Santorini, Greece

Aaah, Santorini. Stunning and unique. We couldn't go to the Greek Islands and miss this gem, but as a destination its possibilities are somewhat limited. Two full days were enough for us. We elected to stay t the Pension George, in the village of Karterados, about a fifteen minute walk from the town of Fira, another favourite of Trip Advisor members. There we had a large, comfortable room with a balcony for 30 Euros per night. No, we didn't have a view of the caldera, but Karterados is self-contained. Restaurants, grocery stores and scooter rentals, all in a quiet location outside of the hustle and bustle of Fira. It suited our needs just fine.
After breakfast on our first day, we walked up the road and rented a scooter. This time we could only get one with a 50 cc engine, but Santorini is not as hilly as Naxos, so we didn't need as much power. We consulted the map and drove the winding road to the village of Oia. Almost everyone heads to Oia for its spectacular sunsets, but we wanted to get there early to beat the rush of cruise ship passengers. Oia is perched on the north end of the island. With its blue church domes, its white-washed villas and its caldera location, Oia is picture postcard perfect. We spent several hours there. Morning coffee, a late lunch and just traipsing around the narrow pedestrian streets. Oia is definitely more our style, at least in April. According to our waiter at lunch, in the busy months, several thousand people a day pass through the town. It is so congested that people have to walk shoulder to shoulder through the streets.
We left Oia and drove the low road along the coast through the villages of Kouloubos, Pori and Vourvoulos. We had to follow the road and go back inland, but after passing through Karterados again we headed for the town of Perissa on the south-east coast. We parked our scooter and walked down onto the beach where a local restaurant had set up loungers and umbrellas. We enjoyed a cold beverage and the warmth of the afternoon sun on our faces. What a delightful place! Our day ended with dinner on the southern side of the caldera. We waited for the sunset, but it really wasn't the best place to see it so we made a quick departure and drove back to our pension.
Day Two started with a quick bus trip into Fira. Considering how close the town was we could have walked, but we were afraid of not making it to the old port in time for our 11:00 am boat trip to the volcano (Nea Kameni) and the hot springs. Santorini's old port is famous for its donkey and gondola rides. We elected to walk down and were impressed to see several people running up. The distance alone puts the Fred Gingell stairs in Tsawwassen to shame. We arrived in time to have a quick cappuccino, then boarded the boat (along with a hundred or so other holiday-makers.) Once we arrived at the volcano, everyone disembarked and started the twenty-five minute climb to the top. It was a pretty impressive view from the top and a bit unnerving to see the steam venting through the rocks. Craig couldn't resist mentioning the possibility of our instantaneous death in the event the volcano erupted while we were there. "Ignorance is bliss," said Lynda. One hour later we returned to the boat and cruised over to the hot springs. What they failed to mention in advertising this trip was that you had to swim in the cold ocean to get to the hot springs. Lynda was out. Craig was in. Even he thought the ocean was cold. And the hot springs? Apparently, they weren't that hot. The highlight of our day was riding the donkeys from the bottom of the old port to the top. There were about twenty donkeys on the trip up. Craig's headed straight for the front of the pack. Lynda was stuck in the middle behind an ornery, young mule that kept kicking her donkey in the face. Much to our dismay, there is no video recording of the trip up, but for ten Euros, we had a lot of laughs.
Our stay on Santorini was short, but combined with our five day visit to Naxos, the pace has been busier than we would like. We are taking a ferry to the island of Milos for five days. According to our guide book, now is the time to visit Milos - before the tourists discover it. Our plan is to rest and relax at the beachfront Nefeli Sunset Villas in Pollonia. We will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary as well as recoup some of our energy, as we prepare for the upcoming journey into Athens.

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