Life in the Greek Isles

Since my last update, I have spent my "Spring Break" in the Cycladic isles of Greece. First was Tinos, where it was windy and rained about half the time I was there. However, they generally don't get much rain so it was good for the island but too bad for us. While on Tinos I saw the pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Tinos which houses a special old icon of Mary. There was also a bus tour of the island which included two small villages that we toured and ate lunch in. In one our group doubled the population just by entering. At this place we saw a basket weaver and viewed the terrain which looks like the possible surface of the moon with all its round stones just sitting on the landscape. Tinos is also the island for marble which is used everywhere on the island and also shipped to other places.

From leaving Tinos on another windy day, we got the last ferry off the island due to weather conditions and went to Mykonos. Mykonos is definitly a tourist destination. When we first arrived on a Sunday, the shops were mostly closed and the wind howled through the streets. The Harmon Hotel where we stayed was very nice with a fabulous view of the port and great breakfasts. While exploring we ran into some windmills and took pictures and went down to the waves crashing against the shore and spraying water everywhere. Dinner the first night consisted of going to a local taverna and having some traditional Greek food. The next days were nicer weather conditions with sun shine. These days were spent going around town, shopping in the stores that were now open because tourist season had just started with the first tour boat coming into port. One morning, we went out to the island of Delos which is a protected archaeological site of the Hellenistic treasury. I did enjoy Mykonos, yet I could have done without the very obvious tourists would had little respect for the culture and wanted to be catered to.

The next and final stop on the island adventure was Santorini. We had to charter a boat to Paros because there wasn't a direct ferry at the time we needed it from Mykonos to Santorini. However once we reached Santorini it was rainy and windy, which seems to be a theme these last few days. We just had the afternoon, at which time I went out to take some pictures and find something to eat for dinner. The next day arrived with a shopping time in the morning, followed by a sail out to the volcanic islands in the center of the caldera. I should mention that we stayed in Fira and had a hotel on the cliff over looking the caldera (volcanic crater that is now filled in with sea). We went around the island to the spot where the hot springs are located. The boat stopped and whoever wanted could jump off and swim to the hot springs. Of course I had to do it because how often can you say that you swam in hot springs in the Aegean Sea. The springs were sulfur and made the water reddish. The water itself was very cold, but it was all worth it! A short distance away, we got off the boat and climbed to the top of an active volcano! I saw the vents and the sulfuric steam rising from the rocks. It was truly something to remember. After getting back on the boat, we went to the the town of Oai and had to climb up the cliff path (very steep!) to get there. This is the place with the supposedly most beautiful sunsets in the world. Maybe somewhat unfortunate, there weren't any clouds to create color, but it was pretty none the less. The next day included taking a bus down to some black sand beaches, which were amazing. I just walked on the beach and enjoyed the waves lapping up on the shore. The night was perfect with a fancy dinner out and the next morning was an early one with a departure at 6:00 in the morning to catch a flight out of Santorini to end the time in the islands and move on to another exciting part of the journey, to Turkey!!

---

---