takes forever to be delivered. (grin) This restaurant apparently made an art out of it.

Peggy has wild, naturally curly head, that has a mind of its own. It seemed to me in this photo that it was attacking her head.

Peggy has wonderfully wild, naturally curly hair, that has a mind of its own. It seemed to me in this photo that it was attacking her head. I kept my distance.

This amusing sculpture was propped up against the wall. I don’t think this guy was a fireman or that he had rescue on his mind.

Normally I avoid tourist souvenirs, and I did this time. I did think these plates and vases did a good job of representing the color of Santorini.

Normally I avoid tourist souvenirs, and I did this time. These plates and vases did do a good job of capturing the colors of Santorini, however.

Speaking of color, this green was vivid.

The flowers were also colorful, including this bougainvillea.

As was the pinkish red of these Bougainvillea.

Certainly one would expect to find mermaids lulling around on the rocks off of Santorini. The bougainvillea made a nice frame.

Certainly one would expect to find mermaids lulling around on the rocks off of Santorini. The Bougainvillea provided a colorful frame.

I was impressed with this blue door.

And found lots more like it. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

And then we found a green door to nowhere.

As we sailed away at sunset, we caught a final view of Santorini’s towns perched up on the high cliffs.

Oia is built on a cliff that drops off a thousand feet into the Mediterranean Sea. Its colorful buildings with their unique architecture and the beauty of the area combine to make the town truly unique.

Oia is built on a cliff that drops off a thousand feet into the Mediterranean Sea. Its colorful buildings with their unique architecture and plunging stairways combine with the beauty of the area to make the town truly unique.

Fira, the administrative center of Santorini, is a pleasant town and definitely worth wandering through. It is filled with shops selling everything from cheap souvenirs to fine jewelry, all of which are designed to separate tourists from their euros. But that’s OK, Santorini makes much of its living off tourists. What most impressed me about the town was its small but excellent Museum of Prehistoric Thira. I’ll blog about the museum next week.

What I am going to do now is make the short trip from Fira to Oia, which is arguably one of the most attractive towns in the Mediterranean, or anywhere. Oia, BTW, is pronounced EE-ah. As the daughter of a friend reminded me, it sounds like something Eeyore might say minus the donkey emphasis.

My recent blogs about my Peace Corps experience in Africa have been long on words and short on photos. That’s about to change as I make why way through the Mediterranean. Oia is best enjoyed by being there, but if you can’t be, the next best thing is through the eye of a camera.

Each of my next three blogs will provide a different perspective on the community. First, I am going to provide a general overview including buildings, animals, flowers and other miscellaneous items that caught our attention. (Peggy took several of the photos.) Next I will focus in on Oia’s unique churches. I’ll finish by looking at stairways and doors, which might seem strange… but don’t miss it. Enjoy.

Another view of the town that provides a perspective on how it clings to the cliff. The whitewashed buildings reflect heat from the intense summer sun.

The rounded roof of this home is typical. Once these homes provided housing for poor sailors. Now they provide housing for millionaires. Another note on these downward trending homes. One person’s patio becomes another person’s roof.

While the sailors lived in their homes on the cliff, sea captains built mansions on top.

I would have happily bought this colorful home.

Peggy captured this artistic shot from Oia looking down on the Mediterranean.

I mentioned the unique doors found in Oia. These are color coordinated.

Retired windmills are found on both Santorini and the island of Mykonos.

This sphinx in Oia provided an artistic touch and seemed right at home.

Peggy discovered this sculpture on the side of a building in Oia. Everyone should have a goal in life.

This restaurant sign promised a leisurely meal… or was that poor service?

Dogs ran free in Oia. We found this one climbing about on walls before he settled in for a nap. All of the animals seemed well fed and happy...

Dogs ran free in Oia. We found this one climbing about on walls before he settled in for a nap. All of the animals seemed well fed and relaxed around the tourists…

Maybe too relaxed. (grin)

There was no relaxation for this mule. He and his buddies were carrying debris being generated by a construction site down the cliff. These guys literally ran us off the road.

I discovered this colorful plant and couldn’t resist taking its picture.

Event the souvenirs featuring Santorini were colorful.

Even the souvenirs featuring Santorini were colorful.

One of the narrow walkways we followed through town. The lack of people was indicative of the fact we were traveling off-season. Instead of 3 or 4 cruise ships in port, there was only ours.

I’ll close this blog with a final shot of Oia. The blue domed building is one of the towns many beautiful churches, which I will feature in my next blog.

Wandering through Time and Place

Exploring the world with Curtis and Peggy Mekemson

Santorini Potpourri… The Amusing and the Picturesque

Oia, Santorini… A Photographer’s Paradise