Four Wheels, Four Friends

Waking up on a beautiful island you wonder how in the world will we get to see it all? Well, when you only have a limited amount of time and so much to see, you look towards renting four wheelers!! The couple we befriended, my boyfriend and I rented two ATV’s definitely taking full advantage ripping around Santorini seeing all the beauty it had in store for us.

As we cruised through the island we were having so much fun, we stopped and got a couple beers to enjoy safely along our adventure. We first were headed to Black Sand Beach. As we zing zagged down the mountain on dirt roads, it was incredible to see the cliffs just drop away to the sea. As we got closer to the water, we saw a beach side restaurant. It probably was once buzzing with business during the summer months but now closed up with a few umbrellas felt out and cats hanging out on the railings. The beach with black sand was a gorgeous complexion of black rocks with aquamarine water. In the distance there was a shearing cliff which gave to the scenic background. As the water slowly came back and fourth you could hear the rocks tumble making a peaceful calm rhythm. It was beautiful and majestic how secluded everything was. After we put our toes in the water and pet the kittens who sought out attention, we were off to the next location.

The next beach was called Red Beach, a lot more tourists were around visiting a church which had a large Greek flag swaying in the wind. As you walked up the hill which lead to a larger mountain there was a picturesque view with a sailboat in the background. The rocks in the mountain side were red giving a feeling of outer space like we were on Mars. There I jumped on the four wheeler and took it for a ride myself learning how to maneuver it and feeling the power of the machine that was leading the two of us up and down mountains and all around. After a few postcard pictures, we headed back to were we thought was best next move, a brewery.

As we neared the brewery called Crazy Donkey we were getting excited to try some beer made on Santorini. It was a unique tasting room, we walked in and looked around at the facility. It was a fairly new company with a lot of room to grow. We were introduced to the beers they were brewing and tasted each one. Since they did not have their license to allow consumers to drink the beer on the premise, we did not stick around for long. We had our little fun but we were ready to have some more!

We headed the the winery that I was extremely enthusiastic to see because it had my name in it, Artemis Karamolegos. It was absolutely gorgeous and not only that but the wine was delicious. Everything about the experience was excellent. We had our sommeliar explain to us each wine and we sat outside under a wooden terrace with flowers draping it. We enjoy each other’s company and shared stories and many laughs. It was the moment in time where we slowed down the day and soaked in everything around us. We stayed there and as the sun went down we decided to head back to the hotel for the sunset.

After a gorgeous sunset, we decided to look for dinner in the other side of the island in which we were exploring. We went to Oia, and as we drove there the stars were so bright like diamonds in the sky. We walked around the small town and looked at the beautiful white buildings that were lit up, a wonderful contrast to the dark mountain side they stood on. It was very quiet as the height to summer had dwindled down, there were only a very few restaurants open. We walked down the alleyways which lead us up and down and all around. We settled at a bar where we got large size beers and cheers to our last evening.

As our stomachs rumbled we decided to head back to Thera for the best gyros known on island and probably all of Greece, Lucky’s. We caught it just as they were closing, the owner was generous enough to serve us the last of the gyros and soulakis made with traditional Greek lamb. As we talked to him, we were fascinated by his love for his restaurant and the island. As the last customers and our fascination with him, we were fortunate enough to go in back of the restaurant and watch how he makes the chicken and lamb rotisseries. The way he described the craft and specialty of his food we could see how his restaurant did so well. He literally loved what he did and he did it wonderfully. Not only was the food amazing but he was entertaining! We said our good byes to the owner promising to not only to tell everyone we knew about the place but one day to return to say hello and taste the best gyros in the world again.

We hopped back on our four wheelers and went back to our hotel. As we were getting off we knew it was a goodbye to our new friends, Sunny and Amrit, who we were absolutely grateful to have met. They made our trip in Santorini a memorable one, we will not forget the laughs, stories and moments of “shot gunning and sending it” that we will always share together. I absolutely look forward to when our lives cross again. They are the couple that if we are ever close enough to visit them than we will make an effort to go! After hugs shared we headed back to our room to get some well deserved rest. We had a long and exhausting way back home, all the way back to our own little island of Nantucket.