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Published: August 8th 2021
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Leaving Paros on the way back to Santorini for another 2 days before our flight back to Tel Aviv, I was happy to have one final glimpse of lovely Naxos when we stopped briefly in the port.
The heatwave had also followed us back to Santorini and we were surprised that after barely 2 weeks, there were a lot more people. We decided not to hire a car and to stay around our hotel. We also had to start thinking about covid again, to get a PCR test and to fill in some online forms.
We stayed in Fira this time at a 3-star hotel behind the town, facing the sunrise. It was old and very basic and the room we chose faced the street with a lot of noise from passing bikes. (The ATVs are a very popular means of transport around the islands but so noisy – and dangerous. We unfortunately saw an accident on the way home at the beginning of our holiday but it didn't involve an ATV. A rental car had collided with a truck and overturned. The rescue workers were all around but as we drove past, we clearly saw all the passengers
hanging upside down by their seatbelts. I looked for information after because I couldn't get the terrible image out of my mind but I didn't find any. I hope the seatbelts saved them.) But we really enjoyed our short stay there because of the price, the comfortable beds, the big room, the extremely nice staff, the view of the sunrise, the complimentary breakfast and the swimming pool where we spent nearly the whole day.
One of the first things we had to do was get a PCR test. In the heat of the day, I was happy to see that the clinic wasn't far from where we were staying. The hotel receptionist drew us a little map and explained that it is only 5 minutes up the road from the hotel. At the same time she drew another suggested walking route, up steep stairs at the back of the hotel that lead to the caldera. So what do you think we did? I admit, we don't listen. We climbed those stairs and 15 minutes later google maps was still showing us 20 minutes remaining and trying to get us to go back the way we came. But we were
smarter, we went round instead, and thereby turned a 5 minute walk into a 60 minute hike.
Arriving at the clinic, we looked like we had a bad case of covid but luckily the test results the next day were negative. In the evening we walked in the right direction past the clinic and then a much shorter steep road and some stairs to get to the caldera. Fira has a wonderful view over the caldera and it seems like there is less people because unlike in Oia, there are open views and not every centimetre has a cafe or restaurant or shop or hotel or roped off area blocking the view.
Santorini has a lot of churches and Fira seemed to have more than the other villages. Our hotel was surrounded by them and it even looked like there was one attached to the roof. The next day I took my camera and walked up the stairs at the back again to try and capture some of the village views and architecture but I was defeated by the heat and at 10 in the morning the sun was already too bright for good photos. Spent the rest
of the day by the pool, a much better choice.
On our last evening we walked up to the caldera to watch one last sunset and then went to a nice restaurant. This was the only time we checked before we ate and it was one of the best, if not the best meal, we had during this holiday. There's a lot to say about being prepared and we should do it more often. It was a full moon and we could see it through the window. The restaurant is called Kokkalo.
We had to tackle the steps once again, going down this time and in the dark for a change. We'd had a few drinks so were proud of ourselves when we immediately found the right path and navigated the stairs without problems until we hit a locked gate. The wrong path, after all. We had to go up again and look for another path with the moon being the only source of light. First the Greeks feed you enormous amounts of food and then they build their houses up the side of steep cliffs so you spend all your time walking it off! Yet another example
of "Beware of Greeks baring gifts." But maybe it is a gift and a sort of miracle too because after all that gluttony my husband lost 2 kilos and I "only" put on one kilo!
After one final sunrise (and no packed breakfast because we were busying navigating stairs in the dark and got back long after reception closed) we made our way to the airport, completely satisfied by our nice long holiday. Not at all! I so wished we were taking the ferry to Crete for another week or two. Maybe we could just sail on forever from one island to another -- it's possible, there are so many of them. At least we can come back in the autumn! (maybe -- that damn Covid is still playing havoc).
Update: It's August 1st now and the Covid situation is continually changing and evolving. Many countries have moved on to the red list and Greece is now high amber and moving toward red. An Instagram friend writing just 2 weeks after we were in Greece, said that the quarantine hotels in Paros for tourists that have tested positive are completely full-up. Many places have instituted restrictions again and
Australia and New Zealand are like open-air prisons. Nobody can leave and they are not even letting their own citizens that are stranded overseas back in. Scandalous! I think it must be illegal to abandon your nationals. However, if you are rich enough, you will be allowed in and even be able to buy residency -- it costs $10 million dollars in NZ. Here in Israel, we got our vaccinations back in January. They were valid till July and now have been extended to the end of the year. But now they want us to have a booster too.
We have virtually welcomed our first grandchild over in Melbourne, Australia. We hope we will be able to meet him while he is still a baby, that it will be possible to enter Australia soon, that I won't have to take a loan to be able to afford the ticket, and that I won't have to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel. Lot of ifs here. Looking like it might be a long time yet.
Latest Update: Just a week on from when I wrote this and Greece is on fire! Athens is surrounded by fires and many
other places are also burning, including the Peloponnese (in an area where I don't remember many trees). It is a catastrophe. Also in Turkey. Terrible things are happening to our planet. Surely now, there must be big changes?
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