Before we begin a description of today’s activities let’s review this island, both geographically and culturally.
Geographically, it is astounding. It is a caldera, that is, an old volcano that blew its center out leaving the crater rim intact. The crater is about 15 miles across and full of the sea.
The crater walls on the inside are near vertical and composed of bands of volcanic rock, very much like the bands on any composite volcanic cone like Rainier or St. Helens. The big difference between our composite cones and this one is the human habitations clinging to the top of the volcano rim. This is what happens when incredible natural phenomena such as this is not protected from the ravages of capitalism.
Trinket shop after trinket shop. Narrow streets crammed with gelato vendors, jewelry, souvenirs, restaurants, shoes, clothing, etc. It is all quaint and charming, well tended and clean, painted blindingly white in the bright sun. We are lucky to be here when the crowds are not. We cannot image what it must be like when in full season.
It isn’t just the volcanic rim that is developed in this manner. The gently sloping outer side of the volcano is a mass of roads and habitations and businesses. Ants on a ant hill, all scurrying about on important errands.
Is it the nature of the Greeks or the lack of tourists that making them so kind? Everyone we meet is friendly and helpful. Beyond just a welcoming smile and chit chat.
They recognize us when we return to their shop. They invite us behind the counter to show us extra details, they spend extra time interpreting some Greek texts, they engage in philosophical conversations (I guess philosophy and Greeks go together) Even something as simple as asking to use their bathroom as we walk by has created a pleasant encounter.
Our hotel is on the sloping side of the volcano, about 3/4 of a mile from the center of Thera. We have a “filtered”view of the Aegean Sea from the balcony out back.
The WiFi is fast, that’s good, but because the walls are concrete we don’t get it in our room. In the bathroom we get one or two bars, in the main room none. Just outside is a large deck (we are on the second floor). It has a table and wrought iron chairs. Here we get a full four bars and 75mb/s speed. The deck has a marble floor and very clean and bright. It has sun all day and begins to get shady about 6:00pm. We come out here to relax and gather information from the Internet.
What is the vibe like on the island? Think of Long Beach or any other beach community where vacation and recreational entertainment are the primary goals. Times 1000. The specialties of the island seem to be ATV rentals and sunsets. There are ATV rental lots everywhere. Of course, with few tourists here most of the ATVs and mopeds are sitting on the lots, yet there are still a surprising number of them on the roads. Santorini is not known for its beaches, although there are 5 of them, well developed with wall to wall hotels, restaurants, trinket shops and ice cream stands you’d expect on a beach. The beaches themselves are replete with the forests of rental umbrellas and lounge chairs you’d expect. The roads are very busy. We can’t imagine what it is like when during the high season. It took us a full 5 minutes to cross the road in front of our hotel this morning to get to the bakery and sidewalk on the other side. The Greeks do not stop for pedestrians, crosswalk or no, so you have to be fleet of foot and dodge across the road when you can find a momentary break in the traffic.
Today, our plan is to hike from our hotel to the far north end of the island, a distance of about 7.5 miles right on the lip of the crater. Don’t worry, there is a paved trail the entire way. The first 4 miles is through a sea of hotels, restaurants, trinket shops and the like, the last half more open with the occasional hotel until we reach Oia (pronounced EEE-uh-the O is silent) a very high end town on the end of the peninsula.
We have been sleeping very well one night, then not so well the next as we adjust our internal clocks. But, we have been doing it out of sync with each other. Last night was my night of great sleep. Sally didn’t fall asleep till after 2. We were going to get up early this morning and hit the hike before the heat, but with a high of only 70 predicted and a good breeze blowing, I didn’t wake her until 9:00am. We had purchased half a dozen eggs at the market in Athens and boiled them in our apartment there. We had two for breakfast this morning, along with some oranges we had brought with us and a slice of bread. With a pack on my back filled with sun cream, light jackets, water, our last Cosmic Crisp apple from home, a small brick of cheese and some crackers, we headed up the hill to Thera (alternately spelled Fira, Phera and others).
This is a beautiful walk, not through nature as we think of it with rocks and birds and animals, but through whitewashed high end hotels and restaurants clinging to the ridge tops and cliffs. Instead of birds fluffing their feathers and doing elaborate dances to attract mates, we found hotel and restaurant employees cleaning hot tubs, fluffing pillows, whitewashing walls and sweeping walks in an attempt to lure in customers. A vain exercise as there simply are not any on the island, at least not enough to fill the thousands of vacant rooms and restaurant chairs we see.
The sun was bright, but the air temperature was cool and the breeze made for a pleasant walk. There are actually three named towns on the ridge, but they are like Everett, Seattle and Tacoma, so joined that you can’t tell when you have left one and started the next. We did notice that one area should be named hot tub city, because every cave hotel room had a hot tub on the deck, all visible from above as you walk the trail.
About halfway we met a group of 6 from Minnesota, only our 4th through 9th Americans we have met. They all were retired from Delta using their non-rev perks to travel.
The trail turned into a gravel road that lead up around a hill to a church perched by itself high up. An enterprising man was seated in the open hatch of the back of his car, grapes, strawberries and assorted other fruit and bottles water displayed on a table in front of him. I thought I would buy us a few grapes, what could the cost be? 50 cents? One euro? I asked him how much. He ignored my question and turned it into how many grapes did I want, one or two containers. I said just one, which he then stuffed into a plastic bag. I again asked how much, fingering the change in my pocket. “5 euro.”
“That is too much! No thank you.” He looked incredulously at me, a look that said, “but I already dirtied a bag for you. You cannot turn me down.” He tried to congole me into purchasing. I walked away. He said 4 euro. “Nope. Too much” He pulled the container of grapes from the bag and put them back on his table. Sally consoled him, telling him 6 rich Americans were just behind us. They would buy a lot. And they did. When they arrived they bought 6 bottles of water and 5 containers of fruit. I didn’t watch the transaction, but they must have unloaded 30 euro on him.
Up to now the “trail” had been a road or a sidewalk between hotels and restaurants. Now it turned into an actual trail diagonalling down a pumice slope. Soon, my sandals were hopelessly filled with small, irritating pebbles. It was useless to stop and remove them as new ones would instantly take their place. In less than a half a mile we were back on pavement; I cleaned them there. One more rise to conquer and we were looking down into Oia. Three of our Minnesota friends hired donkeys to bring them up this last rise and we met them at the top as they dismounted.
We stopped at the first store in town and got a Pepsi for Sally. We were sitting on the step up to the cash machine when a man in his mid-fifties walked up, obviously a local. We thought he was going to scold us for blocking the cash machine, but he quickly told us to sit back down and his friendly demeanor and big smile told us we were in for a treat.
Through his stories, we learned this was Pete. He lost everything in Athens in the 2008 recession, had a friend on Santorini that hired him to drive people around on the island, then because his English was so good (born in Canada) he began work in the front office helping people do water excursions, sunset cruises, trips to the steam vents, etc. He held us with his stories for half an hour while we enjoyed our sodas. In the midst of his verbal massage we also learned where the bus stop was, much history and the inner workings of the tourist trade of the island.
We broke free and continued into the heart of Oia, walking its marble streets and peering into the same shops we saw in Thera, only this area is much more upscale. Rick Steve’s lives in Edmonds, yet warns of high prices. We didn’t see anything that approached Seattle/Bellevue prices.
After wandering, we settled into a restaurant to share a Greek salad (12 euro) then walked back to the bus stop. Pete came to greet us. We enjoyed a bottled water while the stories continued, he continually glancing around the corner to see if any customers were approaching his store front. One story told of people from India that sought him out, the entire length of Oia based on recommendations from their friends back home. He was legendary. From this point on we called him Pete the Legend. His chest puffed out a bit when we addressed him this way.
A customer was seen lurking around his store front and he walked away. He was back just as the bus approached. He escorted us onto the bus with warm goodbyes. We said farewell to Pete the Legend.
The bus ride took about 20-30 minutes and dropped us at the bus depot in downtown Thera. We walked home, it now being about 6:00. We showered, gathered our dirty clothes and walked to the laundry. While the machine ran we walked next door for a Gyro and Soulvaki, gathered our wet clothes, stopped at the bakery for a treat and returned home to hang them to dry.
Another amazing day in Greece. Impressions so far? We thought the Netherlands had the nicest people. Nope. The Greeks are topping them. Weather? Sunny and 70-75 each day. Perfect, although a thunderstorm is forecast for tonight. Prices? They might be lowered currently because of the pandemic, not sure, but nothing is really expensive if you avoid the exclusive places. We like to travel a bit low. You meet the funnest people when on a bus or in the local’s shops. Tomorrow we are on the bus to explore the beaches on the south end of the island. More fun in store.
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