The Sun the Moon and Santorini

The cliffs of Santorini
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A slow ferry took Elisabeth and myself to the island of Santorini.  You all know images of this island.  It is the picture postcard most repeated.  A blue domed church with belltower set against an impossibly blue sky.  A cliffside of whitewashed buildings and an impossibly blue sea as backdrop.

We took a room with a kitchenette in Perissa which is the far south end of the island.  From one end to the other is a drive of about 45 minutes.  That is if you don't stop at any wineries for a taste of the local stuff.

Landing in Santorini
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The island is covered with grape vines which are grown close to the ground.  The local drink made from the grape is dry and fresh.

In the morning we moved to the youth hostel paying 11euro for a dorm room bed.  We ended up with the room to ourselves.  The only drawback was no towel or blanket supplied.

We spent the morning with coffee on the black sand beach served by an Aussie fellow.  Perissa is a party town where a lot of backpackers have made a temporary home finding work in the restaurants.  We had a Brit, two Aussies and an American serving us in this town.

The morning on the beach at Perissa
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The sand was very small pebbles and felt like a natural massage.  There were fellows offering massage on the beach for 60 euro.  More than I wanted to spend.

We rented another car (do I ever learn!)  and zipped around the island stopping to see the red beach - white bodies against a rust colored cliff.  We drove out to the lighthouse and through the town of Fira.  We had the best lunch in a roadside place with blue checkered tablecloths.  It was Greek comfort food and we did take comfort in our happy bellies.

The second rental car from the best restaurant
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The end of the road is Oia.  This is the quintessential Greek postcard town.  The pictures tell the story.  The backstory is the place is packed with busloads of us tourists all seeking the same photo.  The charm of the place includes the dogs.  They are happy creatures well tended and plop down where they please leaving the tourist to step over or around.  They also leave little scented presents for the unwary tourist to carry with them as a potpourri on the bottom of the shoe.

fishing boat
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We had the exceptional treat of being in Oia for a full moon.  Just imagine sitting in a very expensive terrace cafe with the wind blowing and the sun setting.  Then walking along the pedestrian lane at the top ridge of the town, turning a corner and there illuminating the town of Fira and the water between is a full moon.