Metropolis

Photos by Jennifer Baljko

“Ti kanete? How are you? Poli kala. Very well. Nostimo! Delicious!”
Helena, a waitress in a Perissa sandwich shop, smiles as I carefully repeat every syllable.

As the sun sinks behind Santorini and its narrow streets flowering with bright red bougainvilleas, I’m enjoying what has become a daily ritual these last few weeks. Over cucumber and tomato salads, gyro sandwiches and generous helpings of eggplant-baked moussaka, I’m learning a bit of Greek—and more importantly, I’m learning a great deal about the Greek way of life.

I came to Perissa by accident, and the decision to forgo bouncing around the Cyclades for an extended stay on Santorini’s lesser-known coast is turning out to be serendipitous.

Santorini (sometimes called Thira) is one of the more popular of the 6,000 Greek islands and islets dotting the Aegean Sea. North of Crete and south of the other tourist havens of Mykonos and Ios, a massive volcanic eruption in 1450 shaped the western side of the island, leaving behind craggy, dark cliffs. On top of these cliffs sit Fira and Oia with their postcard-perfect images of white houses and blue-domed roofs.

These towns were both on my short list of “things-to-see” during a five-week Greek holiday. They were right up there with the Acropolis in Athens, a visit to the site of the first Olympic games in Olympia and the Minoan ruins in Crete. I had expected to spend only a couple days in Santorini, looking out at the submerged caldera and winding my way around the pedestrian alleyways lined with jewelry stores and trinket shops. Then, I figured, I’d island-hop, leaving things to chance and stopping wherever something caught my eye.

As luck would have it, a shop owner suggested that I head over to the other side of an island for a swim. It didn’t take much convincing. Who could resist the idea of floating in crystal-clear waters and sunbathing on black-sand beaches?

Coaxed by two backpackers I met along the way and under a spell partly induced by honey-drenched baklava and the anise-flavored liqueur ouzo, my plans for a grand Greek expedition changed. Craving a quiet place to relax while simultaneously finding a way to get closer to the people that called Greece home, I decided to bunker down in Perissa for a while and live like a local.

In this little village on the eastern side of Santorini, I was greeted every day with a cheery kalimera, good morning, from the man selling fresh feta cheese at the grocery store. I sampled fresh-from-the-oven bread and spinach-filled spanakopita. I strolled past open fields where horses grazed in front of workers building two-story houses. I put my recently-acquired backgammon skills to the test, and got to know a waitress who, while anxious for her own vacation to far-away places, swirled around tables happily dishing out useful phrases and cooking tips to those who asked. It was an unexpected glimmer into the life behind the tourist traps and kitsch souvenirs.

Perissa, which gets its share of visitors during the peak summer months and is easily accessible from the nearby airport and well-paved roads, felt a world away from Athens’ smoggy and overcrowded streets, and served as a jumping-off point for a different kind of Greek tour.

Hikes up the arid face of the 567m Mount Profitis Ilias to the ancient site of Thira city provide breathtaking views of the blue sea and distant islands. Water taxis connect to Kamari, a bigger, tourist-oriented town on the other side of the mountain, where lazy beach afternoons and evening open-air movie showings help while away the hours.

Akrotiri, a well-preserved Minoan settlement that was unearthed only around 40 years ago and is still being excavated, is a short drive or bus ride away, and down the road from there, Red Beach is a tempting retreat with its iron-laden sands and terra-cotta backdrop. Daytrips and guided tours are also available to the lava-covered island of Nea Kameni, and donkeys will bring you up to the top of Thirasia, where even better lookout points can be found.

While I don’t know what I missed by trading an Odyssey-like adventure through other parts of Greece for a place that wasn’t even on my radar screen when I booked my flight, memories of Perissa linger.

It’s there that, while sitting in a small sandwich shop stumbling over every syllable, I felt closer to the people I had come to see and to the culture

I longed to experience. For that, I can only say, efharisto poli, thank you.

Direct flights are hard to come by, but Japan Airlines, Air France, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa will fly you from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to Athens via connecting service through any of Europe’s major hubs. Once in Greece, domestic carrier Olympic Airlines (www.olympicairlines.com) and Aegean Airlines (www.aegeanair.com/aegeanen/home) will shuttle you around the country.

If you’re more in a seafaring mood, ferries, such as those operated by Blue Star (www.bluestarferries.com/english/defaultmain.htm), are the way to go.

Hotels, pensions and apartment rentals are easy to find around most of Greece’s main destinations, but if traveling during the peak summer season, it’s best to book in advance. Start your search with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (www.grhotels.gr; +30 210 331 0022). If you pass through Perissa and want an upper-end crash pad, Veggera Hotel Apartments will do the trick (www.veggerahotel-santorini.com). In Santorini’s main city, Fira, Hotel Margarita is a good, but small, moderately-priced place off the main drag (www.greekhotel.com/cyclades/santorin/fira/margarita/home.htm). Before you head out, check out the Greek National Tourism Organization’s website (www.gnto.gr), which is loaded with information and even has some recipes to satisfy your pre- or post-vacation culinary cravings.

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