Greece Trip - Day 7

2 July, 2009 – Mykonos to Santorini

We got to sleep in a bit this morning as we didn’t need to check out of our rooms until 11am and then didn’t have to meet to leave until just before 2pm. After our sleep in, Donnal, Jo, Sheeba and I dropped off our backs at the accommodation centre, and then went to a nice cafe for breakfast – I had a chocolate and banana crepe with a fresh orange juice. We then strolled through the quaint white washed streets looking at the wonderful arts, crafts and souvenirs. I bought myself a beautiful blue and green necklace and matching earrings in the shape of a flower set on a gold background. Donnal & Jo bought some locally made leather gladiator sandals. We had fun taking photos at the church of many angles – trying to capture an action shot of us jumping from the steps – it took a while, but we got some good shots. We also bumped into the local tourist attraction – Petros the Pelican, so it was a very productive morning.

We took another catamaran to Santorini, so it was a short trip and we got there by early afternoon. Santorini is an amazing Island to see – one side of it has high steep cliffs where the volcano erupted and the white buildings of the towns are scattered along the tops of the cliff. The couple in the group and their friend from Noosaville were meeting up with sons in Santorini, the sons had been travelling for the last 6 months, so they were very excited and anxious to see them. They were the first ones off the ferry and raced down to see their sons, it was quite sweet. We had a bus drive us up the steep cliff to the town of Thira, to our hotel. Thira is the main town on the Island, so we were in an ideal location – close to the pubs, shops and sightseeing.

Once we were all settled we went for a walk through the town and along the top of the cliffs so we could see the volcano and other small islands that were situated close to the cove. There were a few cruise boats sitting in the bay along with smaller boats transferring people to and from the main land and Viking looking ships used for day trips to the close Islands. There was a zig-zagged path going down the side of the cliff towards the small port where you could use a donkey to carry you up the steep climb, or you could simply walk back up or take the cable car.
For dinner we went to a very popular family run Taverna. We had to wait a while to be seated, but the food was delicious; this time I had stuffed tomatoes and peppers. After dinner we went out for some drinks at a not so local place – Murphy’s Bar, where they were still doing ‘happy hour’ drinks and cocktails. Donnal, Christine and Jo spotted some merchandise for sale and all decided to buy the bright orange crop top and mini-shorts – a bargain at only €10! They changed into the little costume and danced around having the time of their lives – it was quite entertaining to watch and be a part of. Di was getting people up to dance and we were really making the bar come alive – who needs to find a party when you can create one yourself?! Because the music wasn’t exactly the best, the girls got bored and left, leaving Sheeba and I to continue dancing the night away. The music got better just after they left, so they really missed out, but Sheeba and I had fun as the bar got busy and the music kept playing.