Fanari Villas Oia

... time to chat with the locals they told us how lucky we were to be visiting at this time of the year, how much nicer it is when it is quiet. As one shopkeeper told us 'Now you can see the real Santorini’

We had one last stroll around the laneways overlooking the caldera, one last meal at the excellent Pelican cafe and one last ice cream from our favourite sweet shop and one last soak in the Jacuzzi.

Ah Santorini, thank you for sharing your beauty with us.

... s just a mix of volcanic rock and volcanic sand, and it’s all black.

We did reach Point B, at which time Jess and Maggie decided they had climbed enough and Lexie, who was recovering from a knee operation, kept them company. Heath, Georgie and I pressed on. Every time we reached a high point, a higher point presented itself further on. After 30 minutes of climbing we reached a sign that had a picture of a tent on it with an arrow – do people ...

... was getting squashed! Just near there is the Red Beach. This is an impressive location, with towering red cliffs hanging over a beach of black sand and pebbles. We had a bit of a look around and then headed off for our next destination.

I saw a sign saying lighthouse. Ever a sucker for a lighthouse I turned the car in that direction. We came to the far end of the island, yet another location with stupendous views. Although the lighthouse itself is not accessible you ...

... the time we made it to Oia. Sadly, Oia was virtually shut down. It was a shame to see what is clearly a beautiful village present itself as a virtual ghost town. We eventually found one place where we could eat and we relaxed with a wine to distract us from the pain our feet were feeling. Unfortunately the famed sunset did not happen due to some low lying cloud. We’ll try again another day...

The next bus back to Fira was nearly an hour away so we called a taxi to take us home.

... could see a wedding ceremony taking place with the sounds of a french opera singer resounding around the cliffs.
Picked up a few souvenirs in town, soon we will have to go to the post office to lighten our suitcases.
By the way, a weather report:
Very blue skies, min 20 max 29 degrees, light easterly breeze.

... the centre of the island out, creating a half moon shape. there are a couple of islands in the middle, one of which is the cone and the reminants of some less devastating eruptions (the most recent being 1950). the volcano is now quiet, although it is not sure when the next eruption will be. The area is also prone to many earthquakes. None yet so far!! The ferry ride from Paros took about 3 hours, i sat with an aussie couple and a nz couple from the tour and we ...

... Nea Kameni, and eruptions centered on it continue - three times in the twentieth century, the last being in 1950. Santorini was also struck by a devastating earthquake in 1956. At some time in the future, it will almost certainly erupt violently again. Although the volcano rests at the present time, at the current active crater [there are several former craters on Nea Kameni] steam and sulfur are given off. The brochure we had read about this trip said we would ...

Laura and I got to Santorini under a cloudy, slightly rainy sky. I am really into clouds right now, since that means you're not so damn hot, but Laura was looking forward to some quality beach time, so that was a bit of a bummer. As consolation we rented a car for the two days we were there, so we could explore the island. This would have been a good idea even if it had been gloriously sunny the whole time, since you really get to ...

... there is no escalator to go up again!









This is our simple breakfast for the day. Ice cream in Waffle and coffee. We prefer McDonald's coffee... hehehe.












After breakfast, we went for the mule ride. Mule is actually a cross between donkey and a horse, and it is unlikely that ...

... 1 more night here with a day trip to santorini. If I can find a cheap place to stay in santorini I'll recommend that but I think that's a contradiction. Afterwards I think I'm going to re-enter solo mode and do some island hopping to istanbul. I'll keep you all posted. In the meantime, you'll be happy to know that england beat australia big time in an upset cricket match last night and the whole place went nuts. Fun game to watch sort of.