Santorini

Our four days on Santorini went by quickly.  We landed in Thira, (the main town), after a 45-minute flight from Athens.  Warren found a large hire van to take us to Oia and our hotel, Maria’s Place.  We received a warm welcome from our hostess, Anna.  She gave us a condensed talk regarding “things to do” on the island.  Maria’s Place offers about 20 rooms surrounding a pool area with every room having a few of the Aegean Sea.

Marie's Place - Oia

Excellent Service

The rooms were all air-conditioned and necessary by day when the temperatures reached the upper 20’s but in the evening you needed a sweater or jacket to prevent being cold.  You are never far from the sea.

Day One involved a walk into town in the morning and pool time in the sun in the afternoon.  Oia is located on a narrow point of land and has become a destination for locals, tourists like us, and huge numbers of tourists that disembark from the many cruise ships anchored in the surrounding waters.  Needless to say, it is busy.  Rather too busy for our usual taste but understandable due to the highly picturesque nature of the small town.  The buildings hug the steep slopes and appear to be patches of snow on ridge tops in the distance.

Yes - The White In The Distance Are Buildings

Unfortunately the quality of the roads has not kept pace with the increase in popularity of the town.   The walk into town became known as an exercise in surviving death ally. Huge tour buses fight for space with local cars, motorcycles and pedestrians on the one lane road.  Our ten-minute walk to town meant taking your life into your own hands.  One had to frequently jump into doorways and hide behind bollards to prevent being hit.  The Cruisers come for the shopping and the sunsets off the point.

Lots of Donkeys In Working Harness

Good Thing Their Mirrrors Suck In

Day Two centered on a local bus trip to the other side of the island to visit Akrotiri and its archeological site. Santorini is a volcanic island.  Santorini and the surrounding islands represent the outside crest of the crater, created by the sea bottom volcano. 

The village of Akrotiri was first inhabited around 7500 years ago.  There is evidence that it disappeared due to a volcanic event in the 17^th century.  In 1967 archaeologists started a dig on the site of the ruins.  Today it is a 3 acre domed site where you can walk through the ruins of the village that have been uncovered thus far.  It was well worth the visit. 

The Dig Is Far From Done

This Visit Was a Must For Linda

Post Lunch - Pre Winery - Waiting For the Bus

It must have been an orderly evacuation because, unlike Pompeii, no human remains were found.  The household items discovered demonstrate that the original inhabitants didn’t take many belongings with them.  The only skeleton found was that of a pig, likely left hanging in the kitchen ready for butchering.

Our trip home from Akrotiri included a stop at the Santos Winery. We were seated around a table for eight with a view of the surrounding waters and islands. Wine tasting in Greece is a little different.  Our server suggested we buy four bottles of different reds from the islands. 

We had seen many fields of something growing that looked like wine vines around the island but nothing growing in rows or with infrastructure for them to hang.  Our host explained that grapes on the island grow on the ground.  The winds are too strong for them to hang.  Farmers create a “basket” by hilling earth around the base of the plants.

We were provided a fleet of wine glasses and started to taste.  We cannot say the wine in Greece has been outstanding.  Much of it was not to our liking but after sampling the first three bottles we were unanimous that our last bottle, Kamenh 2014, was outstanding.  After a visit to the wine shop we made our purchases and staggered back to the bus stop for our ride home.

Greeks Keep Their Reds on Ice

Linda & Phil

Day Three was the only day for designated exercise.  We climbed the nearby ridge and followed the top of the crater’s gravel pathway back to Thira.  The walk was about 11 kilometres and took about 2.5 hours, with some serious climbs along the way.  The views were some of the most spectacular we have seen anywhere and of course there was a conveniently located restaurant for cappuccinos along the way.

Start of the Hike

From the Hotel to the Crest of the Crater

Churches Everywhere - Didn't See Anyone in Them

Of Course Capaccino's at Mid Hike

Thank God There Were Some Downs

But of Course - More Ups

Our Goal

Super Climber  Deborah

We arrived in Thira and detoured to the Mushroom Top Rock just off- shore and connected by a rock land bridge.  Some folks climb to the top of the mushroom but the climb down could be treacherous.  We chose to follow our gut and not climb up.  Instead we took a lot of pictures and then found a nearby restaurant to replenish ourselves with yet more Greek dinner delights and beer.  After catching a local bus back to the hotel, we spent the afternoon relaxing and snoozing around the pool.

Relaxed Nola & Glen

Mellow Warren & Diane

Bank Shot Off Mirror

I am writing this bit while sitting on the Speed Runner being ferried from Thira to Naxos, our final stop for the next three days.  Looking forward to it.