Santorini - Day 4

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We were going to take the boat tour today out to the cone, hot springs, and Thirassia Island, but the day seemed a bit cool, so we ended up taking another "down" day, if you can call hiking 6 or 8 miles a down day. We walked down from the hotel to Karterados Beach, basically a short strip of black sand with two cafes/taverns, and few people. By the time we'd walked to Monolithos, it had warmed up a bit. Monolithos has a bit fancier beach, with beach umbrellas, a couple of cafes, and a number of vacation homes. We thought about taking a bus back to Fira, but one didn't come along and I noticed a sign for the airport so we walked the mile or two there and had drinks at a cafe next to it. The Santorini Airport is small, but modern. The strange thing is that most of the flights are to or from Germany or Athens. Eventhough Crete is closer than Athens, there are NO flights to or from Crete. After sitting at the bus stop for a while, I asked about the next bus to Fira and was told "sometimes" and "not often", so we decided to walk some more... another mile or two to Mesaria, where we ate gyros for lunch at the Eva Tavern for about 6 Euros. Another mile or two and we arrive back at our hotel for a break. In the afternoon, we walked up to Fira and bought our tickets to Crete for Friday evening on the Hellanic Seaways Flying Cat, a high-speed catamaran. It costs 33 Euros each and takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach Iraklio/Heraklion, Crete. Afterwards, we climbed all the way up to Imerovigli, the next town above Firastephani. Great views! Before starting the climb back down to Fira, we had coffee and a coke at the Estia Cafe and Snack Bar. Great coffee and friendly service. After walking down to Fira and shopping a bit, we ate dinner at a tavern in Fira with a rooftop terrace where Manoli had flat fish and rice that she thought was ok, but not very fishy, and I had mousaka ... again. Good food, good service, and 22 Euros with drinks. Afterwards, back to the hotel..tomorrow is our boat tour.

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Photos

Karterados Beach
A view of Karterados Beach...not really crowded.

Monolithos Beach
Monolithos is a bit nicer than Karterados Beach, but probably more crowded... in the summertime.

Eva Tavern
Eva Tavern in Mesaria.

Imerovigli
A view of Imerovigli from Fira.

Estias Cafe and Snack Bar
Estias Cafe and Snack Bar in Imerovigli. Very friendly.

Dinner overlooking the caldera
The rooftop tavern where we ate lunch.