Day 15--Discovering the island

The cold virus that’s been going around finally has hit Jane and me. Sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. Good thing pharmacies here sell Kleenex, cold meds, and nasal spray over the counter. Energy level was a bit lower, but nothing causing us to slow down--oh, except for the heat. It’s back! My morning voice was Lauren Bacall’s--deep and throaty. Sadly that sexy attribute disappeared before noon. Just my luck. Our leftovers from last night’s dinner (chicken, potatoes, wine) Anna turned into a fantastic cold salad--she added tomatoes, parsley, capers, a bit of onion, and dressing of lemon and oil. Delicious! and we ate it on the patio outside our room in the heat of the day. The local beer (Vulcan) helped us ward off the heat.

At 1 pm we set off for a day of discovering the island of Santorini. Our first stop was the pre-historic town of Akrotiri. This Neolithic village grew during the Early Bronze Age and became a harbor town of the Aegean. Then an earthquake destroyed it and in the Middle Bronze Age (2100-1650 BC), it again became of port city of importance, this time to trade beyond the Aegean. Remnants reveal impressive buildings--even a drainage sewer system. In the 17th century BC, another earthquake destroyed the city and was again rebuilt with even more impressive public and private buildings adorned with wall paintings and art. Then a double whammy--another earthquake followed by the eruption of a volcano. The city, buried in pumice and ash, was then preserved until excavation began in 1967.

Second stop was a winery--Gavalas winery. We had a brief tour, sipped wines, bought some, and off to stop number three.

Firas, the capital of Santorini, gave some a major shopping opportunity. We enjoyed the Orthodox Cathedral Church of Candlemas of the Lord and the myriad upscale shops, as well as the touristy vendors. Lots of accessory shopping here--jewelry and eyeglasses, scarves and shoes. Oh--shoes! Couldn’t resist a pair of sandals. When in Greece, one buys Greek sandals--right?

Stop number four took us up-island to Oia. This is the iconic, picturesque village one equates with Santorini. We tried to capture the breathtaking views, and I’ll let you decide whether we did that or not… We’d thought about eating dinner here and watching the sunset from the tiered city, but the crowds and the heat gave us another idea--visit a nearby winery instead. Not a bad choice, as it turned out.

As the tour busses jammed Oia, we drove out of town to the Sigalas winery. They usually grow the grapes close to the ground here to prevent wind damage, but this winery is tucked away a bit so they grow grapes more traditionally as well. We sampled wines, ate delectable courses, and captured the sunset before it escaped into an evening cloud bank.

Another full day under our belts, we headed home as we plotted our adventures for last island day (our last Greece day!!).