If you’ve traveled long enough, you’ll occasionally run across what I call those “wow” moments. That’s when you’re just standing/sitting/lying somewhere, gazing out at whatever vista lies before you (usually with mouth slightly agape), and you find yourself whispering “Wow, I can’t believe I’m here!” I’ve been lucky enough to have had several of these moments, from Gibraltar to Istanbul on the other side of the globe, and from the East Coast to the West Coast in the U.S. This particular experience happened to me at what I consider one of the most beautiful places in the world – Santorini, Greece.
Santorini’s beauty is derived not from any lush tropical vegetation, but from a ruggedness hewn from a cataclysmic event that occurred more than 1,500 years ago. The results of the devastating volcanic explosion that destroyed much of the island were the massive red cliffs that rise majestically from the deep blue Aegean Sea. Perched dangerously atop the cliffs are beautiful white dwellings and churches with domes as blue as the sea below. I defy anyone not to be awestruck over the scenery found in Santorini.
Santorini’s beauty is derived not from any lush tropical vegetation, but from a ruggedness hewn from a cataclysmic event that occurred more than 1,500 years ago. The results of the devastating volcanic explosion that destroyed much of the island were the massive red cliffs that rise majestically from the deep blue Aegean Sea. Perched dangerously atop the cliffs are beautiful white dwellings and churches with domes as blue as the sea below. I defy anyone not to be awestruck over the scenery found in Santorini.
Out of all the images I took of this magnificent island, I chose the one above because this is where my “wow…” moment happened – at a simple little cliffside café.
I was nearing the tail end of a two-and-a-half-week photographic journey through Turkey and Greece. On these long trips through foreign lands, I tend to get intense cravings for American food and unaccented English. I went out early one day to catch the morning light. With equipment in hand, I trekked along a cliffside walkway when suddenly I came upon a sign that read, “We Serve Big American Breakfast”. Salivating heavily, I grabbed a cliffside table and ordered my “Big American Breakfast”. What I got, however, was quite a surprise. My “Big American Breakfast” consisted of two runny eggs, two strips of half-cooked bacon, a hot dog (sans bun) and French fries! I guessed that the hot dog and fries made my meal legitimately American. Nevertheless, I was hungry…
I was nearing the tail end of a two-and-a-half-week photographic journey through Turkey and Greece. On these long trips through foreign lands, I tend to get intense cravings for American food and unaccented English. I went out early one day to catch the morning light. With equipment in hand, I trekked along a cliffside walkway when suddenly I came upon a sign that read, “We Serve Big American Breakfast”. Salivating heavily, I grabbed a cliffside table and ordered my “Big American Breakfast”. What I got, however, was quite a surprise. My “Big American Breakfast” consisted of two runny eggs, two strips of half-cooked bacon, a hot dog (sans bun) and French fries! I guessed that the hot dog and fries made my meal legitimately American. Nevertheless, I was hungry…
The “wow” moment came to me as I waited for the meal. Sitting at the cliffside table, I had a view of the intensely blue waters of the caldera below. Across the caldera were more striking red cliffs dotted by the white dwellings. The radio inside the café was blaring George Michael’s “Father figure”, my English fix. At that moment, I took it all in and said to myself, mouth slightly agape, “Wow, I cannot believe I’m here!” It was a truly gratifying feeling.
I love WOW moments! I find that I have them a lot these days. To me, WOW moments are necessary for life, they let us know that we are living.
ReplyDeleteHappy travels!