Off to another photo workshop from my home in Honolulu, I figured Santorini would be spectacular. It exceeded my expectations in every way.

Somewhere between London and Greece (perhaps Switzerland), I was surprised to see that I was flying over snow-capped mountains.

Once I landed, the weather was decidedly more Mediterranean with the temperature in the 60s and sunny.

Before even unpacking my camera, I took this next shot from my hotel room balcony with my iPhone 13.

Only 35 square miles in size, the island of Santorini is 1/17th the size of Oahu and pretty easy to get around. My home base was centrally located, in Fira.

Religious icons are big in Santorini – not in size but in number. There are over 600 Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches, convents, monasteries, and religious monuments ... some with blue domes, others with bell towers.

In the town of Fira, the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is beautiful inside and out.

In the high season, eight cruise ships a day hover around Santorini. (I went in May, when there were half as many.) Thousands of tourists flood the island daily, but the good news is that the cruisers generally don’t disembark until late morning and are back on board before dusk. So, the best times to photograph – at sunrise and sunset – are not as crowded as they could be.

The warm glow of the lights at dusk punctuate the wide vistas.

Sunrise views of the village of Oia are iconic and extraordinary in person ... and so are the sunset views.

Simple geometric shapes and patterns make the architecture distinctive. And in a sea of mostly white buildings, the colors sure pop, especially at mid-day with the brightest light bathing everything in a pure radiance.

Thanks for joining me on this sensational journey to Santorini.