Oia and Fira, Santorini, Greece

Ding-dong, ding-dong. That was the sound of the mules in Oia on Santorini in February 2017. It was the complete off season, and many houses and streets were in the middle of repairs. Every mule had a bell and carried sacks, likely with concrete. Hotels, cafés and shops were closed.

My wife and I came just for photos, and we expected no crowds. The sunrises were empty. Well, almost empty: one dog without an owner started to follow us. He usually came with us to the sunrise and sunset shoots, and he kept coming back a couple of times a day. One morning we found him asleep on the sofa at the entrance of our house.

Saint Theodore Church, Fira, at sunset

It seems he had moved in with us :) There are cities of cats, like Istanbul. For me, Oia on Santorini was a city of dogs.

That trip was special. Landscape and city photography had been my hobby since 2012, but always on the side. In 2017 I left Parallels and started to plan trips only for photos. We began in Athens, with a couple of days of photos there, and then took a local flight to Santorini.

The streets were empty, and there were few tourists. There was only one café for lunch and dinner, Lotza. We went there all the time. I believe the food was decent: seafood, Greek salad, tzatziki. Honestly, I do not recall anything specific. We were very focused on photos and places.

The mules usually walked one street, a kind of main street, in a long line. Each of them carried two sacks on each side.

Oia at sunrise, the mules' usual street

There were many dogs without owners, and none of them was aggressive. As far as I remember, the one who followed us was grey, of average size, of no clear breed. We never gave him a name.

He did not follow us every time we walked. We usually went to the sunrise shoot without breakfast. On the way back we bought local sandwiches and shared a piece with him.

Panagia Platsani Church, Oia, at sunrise

We were almost right about the crowds. At sunset, the famous points, like the windmills near the castle, still had their people.

Oia windmills at blue hour

The weather was good for photography: mild, 18 to 20 °C, with some wind now and then, and nice clouds around sunrise and sunset. On the clear mornings the first sun turned the houses gold. The whole setting was grand: the volcanic caldera, with the white houses on its edge. In reality it was really astonishing, more than in pictures.

Oia at sunrise, over the caldera

Then we took a taxi to Fira, for one night. I do not remember our parting with the dog. He was likely not there when we left. In Fira, the next morning came with heavy clouds, and it was really windy. My heavy tripod was almost gone with the wind. I had to hold it to the ground with all my weight.

After that we flew back to Athens and photographed there again. In my memory, Oia is still a city of dogs.