Published on Feb, 2024
Kathryn was a spectacular guide. She met us promptly, and after friendly introductions off, we went. Kathryn had lived on the island 25 and knew all there was to know about Santorini. There was a set itinerary, but she said we could make our tour whatever we wanted. As we had a wine tour booked on our own later, we started with the lookout at the monastery and overview of the caldera and learned about the volcanic eruption and creation of Santorini We drove to the black beach, walked through a village and learned about the construction of the houses and caves , the way the grapes were grown and baskets formed with the older vines to protect the grapes from the north winds and trap the humidity in the barron land that gets almost no rain and the soil is all ash and pumice. She pointed out many interesting things as she described Santoroni and and culture and entrance very recently into tourism, going from a very poor country to one of wealth. Our final stop as the sun came out was Oia with its beauty and charm. We travelled off season so many shops and restaurants were closed and there was a frenzy of construction and painting being done for the upcoming season, with mules carrying bags of cement to be mixed along the same steps we walked. It was cooler and few tourist, so there no lines and no waits for pictures and we got to see how everyone lived. We said goodbye as she dropped us back at our hotel. Highly recommend.
