Second day in Santorini, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012

Tomorrow I pack up and head to Athens. Today’s tour wasn’t as terrific and interesting as yesterdays. Part of the problem was the tour guide spoke first English, then German and then Greek – all very fast! His English wasn’t near as good as yesterday’s guide.

We headed first up to the Prophet Elias Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery where the monks make various products. The guide said only 6 monks now live there, and they were not anywhere in sight. There were two little churches to visit – one built in 1914 and the other since the 1950 earthquake. BTW, the guide said later there were something like 300+ churchs on Santorini, but the reason is it was traditional for each family to have their own little church. There are a lot of bright blue domes in the vistas. And they are really tiny, most of them.

We then visited the Santo Winery which the very brief tour guide narration said was a conglomerate of the many varieties of grapes grown on S. I kept looking for vineyards like in France but there are not wires of vines standing up. The vines grow in a circle and low to the ground, to protect them from the fierce winds here on this high bluff landscape. It’s supposed to be harvest time but I didn’t see any vines with actual grapes on them. The wine tour was mainly to have you taste 3 wines, two dry whites and one dessert wine. They were tasty. Met a couple from Atlanta, GA, who were here on their honeymoon (she yes, ma’am ed me!!) They looked close to 50 so maybe second marriage. They were married last Saturday and then went to a resort in Crete. Her luggage was lost for 36 hours! So they didn’t see much on Crete – she didn’t have her makeup or contact solution and other essentials. They were headed to Mykonos from here and then Athens.

We then walked through Megalohori Village, a small village that had some cave homes, I guess as protection from volcanoes. Again the explanations weren’t very clear.

Our next stop was one of the black beaches where we had time for lunch and a swim. It was refreshing. The water got deep quickly and there seemed to be a strong current so I didn’t stay in long. The last stop was Akrotiri ruins, from around the Minoan civilization time around 1500 BC – again wiped out by volcano eruption. This one had a cloud darkening the skies for over 2 months. Not sure how they know this but…. I opted to go down to a café near the beach rather than wander through more ruins so enjoyed my fresh oj again and met the group on the bus later.

After a short rest I headed out about 7 to see more of Fira and discovered this beautiful walkway along the edge of the caldera (means cauldron) where the cable car goes down to the port or the 500+ steps – alas, more donkeys going by! I didn’t go down. People were there watching the sunset again – which set behind another island Therasia rather than sinking into the sea.

On my way back to the hotel, I passed some kind of a young people’s group performing some songs on a platform. It was all Greek to me so I didn’t stay long. Was hoping for some dancing but didn’t see any.

BTW, I forgot to mention yesterday when I rode the bus back from Oia after the donkey ride and sunset, I didn’t see Pierre, Juliet and Thomas (his parents, I learned this a.m.) As I got off the bus, I was worried I was in the wrong place (it was dark) because I didn’t see them, and they are at this hotel. This morning Pierre told me as they were walking back to the bus last night, as it was getting dark, his dad tripped over a very low wall he didn’t see and went down, scraping both legs and smacking his head. “Mama” told them to take a different bus which would get them back sooner to Fira and they went to the hospital right nearby the hotel. He required stitches in his legs and bandages on both shins and his head!! They were very pleased with the medical treatment, and it didn’t cost them a thing!! He couldn’t get over it, as Reunion, the French island they are from, and under the French medical system, always require you pay when you go in. Maybe this is why Greece is in such financial ruin!!! Rumors abound of them leaving the EU! I still have some drachma from 47 years ago!!

That’s all for now.