MILWAUKEE-NYC-ITALY-GREECE AND A DAY IN LONDON BLOG POST FIFTEEN

KAMARA, SANTORINI

One of Emmy's goals in selecting the Greek Isles for a vacation was going to the beach and experiencing the cool beauty of the Aegean with its calm crystal clear waters. Of all the days we spent in Greece we only made it to the beach once, near the end of our trip we really tried to make her dream of an Aegean vacation come true. We drove out to Kamara the most famous black sand beach in Santorini. Waiting until the end of our trip wasn't entirely our fault. The weather and our reluctance to move any further than our hand could go to reach a drink on a poolside table were the major factors, but we should have tried harder. As the days dwindled away our options narrowed. Kamara beach was our last chance. We didn't want to disappoint her but it ended up being disappointing for us all.

The black sand although the texture of medium grade sandpaper at the approach to the beach gradually becomes coarser as you progress more toward the water and by the time you've reached the water the sand has turned to stones the size of golf balls stubbing your toes and throwing you off balance making for a slippery and painful awkward approach. We all looked like a troop of silly walkers out of a Monty Python skit.

But maybe more disappointing than the black volcanic stone beach was the water. That cool combination of aqua and sea foam green so often pictured in ads showing the Aegean Sea just weren't there at Kamara. The water was crystal clear but the color was more of a deep inky blue. I'm guessing the color was due to the black sand underneath. Maybe if we had chosen a white or even tan sand beach the results would have been different. We clearly hadn't thought this one through.

Yet this lack of the expected Aegean color didn't seem to dissuade tons of other sun worshipers. The beach was very long and crowded with hotel after hotel after souvenir shop all lined up along the far side of the boardwalk.

Then the side of the boardwalk nearest the water was an opposing string of open air restaurants. This is where you went to rent your spot on the beach.

While Emmy and Rick stayed tethered to the beach chaises we'd rented for the day I went for a walk to see if Kamara had anything else to offer.

As I left the boardwalk and walked away from the commercialism that lined the most popular areas of Kamara

there were some small stretches of more modest rentals and residences that held a bit more charm for me than the over-crowded hotels that made an almost impenetrable barrier to the rest of the town.

Where the beach seemed to lack much sophistication the level of architectural beauty did seem a bit more to my liking the further away from the beach I got and if forced to rent in Kamara these are the places I'd most likely choose.

Even the more modest buildings held more interest than I'd seen elsewhere.

The one visual anchor for Kamara was at the top of  a long upward climb from the beach.

As in so many communities the spires of religion define their skylines. Kamara was no different and the result was stunning and worth the walk.

I had been so determined to make it to the church that we had driven by on our way to finding parking I hadn't realized how long I had been  or how far I had gone. Seems I wasn't the only one who had become disenchanted with the beach. This was not the day trip we had hoped for. It's now Emmy's turn to travel back here on her own and find that beach she had hoped for. Sorry girl.