Europe Trip: Day Five (Oia)

“Wow, just wow. I have no words.”

Such was our reaction as Kristen and I ascended the mountainous, rocky slope on our way to Oia (Ee-yah). As our Uber driver Christos (“Christ” in Greek) drove us up towards Oia, we looked to the left of the car down the hundreds of feet of beautiful white, blue, and orange stone which constitutes most of the buildings of the town and ooed and awed at the grandeur of the Pinterest-esque scene.

Before we checked out of Kamari this morning, though, we decided to get up real early and watch the sunrise at 6:20 this morning. As my journal entry will soon indicate, we were met with annoyance by the owner of the beach seats we were sitting on (which we had not paid for, but other people were doing it!). No matter, our morning was wonderful; we were watching the sunrise on a Santorini beach.

I had a two part journal entry today, one before and one after getting to Oia. Parts of both are worthy of quotation:

Part One: “Watching the sunrise this morning on Kamari beach… We got kicked off our seats in between this sentence and the last… Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.”

Part Two: “We made it to Oia and checked in. I have never been to such a place as this. Our Uber driver told us of his spiritual experiences and his road back to the Orthodox Church, and said the meaning of the [three] bells – constructed beside [most] Orthodox Church[es] on Santorini – represents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What a cool time we have already had today. I am having vivid flashbacks to my trip to Europe with Grandpa when I was a teen; the trip I realize now precipitated my love for contemplation, reading, and exploring. I thank God for his many graces. Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.”

We struggled to find our Oia Airbnb earlier today, and texted our host a flurry of worried texts. Once we found it, though, we were met by a relaxed, easy-going Greek guy who showed us to our room and let us loose upon the town. We bought a few trinkets, ate an expensive meal, and saw some beautiful churches. To my elation, we even found a workshop for icon painting! The man inside was a humble, reclusive artist who you could tell took pride in creating beautiful heavenly images. Unfortunately, he did not sell anything smaller than a TV screen so I was not his customer. To experience his iconography up close was a gift in itself, though.

Another shop down the road, however, does sell smaller, handprinted icons which I am scoping out for a midday purchase tomorrow. Will post pictures once the package is secured.

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Our view – only feet from our Airbnb – overlooking the town of Oia. To my right is a vast expanse of water with a volcano in the distance.

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Standing in front of the Epilekton Cathedral, with an icon of the Theotokos (“God-bearer” in Greek, a term used for the Virgin Mary) and Jesus Christ as a child. Gorgeous church within walking distance of our place, and right next to the shop from which I will hopefully secure my icon.

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To finish off the day, Kristen and I got some single-scoop ice creams and watched the wildly rich and powerful walk in front of us as we sat, talked, and enjoyed the view.

Blessings and peace.