Blue and White: The Streets of Santorini

There's a serene, Old World beauty even in the most mundane street scene on the Greek island of Santorini. Everywhere you look there is the striking contrast of blue and white.

There is much symbolism here: On one hand, blue represents the sea, while white symbolizes the clouds in the sky, or the waves in the ocean. White also represents purity, and blue is seen as a color of protection (as in the blue-eye amulets the ancient Greeks used to ward off evil).

In my travels in Greece, most of my favorite images were captured off the beaten path in the winding back alleys and forgotten corners of the villages of Oia and Fira on Santorini Island... an enchanting and legendary land of blue and white.  

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​AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an excerpt from my book Blue and White: The Streets of Santorini, which was originally published in 2011. The video showcases photos from the book set to an edited version of one of my original instrumental tunes, "Akrotiri Blues." -Starling

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
​Born in a small Wisconsin blue-collar town, Mike Starling ditched the assembly line for a long, sometimes circuitous career working with words, sound and images. His original music is heard on numerous recordings and soundtracks, and his stories and photos have been featured in books, films, mags and other media. Among his other interesting career moves, he has edited a beer magazine, played bass in a reggae band and sold potato chips door-to-door. He started a year-long web-based project called I Remember Travel in January 2021.

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