With an early start to catch our 7am ferry at Pireus port, we were on our way to the famous blue sunny skies and white cave houses, Santorini! By the way, the metro transportation in Athens is super accessible and easy to figure out. It is only three years old and you can hit up almost any place from the airport to central Athens and down to the ports.

Arriving Santorini, our accommodation driver picked us up from Athinos port where all the large boats drop their passengers off. The fira/thira port is where the small boats arrive and where you hear of the infamous donkey rides you can take up the mountain besides the cable car. If you arrive Athinos port, do make sure you have a driver picking you up or else there are options upon arrival which might not be as great of a deal. Alternatively, if you have an international license, renting a car is the best and most effective plan for groups as things are fairly far apart on the island.
SO happy to be here, how can this place be real?!
Our first day was at Oia (upper half of Santorini and pronounced "eee-ahh") and so after a 30 minute drive, we arrived to our beautiful cave house. The view and place was breath taking. We splurge a bit on our first night to get the great view that we're blessed to have right under the Oia main street. Wide brim hats and sunscreen are a must as the sun's rays are intense, I didn't pack the former unfortunately...hence the pricey tourist trap of spending here. Having had my first burn in Bali last year, I definitely learned the hard way and knew it was a necessary investment.
Bottom dish: Kleftiko, Greek style of cooking marinated lamb wrapped in a parcel- so so delish!
There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and cafes lining the main street of Oia with plenty of great views. However, prices are obviously and distinctly higher as its so touristy and I can't deny that I did miss the cheaper eats of Athens. Though, this is such a gift of a place so I can't complain. That night we walked down the 240 steps to Amoudi Beach (don't worry the walk is not bad at all, but dont expect much with the beach part) to watch the sunset while having seafood at one of the four restaurants overlooking Caldera Bay. We had a dish of fresh mixed fish and calamari to share which was delightful. When heading back though, it was dark so we couldn't take the stairs back up (there are also donkey options before the sun had set) so we were thankful to be able to hitch a ride up the hill back to the top of Oia as taxis are not sighted here (first hitch hiking experience-CHECK!).

Dinner overlooking Caldera Bay
Our mixed fish for dinner! Super fresh!
Despite the lack of planning on our part, the night sky blew me away. The stars actually looked like they were twinkling and with the multitude of cave house clusters lighting up around the island. Star gazing might just be a new hobby for me and the view looked like one from an out of the world fairytale. And this is only day 1 here, thank You Jesus.