"Did you see the sunset in Oia yesterday?" - I can hear somebody on my left say.
"Excuse me, what lens do you use for sunsets?" - the question can be heard somewhere behind me.

I simile in slight disbelief.
Every evening around seven thousands tourists in Santorini get in their cars, mount their rented scooters or bicycles to head towards one particular destination, a small town called Oia, to see the sunset, allegedly the most beautiful one in the whole of the Cyclades. It looks interesting indeed. Suddenly, the whole coast with its dainty cafes, houses, churches and picturesque ruins swarm with multilingual crowd of tourists. Whoever stays here for longer than one day does not want to miss the sunset in Oia. It does not matter how old you are and where you are from. Like everybody else you will find yourself staring alternately at the sun, the sea and a windmill. In my opinion Greece is a very safe country. Greek people are very friendly, polite and honest.

Unlike Italy or Spain, one could really feel secure there. As a cyclist, I was treated by the locals in a very friendly manner. I never had any major problems setting up a tent. People often looked at me with a kind benevolence. Most drivers honking on the roads were only expressing their greetings and good wishes (funny how easy it is to understand their intentions).
On the isles, Greek people are even friendlier towards tourists.
Their livelihood to some extent depends on tourism,
including hotel services, catering, and car and scooter rental.
Tourists, especially those who visit Greece in May or June,
do not cause trouble either;
they simply want to have a peaceful and joyful holiday.
Maybe that is why Greek streets,
albeit overcrowded, are filled with kind, smiling faces.
The name of one of the restaurants in Santorini sums up this friendly atmosphere: "It's a beautiful day today".

 .:. 21 days of travel
 .:. 1400 km behind me