Solo Backpacking Europe: Week 2 in Santorini, Greece

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Santorini was nothing short of incredible. When people ask what my favorite place on this trip was, I’m tempted to say Santorini. It really felt like I was getting the backpacking experience I had dreamed of. I was staying in a hostel, experiencing a new culture, having adventures every day, and meeting new friends.

Some people looked at me sideways when I said I was going to Santorini alone, but as much as it is a romantic haven, it is also just a beautiful place. Maybe it’s because I was in my hyper-independent/anti-relationship era, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out when it came to the romance department…and who’s to say you can’t find it once you get there 😉

Day 6

I woke up Saturday afternoon to a woman on the ferry intercom announcing we had docked. I shuffled off, hopped on a bus, and walked to my hostel from the nearest stop. I stayed at Caveland and I absolutely loved it. You legitimately sleep in caves and they’re so cool. Cave sweet cave as they say. Once I finally got checked in and settled, I was a bit sad to see there weren’t really many people around. That changed quickly.

I decided to go for a walk to get acclimated. As I was walking out to go explore town, two girls, Victoria & Bo, were heading out to do the same thing. We explored Fira town and wandered into little shops. We watched the sun sink below the horizon and the city light up from the white dwellings lodged on the side of the cliffs. I was so tired and feeling ready to meet my new bed, but more than that I was hungry. Given that it was a travel day, I ate basically nothing, and I needed a MEAL. I stuck around for dinner which just so happened to be at a winery…what was I going to do? NOT get a glass of wine??

Eager to experience everything we could, we thought we would only be good travelers if we checked out the nightlife this island had to offer. It was Saturday night, after all. We ended up at a bar called The Highlander, the first visit of many that week.

DAY 7

On Sunday I woke up to the commotion of breakfast and people chatting. I felt anxious. It sounded like everyone knew each other. Like everyone had friends but me. I quickly shoved that thought out of my head and rerouted from “I don’t have any friends” to “time to go meet some people!” I decided I was just going to get out there, soak up the sunshine on my face, take advantage of the complimentary breakfast, and strike up some conversation. I pulled on a sweater and hobbled out of my cave. I can’t remember exactly how I made some friends, but I do remember that is at out there for a few hours chatting with everyone.

The cool thing about solo travelers is they’re not about to leave people out. As people around me started talking about plans for the day, it wasn’t a matter of needing to be invited but more of a general “This sounds fun! Who’s in?” Everyone was invited. We took the bus to a black sand beach and spent all day there. Funnily enough, we went to a burger place for lunch. You can imagine the horror in my eyes when I saw my international friends eat a burger with a fork and knife. We don’t have much for “authentic food” in America but what we do have is a damn good burger and that, my friends, is a finger food.

Hiking up this winding road along the mountain right before sunset, we got an incredible view of the whole town of ancient Thira.

We sat there on the ledge, admiring the glow of the town below us. We returned to the hostel and I found that I had a new roommate. You’ll never guess who… Justin! A big group of us from the hostel went to dinner at a restaurant called Naoussa. Their big shtick is that you get to smash plates on the ground and yell “Opa!” They’ll smash a plate for literally anything. You walk in the restaurant? Here’s a plate. You order your meal? Smash another one. You take a bite? You know what to do. As we all sat around the table, one person said something that really stuck with me. They said, “There are 11 of us sitting at this table and every single one of us has a different accent.” Every person there was from a different place, yet here we all were, sharing a meal together. That. That right there is one of the reasons I love to solo travel. What an incredible opportunity.

DAY 8

We took a bus back to Fira and I hit my bed so hard. About an hour later I woke up to some familiar voices. Any guesses? Sam & Dec made it to Santorini! Once again, I emerged from my cave. We had so many new check-ins and new friends that day. Honorable mention for Minke & Rebecca. We had to celebrate at none other than the Highlander.

On Monday morning, Daniel, Justin, and I decided to do the highly recommended hike from Fira to Oia. Essentially, you walk 6.5 miles across the island. You get to see so much of the island and it’s outrageously beautiful. Along the way, we hit Skaros Castle. The entrance has a sign that says, “extremely dangerous & strictly forbidden.” Like any good adventurers, we crossed the line. We didn’t doubt that decision for a minute! It was slightly treacherous, but the views were like none other.

The only thing I’d do differently is pack snacks. As a girl who gets big-time hangry, I was pretty drained by the time we got to Oia. I was desperate for a gyro, needed a nap, and wasn’t really up for exploring anymore.

Alexa, Daniel, and Justin pose at the peak of their hike up the Castle of Skaros in Santorini, Greece. — Me, Justin, & Daniel on top of Skaros Castle

Day 9

Tuesday was a rainy and gloomy day. A few of us went to check out Red Beach, but after fighting the weather for a while, we gave up. After solid few hours nap, I stumbled out of my cave to see what was going on. As a big group of people were heading out to watch the sunset, I just could not muster up to energy to go. I decided it was okay to stay in and rest. The sunset was always beautiful here (obvi) it’s fine. There will be another one tomorrow. I was about to snuggle back in bed when I heard a second group of people who wanted to go watch the sunset. Since I am crippled by FOMO and a rubber arm, I said “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Watching quite possibly the most ethereal sunset I’ve ever seen, we drank cheap wine on a windy mountaintop and said “Yamas” to being in that moment. Later that night we went back to the plate-smashing restaurant…clearly, I got a second wind.

DAY 10

On Wednesday I went on a boat tour. First we stopped at a volcano, which I thought was pretty cool because I, you know, don’t spend a lot of time on volcanoes. Or at least at that point in time I hadn’t. We next took a dip in the Palaia Kammeni hot springs. Which, I’d actually call “kind warm springs” but that’s neither here nor there. Our last stop was at the island of Therasia. The stairs up were brutal, but if you’re willing to make the trek, you get a view of the island of Santorini. We had lunch up there and then headed for home.

On the way home, my friend Rebecca raved about how much she loved renting a quad and zooming around the island. I was pretty resistant to renting any kind of vehicle in another country, but my hunger for adventure threw that hesitation right out the window. I knew my experience would not be complete if I didn’t. I signed up for my international driver’s license and had my own by the end of the day.

Turns out, I wasn’t the only one! By that evening there was a whole bunch of quads parked at the hostel. We took our quad squad and went to go see the new James bond movie at an outdoor theater. Please don’t ask me what I thought of the movie because I couldn’t tell ya. I was so tired that I slept through No Time To Die.

DAY 11

On Thursday I woke up before sunrise so that I could get to Oia before the tourists came out to play. I wanted to be able to get some pictures without everyone and their mother in the background. It was so freeing driving across the island on my quad, feeling the wind hit my face, and watching the sunrise. I sat there and had a croissant and coffee on a ledge. It was my little pocket of alone time. I think it’s really important when you’re traveling to make a point to have moments where you just sit and think, this is where I am right now. Wow. This was one of those moments.

In the afternoon I decided to do my laundry. As every backpacker had advised me, I bought my own detergent and did it in the sink. “You’ll save money!” they said…. I will 100% advise against this. I spent over an hour and a half trying to wash every piece of clothing in the sink. By the time I got all the soap out and began to feel my sanity slipping, it was raining outside, and I couldn’t hang it up to dry.

A worker at the hostel, kindly, threw my clothes in the dryer for free and even folded them and put them on my bed. The laundry service was $7. I did all that to save $7. When it comes to laundry, save your time, and spend your money.

Later that night a big group of us wanted to go watch sunset in Oia. This is one of the “big things to do” in Santorini. It’s where all the white houses with blue roofs are.

Well, trouble in paradise, my quad had a loose wheel. A few kind friends of mine stayed with me while I waited for someone from the rental shop to come do a little swap. As you can imagine, we didn’t make it to Oia for sunset. But we did end up with a pretty sick view anyway. It wasn’t what we had planned, but having them there made it a fun little detour. We met up with the rest of the crew for dinner in Oia and raced back home to try to beat a thunderstorm. I watched the lightning in the clouds nervously awaiting the next thing that would make me regret renting a quad. Of course, the storm never hit. We sat on top of the hostel roof to watch the lightning, have a few sips, and share stories.

DAY 12

Friday was a pretty chill day. I will say though, this day tried me a bit. I ended up alone with someone I didn’t entirely feel I should be alone with. While alarm bells were going off in my head, I was ignoring them for the sake of a cool local experience. Don’t do this. Don’t be stupid like me. If you don’t want to go somewhere, you don’t need any further reasoning besides “no thanks.” I knew this person seemed nice, but it started to really hit me that I have been too trusting in the past and I’ve been taken advantage of because of it. I had to get out of there. So I did. I drove away. They didn’t understand why I just up and left, but they didn’t need to.

Now, the person and I cleared the air later. Nothing bad happened, and from their point of view, nothing was going to happen. However, as a woman, and especially a woman traveling alone, you need to be on extra alert.

I drove myself down to the beach, got a Gyro, and had myself a good afternoon. I got ultra-lost on the way home and ended up in another place I shouldn’t be! But like always, I figured it out. When I got back to the hostel, we had even more new friends who checked in. Katrina and Alfie, I’m talking about you! And you know what we do when we get new check-ins…we go to the Highlander. I may have had my eye on someone there…we had a little moment, but I later learned he was scum. Goodbye!

DAY 13

As much as I loved Santorini, it was time to move on. It took me a while to decide where to go next. I was big time stressed. Ultimately, I had to just decide. I booked my flight to Corfu for later that afternoon. I chilled in the commons area for a few hours, cuddling the dogs, and listening to my pal play the guitar. I stuffed my backpack once again and made my trek up the stairs. On to the next…

Check out the scrapbook for new uploads from Santorini!