‘Friendly Footprints’ in Santorini with Tolu Familoni

I’m excited to be back sharing stories with you all, starting with the second iteration of ‘Friendly Footprints’. Travel for leisure is mostly on pause these days, but if you’re anything like me, not traveling never stopped you from reading about it. In fact, travel stories are easily in my top five favorite kind of stories to read.

Tolu answers some more questions from me but this time about her weekend in Santorini; from tasty gyros and Greek yoghurt to watching the sunset from one of the Greek islands’ many volcanic crater viewpoints.

How did you decide on Greece as a travel destination and which islands/cities did you visit? Greece has always been a destination that I was interested in visiting but didn’t know how or when I would actually get there. It wasn’t until my study abroad experience in Paris that I met people who were interested in traveling to all sorts of places in Europe and were down to make Greece one of them. We ended up staying in Santorini and since we went during off-season, the island was pretty empty. It seemed like we had the entire island to ourselves. Such a beautiful place.

Did you travel solo? or with a friend (s)? I traveled with 5 friends I met through my study abroad program. Two of them went to Athens while the rest of us went to Santorini.

Did you have any pre-conceived notions about Greece before visiting and how did they change when you visited? YES, I think over the years by seeing Greece in photos and movies I started to develop an image of this all white, magical place that felt super glamorous. And while there are portions of the island that do have the white buildings and blue domes, a majority of the island looks like a country side haha!. But it’s still breathtaking all around.

What did you do for the first time in Greece? Since we were there in the winter and it was off-season, there weren’t a ton of things we could do, but everyday we made sure to explore a new beach, eat gyros and greek yogurt and watch the sunset at a beautiful lookout spot. It was definitely more of a relaxing trip rather than adventurous, but well needed as a break from classes.

What were your favorite things to eat, see and do? Gyros are a must in Greece and the restaurant named Lucky’s Souvlakis had the best ones I’ve tasted. Greek yogurt from a place called Chillbox was also a go-to every single day of our trip. Just driving up and down the island was such a great time but for the best sunsets, Oia and the Caldera viewpoint in Fira will blow you away.

Just driving up and down the island was such a great time but for the best sunsets, Oia and the Caldera viewpoint in Fira will blow you away.

If you had to convince someone to travel with you to Greece, what would you tell them? Santorini was absolutely unreal and its one of those places that reaffirm how real and talented God is. It will take your breath away. I can’t say how it will be during peak season when its warmer and more populated, but I am so happy that we went during off-season and got to really enjoy it without the crowds. It’s the kind of place you go to escape reality for a little. I would highly recommend it.

Once we are all able to travel freely and safely again, where are you looking forward to visiting next ? I am really hoping to hit Asia/Southeast Asia! Some friends and I were planning a trip to Thailand before this all went down so hopefully we can make that happen when things calm down.

I’m all for trips that are super relaxing + I’ve only heard and seen fantastic things about Grecian sunsets. Greece has a comfortable spot on my ‘to visit’ list, and I cannot wait to spend time there.

Thank you T, for sharing with me + everyone who’s reading. You can find Tolu on Instagram & YouTube where she shares more of her travels. Here’s a link to her Greece vlog.

As always,

Thank you for reading!

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Where are you hoping to visit when it’s safe to do so? Tell me in the comments section

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Same footprints, Different sands