Sunset over Prokopious Bay, Naxos

Greece - Are you sure we'll be able to kill seven days on the beach?
Day 28

We had planned to make Santorini but only made Naxos because we missed the connecting ferry. Dolmus-taxi-ferry-ferry. In short, we had 6 hours to kill in Samos, I finally had my bags searched, a 7 1/2 hour ride on a ferry that shook like you wouldn't believe (LESSON - don't sit in the back of a Greek ferry), and missed the 0130 ferry to Santorini so we'll spend a couple of days in Naxos first. It seems like a nice island and in the end turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we had a really enjoyable stay.

Day 29

After a couple of days with little exercise, we rented bikes and tooled around Naxos for a bit. We had an ambitious agenda planned but when we finally got to the top of first rise and saw the next set of hills he would have to climb, we decided that the sites we had planned on visiting (after what we had already seen) were not worth the effort. The bikes were a welcome change of pace after all that walking. We rested in room for a bit then watched the sunset. The sunsets here are really nice with purples and reds just like Na'ama bay.

Day 30

6 more days to go. At this point, it seems like we've been away for an eternity and I could go home now. I'm just glad that these next few days are just lounge days. We've decided to stay on Naxos one more day and will leave for Santorini tomorrow. Today we're just sitting on the deck and puttering around. The value of quality puttering cannot be overstated. It's great having such nice surroundings and nothing to do.

Day 31

Hung out in room waiting for the ferry to Santorini. So far all the islands pretty much look the same. Santorini is different. First, all the buildings appear to be on the top of a sheer cliff. In the middle of the 3 islands that make up Santorini is a volcanic cone, the largest active caldera in the world. We're staying in Perissa Beach on the northern part of the island where the black sand beach is. We were looking for a beach view but I don't think we'll find that anywhere because of all the trees. All the places right on the beach are either campgrounds or high price hotels.

Day 32

I actually got my butt out of bed at a decent hour, went for a run on the beach, and watched a gorgeous sunrise. The sun comes up over the water and silhouettes the fishing boats in front of it. as it rises through each layer of haze, it turns from a deep orange-red to a brilliant orange. The beach here is really strange. The sand is genuinely black and as a result gets really really hot. Watching all the people sprinting across the sand reminded me of the Calvin and Hobbes strip where the go to the beach. Anyway, the sand only goes into the water 2 or 3 feet then you hit cement. The cement goes out for 30 feet or so, then the beach drops off a shelf when you encounter sand again. It was completely unlike what I expected. In any case, we spend a long time laying on our beach chairs (umbrella and 2 chairs for 1,500-3000 Dr) cowering from the sun. The sun here is really strong and the number of badly sunburned people here is amazing.

Day 33

Scooter day. Amazingly enough, all the rental places wanted to see a motorcycle license for the bigger scooters. We managed to get two of the smaller models and tooled around to a scenic overlook, the red beach, Oia, the dirt road on the Western edge of the island, then around airport (I wonder what they keep in those hardened aircraft shelters? - I found out later that they use Santorini as a forward staging point for some F-5's). Our last stop was to watch the sunset but after realizing that I would have to wait around for and hour and a half, I blew off sunset and headed home.

Day 34

Tour. This was a good way to end, basically being led around like sheep and told what to do. Brainless = good. At the caldera we watched the line of ants (tourists) walking up the hill to the sulfur vents. I explored around looking at the razor edged rocks. The next stop were the hot spring that weren't not so hot but still neat. At the end of the inlet where the water is warm, is really red slimy mud. Two boats had just pulled up to the entrance of the bay and another smaller boat has just started unloading passengers into the water. From our two boats, you had to swim to the bay. I was the first one in the water and there were only 4-5 people ahead of me from the first boat. It was comical to look back over my shoulders because it looked like a pack of lemmings leaping into the water and swimming for the end of the bay, On Thirassia, Dan and an interesting experience which really shook him up. Oia is the town where everyone goes to watch the sunset. It really is a pleasant little town and we were amused by the waiter at our dinner stop. ("hey you silly little tourist, why you want to bother me by ordering" "I think it is the secret garden, do you know it?" (hands on testosterone laden hips). The sunset was nice but the hordes of tourists were pretty comical - applause for a sunset?

The author dead tired, waiting at the Athens airport for the freedom bird

Day 35

Our last day of vacation so we planned to laze around on the beach and Dan finally got his pina colada on the beach. All in all a nice way to end our vacation. I am certainly ready to go home though. we're flying out of Santorini this evening and for $80 it is infinitely better than paying $30 and 12-15 hours on the ferry.

Day 36 (16 July)

Our last day. I am so glad we did not take the ferry. We left our hotel at 1900 Tuesday and will arrive at 1230 Wednesday for a grand total of 27 hours in transit. The thought of tacking on the additional hours on the ferry is horrifying. Looking back, I had a great time but I'm ready to come home.

That's all. I hope that you enjoyed the trip as much as I did. E-mail me if you're planning on visiting any of these countries. I'll share what I can.