I have put together an album of pictures from my Greece trip. Even though it is a Facebook album, you do not have to be a member of Facebook or friends with me to view these. Just click on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10209825604742705.1073741826.1410030498&type=1&l=4653737b87
Enjoy!
Bill
Monday, June 6, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Athens Airport, Greece
Last Day in Greece
Yesterday was our last day in Tinos and our last full day in Greece. We took our time with breakfast and talked with Diana and Maria about what we had done the day before and we were planning to do that day. Later they introduced us to the owner who is a gynecologist from Athens, specializing in in-vitro and from what we later read about him on the Internet is well published in his field. Kirk, being a doctor, could tell you more about him. He told us how he came to build the hotel over 10 or so years, starting with the just a house for himself and his wife and three sons. Two of his sons are now in college at BU in the states. He also told us of his travels throughout the Aegean islands and pointed out the islands we could see from the hotel. Somehow the topic of ruins and antiquities came up and he took us onto the balcony of his house to show us some columns, vases, and rocks he had found at the bottom of the sea somewhere (I'm not really sure exactly how he got them). The two vases were covered in shells and other signs of life, one so much that it was almost unrecognizable. After getting some pictures, he showed us his house, another apartment, and the little room he had built inside the dovecote. He also showed us the chapel that they had built on the property. For all of this he had clearly spared no expense. The chapel had frescos done by a local artist and an alter that was just as ornate as the other orthodox churches we had seen. He was obviously very proud of all of his work. He hoped we would come back and have more time so that we could go out on his boat. I hope I do get to come back someday.
Eventually we checked out, loaded the car, and left for the town of Pyrgoss on the other side of the island. It took about 30 minutes or so to get there, not including the times we stopped to take pictures. At one point we pulled over for some scenic views of the sea near what looked like an old abandoned building. There were two cars rotting away outside covered in brambles, but to our surprise there was a dog fenced in the back. We later saw that it was some sort of irrigation or pumping station and was still working; we could hear the water. But where the dog's owner was we could not tell. Poor little guy. We went on and eventually made it to Pyrgoss. Pyrgoss is the second largest town/village on the island and is situated on hills on both sides of a river. All the buildings are white and most of the doors and trim are blue. It was a little like Santorini but without all the tourists. Actually there was a tour bus there, but it appeared to be mainly Greeks. We made our way through the town, stopped to put on sunscreen, and found the Museum of Marble Arts at the end of the street on the other side of the town. The museum was very modern and nicely laid out with signage in both Greek and English. It showed how marble is quarried all over Greece. I especially like the section on documentation of contracts and rights for quarrying. There were also several exhibits of old tools so I took a picture of them for my Dad.
After going to the museum, we decided to stay in the town for lunch. We we're going to go to another village and a restaurant the hotel owner had recommended but did not have time. So we ate at a cafe in the center of the village where there were several others centered around an old sweet gum tree. After lunch we walked around a bit more. The village had a lot of narrow winding streets and a lot of flowers, especially Bougainvillea. I think I've taken about 400 pictures on this trip. I plan to go through them on the flight home and cull the ones I don't want. I'm afraid the pictures will not do these towns justice. Anyway, we eventually left and drove along the south coast of the island, stopping a few times, back to the main town of Tinos. We returned the car, left our bags at the rental agency, and walked around one last time before we had to catch our ferry. It was quite hot. In fact, just about everywhere it has been very hot and I just had to accept that I was going to sweat most of the time. In some ways all the white building made it worse, but I suspect that keeps it cooler inside.
Our ferry left at about 5pm and arrived in Rafina, a port near the Athens airport, at about 7pm. We stayed our last night in a hotel that seems to specialize in housing folks who come in on the ferries and leave for the airport the next day. After dinner at the hotel, we walked around, got ice cream, and stopped to sit for a while in the main plaza. Being a Saturday night, a lot of families were out with their kids and the square was the center of activity in the town. We enjoyed watching the kids riding not their bikes, rollerblading, eating ice cream, and having a good time. The grown ups appeared to be enjoying it too as they sat on benches and watched. What a lovely way to spend our last night in Greece. And now our plane is boarding and it's time to close this last entry. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels. I hope to come back to Greece someday. The people are friendly, there is a lot of history, and the food is great. On top of all that, it is a good deal for the money. So until next time. Kalimara.
Yesterday was our last day in Tinos and our last full day in Greece. We took our time with breakfast and talked with Diana and Maria about what we had done the day before and we were planning to do that day. Later they introduced us to the owner who is a gynecologist from Athens, specializing in in-vitro and from what we later read about him on the Internet is well published in his field. Kirk, being a doctor, could tell you more about him. He told us how he came to build the hotel over 10 or so years, starting with the just a house for himself and his wife and three sons. Two of his sons are now in college at BU in the states. He also told us of his travels throughout the Aegean islands and pointed out the islands we could see from the hotel. Somehow the topic of ruins and antiquities came up and he took us onto the balcony of his house to show us some columns, vases, and rocks he had found at the bottom of the sea somewhere (I'm not really sure exactly how he got them). The two vases were covered in shells and other signs of life, one so much that it was almost unrecognizable. After getting some pictures, he showed us his house, another apartment, and the little room he had built inside the dovecote. He also showed us the chapel that they had built on the property. For all of this he had clearly spared no expense. The chapel had frescos done by a local artist and an alter that was just as ornate as the other orthodox churches we had seen. He was obviously very proud of all of his work. He hoped we would come back and have more time so that we could go out on his boat. I hope I do get to come back someday.
Eventually we checked out, loaded the car, and left for the town of Pyrgoss on the other side of the island. It took about 30 minutes or so to get there, not including the times we stopped to take pictures. At one point we pulled over for some scenic views of the sea near what looked like an old abandoned building. There were two cars rotting away outside covered in brambles, but to our surprise there was a dog fenced in the back. We later saw that it was some sort of irrigation or pumping station and was still working; we could hear the water. But where the dog's owner was we could not tell. Poor little guy. We went on and eventually made it to Pyrgoss. Pyrgoss is the second largest town/village on the island and is situated on hills on both sides of a river. All the buildings are white and most of the doors and trim are blue. It was a little like Santorini but without all the tourists. Actually there was a tour bus there, but it appeared to be mainly Greeks. We made our way through the town, stopped to put on sunscreen, and found the Museum of Marble Arts at the end of the street on the other side of the town. The museum was very modern and nicely laid out with signage in both Greek and English. It showed how marble is quarried all over Greece. I especially like the section on documentation of contracts and rights for quarrying. There were also several exhibits of old tools so I took a picture of them for my Dad.
After going to the museum, we decided to stay in the town for lunch. We we're going to go to another village and a restaurant the hotel owner had recommended but did not have time. So we ate at a cafe in the center of the village where there were several others centered around an old sweet gum tree. After lunch we walked around a bit more. The village had a lot of narrow winding streets and a lot of flowers, especially Bougainvillea. I think I've taken about 400 pictures on this trip. I plan to go through them on the flight home and cull the ones I don't want. I'm afraid the pictures will not do these towns justice. Anyway, we eventually left and drove along the south coast of the island, stopping a few times, back to the main town of Tinos. We returned the car, left our bags at the rental agency, and walked around one last time before we had to catch our ferry. It was quite hot. In fact, just about everywhere it has been very hot and I just had to accept that I was going to sweat most of the time. In some ways all the white building made it worse, but I suspect that keeps it cooler inside.
Our ferry left at about 5pm and arrived in Rafina, a port near the Athens airport, at about 7pm. We stayed our last night in a hotel that seems to specialize in housing folks who come in on the ferries and leave for the airport the next day. After dinner at the hotel, we walked around, got ice cream, and stopped to sit for a while in the main plaza. Being a Saturday night, a lot of families were out with their kids and the square was the center of activity in the town. We enjoyed watching the kids riding not their bikes, rollerblading, eating ice cream, and having a good time. The grown ups appeared to be enjoying it too as they sat on benches and watched. What a lovely way to spend our last night in Greece. And now our plane is boarding and it's time to close this last entry. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels. I hope to come back to Greece someday. The people are friendly, there is a lot of history, and the food is great. On top of all that, it is a good deal for the money. So until next time. Kalimara.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Tinos, Greece
Greece Days Five and Six (I think)
We arrived in Tinos by ferry yesterday around 5pm. You have probably never heard of Tinos. We chose it because it is not popular for foreign tourists, but all the guide books said it was nonetheless charming. Actually, it has significant religious importance for Greeks because of the church of Panayia Evangelistria. Legend has it that in 1822, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a nun named Pelagia, telling here where she could uncover a sacred icon with healing properties. The icon was found and the church was built on the spot. People from all over Greece come to Tinos to worship at the church and petition the Virgin Mary for healing. It is the Lourdes of Greece. More about the church a little letter.
There were only seven of us to get off the ferry in Tinos, quite unlike our experience in Santorini where several hundred got off. Anyway. We were picked up by a prearranged taxi and driven to our hotel near the village of Triandaros. On the way, we noticed Tino's many farms and dovecotes, or pigeon houses. At the hotel, we were greeted by Maria who welcomed us with orange juice. Actually, Maria was kind of mysterious. She showed us to the pool, sat us down, and then disappeared. Then she came with the OJ and disappeared again. "I'll be back." It was kind of like a James Bond movie where a beautiful woman escorts James to his meeting with the bad guy. What made it a little creepy was that there was no one else here. So if she killed us, no one would have known. Fortunately, she did not kill us. Our hotel is really several cottages spread over a very well landscaped property on the side of a hill. Our room overlooks the pool and the harbor a coule of miles below. The hotel is only a year old and it is obvious that someone put a lot of money into it.
After getting settled we walked down the road to the village tavern where we had dinner. Maria happened to be there and translated for us. This was one of those family run restaurants that one often finds in Europe where everything on the menu is not always available. I took this as a sign of a good restaurant. We each had lamb meatballs as well as some appetizers. Everyone was very friendly and we were almost the only ones there.
This morning after breakfast, one of the staff, Diana, offered to drive us into town so that we could see the church and rent a car. We had thought of walking but she said it was not a good idea as there weren't sidewalks and this was snake season in Tinos. The church sits at the top of the town a little less than a mile from the port. The traditional way of petitioning for healing is for a pilgrim to get off of a boat in the port and then walk on their hands and knees up the hill to the church. There is a carpeted area marked off by orange cones on the road from the port to the church. We were hoping to see someone doing this and we did as we stopped in a little park. She was such that we could see her but she could not see us so we didn't feel exploitive taking a picture. Actually, she was rather young and I wonder what she was seeking healing for and felt bad for her, because no one would do that unless they were desparate for help. The church, like the couple of orthodox churches I've gotten to see was small and square. By small, I mean compared to the Catholic cathedrals I am more familiar with. We saw the icon and walked around the church. The church was extremely ornate: all the walls were covered with pictures of various saints and scenes from the Bible. Overhead were at least one hundred incense burners, each with a symbol of some sort hanging from it, such as a guitar, a house, and a wrench. We wondered if it had to do with trade guilds or something. We saw the icon, or what we could of it, since it is covered in jewelry and virtually hidden. Just before we left a service started and the priests began chanting the liturgy. The chanting continued as we left and wandered around in the courtyard. It was broadcast outside and I had a lovely moment when over the chanting and the birds chirping came the clanging of the church bells. Another lovely authentic Greece experience with no other English speakers around.
After exploring the church, we walked back towards the port, stopping at various souvenir shops. I finally bought some worried beads and asked the shop owner to show me how to use them. Back near the port we rented a car, a very small Fiat, which we have until 4pm tomorrow. It was only 40 Euros for a stick shift. Fortunately, Tom knows how to drive one because Kirk and I do not. We decided to rent a car when we heard how cheap it was and about several places on the island that were too far to walk. The rental company recommended a tavern in the village of Aetofolia, several miles away. The road took us over and past several valleys and small all white villages. Every village has at least one church and there are many churches and shrines just all by themselves. I think there are 50 or so villages but there must be hundreds of churches. Another feature of Tinos is the 1000 dovecotes, or pigeon houses that line the countryside. These were originally built to house doves, both for food and for their manure to use as fertilizer. There seem to many numerous small farms on terraced land and most of the dovecotes are on these farms. On our ride to the village we saw numerous goats and even cows (in fact, two large Holsteins seemed to be charging us at one point, but they just passed on by). Most villages have a small parking area and then you can walk up into the village which we did. The tavern was small and family owned and had only one person working. He told us what he thought the best dishes were and what had been made recently. We had a kind of vegetable pie with feta on top, goat meat with fries, and roasted pork with fries. Delicious. None of us had ever had goat. I was surprised that it was not very gamey, like lamb, although it was pretty though. We were told to eat it with our hands and not to be afraid of getting juice on ourselves.
After lunch, we walked up through the village and ended up eventually on top of a hill where we took a lot of pictures of the surrounding countryside and villages. We eventually made it back to the car and headed to the beach at Kolimbithra. The beach was at the end of small cove and had crystal clear water and a slightly pebbled beach. This was the Greek beach we had been looking for in Santorini. We all got in the water and I can now say that I have swum in the Mediterranean, although I guess technically it's the Aegean. Tom and Kirk laid out in the sun while I walked around a bit. I explored the rocks at one end of the beach and then later went to a cafe at the other end. Tom and Kirk eventually joined me and had a local beer called Nisos, while we watched the sun go down behind the hill overlooking the beach. We then took a winding way back to our hotel crossing the width of the island. As we got higher and higher the sun kept coming up and so we got several pictures of "sunsets." One area where we stopped for photos was a giant valley littered with rocks. There is another legend I think about how the rocks got there, such as one of the gods dropping them from the sky, but I'm not sure. Now I am back at the hotel taking it easy. When we returned we told Maria where we had been and she said we went to the best beach on the island. So it looks like we made a good decision to come to Tinos. We are here most of tomorrow before our ferry leaves, so I look forward to exploring some more. For now, it is just wonderful to be off the beaten path and seeing some of rural life in Greece and the beautiful scenery.
We arrived in Tinos by ferry yesterday around 5pm. You have probably never heard of Tinos. We chose it because it is not popular for foreign tourists, but all the guide books said it was nonetheless charming. Actually, it has significant religious importance for Greeks because of the church of Panayia Evangelistria. Legend has it that in 1822, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to a nun named Pelagia, telling here where she could uncover a sacred icon with healing properties. The icon was found and the church was built on the spot. People from all over Greece come to Tinos to worship at the church and petition the Virgin Mary for healing. It is the Lourdes of Greece. More about the church a little letter.
There were only seven of us to get off the ferry in Tinos, quite unlike our experience in Santorini where several hundred got off. Anyway. We were picked up by a prearranged taxi and driven to our hotel near the village of Triandaros. On the way, we noticed Tino's many farms and dovecotes, or pigeon houses. At the hotel, we were greeted by Maria who welcomed us with orange juice. Actually, Maria was kind of mysterious. She showed us to the pool, sat us down, and then disappeared. Then she came with the OJ and disappeared again. "I'll be back." It was kind of like a James Bond movie where a beautiful woman escorts James to his meeting with the bad guy. What made it a little creepy was that there was no one else here. So if she killed us, no one would have known. Fortunately, she did not kill us. Our hotel is really several cottages spread over a very well landscaped property on the side of a hill. Our room overlooks the pool and the harbor a coule of miles below. The hotel is only a year old and it is obvious that someone put a lot of money into it.
After getting settled we walked down the road to the village tavern where we had dinner. Maria happened to be there and translated for us. This was one of those family run restaurants that one often finds in Europe where everything on the menu is not always available. I took this as a sign of a good restaurant. We each had lamb meatballs as well as some appetizers. Everyone was very friendly and we were almost the only ones there.
This morning after breakfast, one of the staff, Diana, offered to drive us into town so that we could see the church and rent a car. We had thought of walking but she said it was not a good idea as there weren't sidewalks and this was snake season in Tinos. The church sits at the top of the town a little less than a mile from the port. The traditional way of petitioning for healing is for a pilgrim to get off of a boat in the port and then walk on their hands and knees up the hill to the church. There is a carpeted area marked off by orange cones on the road from the port to the church. We were hoping to see someone doing this and we did as we stopped in a little park. She was such that we could see her but she could not see us so we didn't feel exploitive taking a picture. Actually, she was rather young and I wonder what she was seeking healing for and felt bad for her, because no one would do that unless they were desparate for help. The church, like the couple of orthodox churches I've gotten to see was small and square. By small, I mean compared to the Catholic cathedrals I am more familiar with. We saw the icon and walked around the church. The church was extremely ornate: all the walls were covered with pictures of various saints and scenes from the Bible. Overhead were at least one hundred incense burners, each with a symbol of some sort hanging from it, such as a guitar, a house, and a wrench. We wondered if it had to do with trade guilds or something. We saw the icon, or what we could of it, since it is covered in jewelry and virtually hidden. Just before we left a service started and the priests began chanting the liturgy. The chanting continued as we left and wandered around in the courtyard. It was broadcast outside and I had a lovely moment when over the chanting and the birds chirping came the clanging of the church bells. Another lovely authentic Greece experience with no other English speakers around.
After exploring the church, we walked back towards the port, stopping at various souvenir shops. I finally bought some worried beads and asked the shop owner to show me how to use them. Back near the port we rented a car, a very small Fiat, which we have until 4pm tomorrow. It was only 40 Euros for a stick shift. Fortunately, Tom knows how to drive one because Kirk and I do not. We decided to rent a car when we heard how cheap it was and about several places on the island that were too far to walk. The rental company recommended a tavern in the village of Aetofolia, several miles away. The road took us over and past several valleys and small all white villages. Every village has at least one church and there are many churches and shrines just all by themselves. I think there are 50 or so villages but there must be hundreds of churches. Another feature of Tinos is the 1000 dovecotes, or pigeon houses that line the countryside. These were originally built to house doves, both for food and for their manure to use as fertilizer. There seem to many numerous small farms on terraced land and most of the dovecotes are on these farms. On our ride to the village we saw numerous goats and even cows (in fact, two large Holsteins seemed to be charging us at one point, but they just passed on by). Most villages have a small parking area and then you can walk up into the village which we did. The tavern was small and family owned and had only one person working. He told us what he thought the best dishes were and what had been made recently. We had a kind of vegetable pie with feta on top, goat meat with fries, and roasted pork with fries. Delicious. None of us had ever had goat. I was surprised that it was not very gamey, like lamb, although it was pretty though. We were told to eat it with our hands and not to be afraid of getting juice on ourselves.
After lunch, we walked up through the village and ended up eventually on top of a hill where we took a lot of pictures of the surrounding countryside and villages. We eventually made it back to the car and headed to the beach at Kolimbithra. The beach was at the end of small cove and had crystal clear water and a slightly pebbled beach. This was the Greek beach we had been looking for in Santorini. We all got in the water and I can now say that I have swum in the Mediterranean, although I guess technically it's the Aegean. Tom and Kirk laid out in the sun while I walked around a bit. I explored the rocks at one end of the beach and then later went to a cafe at the other end. Tom and Kirk eventually joined me and had a local beer called Nisos, while we watched the sun go down behind the hill overlooking the beach. We then took a winding way back to our hotel crossing the width of the island. As we got higher and higher the sun kept coming up and so we got several pictures of "sunsets." One area where we stopped for photos was a giant valley littered with rocks. There is another legend I think about how the rocks got there, such as one of the gods dropping them from the sky, but I'm not sure. Now I am back at the hotel taking it easy. When we returned we told Maria where we had been and she said we went to the best beach on the island. So it looks like we made a good decision to come to Tinos. We are here most of tomorrow before our ferry leaves, so I look forward to exploring some more. For now, it is just wonderful to be off the beaten path and seeing some of rural life in Greece and the beautiful scenery.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Santorini, Greece
Days Four and Five (sort of)
We're now waiting on the dock at the port in Santorini for our ferry to Tinos. The small port is crammed at the bottom of a cliff and is really more like a wide road than a port. The area is lined with restaurants and shops at the bottom of the cliff and you can sit and eat while you wait for your ferry. That is what we are doing now and the cafe has WiFi so I thought it was a good time to blog.
We spent the rest of the day Tuesday lounging by the pool in Santorini. Our hotel is one of the 100s of hotels perched on the cliffs overlooking the caldera. Our room is basically a cave in the side of the cliffs, as are most hotel rooms in Santorini. It has its own patio and jacuzzi and the hotel has a pool and bar/restaurant. Each morning we had breakfast on our patio. We put in our order the night before and then they brought it up at the time we specified. The main staff consisted of a mother and her three daughters and each of them went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. In fact, everyone in Greece has been extremely friendly. Tuesday night we ate dinner at a restaurant the hotel recommended that had a lovely view of the sea while the sun went down. This was our big splurge meal so far, but it did not disappoint. We had all heard of Mousaka but didn't know exactly what it was, so I just decided to try it. Turn out, I like Eggplant. At this restaurant like several others we've been to, after your meal, they bring you a shot of a liquor called Tsipouro. Very strong, but very good and went well with the chocolate pastry that was also complimentary. Another way the Greeks show their hospitality.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took our time with breakfast and finally around 11am decided we wanted to go to a beach. Santorini has several, but we really wanted to go to one that was more popular with locals and not full of tourists. Our hotel recommended one called Minothilos and arranged a shuttle for us. We were a little disappointed when we got to the beach. It wasn't exactly a black sand beach as we had been told, but was more of a grey sand beach. Some would just call it dirt. It was in a small area about the length of a football field with rock walls going out into the sea on both sides. Beyond the right wall was the airport and beyond the left wall was an anchored tanker of some sort. At least there wasn't broken glass in the sand as I had seen in Honduras. Nevertheless, we decided to stay since the umbrellas and chairs were free. We got in the water a little and it was quite cold. I mainly read my Nero Wolfe book and relaxed. After an hour or so we decided to have lunch. There were a couple of cafes/restaurants across the street from the beach so we picked one. Turns out the owner is a fisherman and they have fresh fish every day. We each had sword fish and Greek beer. This meal made the whole beach trip worth it. There was almost no one there but we had a nice view of the beach through a grove of trees. And it felt like we were in a remote Greek village even though we were actually on the most visited island in all of Greece. At that point we were all glad we had gone to the beach. By the way, the sword fish was only about $11 each. Everything in Greece has been cheaper than it would be anywhere else in Europe. We prearranged our shuttle back to our hotel around 3pm.
We rested at the pool for a bit. The weather was quite hot and the sun unforgiving so it was nice to take a dip in the very cold pool. After freshening up, we decided to hike to the village off Oia to watch the sun set. If you think of Santorini as a backwards C with the points facing west, our hotel is in a village slightly north of the middle and Oia is a village all the way at the top end of the backwards C. It was about a four mile hike on foot paths that went up and down and was sometimes smooth and sometimes rocky. We passed several small churches on our way, but they were all locked with no signage about services or anything. I'm guessing these are more like shrines, but it seems the Orthodox Church could make some money by opening up all these little churches. After a couple hours we finally made it to Oia, along with everyone else in Greece it seemed, pouring in on buses to watch the sunset. The village was much more charming and high brow than the other ones in Santorini. The main thoroughfare was a marble walking street lined with high end stores. The path seemed to get narrower and narrower as we and everyone else made their way to the end of the island to watch the sunset. People lined the walkways and railings facing west. This is supposed to be one of the best sunsets in the world, but last night there was a bit of low lying haze so the sun disappeared a little bit above the ocean. Oh well. It was still neat to see the spectacle of the whole thing. We ate dinner at a small restaurant on a side street which happened to be close to the local bus stop and so we took it back to our village.
This morning we ate our breakfast quickly and then hiked to the rock of Skaros. This giant rock sits on a promontory that juts out from the side of the cliffs. To get there involves hiking down a ways and then back up. We chatted a bit with a couple from Australia as we walked around the rock and down to a small church on the cliff overlooking the caldera. We got a lot of good photos and then we back to the hotel, packed up, and took a shuttle to the port. We are now waiting for our boat to Tinos. I look forward to blogging more later. Thanks for reading.
We're now waiting on the dock at the port in Santorini for our ferry to Tinos. The small port is crammed at the bottom of a cliff and is really more like a wide road than a port. The area is lined with restaurants and shops at the bottom of the cliff and you can sit and eat while you wait for your ferry. That is what we are doing now and the cafe has WiFi so I thought it was a good time to blog.
We spent the rest of the day Tuesday lounging by the pool in Santorini. Our hotel is one of the 100s of hotels perched on the cliffs overlooking the caldera. Our room is basically a cave in the side of the cliffs, as are most hotel rooms in Santorini. It has its own patio and jacuzzi and the hotel has a pool and bar/restaurant. Each morning we had breakfast on our patio. We put in our order the night before and then they brought it up at the time we specified. The main staff consisted of a mother and her three daughters and each of them went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. In fact, everyone in Greece has been extremely friendly. Tuesday night we ate dinner at a restaurant the hotel recommended that had a lovely view of the sea while the sun went down. This was our big splurge meal so far, but it did not disappoint. We had all heard of Mousaka but didn't know exactly what it was, so I just decided to try it. Turn out, I like Eggplant. At this restaurant like several others we've been to, after your meal, they bring you a shot of a liquor called Tsipouro. Very strong, but very good and went well with the chocolate pastry that was also complimentary. Another way the Greeks show their hospitality.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took our time with breakfast and finally around 11am decided we wanted to go to a beach. Santorini has several, but we really wanted to go to one that was more popular with locals and not full of tourists. Our hotel recommended one called Minothilos and arranged a shuttle for us. We were a little disappointed when we got to the beach. It wasn't exactly a black sand beach as we had been told, but was more of a grey sand beach. Some would just call it dirt. It was in a small area about the length of a football field with rock walls going out into the sea on both sides. Beyond the right wall was the airport and beyond the left wall was an anchored tanker of some sort. At least there wasn't broken glass in the sand as I had seen in Honduras. Nevertheless, we decided to stay since the umbrellas and chairs were free. We got in the water a little and it was quite cold. I mainly read my Nero Wolfe book and relaxed. After an hour or so we decided to have lunch. There were a couple of cafes/restaurants across the street from the beach so we picked one. Turns out the owner is a fisherman and they have fresh fish every day. We each had sword fish and Greek beer. This meal made the whole beach trip worth it. There was almost no one there but we had a nice view of the beach through a grove of trees. And it felt like we were in a remote Greek village even though we were actually on the most visited island in all of Greece. At that point we were all glad we had gone to the beach. By the way, the sword fish was only about $11 each. Everything in Greece has been cheaper than it would be anywhere else in Europe. We prearranged our shuttle back to our hotel around 3pm.
We rested at the pool for a bit. The weather was quite hot and the sun unforgiving so it was nice to take a dip in the very cold pool. After freshening up, we decided to hike to the village off Oia to watch the sun set. If you think of Santorini as a backwards C with the points facing west, our hotel is in a village slightly north of the middle and Oia is a village all the way at the top end of the backwards C. It was about a four mile hike on foot paths that went up and down and was sometimes smooth and sometimes rocky. We passed several small churches on our way, but they were all locked with no signage about services or anything. I'm guessing these are more like shrines, but it seems the Orthodox Church could make some money by opening up all these little churches. After a couple hours we finally made it to Oia, along with everyone else in Greece it seemed, pouring in on buses to watch the sunset. The village was much more charming and high brow than the other ones in Santorini. The main thoroughfare was a marble walking street lined with high end stores. The path seemed to get narrower and narrower as we and everyone else made their way to the end of the island to watch the sunset. People lined the walkways and railings facing west. This is supposed to be one of the best sunsets in the world, but last night there was a bit of low lying haze so the sun disappeared a little bit above the ocean. Oh well. It was still neat to see the spectacle of the whole thing. We ate dinner at a small restaurant on a side street which happened to be close to the local bus stop and so we took it back to our village.
This morning we ate our breakfast quickly and then hiked to the rock of Skaros. This giant rock sits on a promontory that juts out from the side of the cliffs. To get there involves hiking down a ways and then back up. We chatted a bit with a couple from Australia as we walked around the rock and down to a small church on the cliff overlooking the caldera. We got a lot of good photos and then we back to the hotel, packed up, and took a shuttle to the port. We are now waiting for our boat to Tinos. I look forward to blogging more later. Thanks for reading.
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