Sailing to Santorini

Sailing to Santorini

Thursday, October 26, 2017

I was up before the alarm this morning. It was time to leave Rhodes and sail to Santorini. I use sail with a broad interpretation; we are actually travelling on a very large passenger and car ferry. It is a 14 hour journey to Santorini. Happily, Jim has booked us a cabin where we can relax and have a nap or two.

All packed and greeted cheerily by John. He is also travelling today. We are his last guests of the season and after he drops us off at the ferry, he is closing his hotel and flying to London, England. He has been an incredible and invaluable host, a support during a time of need. His warmth and generosity have shone through. He also needs a good rest. Bon voyage, John.

And so we loaded ourselves and our luggage one last time onto the golf cart and headed to the port. The ferry was there and ready to load. We stowed our big luggage in the luggage locker as we entered and took just what we needed for the day with us. We said farewell and thanks to John and took our leave.

We found our way to check-in where we verified our tickets (using Jim’s I-phone) and then proceeded to reception where we got a key to our cabin. Then to the 7^th deck into Cabin 13. We were delighted to find that the window looked right out over the bow of the ship.

We watched as the seamen detached the ropes from the peer and rolled up the anchor. As dawn broke, we sailed   past the heads of Rhodes and into the open water. We travelled between the shore of Rhodes and the shore of Turkey for a short while and then turned in the direction of the first of six stops we would make today: Chalki, Diafini, Karpathos, Kasos, Anafi and Santorini.

We settled into our cabin and watched as the sea surrounded our ship. It was the calm and deep blue of the Aegean Sea, intensifying as the sun rose in the sky. Beautiful!

I was the first to leave the window and have a nap. Jim had a small breakfast and continued to watch our progress across the sea. Reading, blogging, napping and watching the world of water go by filled the morning. What pleasure it brought.

As lunch time approached, Jim went out and explored the options on the ship. The first appeared to be a formal dining room with table service. As there was no one in the restaurant, Jim’s approach was to go early, get the best window table and linger over our meal. Great plan!! Until we learned upon arrival that the restaurant was not actually going to open today.

Our second effort was somewhat better. We entered the self-serve restaurant with an extensive menu posted on the wall. There were preset tables so we chose two seats at one of those. We were immediately approached by a staff person who made it clear to us that those tables are reserved for crew members. Perhaps we would like to sit at another table. No problem … we selected a table that had a three pane picture window and we pulled the curtains wide open. The salads we had for lunch were fresh and tasty and the scenery was superb. The chef himself came to out to ask if we enjoyed our lunch. Of course, there was further conversation about where we were from and where we are going. People are always impressed when we say we are from Canada. They, correctly, believe that it is a long way away.

Soon, two senior crew members came in and sat at the table next to ours. When their food arrived (no self service for them) it smelled so delicious that I needed to find out what they were eating. Jim went to ask a restaurant worker who did not know but would find out. Eventually the chef came out and told us they were eating an omelette and would we like one. We declined the offer and then he asked if we would like some wine. Well, yes, that would be good, actually. And so a half bottle of wine and two Greek glasses arrived at our table courtesy of the crew seated at the next table. What a hospitable thing to do! We drank it all in tiny Greek glasses. It was not great wine but we would have have shown our appreciation if we had not finished the bottle, would we?

We were nicely settled in for the afternoon when another crew member came by to tell us the restaurant was now closed and we would have to move to the lounge next door. Instead we decided to return to our cabin via the outdoor route. The fresh air, the wind in our hair, the blue of the Aegean Sea are all somewhat magical. Pinch me! Are we really here?

Our cabin is actually very comfortable. It has two beds in one area and, separated by a short wall, a couch, two chairs, a large coffee table, 3 side tables and a small fridge in the area adjacent to the window. That may give you a sense of the size of the cabin. Of course, there is a small bathroom as well. So we have plenty of options of places to sit, nap, read, crochet or look at maps.

It is fascinating to us how many islands exist in this part of the ocean. It is like floating among a submerged mountain range where the tips of the mountains have risen above the sea. Some are quite large and some are so tiny, even a single house would not fit on the land. I think those are a bit scary from a navigational perspective. I also suspect there are many, many peaks that are totally submerged. We are thankful to have a captain who knows his way around.

Fourteen hours may seem like a long ferry ride but it is amazing at how quickly the time has passed. Jim and I never tire of watching out over the water. The vastness of the sea and the fact that it flows all around the world and is a connector for every land mass is truly awesome. I sometimes wonder if a bottle with a message in it could make it all around the world. How would the currents move it? How long would it take?

The announcement just came that the self-serve dining room is once again open for dinner. We are packing up our cabin and effectively moving to the dining area since the ferry is going to arrive at Santorini about the time we will finish our meal. Macaroni and cheese for me tonight (not great) and calamari with pasta for Jim (can he eat that on a diverticulitis diet?) He thinks I am a worrywart and he may be accurate but we do not need a recurrence.

As predicted, as we are finishing our meal, the ferry is entering the port of Santorini. With our luggage in tow, we are leaving the ferry behind. A driver is waiting for us to transport us to our hotel (Hotel Milos) in ……. There we will sleep well and a new day of adventure will begin tomorrow.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Morning began with a lovely breakfast on a porch just outside our room at Mylos Hotel. Traditional European breakfast food filled the table along with an unlimited portion of coffee. And the vista … the vista of pure blue shimmering in the sun. We are high on the mountainside in Firostefani, surrounded by white buildings and blue domes tossed one upon the other all the way to the top of the mountain. Far below is Caldera Sea, created so long ago when this mountain exploded with volcanic force creating passages in the land for the water to flow in.

Stairs plummet down the mountainside, connecting each home or hotel with a passageway meandering ever up or down toward a main street filled with shops and restaurants and tourist facilities. The “main street” outside our hotel is, at most, 2 or 3 metres wide. It gently slopes up toward the main business area of Firostefani where we will find the services we most want today – a car rental agency, a pharmacy, a barber and a laundry. Today is the day to take care of business.

There is a restaurant, To Briki, adjacent to our hotel where we will dine later. It is highly recommended by Trip Advisor and also by Manos, the host of our hotel. Today is its final day of operation for this season so if we want to sample their menu, today is the only opportunity.

Each time we walk out of our room we are astonished by the beauty of the scene before us. This morning, there were several sailboats making their way across the caldera toward the open sea. They looked like tiny dots in a vast blue landscape, sails not yet unfurled, masts like telephone poles awaiting being strung. Much later in the day, the sea was festooned with cruise ships leaving the island. There is no doubt that the cruise industry contributes significantly to the economy of island communities and independent travellers like us are well served by the hotels, restaurants and shops that have remained open so late in the season because the cruises are still landing. All that will change on October 31 or thereabouts when the final ferries leave the islands and the only way to or from is by plane. It is hard to imagine the streets and passageways without the colourful shops and voices from all around the world.

We stopped at To Briki for a light lunch – salad and a pork skewer – as we made our way through the day. Tonight  we had a reservation at a window table for the sunset and a nice meal. We could also have watched the sunset from the window or the porch of our room, but we knew it would be much more pleasant with a glass of wine in our hands. (Well, Jim is sticking to water these days but I did have a nice glass of white wine.) The sun set very quickly behind the clouds that shrouded the horizon in the west. One minute there was a bright red/orange ball of fire alighting the sky; the next minute it had sunk behind the clouds and soon, below the horizon. Dinner followed, served by a wonderful young waiter who was so proud of the restaurant and happy to recommend his favourites from the menu. We were surprised that, although this was their final night to serve, all the menu items were available and freshly made in the kitchen. We again chose two dishes to share, grilled calamari on risotto seasoned with cuttlefish ink (black to the eye and delicious to the palate) and Santorini tomato balls, a mix of tomato, bread, seasonings formed into balls and deep fried. A new taste experience and one we will try to replicate at home.

Dark fell over the sea as we enjoyed our meal. Coffee and orange pie (which looked much more like cake to us) completed a superb meal. Our only regret is that they will not be there tomorrow to serve us more wonderful food.

Back to our room for an early night as we plan the remaining 3 days in Santorini and continue our adventure tomorrow.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Santorini is a beautiful place; all the photos we see in magazines and postcards and on TV are so accurate! White buildings, red cliffs and blue sea.

The sun may be shining brightly today and the villages are sparkling under the bright light but it is remarkably chilly. There is a strong wind blowing across the water. We are both getting our jackets out of the suitcase. This is the chilliest day by far that we have experienced in Greece.

Breakfast on our porch this morning was pleasant for a short time but eventually the wind forced us to go back inside. It was interesting to see the various yachts and many sailboats coming into the protected basin from the open waters. I suspect it is pretty rocky out at sea today. It has until Tuesday to get that out of its system before we take the ferry to Athens.

We are heading out to rent a car (never did get to that yesterday) and explore the nearby town of Fira, the capital of the island. We can tell from the map that it will not be without its challenges because of a significant one way street system and an extensive pedestrian mall right in the heart of the town. Add to that the fact that many roads in Santorini seem to go straight up or straight down; there are very few flat straightaways. Sometimes, the intersections are somewhat level but just as often the parking brake and first gear are your best friends. And, a partner in the passenger seat to watch for oncoming cars, trucks, busses, motorbikes, ATVs, pedestrians, cruise ship groups and last, but not least, cats.

We loaded up our laundry, our computers (the internet service at our hotel is abysmal), our books and our jackets. Yes, it is that chilly. Jim notes that this is his first ‘long sleeve shirt day’. We should also have brought our umbrellas because, contrary to Santorini’s reputation for sun, it poured rain this afternoon.

We dropped our laundry off at a laundromat. The deal there was that the attendant would take care of our laundry for the simple cost of what we would have deposited in the machines. We could pick it up washed, dried and folded at 5 pm. What a deal! (Some of you will recall the laundry experience we had last year in China where the hotel charged us $150.00 for the same service. This was a bargain by comparison!)

We circled the town of Fira twice before we figured out the road system and where to park. We wanted to stroll through the pedestrian area and enjoy the ambience of this island. We finally succeeded in getting there and did, indeed, enjoy a stroll. There was an abundance of shops for tourists that would provide any service or merchandise required. Shoes, hats, clothing, beach gear, tours on land or sea, beauty salons, a book store, pharmacies, car rental agencies, cafes, cafes, cafes, and other eating establishments. We had been given a recommendation by a friend of Iain’s for a particularly good gyros place. At first, we walked right by it and looked at the menus of several others. We finally asked and realized we should have seen it straightaway. Yogi’s Gyros was the shop that was mobbed with customers. The prices were very competitive and the reviews were excellent. Other gyros shops were almost empty but the line-up at Yogi’s was about 25 people in length. Happily, the line moved quite quickly due to the efficiency of the kitchen staff and servers, and the gyros were worth the wait. They were hot, fresh and delicious. We found a table (being more mature aka older than most of the customers may have worked in our favour) and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.

Afterward, while we were looking around the town square, we noticed a shop that intrigued us. Have any of you had a fish pedicure? Well, Jim and I can both say that now we have. Not exactly a pedicure, but we have sat with our feet in tanks populated by small, hungry fish and had them nibble away at the dry skin on our feet. The water was chilly and the fish tickled. But it was overall a pleasant experience – Jim lasted 15 minutes and I had my feet submerged for about 45 minutes. The attendant had forgotten to set my timer. There is nothing more romantic than a photo taken of you and your partner sipping sangria with your feet in separate fish tanks!

Feeling fresh of foot, we continued our tour of the town. Jim had already found a place for a haircut while my feet were still submerged in the fish tank. Now it was my turn … a manicure was in my future. It seemed that about every third shop offered mani/pedi and massage. I finally went into one that looked especially clean and appealing and asked for the next available appointment. We had time for a coffee at a nearby café while we waited and Jim then went off by himself for a while as I settled in for a treatment on my hands. I was very happy with the result. Clean feet and manicured nails all on the same day!!

Having perused Trip Advisor for restaurant reviews, we discovered that one of the top rated restaurants was right next door to the shop where I had my manicure. What good fortune. Although it was early for dinner, we decided to have our meal since we were so close at hand. We are learning to share our meals and be able to sample several items. Tonight we shared a baked feta with chili, oregano and olive oil as well as one of their feature dishes of grilled prawns with rice, salad and pita. Both dishes were absolutely wonderful. Good to the very last morsel. To top off the meal, this restaurant serves a complimentary dessert, some sweet dough balls somewhere between a light timbit and a profiterole topped with honey and chocolate with a scoop of ice cream. Who could resist?

We also took advantage of the excellent wifi at the restaurant and accomplished some tasks that have eluded us at our hotel. Yes, even travellers have to pay the bills at home. We were also able to complete some personal photo books and to post our most recent blog to friends, family and on Facebook. As dark fell and the air acquired a deep chill, we decided it was time to take our leave from this pleasant establishment.

We are now back at our hotel, having navigated the very dark roads of Fira, well peppered with fast moving vehicles, wandering pedestrians and the twists and turns of steep hilly roads. Only one hairpin turn got the better of me. Even then, my friends, first gear and parking brake, quickly got us out of a sticky situation. It was nice finally get ‘home’.

Home … an interesting concept that, over time, I have come to realize is just about anywhere that Jim and I have chosen to be together. Of course, Tatlock Court is truly home but when we are away, we settle in to whatever accommodation has been chosen and find ways of making it our own. We are very compatible travelling companions and enjoy sharing our adventures. We are already looking forward to tomorrow, another day in discovering Santorini. Stay tuned.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Today was the day to explore Santorini beyond the main town of Fira. We headed out of this very long and busy town and eventually found ourselves in the countryside. It was hard to tell whether the brown colour of autumn and vacant fields was what made the countryside seem so desolate. Of course, we could see mountains all around us but there was little apparent vegetation and great walls of rock. As we rounded corners on the road, we were often able to see vistas of the sea, always sparkling and beautiful in the sun. At times, there were vacant fields that may have been cultivated earlier in the season. An occasional household garden had lively green patches of vegetables not yet harvested. And an array of brightly coloured flowers adorned many front yards and fencelines.

It was clear that there was an agricultural component to this island but we were not readily able to discern what it included. More on this would reveal itself as the day progressed.

We left the main road and followed narrow and twisting secondary roads in search of the sea. We knew that there were red and black sand beaches on the main island. We travelled as close to the shoreline as we were able. At times, we were so close that we were happy the sea was calm so waves did not break across the roads. We passed through many beach communities, most of which were tightly tethered for the season. The tavernas were vacant; hotels shuttered; beaches empty; gates and doors were closed and locked. Just as in the town of Fira, businesses thrived in the summer months (April to September) and then gradually closed up shop as the tourist traffic diminished when fall set in. While it was pleasant to drive on the open road and to enjoy the sound and smells of the sea, it also felt a bit desolate and we wondered how the people who remained in the villages survived economically during the four months of winter.

We were occasionally surprised to find one or two people on otherwise deserted beaches. The sun was shining but the air was cool, not ideal circumstances for sunbathing. But, you know, these tourists will do anything to sport a little colour when they return home. Infrequently, we observed someone getting into the water or, more accurately described, someone who was gingerly inching their way into the ripples of the waves as they broke on the shore. There was a woman who was in as far as her waist but that was all. The only person we saw who was fully in the water was well equipped for the occasion. She was wearing a full wetsuit with a large kite to help propel her across the water. She was clearly very fit for she was able to move at tremendous speed across large distances and manipulate the kite to change direction to bring her closer to shore again. We watched her for a long time.

We were driving between the airport and the sea in, probably, the flattest stretch of land anywhere on Santorini. Of course, the runway was built to maximize its length in a location that airplanes could safely land. Let us say now unequivocally that on this particular Sunday in October, no planes came or went on that runway in the several hours we were nearby. More evidence that tourist season has waned on this island.

We did find a village, Monolithos, that was very lively. Several shops along the main street were open and there were people walking, motorbikes buzzing and cars meandering here and there. The main event seemed to be at the Orthodox church at the edge of town. A festival of some sort was just getting underway. The church yard was festooned with bouquets of red, white and blue balloons. A large crowd of people had gathered although none had yet entered the church. There was an official photographer on site with a large camera, taking photos of various groups of people. Food and beverages held centre stage on beautifully decorated tables. In our explorations of this village, we passed by the church several times but there was never any further evidence of the cause for this celebration.

The reason we passed by the church so often was that we were attempting to reach the beach. Every road we chose was either a dead end or one way going the wrong way. We could not find a road that led to the beach. We would circle back around and try again with the same result. Finally, we did find a large parking lot across from the beach. Beside the parking lot was a broad, shaded promenade that paralleled the beach itself. Although there were no specific signs, it was apparent immediately that this was a pedestrian walkway and no cars were allowed to cross it or to drive along it. So, our question was answered … there is no way to get to the beach by car. We parked and walked the very short distance to the beach.

This beach was one a several on Santorini that are called black sand beaches. And it was indeed black sand. As a result of the volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, lave had flowed and hardened right down into the sea. Over time, of course, it has eroded and disintegrated due to wind and weather so that now there are several beaches that have the finest black sand on the beach. When a wave breaks at the water’s edge, the black sand is picked up by the wave and swirled about in the water. It was pretty cool to watch.

Moving on from that beach, we began to climb higher on the side of a mountain. At the top of the mountain was the village of Ancient Thira which was waiting to be explored. Afterward, we would descend the mountain on the other side and begin to head back to our hotel. What the map did not tell us was just how steep and narrow the road to the top would be. And that there were at least 20 hairpin turns, most of them blind. And that along much of the way there were no guard rails or places to turn around. Once on this route, you were committed to reach the top. Oh … and did I mention that much of the road was built as a 20% slope? It was white knuckle driving at its best. (Anything less than your best may have ended in dire tragedy.) Occasionally we would meet a vehicle driving down and carefully inch our way passed one another, both pressing our lips and gritting our teeth. And when we arrived at the top, there was an ancient ruin … but there was also no road down the opposite side of the mountain. We had to turn around and drive right back down the very long, winding and steep road that we have already driven. Yikes!!!

We did make one more stop along our route home. Santorini has created an expansive wine industry. Three types of grapes are grown on the island and processed into wine. Several varieties are available ranging from very dry white to a very sweet red including a wine that is similar in taste to Niagara Late Harvest Riesling during which the grapes are sundried for 18 days, pressed and aged in oak barrels for 18 years.

We stopped at Argyros Estate Winery to sample some of their products. After the tour group left, we were the only visitors to the winery. Perhaps that led to some generosity on the part of the staff because our choice of a flight of five wines became a flight of eight. Jim and I were sharing since I was also driving. Along with the wine samples, they offered a cheese and biscuit plate for 5 euros. The cheeses (all Greek) on the plate were paired with the wines being tasted. We really enjoyed the whole experience, especially the rich blue cheese served with the late harvest wine. We loved the idea of the wine and cheese pairings as part of the sampling process. Interestingly, as a part of the cheese platter, there was a small dish of pure tomato paste made from cherry tomatoes grown on the island. At home, we usually use tomato paste as a component of a more complex recipe. I am not sure we have ever tasted it as a food itself and we have certainly have never used it as a dip. We really enjoyed it as a taste on crispy breadsticks. The vineyards owned by this particular winery produce all the grapes they use in their wine.

As an after note, we now can see that many of the rugged looking fields around the island are actually grape vines that have become dormant for the winter. Grapes are not actually grown on vines in Santorini. Rather, the grape plants look a lot more like berry bushes, each growing independently from the rest and not strung together along a line. Once the grapes are harvested the leaves on the bushes turn a very drab brown and the branches seem to droop to the ground. They do look quite dead to the uninformed eye.

We still wonder about the cheese. We know some of it made locally but we have not seen enough cows to produce milk for the island to drink, let alone manufacture cheese. We have seen many, many horses, quite a few donkeys, a few chickens, some sheep but very few cows. Where, oh where are the cows?

After the experience of the mountain road followed by the wine tasting, there was really no where else to go but home. Our hotel never looked so good. We arrived in time for sunset which we enjoyed before collapsing onto our bed. After a short reprieve, we chose a nearby restaurant, Vanilia’s, for dinner. Again, we enjoyed superb food, beautifully presented. The highlights tonight were truffle pie which contained cheese seasoned with truffle oil, beetroot salad, and a pork gyros with rice, not pita. Jim had veal liver which was so soft and tender he did not need a knife. Our table server had great difficulty understanding why I would want rice rather than pita. Rice with lemon accompanied the chicken gyros but the pork gyros came with pita. When I asked if I could simply switch the type of gyros, he replied that the chef would be unwilling to serve the rice with lemon with a pork gyros because lemon was not an accompaniment for pork. In the end, I had to accept the pita with the pork gyros and order a rice pilaf on the side. A funny story to us and a lovely way to end another wonderful day.

Monday, October 30, 2017

What happened to the time? Unknown to us, the clocks changed by one hour at 4 am on Sunday morning. We never noticed at all until we were back in our room Sunday night. Somehow, it never occurred to us that Greece would have Daylight Savings Time. Another symbol that summer has truly come to an end.

What that meant for us was that in order to maximize the number of daylight hours, we would have to get up and going an hour earlier than usual. I have to admit, we have been leisurely in the mornings. Sleeping until we awaken (no alarm) and enjoying breakfast served on our porch overlooking the caldera has been a very pleasant pattern here in Santorini. But today was our final day on the island and we still had many places we wanted to visit. Also, we have been commissioned by our five year old grandson to gather some black sand and some red sand to bring home with us. A priority for sure!

So we set off in another direction this morning to visit part of the island that we can see from our hotel and creates another large piece of the caldera. It has villages high in the mountains, luminous in the sun with their bright white buildings as well as a couple of small ports along the coastline.

We travelled through some of the high villages first, main streets tidy and colourful with merchandise, yet cluttered with cars, motorbikes, ATV’s, busses, delivery vehicles and pedestrians. I know I have written a similar list before but this one serves as a reminder that driving here is hard work. Attentiveness is the only thing that keeps you from crashing into something, a brick wall perhaps, or a protruding fenceline, or a texting teen (yes, they are here as well), or a parked car on a narrow stretch of road, or a vehicle that considers the stop sign a mere suggestion. The list goes on and on!! As pretty as some of the villages are, it is always a relief to get back out into the countryside.

Our next destination was Red Beach. It is clearly a popular stop on bus trips as many, many busses travelled the road with us. At the end of the road was a parking lot with a walking path to Red Beach, a further kilometer up the track. Up is the operative word because the path climbs high to go beyond a cliff before it descends to the sea. I was very happy to read my book rather than hike the trail and even Jim, after a bit more exploration, decided that a red rock from this side of the hill would probably look the same as one from the other side of the hill. There was no red sand to be seen anywhere.

This may be a good place to describe the rock cuts that we have seen, both those created through construction projects but also those cuts created by the long ago volcano or more recent landslides. The mountains on Santorini have many different kinds of rock and minerals embedded into them. These often show up as layers of different colours – a strong red layer dominates, a white layer of soft rock is where the caves are often found and, of course, the more typical gray/black streaks that form the bulk of the mountain. At various times of the day, depending on the sun, each of the colours can appear to be the dominant colour in the rock.

Leaving Red Beach, we stopped at a nearby taverna for a beverage. It was in a beautiful setting overlooking both landscape and the sea. Once again, the water sparkled under the bright sun, creating a glorious sight. While we were there, the proprietor was prepping some cherry tomatoes. She laid them all out on a tray, salted them liberally and then placed them in the bright sunshine. Even in a few short minutes, the tomatoes began to change shape and lose their fluid. Within a few hours or days, those luscious looking cherry tomatoes would become very tasty dried tomatoes. Our experience here has been that dried tomatoes are chopped into little bits and added to a recipe such as a stew, soup or salad. We have not seen them served whole or in large pieces anywhere.

We drove a little further down the road to our next destination, the prehistoric town of Akrotiri, founded by the Minoans from Crete, and now a national historic site. This is a town that was entirely buried by volcanic ash and lava, similarly to Pompeii, about 3500 years ago. Since 1967, about 40 stores, warehouses and houses lining the main street have now been excavated and enclosed in a cool protective structure with wooden walkways allowing you to pass through various parts of the city. However, most of the town still lies buried beneath the rock. The Minoans astonishingly had developed a waterborne sewage disposal system, and it is believed, also a piped water supply, more than 35 centuries ago. The activities of the townspeople, which included weaving, are not as well understood as the structures, in part because unlike Pompeii, no human remains have been found in this village. It seems apparent that the town’s population had enough warning that they all left. What happened after that is a mystery.

We left Akrotiri and drove in search of a black beach. We arrived in the delightful village of Perissa, situated right on the sea. We were surprised by the number of people who were there, many sunbathing in the shelter of a rock cliff, several truly frolicking in the water. We chose a tavern with a beachfront for our lunch and settled into an idyllic scene of deep blue seawater rippling onto a truly black beach with the tide approaching the palm leaf umbrellas with each subsequent wave. We ordered a fish soup and bread to share. The soup was delicious and loaded with fish. The bread was fresh. A brilliant combination. Jim enjoyed a beer with lunch while I stuck with water. Before we left, Jim scooped up a small container of black sand to take home to Edward.

Earlier in the day, we had seen a brown historical sign pointing in the direction of a historical tomato factory. As we retraced our steps along that road, the sign came into view again. This time, driven by curiosity and new knowledge that tomatoes were a major agricultural crop in Santorini. We drove and drove and drove, only occasionally bolstered by another sign confirming we were going in the right direction. Finally, we arrived at a stop sign, an unnamed corner. Puzzled, we looked around and there, on the right, was indeed a tomato museum. We parked the car and went into the site. As senior citizens, we were offered a discounted entry and we were served a delighted piece of crispbread topped with some Santorini tomato paste. Yum! So in we went … back almost a hundred years when the fields in this region were red with tomatoes growing and farmers would line up for hours to get their crops weighed and sell them to the processing plant which canned tomatoes and made tomato paste. One interesting fact is that each farmer waited until his own tomatoes were pressed and then retrieved the seeds from his own fruit for planting next year’s crop. Old equipment demonstrated how the tomatoes were processed and canned. When the plant shut down operations for the winter, a new production line took over. The tomato workers spent the winter months making the cans that would be used for the tomatoes the following year. Sheets of tin were imported to facilitate this and provide year round employment for the men. It was an interesting museum after all.

Upon leaving the museum, we spied a gateway to the sea once again. Ever curious, we drove through and found ourselves at a very busy fishing port. Nets were piled on the piers; boats were bobbing in the water; men were polishing, painting, refurbishing, and mending equipment and nets. We drove along the pier and found a lively tavern but resisted the temptation to go in. We were interested mainly in an alternative route into town and tried the upward dirt trail that a truck had just come down. It was an interesting ride up … narrow road, sea on the right, loose sand under the wheels … and when we got to the top, we found ourselves in a fenced field with no way out but to go back down the same trail. Enough exploring for today …

The day was wearing on and soon the sun would be setting. Time to head back to our home away from home. We decided for this final sunset, we would go to Oia, one town beyond ours and described as the most beautiful sunset vista in the world. Sadly, by the time we got there, a low lying cloud cover had moved in and the sunset was not particularly spectacular. Alas, we turned tail and went back to our hotel. Jim returned the rental vehicle to Tony (the fellow who runs the rental agency) and we happily settled into our room one last time. Packing was our priority as we were leaving at 6 am on Tuesday to take the ferry all the way to Athens (12 hours).

A while later, we again went out for dinner. We use Trip Advisor extensively when planning our trips. We have found it very helpful in organizing guides, finding accommodation, and selecting restaurants. Each restaurant  where we have eaten dinner in Santorini has come from Trip Advisor and they have all been within 100 metres of our hotel. Casa di Te, tonight’s choice, was exceptional. Jim had a mixed mushroom risotto, soft, moist, flavourful with a mix of many varieties of mushrooms. Mouth watering to be sure. My choice tonight was a shellfish spaghetti dish. I asked if I could substitute linguini for spaghetti and the response was, “But of course, madame”. Jim and I simply smiled at one another as we silently recalled my request of the previous night.  The shellfish on my linguini all came in the original shells and included mussels and clams as well as one very large and tasty scallop right on top. The linguine was cooked to perfection and tossed in a light olive oil with herbs. Heavenly! A sponge cake soaked in honey was served as a complementary dessert. We were almost too full to eat it … almost!

And so, this is the end of our time in Santorini, an island that many have described as the most beautiful in the world. It is stunning but what we discovered is that it also has an interesting history and culture beyond the cobbled footpaths and the beautiful sunsets. We are glad we were able to spend some rich time here.