Greetings from Crete: Santorini Is Therapy for the Photographically-Challenged

Seriously. If you want to boost your picture-taking self-esteem, head over to the Greek island of Santorini. I am convinced it is not possible to shoot a bad photo of this place, which is essentially a rim of a volcano. Even I was able to score a few good ones and I am a really impatient photographer.

The white buildings against the deep blue sea, the shocking cliffs, colorful fishing boats, wrinkled men on donkeys, broken pottery randomly placed on ancient staircases, old women in black gossiping on benches… It is almost as if they staged everything perfectly in place just for your picture-taking pleasure. (Which, they probably do just before the cruise ships dock there each morning.)

As beautiful as the island is, I can’t honestly see spending more than a day or two there. And that’s not just because my new favorite coffee drink–frappe–costs $5-6. Ouch. It’s so damn picturesque, it’s kitschy. There is only so much beauty one take take before longing for the comfort of ugly chaos if you ask me. Still, the fast ferry from Crete today took only about 90 minutes and cost about 30 Euro, which made it a great day trip.

Photo of the Day (5/5/07)


Is there ever a rainy, yucky, ick day of weather in Greece? Almost every single photo I find coming from the country or specifically from Santorini from several cameras always looks to have the dreamiest of blue skies and water to match. The white walls are NEVER dirty or the photographers aren’t getting snap shots of them. This one from StrudelMonkey was taken somewhere along the trail from Oia to Thira. He notes that there are amazing views all the way. Makes you want to find out for yourself this summer, huh?

Photo of the Day (3/28/07)

For some reason I can’t let go of the beach these days. I’ve got beach plans for the weekend – sure, but how I wish it were this dark sandy Santorini scene above. That’s right! Complete with umbrellas and empty beach chairs, this shot was taken by Ambre78 while hanging out in Greece. Nice work!

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