What a summer on Santorini

 What a summer very hot but full of amazing moments here on Santorini.
The more I stay the more I learn about this amazing place.It's beauties and wonders ....My time is never wasted here and love that I'm in a position of been able to tell the stories ,of the old local people who have taken the time to sit with me and describe their life stories it's is a big privilege living here and never take it for granted.
It is an island of so much history but found using the visual and life stories of Santorini people, visitors (friends) become more keen to see the hidden beauties where they are not aware of the thousands of people visiting .I was once told to write a book about my life here but I do it every time I show this beautiful simple island .

Living and doing tours on Santorini

myself and Santorini 

Some times I feel overwhelmed by the beauties of Santorini and its people and their simple lifestyle, even with the thousands and thousands of visitors that come on a day tour or holiday .My tours are created in making an exclusive experience where guests canfeel part of the lifestyle in experiencing how the local people live visiting several villages or landmarks in describing Santorini before tourism. 
There are so many views of this island and I have so many photographs over my 20 years here that it is hard to pick which ones to show but in my tours I find it so relaxing and easy to tell their stories of their lives .

Horses,donkeys and mules are a big part of the island and still been used by the older generation to transport their harvest or means of transport.It is lovely now to see the younger generation  have now got into breeding horses and donkeys on Thirassia. They are well known by other islands and Greece for their work always with glow of joy and happiness      This is why I live and create tours incorporating their livelihood 

Back in Glasgow for Christmas holidays to see family and relax and ponder about internet !!

https://www.facebook.com/martina.oia.santorini/?ref=bookmarkshttps://www.instagram.com/martinas_santorini_tours/

I sit here back in my family home and reflect on my 2016 tours and feel so proud of my knowledge of Santorini in telling as some visitors have said "Great stories "But in fact this is the life of Santorini how they lived ,why their are so many churches on the island ,Why there was not a high death count in the 56 earthquake and what do the islanders feel about tourism today .
In my tours I have found a way of answering most of their inquisitive questions but I am not a historian so I go to the best teachers the local people tending to be of the older generation who are very keen to inform me about their lives Even at times on my tours I have stopped a local lady or man to find out a little about their life on Santorini It is all part of making a tour more interactive and authentic which is how I live life and feel .

 Not sure about yourselves but it is harder to be found these days on Santorini with the mass development of hotels who now do their own tours for their guess as I have experienced over the last few years but that is life and commercial world of a touristic island.
I have found my way to live within this circle in my love for my tours and  photography and keep my tours simple,interesting,fun and affordable for everyone in fact they  become "Befriending Tours" rather than a 2-4 hour tour it is as long as the day goes not bad I think for a commercial island
We need from time to time to dwell on our lifestyle and that is what I am doing and feeling that 2017 is going to be another amazing time of showing the real beauties of Santorini Hope you all have a lovely winter
 Best regards
Martina
               

  

The local people of Santorini

In touring around Santorini many a times asking when a certain generation passes away will Santorini traditions continue, to be reassured  that as long as tourism enjoys they will continue on their way of life .
As you know I never stop asking questions on this island and concerning the young fishermen on the island it has now been introduced that they can gain a licence to take people fishing in their boats .This is great for them as their life in competing with the big boys was forcing them into giving up fishing and working in other tourist sectors so check this out when you go to the island .
Over the years I hear a lot about the people who own the mules, I can only speak about the few I know in Oia yes they leave the mules for several hours in the sun and it does look cruel but we need to become aware that these men have grown up as farmers living off the land and for sure it was not in their daily program to be educated  as a young child the rights and wrongs of taking care of animals .They mean well and in their own way love and take care of their mules as it is a  very expensive animal which is their main means of income into the family home  .It is sad to say this but some of the local people believe that it should be the local government who should build shelter for the mules  to encourage a better awareness in the welfare of the mules .

This island and it's people are amazing in love of music and bringing communities together and it is handed down from generation to generations as I have been informed starting from learning to clean to peeling the potatoes to finally becoming one of the  cooks at church festivals They are amazing people and try to while on the island just say hello as I always do and you never know you might find out more than I .    

#Santorinimytours Another year and the start of 2016 season of living on Santorini

You may wonder where I have been, but I can say I never gave up on my dream and I am still developing my amazing tours on Santorini showing visitors staying or on a cruise boat this amazing island which at times overwhelms me in learning something new about this culture and lifestyle of Santorini                                                                                                      People ask me what I do on this Island and my answer is I live here with the respect of the Santorini culture and their rich history over the years in how they have adapted in lifestyles.
They have taken me in as one of their own and encourage me to show people the real island that still keeps their traditions and still try to hold onto their agriculture which is slowly decreasing due to the high demand from tourism.But there are a few young local people who have gone back to developing the land to producing local vegetable products .  I have found in doing my tours the majority of people want to do the boat tours and the wine tours,but there are those who really want to know how the islanders live and have lived in the past ,and as I say to them I am not a historian and find it hard to remember my own date  of birth but I describe to them in how I learnt   about this island  the stories that the local people have told me                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I am not the best at writing but for sure on my tours you can't stop me talking about the real love for these people and their way of life before tourism and how it affects them today in 2016 .
So I leave you just now and hope that this year I will write more even if my grammar and spelling might not be great as.
All my wishes go to this island for a great 2016 season and year    

Back on Santorini for 2015 season many changes but life continues in the same rythem

It has been a while in sharing with you my photos and words,but if I was to say I have been busy working I would be telling you a lie.My time has been taken up viewing all my places of pleasure and love of Santorini and its people ,checking out how their lives where during the winter to be informed they had a lot of rain which is not good for their crops and vines.They even had snow but not like we would have at home

As tradition it tended to be the ladies of the house who sowed the seeds of the land using back pain and hard work but always with a smile on their faces.

Meet Mr George with his new way of transporting the visitors
suitcases and very proud of it .
Here in Amudie they had been up at dawn to cook the lamb for friends and family in all they had prepared 8 so they say but for me it was like 10 in all . With a lot of food and wine followed by music and dancing to live traditional Greek music.

 We get a lot of comments about the donkeys but they are in fact mules as to how they are miss treated etc .Yes we have to remember the people used the animals in all their works of the land and now the local Santorini people have got involved in tourism due to the high demand of people who want to experience climbing the steps in the traditional means. But if their is one mule who is not well eg they will take it to the vet and worry about their health as one mule for them to buy is a lot of money.

The woven baskets of grapes of Santorini you will find all over the island  are not watered  but left to nature .So when you wonder around remember in the harvesting period time they are harvest using the Feridini knife and strong backs to spend long hours stooped over with a few breaks to have their local cheese and paksimadei left over  bread that has been baked in the oven  to become crunchy great to put in your Greek salad

The fisher men informed me life has been as usual as it is all over the world when you are a family business but still go out to fish as that is how they know life and keeping up the traditions of their ancestors 



             The famous  Paksimadei Thirasia