Santorini, Greece July 26

Today is Santorini. The city is perched on the top of an island made by volcanic eruptions. The entire island is black topped with the white of the town. Our boat is anchored so we have to tender which although not as convenient as stepping right onto shore from the ship it is a whole lot more interesting. The charm of this could certainly wear off, I’m sure, but for now, I’ll take it.
It is certainly a hot one again today. Where is Hades exactly? Maybe it is on
(or under) Santorini. The temperatures are predicted to be around 35 and later they are estimated at 39 degrees. Our tour today is to a crater of a volcano that is not really active. The last time it was active was about 50 years ago. It is a huge hike to the top. We are told by the tour information that it is for very physically fit people and they are right I don’t exactly consider myself very fit, but I’d say very was the best way to describe it. It was uphill most of the way and very steep. The tour documents suggested closed toed shoes which were definitely required.

This volcano was a bit anticlimactic as it was hardly active at all; there were a few steam spots, but hardly anything dramatic. However it is extremely HOT. It is extremely hot and extremely humid. After the volcano is a stop at some hot springs. I can’t actually say how hot these are, as we opt for staying on the boat for a beer. I’m guessing they are similar to the temps of our natural hot springs.

The tour ends at a winery where we sample some Greek wines and try some olives and cheese. The olives are terrific!

We decide to have lunch in town and share a gyro which is doner meat (different from ours…it seems like actual meat that has been shaved), a couple of pitas, tomato slices and tzatziki sauce. The tzatizki sauce it divine! I happen to love tzatizki and this is probably the best I have ever had; it is thick and garlicky and fantastic.

Because Santorini is way at the top of the island to get from the bottom to the top is either a long hike made treacherous by donkey droppings along the way, riding the actual donkey down or taking a cable car. We opt for the 2 minute cable car ride.