7 am, Oia, Santorini

After quite some time, we are back in the city and things are finally starting to get organized in our home front. While our kitchen is under construction from the neighbours water damage, Mr. N and I will be staying in a nearby part-time apartment until around december. I have a lot of photo material, so bare with me as I unravel everything and share them with you! I hope you all are doing fantastic, I for sure have missed you all! Our Santorini & Italy holiday was simply perfect, each year they just keep getting better and better. This in particular was extra special as I have come back as an engaged woman! I’m so ready to start my forever with the one man I love. I’m lucky, blessed and over the moon to think about marrying this man. ♥

Anyways, I wanted to begin with a moment, 7 am to be exact, from the streets of Oia in Santorini. With the collage above, I wanted to capture the essence of the mornings in Oia. I loved to wake up early and walk around town, chasing sunrise and capture the first movements of the streets. The below picture is from our villas rooftop, it is of a cute chapel that was attached to our house.

But to be completely honest, I have mixed feelings about Santorini. As much as I hate to say it, not everything there is as perfect as you think it is! By far, it is the most prettiest in the faint morning light, the white washed streets begin to reflect as the glorious sun rises against the volcanic island illuminating the soft pale tones. The streets are quiet, the smell of sweets from the bakery drift to the pathways and the ally cats whisk against the chilled walls. The turquoise details pop out against the white hue, while the dried bougainvillea petals float on the slippery tiles against the warm breeze. There is a calmness like no other and it is truly magical. These morning moments I will remember forever, the scenery is breathtaking and worth exploring.

Then the clock strikes 9 am and that calm vibe changes as time goes by.  Typically, we are having breakfast on our terrace overlooking the beautiful sea and a continues flock of brides begin to show up on our front gate. They climb on our roof top as it is attached to a sweet chapel and begin taking wedding photos. Not only did we see about 15 brides per day, but as our villa was in one of the best scenic spots in Oia, our gate was crowded with people taking pictures 24/7, from sunrise to sunset. They also took photos of us and at times it felt like we were in a looking-glass as the crowds were so large. The indescribable beauty of the morning calmness gets washed away with the amount of tourists that crowd the streets during the day. You can barely walk as the mainstreet is so crowded. Of course, I am a tourist myself and am just as much to blamed as everyone else, but it does leave a bit of a taint on the overall atmosphere of Santorini. Our villa was right next to the main pathway, which of course made the people fluctuate towards us. This is why I have mixed feelings of the place, as Mr. N and I prefer to route on the more non-touristy paths. Not only is it the mass of people in Santorini, but the wine is just not good there and the food is mediocre too. For some reason you cannot have any other wine but their own production, the island does not even import external wines. We ate at a couple of fantastic places that I will share with you, but I would say the standards compared to for example Italy (in terms of food and wine), are no where close by. This probably has to do with the high demand of people on the island, which allows the restaurants to fluctuate on quality. However, I must say I’m happy I’ve experienced Santorini now, it was worth seeing and exploring but I don’t think I need to go there again. I always used to say to Mr. N that it would be a nice place to start off a honeymoon, I’m glad I saw it before that as I think it would have been a disappointment for a special time like that. The reason is, as there are so many honeymooners in general and brides/grooms running around taking wedding photos, it takes away the charm for me to go there on my own honeymoon. Quite frankly, to cliché for our taste.