Sunday May 6, Santorini

Sunday, May 6

Today is a free day, but Emmie has arranged a bus to the town of Oia at 1:00 this afternoon.

We relax this morning and then set out to do some more exploration.  As expected, once you get out of the main tourist area, things are a bit drearier, with small businesses like auto repair shops, furniture shops, etc.  Greg walks quite a way to get a close up photo of some of the unique vineyards.

There are many many boutique hotels along the cliffs. Some of the older places are partially built into the cliffs and there are some cave houses that were dug out of the volcanic rock.  These are primo spots now because of their history and because they are no longer allowed to be built.  People pay a lot, Emmie says, to sleep in one.  They were  usually one or two rooms  that were cooler in Summer and warm in Winter.

We stop at Triana Restaurant and try the white eggplant that the island is known for, along with a mussel dish and some wine. Here you can see the paper table covering with a map of the island. We try to have something different each time we eat out, although we have repeated on the Greek salad and lamb a few times. This was very good.

The bus picks us up at a parking lot just down the street.  Emmie talks about a street called October 28th.  This is the day that Greece said "no" to the Italian forces that asked Greece to surrender and support Italy in WWII.   After the war, when the Marshall Plan was rebuilding Europe, Greece was plunged into a Civil War with right vs. left and by the mid to late 1950's many disgruntled people left Greece for Charlotte, NC, Toronto, Florida and other destinations. The country was devastated and had many delays in development.

We arrive in Oia and things are relatively calm for the first hour or so.  Beautiful town similar to Fira, with great views of the caldera.

 Emmie shows us a few good photo spots, then we are on our own for a few hours.  Several photo shoots going on with Asian brides in red.

 We end up walking a bit with Steve and Eddie.  They are getting ready to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and are trying to decide how to celebrate with their family.

 This dog didn't mind photo bombing.

Here is a daycare center.  We don't see a lot of small children, but many teens.

When we meet up to go back to Fira, Emmie treats us each to a sinful chocolate truffle. That should take care of my chocolate craving for a while!

 Back in Fira, we head up to town for sunset, but it is no go again as the clouds and mist have rolled in and it is quite windy and cold.

 These folks walked by, singing and dancing an advertisement for a theatrical show later tonight called A Greek Wedding.  With our early rising and full days, we can't stay up that late!