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Old man on a 4-wheeler
Here I am on our 4-wheeler, ready to hit the road.After walking about a mile to get 2 capuccinos for breakfast, I asked Poppy to call for the 4-wheeler. About 10 minutes later, I was getting the low down on 4-wheelers, then went back to pick up Manoli. We headed out about 9:30am... two old folks on a 4-wheeler! Along the way, we stopped at the Santos Winery just outside Pyrgos and took the tour. Very interesting and only 3 Euros for both of us. We also sampled some Vinsantos, their best wine. Yum! I actually liked it and usually dislike wine. We arrived at Pyrgos and against my better judgement, decided to ride up to the Prophet Ilias Monastery. Being on the top of the highest hill on Santorini (over 1,800 feet), it was quite a ride. Unfortunately, we found it was closed! Oh well, great view at least. The ride back down was a bit better, so we stopped at Pyrgos and had lunch at Mythos Grill House. One gyro each @ 2 Euros and a small plate of eggplant dip @ 3 Euros. Everything was very good, but I was already missing the fried tomato balls. After lunch, we decided to check out the beaches of Kamari and
Santos Winery
A view of the sampling area of Santos Winery near Pyrgos. Perissa. The black sand of Kamari (and Perissa) was weird. Eventhough it was a bit cool, a good number of people were swimming and sunbathing. Manoli actually had to point out that some women were topless. I must be getting old, since I hadn't noticed... until she told me. Anyways, we drove around the town a bit and found out that where we had been wasn't the main beach. The main beach area was lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, and I didn't notice a single topless sunbather... female. Next, we went looking for the site of ancient Thira and found it, at 2:10pm, only to realize they closed at 2pm. So, we headed up and around the cliff/giant rock between Kamira and Perissa to see it's beach. Perissa beach is much more touristy and after a stroll and capuccinos, we decided to check out Akrotiri, the main ruins on Santorini, eventhough we'd already heard that it was closed for more excavating. Akrotiri is the ancient town they discovered on the island, that was buried when the island erupted in 1500BC. Picture Pompeii without any bodies. Apparently, the residents were warned in time and beat feet. Some folks believe the
Prophet Ilias Monastery
From the streets of Pyrgos, you can see the monastery at the top. island, of which Santorini is the biggest leftover part, was the site of Atlantis. Anways, we arrived at the site, but couldn't see anything thru the closed gate. Instead, we went looking for the red sand beach on the signs. We almost missed it until we decided to walk up a path at the end of the road. Apparently, the red sand beach is quite secluded with no bars or buildings at all and can only be reached by this long path on foot. From the summit of the path, we looked down into a secluded little bay, made I believe when a giant chunk of the cliff collapsed. Believe me, the sand is red, as well as the cliff above. By this time, it was getting late and we wanted to be in Oia (Ia) for the famous sunset. Heading back across the island, we stopped at a super market to buy crackers, meats, cheeses, and olives to eat for dinner while we watched the sunset. Again, "the best laid plans..." Arriving at the hotel, we grabbed a couple of beach towels in case it was cold, and headd to Oia. Poppy told us to take the high road,
Prophet Ilias Monastery Entrance
The entrance to the monastery...closed. but I made a wrong turn onto the long road. We made it in plenty of time though. It turned out I was glad we took the wrong road, since we noticed the right one... waaay up th side of the hill (say cliff) threading its way along the edge of a 1,000 foot dropoff. We returned the long way! Oia was just as quaint and touristy as Fira and the crowd was already gathering along the edge of the cliff for the spectacular sunset. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that spectacular, this night anyways. Since it was getting chilly and there was little or no place to dine al fresco with any privacy, we went back to our hotel to eat. I had a bit of a race with another 4-wheeler along the way... I won! He went up the hills faster, but I took the turns faster. Tomorrow will be a down day with a long stroll and shopping around Fira, leaving the boat tour for tomorrow. Maybe I can get caught up here.
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