Until next time...

Well, that's it for my most recent travel adventure.

I'm not sure where I'll travel next, but I'll definitely blog about it here. Until next time...

August 17 36,000FT OVER HUDSON'S BAY

The day after my last entry we flew to Athens. We stayed with my cousin Rita at her house (apartment) on Ippokratous Street in the heart of Athens. I won’t blog much about the visit with Rita because so much of it was just getting reacquainted after 10 years (or longer) and telling tall tales of the family.

Simone, Mom, and Rita at the top of Lykavittos Hill:

On our first night in Athens Rita took us to Lykavittos Hill, the tallest hill in Athens. We took a taxi to the base of the hill and then a furnicular (train) to the top of the hill. When I visited 10 years ago there was a small café that sold coffees and canned sodas. Now half the hill is covered by a massive multi-level restaurant. We took some photos from the top of the hill then found a table at the restaurant.

The restaurant tier where we had dinner:

Rita had fed us a massive lunch so we didn’t have much of an appetite but we didn’t want to lose our table so we ordered a few appetizers and a main and shared them. We enjoyed our meal in the fading daylight and then marveled at the lights of Athens after the sun set. Simone and I both tried to take pictures of the lights but they didn’t turn out very well, unfortunately.

Drinks in the candlelight:

The next day we went to the Acropolis. Rita’s knee is still weak from her fall on Amorgos so she waited for us at a restaurant at the base of the Acropolis. It was a good thing, too, because the Acropolis was crowded with tourists and the walkways were far more treacherous than I remembered.

The tourist hordes at the Acropolis:

Marble columns (do not touch!):

The Erechthion:

Disassembled bits of the Parthenon:

Lykavittos Hill, as seen from the Acropolis:

When we’d had our fill of the Acropolis we met Rtia for lunch and walked to Plaka, an old area of town below the Acropolis. We had a marvelous dinner at a restaurant called the Ydria. Mom and Rita caught a cab home but Simone and I still had some energy so we walked home via Ermou Street, aka shoe heaven.

The next day we caught a cab to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon. (The Acropolis, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio, and the Temple of Athina on a neighbouring island form a perfect triangle, apparently.) The temple wasn’t nearly as covered in tourists as the Acropolis and we enjoyed the chance to get up close to the old marble columns. On the way back to Athens we stopped at cousin Stella’s for lunch.

The Temple of Poseidon:

Wind-blown Simone:

Her son, Babice, and daughter, Faye, were there as well as her mother in law (whose name I can’t pronounce). Stella had cooked a feast for lunch, including lasagna, roast beef, rice, potato salad, and more. After nearly busting a gut lunch Stella produced thick slices of chocolate cake for everyone, as well as fruit tarts. After that we all swore of food for 24 hours.

Faye, Babice, and Stella:

Our last day in Athens was very quiet. In the evening we walked down to Kolonaki Square to see if we could find more shoes for Simone to adopt, then went to the Flocafe for ice cream. I’m not a fan of sweets so I ordered a drink that I thought was similar to a bellini. What I got was bright pink crushed ice with watermelon flavor, some unidentifiable alcohol, and heaps of sugar on top. I finished it, but only because of my deep German/Scottish conviction to not waste food or drink of any kind. Simone said she should have taken a picture.

Looking downtown (toward central Athens) from Rita's:

Looking uptown from Rita's:

The flight(s) have gone well. I didn’t get any sleep but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,because by the time we get home from the ferry tonight It’ll be close to 8pm and I’ll surely have no trouble adjusting to the local time after a full night’s sleep in my own bed.

Looking forward to seeing the kitties. They should be home from the “spa” already, and no doubt wondering what the hell is going on. I’m looking forward to “squeezles” and “kisslies” and “petty petties”. Well, that’s it for now.

August 12 CORFU

Yesterday was a bit of a wash-out. We got up early and rushed to the local “blue bus” stop to catch the bus to Pelekas, with the intention of catching a free local shuttle to Glyfada beach.

The object of my desire, Glyfada beach:

There were hordes of people walking and driving into town. The waiter at the Black Cat Café had explained that it was the day of Saint Spiridas, the patron saint of Corfu. We felt like we were salmon swimming upstream during spawning season.

At the bus stop we bought bus tickets and asked the woman behind the counter where to wait for the bus. There are only seven buses daily to Pelekas so we arrived early and watched very intently for the correct bus number. It was hot and noisy and the carbon monoxide was horrible so we were all eager to get on the bus and to the beach.

The 10am scheduled arrival came and went and we did not see the No. 11. Simone asked the woman at the ticket kiosk if the bus was late and she waved Simone off, saying that it would come soon. We waited some more. At 10:45am Simone asked the woman again when the bus was coming and she said that it had come and gone already.

We were pissed off by this point, partially because of the woman’s attitude but mostly because of the heat and noise and the fact that we’d wasted close to two hours waiting for a bus instead of enjoying the Saint Spiridas celebrations.

I asked the woman at the ticket kiosk for our money back and she grudgingly refunded our tickets. We walked back to the hotel for a wash and to reconsider our plans for the day. I was feeling sick from the heat and carbon monoxide so I opted to have a quiet afternoon in the hotel. Mom and Simone went to the museum and for a walk around town.

We had dinner at the Black Cat Café and then an early night. The next morning Mom and I got up early and caught a taxi to Glyfada beach. It cost a bomb but it was my last chance to go swimming so I was determined to get to the beach, come hell or high water. The taxi driver got lost and we ended up taking some short cuts along back roads to get to Glyfada. We enjoyed the ride immensely because it afforded us a chance to see the countryside.

Glyfada itself is very small. It’s a white sand beach at the bottom of a mountain and a typical Greek switchback road. We made our way down the wooden walkways onto the beach and found a couple of loungers under an umbrella and settled in.

Glyfada beach:

I was in the water like a shot. I was expecting a calm ocean but Glyfada is very shallow and as a result there are huge breakers crashing onto the beach. I waded out past the small breakers and rested for a bit, then tried my luck with the big breakers. It was an absolute hoot getting tossed about by the big waves and I was laughing like an idiot the entire time.

When I got tired I made my way back to shore and helped Mom wade out into the water. She doesn’t like swimming and was extremely brave as the small breakers knocked her around.

I swam a couple more times in the breakers, which got smaller and tamer as the day progressed. By noon we were feeling tired and a bit crispy from the sun so we went to a tavern for lunch. We shared a pork kebab and watched as the beach filled up with swimmers and sunbathers.

I’d learned that there was a bus from Glyfada to Corfu Town at 1:45pm so after lunch we walked up the road to the “bus stop”. Getting up the road was a typical Greek experience. When we’d arrived at the beach in the morning the road was clear and two cars could pass each other easily. As the day progressed people had parked on either side of the road, reducing it to one lane. People trying to leave the beach got halfway up the road and were met by people trying to get to the beach…and neither would/could give way. There was a lot of horn honking and yelling and gesturing. Mom and I had to weave our way through the traffic jam, while trying not to get run over by scooter drivers doing the same thing.

At the top of the second switchback was the “bus stop”. It consisted of a wide dirt area covered in garbage and a sign that was so damaged that you could barely discern the words “bus stop”. Our experience with the distance “green” bus was far better than our experience with the local “blue” bus. The green bus arrived on time, the driver and his assistant both shouted “Corfu Town!” several times to indicate the destination, and we could buy our tickets on the bus instead of from a grumpy woman at a kiosk. We arrived back in Corfu Town in record time, thoroughly pleased with our day at the beach.

Simone had spent the day visiting the New Fortress and the Asian Art Museum. Two cruise ships had arrived in Corfu Town in the morning and disgorged their passengers…mostly gay men. Simone had noticed quite a few couples visiting the New Fortress, and when Mom and I walked back from the “green” bus station we also noticed an sudden increase in the male population.

Simone, Costas, Mom, Anna, Me, and Stavros:

We went back to Café Bellisimo for dinner. Stavros and his father Costas greeted us warmly and asked where we’d been the night before. We asked how their business was going today and learned that they’d taken half a day off to relax and catch up on sleep. For dinner we had salad and pastitsada again, and tried something new…stifada. Everything was delicious and Stavros surprised us by serving a plate of watermelon for dessert. We took pictures, exchanged emails, and had kisses all around and then slowly made our way back to the hotel for our final sleep in Corfu.

A Perspective on a Greek Bath

Simone here again. I finally managed to extract the laptop from Rowena's grasp. I can't tell you what a challenge that was. Well, yes I can but that would be another story.

Having visited the museum in Fira on Santorini and today the Archeological Museum here in Corfu I can report to you that they contain a lot of old things. Most of them are broken.

Having said this, I would like to relate to you some observations I have made of a particular Greek bathroom. Most Greek bathrooms are small. Very very small. As Rowena has already reported, we are currently residing at the Hotel Konstantinopolous in Corfu. This particular bathroom has made quite an impression ---- one that I am not soon to forget. Tiled floor to ceiling in aquamarine tile, this 5'x5' lavatory / bathroom is a real gem. Of course, being a bit of an hydrophile, my heart soared upon arrival to note that the washroom was not only blessed with the standard toilet, wastepaper basket, stepstool (for more vertically challenged clients) and sink, but also a 3'x 2' tub. Up until now we had been enjoying the much smaller (2'x 2') tiled shower areas (sans shower curtain in Amorgos) that didn't really allow for much of a soak unless you considered the puddles created everywhere else. Back to my 'bathtub'. The very next morning I gleefully clutched my white fluffy HK embroidered bath towel close to my chest and stepped into my aquamarine haven. In my characteristic organized way (some cynically suggest anally retentive) I carefully arranged my shampoo, conditioner and cleanser in order along the edge of the 'tub'. I stepped inside, pulled the shower curtain closed and prepared myself for a civilized cleansing and soak. It was at this time that I became aware of a series of pipes extending from the faucet along the wall and up to a rather large hot water tank. Ahhh, I thought, this is going to be goooooooood. First I turned on the cold water tap, then the hot. Tentatively I placed my fingers under the spray of water emanating from the hand held shower head and, noting that it was not yet warm enough, I gently turned the hot water tap a little further to the left. What shot out of the shower head was a stream of scalding hot water at a temperature sufficient to boil eggs! Luckily I escaped relatively unpoached although my scream did garner the attention of Rowena and Mom in the other room. Assuring them of my good health I decided to proceed with my cleansing; however, with a new found respect for the temperamental nature of the left tap.

My bathing ritual always begins with a good scrub. Having now secured a stream of hydrogen dioxide of a far more tolerable and pleasing thermal level, I proceeded to reach for the soap. It is at this juncture that I would like to note that this is one of those silly little pats of soap, hermetically sealed and, of course, provided by only the very best of hotels. Following a wee struggle to access said soap I then had the distinct misfortune of dropping this little turd of emulsifier into the tub. Of course I instantly bent over and reached for the soap as it skidded toward the drain only to have my now damp derriere adhere to the plastic shower curtain. (Bear in mind the rather small dimensions of my aquatic haven.) As I turned to retrieve the soap, the shower curtain, glued to my butt, swung open and all I could think at the time was "Look Mom, no hands!". My glee was soon replaced with panic as I realized that I was now directing a spray of water out of the stall and into the rest of the bathroom. Like a Cirque du Soleil performer I swung deftly around (closing the curtain behind me!) but alas I knocked the bloody left tap as I did so. A second shriek, followed by more reassurances that I could cope on my own in the bath.

I decided to adopt a far more safe approach to my morning ritual. The 'tub' I noted, contained a wee incline which led to a seat (or step depending on your perspective). Ah ha! I thought. This is how this should work. I gingerly perched on the seat which had been conveniently warmed from the earlier hydrothermal spray. It is a good thing, I thought to myself, that I am only 5'2" in height for anyone with longer appendages would most likely have impaled their kneecaps on their canines. I managed to complete my cleansing with only a few more shrieks and knocking the glass soap dish into the tub. Luckily it didn't break like the one in Santorini. I should have donated it to the museum.

August 10 CORFU

On our first full day in Corfu (the 8th) we walked around to get a sense of the town. Mom and I experienced a lot of deja vu. The old section of Corfu Town looks, sounds, and smells a lot like Havana in Cuba. In particular, the Liston (a broad pedestrian walkway bordered by shade trees) is very similar to the Prado.

The Liston:


Between the Liston and the New Fortress are a series of pedestrian-only (and the odd motorbike) lanes and alleys that are jammed with shops selling everything from haute couture clothing and accessories to cheap tourist baubles.

I was intrigued by a rough sign that advertised olive wood products at workshop prices, which was placed on some stairs leading into an alley. I insisted that we go to investigate. We found the workshop of Tomas, a woodworker who has been making things from olive wood for over 30 years. He was oiling some bowls made from 400+ year old olive tree roots when we arrived. He showed us his workshop which was basically a 10' by 10' room situated off the alley and filled with raw wood and in-progress pieces. We all bought something and to show his appreciation he gave us all an olive wood ring.

Tomas, the friendly woodworker:


In the evening we had dinner at the Black Cat Cafe, located just below the Hotel Konstantinoupolis. We shared salad and a special local pasta. What we didn't enjoy was the rank sewer smell wafting out of a grate in the adjacent road. In fact, it's hard to get away from the smell here in Corfu Town. Every day, at some point, you're going to get a nose full of stink.

On our second day (the 9th) we went on a day cruise to Paxos, the Blue Caves, and Antipaxi. We didn't realize that it takes over 4 hours to get to Paxos and back, a full half of the day's agenda. Nevertheless, the town of Lakka was gorgeous and I absolutely smitten with the harbour filled with sailboats and the clear green water. From Lakka we went to the Blue Caves, named for the glowing aquamarine waters in the caves. I positioned myself on the bow of the boat and got a magnificent view of the caves.

The harbour at Lakka:


The Blue Caves:


Our next stop was one of the most beautiful beaches on Antipaxi. The ship anchored and we were allowed to swim in the waters around the ship, but we were not allowed to swim to the beach. I was one of the first people in the water and I dolphined around the boat for close to 45 minutes. Mom and Simone didn't feel confident enough to go swimming and enjoyed the view instead.

Now we're talkin':


Our final stop of the day was the village of Gaios on Paxos. The harbour at Gaios is unbelievable - it's more like a canal in Venice than what I would call a harbour. At least 200 sailboats and yachts were stern-tied along the canal/harbour, with dinghy's running back and forth between the boats and the shops.

Yachtville in Gaios:


We had lunch at an Italian cafe then walked around town. We cuddled a couple of cats and took lots of pictures, then reluctantly boarded the ship for the return to Corfu Town. Our reluctance was deserved, because despite signs and announcements in five languages people were continually plugging the toilets with paper. (For those who haven't yet visited Greece, you can't put toilet paper or feminine products into the toilet. You have to put them in the covered basket beside the toilet. Failure to do so results in an instantaneous and colossal blockage of the entire septic system.) So, not only could we not use the toilets, we got to enjoy the smell of the blockages.

We arrived back in Corfu Town around 7:30pm. I went to the hotel for a shower while Mom and Simone stopped at the travel agency to inquire about the cruise to Albania. We discussed the trip over dinner at the Cafe Bellissima. The group decision was that we didn't want to go on another 8-hour "cruise" or "tour" that involved over 3 hours of transportation to the site. So, sadly, no Albania.

Dinner at the Cafe Bellissima was wonderful. We'd had lunch there the previous day and discovered that the owners lived in Toronto for many years. It's obviously a family-run business, with the grandfather clearing and setting tables, the son taking orders and delivering food, his wife keeping the kitchen in order and occasionally taking orders, and the granddaughter chasing pigeons with a neighbourhood boy. We loved the family atmosphere but we were head over heels with the good food and fair prices.

Night at the Cafe Bellissima:


Simone was planning to go for a walk after dinner but it was so late that she packed it in and walked home with us. On the way home we enjoyed the sight and sound of some traditional dancers performing in the streets and in a small square. Mom and I had a good chuckle over the sight of a local toddler clapping his hands and trying to dance to the music. When the show was over we all headed back to the hotel and straight to bed.

The lanes and alleys at night:


Today we had breakfast at the Black Cat Cafe. We decided to sit right in front the restaurant this time to avoid the sewer smell. Unfortunately, we chose a seat near the window to the kitchen. Mom had the joy of smelling stale and somewhat rotten grease while I got to watch the kitchen staff pick their noses, scratch their heads, and smoke while preparing food. As Simone said, obviously they haven't taken the Food Safe course.

After breakfast we walked around town. Simone had seen some shoes two days previous that she really liked and we backtracked until we found the correct shop. She tried a number of different shoes on and settled on some strappy high-heels. From there we wandered along the main street and in and out of various shops. Simone found another pair of strappy high heels that looked great and were a bargain.

The moat around the Old Fortress:


We found ourselves near the Liston and I suggested that we visit the Old Fortress. We wandered around the base of the fortress - which even has a moat! - and then climbed 100 to 200 stairs to the top of the fortress. By then we were all sweating like pigs, so we were less interested in the view than we were in finding a cafe where we could sit and have a cool drink. We found just such a place at the side of the fortress overlooking the north side of the harbour.

The inner wall, with an ever-present pigeon:


How hot is it? Really, really hot:


It's 4:25pm now and we're back at the hotel and enjoying a break from the sun. We'll head out for dinner in another hour or so. We're heading back to the Cafe Bellissima to try sofritos, the local specialty. Tomorrow we're heading to Glyfada Beach so I can swim and Mom and Simone can lounge in the shade.

August 8 CORFU

On our last day in Santorini we did indeed catch the bus to Oia. The bus stop is in the center of town. On our last trip we walked to the right and then down to Amoudi. This time we walked to the left.

Our first stop was a café for brunch. It was a tiny bakery in the front but opened up onto a large balcony overlooking the caldera in the back. Initially the service was unfriendly. It changed to friendly as soon as we started using our few Greek words.

A typical sight in Oia, the town of dogs:

In fact, we’ve found that speaking a little bit of Greek goes a long, long way in Santorini. Sometimes we’ll walk into a store and say yia-sos or calemera (hello, good morning) and be greeted with a burst of Greek. Then we have to say o-hi, o-hi – anglika! (no, no, English!) or just look painfully confused. At that point the store owner will switch to English and we’ll have a lively conversation about where we’ve traveled in Greece, because it’s obvious that we’ve been here long enough to pick up some of the language.

Our other words include calespera (good evening), perakalo (please), efkharisto poli (thank you very much), adi-o (bye), poso kani (how much?), numbers from one to 10, sighnomi (sorry), and the important food words such as nero (water), bira (beer), kafe (coffee), gha-la (milk), pso-mi (bread), and so on. We’re learning new words every day and the more we use them, the more welcome we feel.

We caught the bus back to Fira in the mid-afternoon, before the crowds got the same idea. We made our usual stop at the market and then trekked to our hotel. None of us felt like much for dinner so we went to a small café on the main road for something light. Simone can write about that more later.

A last look at the view from the Hotel Keti:

Yesterday was a travel day. We caught a taxi to the port two hours before our ferry because we wanted to avoid the crowds and chaos. We found a café and had breakfast, then settled in at the air conditioned waiting area. Getting onto the ferry was just as chaotic as we remembered. The aisles were once again filled with luggage and I had to shift several backpacks just so we could get to our seats.

The chaos that is disembarkation from the Flying Cat 3:

The ferry trip itself was long and deathly boring. We were all glad to get off in Pireous, where we were greeted by Rita. She had a taxi waiting for us and before we knew it we were at the airport. We said goodbye, got our boarding passes, ate, and then settled in for three hours of people watching before our flight to Corfu.

When we arrived in Corfu I found a taxi and arranged for the driver to take us to our hotel. He was playing some very good music so Simone asked him who was singing. He told her it was the winner of the Greek Idol contest. After that he was very chatty and recommended some tours and beaches, gave us a map of Corfu Town, and wished us a very happy holiday when he dropped us off at the hotel.

Our hotel was built in the late 1800s and overlooks the old port. The reception is on the first floor so we caught the elevator up. The owner greeted us and told us to leave our bags on the elevator because we had to go up to the third floor. I made the mistake of closing the door (yes, it’s an actual door) and it was called down to the main floor.

The Hotel Konstantinoupolis:

Simone went down the stairs to make sure our luggage was okay and found a man throwing our luggage out of the elevator. She semi-yelled at him and he semi-yelled back – in French. He was rude when the elevator stopped at reception (I’d rung for it) and I closed the door quickly. A little too quickly, it turns out, because it slammed shut and scared the crap out of everyone. I apologized to the owner, but we laughed about the shocked French tourists later. Served ‘em right.

Our taxi driver mentioned that the town was full of Italian tourists. Too many Italian tourists, he said. I discovered what he meant when I went out to get some water at the sidewalk shop across the street. I had my arms full of water and Fresca and beer when five Italian tourists barged in front of me to the counter to order cigarettes. I wouldn’t mind, normally, but my temper was a bit short after the encounter with the French tourists. The Italians were rude to the lady behind the counter because she didn’t understand Italian and didn’t have their exact brand of cigarettes. When they finally left I used every single Greek word I had, including sako (bag), and was gifted with the most lovely smile from the lady behind the counter. She even packed the bag for me, something that most sidewalk shops won’t do.

We slept well despite the street noise. I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today. We’ll probably do a quick recon of the town after breakfast. Mom is also really keen to do a day trip to Albaniaso we may visit a travel office to arrange that trip. Cheers for now.

August 6 SANTORINI

Yesterday’s bus tour started with a visit to the Museum of Prehistoric Thira, which we had visited the day before. We opted out of the museum visit and went for coffee instead. From the museum we went to the highest hill/mountain on Santorini for a photo op. The view was quite disappointing so we didn’t take many pictures.

From there we drove to the ruins at Akrotiri, but couldn’t actually go into the ruins because they’re closed to the public. It was underwhelming. Our next stop was the beach at Perissa. We were all hungry so we went into a local taverna for lunch. The service was terrible but the food was good.

Grape vine decorations:

I went for a swim after lunch. The beach is a volcanic black sand beach and you can’t walk on it in bare feet because it’s so hot it will burn your feet in under a minute. I followed the wooden footpath toward the water and then made a dash across the sand to the water’s edge. I left my sandals there (everyone did) and waded into the water. It was a shock because it was quite cold. I eventually dove in and it was lovely.

Mom and Simone weren’t interested in swimming so they walked along the beach. They told me afterwards that it was quite long and that certain sections were definitely “party zones”. Some people had even rented deluxe leather loungers with fridges!

The next stop was a “traditional village”. We dutifully got out of the bus and walked into the village but it was again quite disappointing. It was old, yes, but not nearly as enchanting or traditional as the villages on Amorgos.

A scene from the traditional village:

Our final stop of the day was the Santo Winery. It looked a bit like an abandoned building from the roadside, to be honest. A winery guide, Yiannis, took us into the large industrial building and explained how they made wine. The winery is actually a cooperative, set up by the grape growers to ensure fair prices for crops. The building itself is three levels, which means they can use gravity to move the grape juice from one production area to another rather than machinery.

The 1-day resting tanks that allow sediment to settle:

The fermentation tanks:

After the tour of the production facility Yiannis took us to the tasting room. We sampled three wines – a young wine, an old wine, and Vin Santo which is a very sweet dessert wine. We all preferred the young wine over the others and Simone bought a bottle for Bruce (shhhhhh, don’t tell Bruce).

The wall o' bottles:

French oak wine barrels:

We got back to Fira around 5:30pm. I had a shower to wash off the salt water and Simone laid down in bed for a bit of quiet time. Mom bustled around, collecting laundry and sorting out luggage.

Our final act of the day was a trip to the supermarket to replenish our water, fruit, and yoghurt supplies. Oh, and iced espresso. I’ve got Simone hooked on them.

We were planning to go to Kamari beach today but it is very windy and cloudy so we’ll probably catch the bus to Oia instead. I’m keen to go to the Chinese restaurant for dinner tonight. I love Greek food but after two weeks I’m keen for something different.

August 5 SANTORINI

Beautiful morning here at the Hotel Keti. We did a big wash this morning as we were all getting short of knickers. The hotel has a huge laundry line to hang clothes and we took full advantage of it.

Yesterday we went to the Museum of Prehistoric Thira and marveled at the ancient bowls, offering vessels, and frescoes that have been recovered from sites here on Santorini. It boggles the mind to see things that are 3000 years old and look like they were made yesterday.

After visiting the museum we did some shopping in the main thoroughfares of Fira. Simone bought some new sunglasses. I tried, once again, to buy something but balked at the prices. I saw a lovely glass necklace that I thought might cost around EUR$35 but was actually priced at EUR$75. Ouch!

Another new friend:

After lunch we walked down the 580 stairs to the old port of Fira. Simone had run down and then up the steps that morning and was shocked to find the steps very slippery. We all slipped on the stairs at some point, which made the trip down to the port very stressful. While the thought of broken bones was a worry, the prospect of falling into the rather large and numerous piles of donkey waste was perhaps more disturbing.

Donkey jam:

Three amigos:

Our ship, the Hermis, a motorboat disguised as a sailboat:

Thankfully, we made it safely down to the port. We waited for about 20 minutes until our boat was ready and then we clambered on. The boat took us to the volcanic island in the center of the caldera, where we all went ashore for a long and hot hike up to various volcanic craters. Mom and I turned back after the second crater because my legs were killing me and the heat was bothering her.

The island of Nea Kameni, the new burned island:

The boat took us from there to another volcanic island, where we rafted up to a huge party boat. Everyone put on their bathing suits and swam to an area just off shore where there were underwater hot springs that heated the water to close to 30C.

Simone returning from her swim:

After the swim the crew served dinner. It included bread, dolmades, meatballs, tiropita, tzatziki, and Greek salad. There was also a rather large urn of Santorini wine and we were challenged to drink it all, if we could. We couldn’t.

After dinner:

By that time the sun was setting. We motored off toward Oia and marveled at the sunset, which is beautiful from shore but gorgeous from a boat. After the sun set the boat headed back to the old port of Fira and we disembarked.

The sunset:

I wanted to ride the donkey up the steps and arranged a ride with a local man. Mom and Simone opted to ride the cable car up the cliff. They left and I waited with the local man while he tried to drum up more business. Only two other people from the boats wanted a ride, so he took me to the base of the steps and helped me get onto the donkey. Another local man actually led my donkey, and four others, up the steps.

Trying to collect more riders:

It was almost completely dark by that point. I tried to capture some movies of the experience but there is no image, just the sound of the harness bells ringing. I had a grin on my face the whole way up the hill. It was a wonderful experience. I may have to go again!

At the top of the cliff I got off the donkey and walked up to the cable car. Mom and Simone were nowhere to be seen, so I made my way back to the hotel. Mom and Simone were a bit worried because I’d been gone so long, but all was well.

Today we’re going on a bus tour that goes to some local wineries, a traditional village, and a beach.

August 4 SANTORINI

Our second day in Santorini was wonderful. We caught the local bus to Oia (ee-ah), on the tip of Santorini. We arrived early and there were no crowds, which was lovely.

Oia, another town on a cliff:

We walked down approximately 400 steps to the village of Amoudi, which was as pretty as a postcard. I took waaaaay too many pictures! We were hot and it was close to lunch by that point so we stopped a local restaurant, Dimitris Taverna.

It's a long, long way down to Amoudi:

Amoudi, the picture postcard port:

Interestingly, Dimitris’ wife grew up in Vancouver. We had a long conversation with her about what it’s like living in Greece and what she misses about Vancouver and Canada. She and her husband open and run the restaurant during the summer and close it during the winter. She said that she really hadn’t traveled to many places in Greece because everything closes up in the winter.

Lunch was dolmades (rice and pine nuts wrapped in vine leaves and served chilled) as well as fava (mushed yellow lentils served with lemon). The local bread was fantastic, too.

The view from Dimitris' taverna:

The walk up the 400 steps back to Oia wasn’t nearly as hard as we expected. Simone ran up the steps, walked down, then ran up again for a bit of impromptu exercise. Mom and I took our time and enjoyed the view.

In Oia we did some shopping. Well, Simone did some shopping. I tried to shop but couldn’t get past the sticker shock. Everything in Santorini is marked up two or three times higher than other places, it seems.

We caught the bus back to Fira and had a wash and rest. No one was really hungry at dinner time. Mom and Simone shared some fruit. I enjoyed some more of the vino-in-a-plastic-bottle. Actually, I enjoyed a little too much vine-in-a-plastic-bottle. At 7pm I was very happy and also very hungry. Mom helped me walk up the caldera and down to the main street where I bought the most fantastically delicious gyro for EUR$2. Yum.