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This will have to be a quick one, as the Internet in Athens may be a little tricky...
We've had a fantastic 3 days on the island of Santorini - or should we say islands.
Our first full day - after arriving at 2 am the night before - was spent lounging around the beach, pool and hotel room, generally getting our bearings in the small village of Kamari. Kamari has a bit of a split personality. It still has some if the charm of an old Greek village, but the strip along the beach is like walking down a street with samplings of Las Vegas style restaurants, clubs and hotels. Each has their own unique theme, but all have a splash of something uniquely Greek so you still get that traditional sort of feel.
The next day we rented our transportation for the day, and you can get a glimpse of it in the picture. Don't worry, when flying down the roads between Fira and Oia, we had out helmets on.
The island isn't too big - it took us no more than a half hour to drive from one end to pretty much the opposite end. But it's all winding and hilly roads. Your fearless explorers went from place to place as many of the locals do - via ATV. 4 wheeling across the small island, we saw the red beach (although in the rain), and the larger towns of Fira and Oia. Oia is the town where the picture was taken that was featured on Greek tourism advertisements for years. It's a beautiful town, carved into the cliffs of the island formed by volcanic eruptions over millions of years.
And though the islands took millions of years to form, the volcano is still very much alive, as we discovered on day 3. Though not bubbling with molten rock, we did see sulphur steam rising from vents in the earth on our trip to the nearby island that was once the mouth of the volcano. A note to anyone that comes here in the future... The "hot springs" are more like a tepid pool of murky water. I'd avoid it if you were coming here.
Instead, we both highly recommend staying at hotel Anastasia, though you'll want to bring an air mattress, and enjoying a drink by the pool or nearby black stone beach.
It's been a great three days, and as the boat pulls into the port, we leave again with mixed feelings, knowing we're heading into the big city.
All aboard... See you in Athens!
- Graham
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