as a foodie, i don’t consider myself one of those instagram hipsters, but more a remy (of ratatouille). in fact, i’m often compared to the remy with flavors sparkling and twinkling overhead (if you don’t get it, it’s a scene from the movie). one of the highlights (and anticipations) of this trip was the food. i had never had greek cuisine while growing up, and not much of it is available in tokyo. i can’t even be positive when exactly i was introduced to greek salad, but chef kevin of my favorite hamburger joint in tokyo (who are like family now, and the bistro has since closed) made the best greek salad. in fact, it was so true to the greek salads i had in santorini!
to be able to eat greek yogurt (which i was first introduced to in union square, new york near my dorm. figs, honey, and greek yogurt♡) and greek food day and night was like a dream.
lamb gyros from the souvlaki stand in kamari (i was here almost everyday) lamb kebab with tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, fried potatoes wrapped in a pita. it was VERY filling! i had bought some herb/spice mixes in fira, and used the tzatziki and lamb mixes for a homemade lamb gyros. 🙂 カマリ市のスブラキ・スタンドで買ったラム・イロス（ほぼ毎日ここに立ち寄っていました） ラムのケバブ、トマト、ツァツィキ・ソース、ポテトフライをピタパンで包んで。ポテトフライのおかげかボリューム満点でした。（フィラでツァツィキ・ソースのハーブミックスを含むスパイス・セットを買い、お家でイロスを作ったら大好評でした！）
whatever these were, they were good. a mini doughnut with honey glaze.
美味しかったです。ミニサイズのハニー・グレイズ・ドーナツ（本当の名前は分かりません…）
this was good, too ♡ ／ こちらも美味しかったです！
– T H E L A S T F E A S T –
while watching the sunset from fira on the last day 最終日のディナーは夕陽を見ながら贅沢に
fava (yellow split pea puree)
ファヴァ（イエロー・スプリット・ピーのピュレ）
(i wish i wrote down what this was!)
（料理名メモっておけばよかったです…）
SANTORINI DAY 5 :
A N C I E N T T H E R A , A K R O T I R I , S U N S E T A T F I R A
after all the rain and thunder throughout the night, came the astounding sunrise! what a perfect beginning to my last full day in thira!
夜通し、雨・風・雷が凄かったです。でもその代わりに待ち受けていたのは、見事な朝日！出発前の最終日に最高な始まりでした。
the blue sky, sunshine, white walls, grecian flag, all couldn’t be more picturesque than on this day.
青空、太陽、白い建物、ギリシャ国旗。
. . . . .
– A N C I E N T T H E R A –
i’ve gathered the photos of ancient thera here! it was quite something to think these ruins were inhabited as early as the 8th century BC. most of what remains seems to have been rebuilt and expanded by later inhabitants until the 8th century AD. i’m not a historian so i won’t explain in detail, but i share photos of explanations and the ruins in the link above!
– H I K I N G U P T O T H E
M O N A S T E R Y O F P R O F I T I S I L I A S –
moving on after ancient thera, i started hiking towards the monastery of profitis ilias (prophet elias). this photo is looking back towards ancient thera. the winding road on the left goes down toward kamari. the roundabout leads to the entrance of ancient thera; you can see the snake-like path a third of the way down the mountain inside the ancient thera ruins. beyond the top of the mountain is where the central and southern sections of ancient thera would be, facing due south. to the right of the mountain would be perissa (where i came up from on day three).
the red circle in the below map is where i took the photos below. the numbered circles represent the direction the photo was taken in perspective from the red circle.
下記地図の赤●は立ち位置。その立ち位置から撮った写真の方向を番号で記載しています。
this is a view of perissa and perivolos along the shoreline. (*see 1. in map above)
海岸沿いにペリッサとペリヴォロス。（*地図 １.）
this is a view facing fira, oia, and the caldera. (*see 2. in map above) フィラ、イア、とカルデラ。（*地図 2.）
that’s the airport! (*see 3. in map above)
空港！（*地図 3.）
yay!!! i made it to the top!!! to tell the truth, i lost the path multiple times, and it was more treacherous than i was prepared for (because i lost the path?)…
i couldn’t visit inside, possibly because it was around lunchtime, but here are some photos i got of the outside (and really, please ignore the fact that my big ol’ finger is in one of the most important photos…).
one last look around the monastery before descending towards megalochori, which is the nearest bus stop.
修道院付近をもう一周し、メガロチョリに向かいました。
– H I K I N G T O
M E G A L O C H O R I –
this is faros, the western tip (in the south) of thira. i couldn’t make it here this time since it is apparently more convenient by car. (*see 4. in map above)
こちらは、ファロス。ティラ島の最南端の町。元々こちらで泊まろうと思っていたのですが、車がないと移動が難しいため断念しました。（*地図 4.）
the nature, rocks, ruins along the way to megalochori! after a quick google search, that flag apparently represents the greek orthodox church.
この島で見る自然は常に石と花が隣り合わせになってバランスし合っています。黄色の旗は、ギリシャ正教会のものです。
– A K R O T I R I –
from megalochori, i visited akrotiri (i wanted to see the red and white beaches), but by this time i was absolutely exhausted. i nearly took the bus straight back to fira, when i turned around and saw that the akrotiri excavations archaeological site was right by the bus stop. something in my head told me to stay. unfortunately, i didn’t get any photos (except the one below, inside the excavation facility) or pamphlets, but here are some links: Santorini Archaeological Sites : Akrotiri Excavations
from Santorini.com A Life’s Work: The Excavation of Akrotiri in Santorini
by Tassoula Eptakili for Greece Is
メガロチョリからバスに乗ってアクロティリへ向かいました。ここでは赤と白い砂の海が名物ですが、午前中のハイキングで憔悴。バスでそのままフィラまで戻るか悩みましたが、バス停を背にしたらアクロティリの遺跡博物館の入り口が目の前にありました。せっかくアクロティリに来たのであれば、一つでも何かを見て行こうかと思い、入ってみました。残念ながら写真は撮っておらず、パンフレットもありませんでしたが、上記リンクを見つけました。日本語ですと、こちらが詳細に紹介されていました： アクロティリ遺跡と博物館
by 遺跡ときどき猫
it really is something to see! to me, this is even more significant than ancient thera, as this site dates back as early as the 4th MILLENIUM BC! the civilizations that lived here until the early late bronze age (around 17th century BC), had 2-3 story buildings, amazing paintings, and even a drainage system (i mean, toilets??). the town was abandoned after a series of severe earthquakes preceding a volcanic eruption in the late 17th century BC. covered in volcanic material, the town was preserved until they officially began excavations in 1967 and are currently continuing excavations.
the shelter that protects the excavations is quite interesting, also. protecting from the elements while keeping the ecosystem as stable and comfortable as possible, they made a bioclimatic building utilizing the four elements with minimal energy consumption. (please do visit this website if you are interested in bioclimatic structures!)
intrigued and motivated again, i took the bus to fira. this was the last (and most important??) bit of my trip! SUNSET!!!
アクロティリ遺跡を見て元気復活！フィラへ戻り、今回の旅の目玉、夕陽ハンティング開始！
– S U N S E T A T F I R A –
i took a walk to oia, in hopes of seeing the sunset here. however, with the exertions of the whole day (i walked more than 20km this day), i decided to watch the sunset from fira (which was just as spectacular), while having one last gorgeous dinner. i had some help from a greek native, making sure i ordered the right foods, and absolutely grateful for that! HERE GOES:
