The big 20 was passed on Santorini (Saint Erin!). We headed into Thira for our favourite fix - jai-rows/gyros. Actually they were some of the best - it was the second time we hit up that joint. Usually Dave downs two and I stick with one filling combination of meat, tzatziki and salad goodness in pitta bread. We sorted our tickets for the next island - Sikinos.
With the sky burnt retsina red from the sunset, Oia had fascinated us so we returned on the day of my birth to wander the streets. My bibliophilic heart was elated to discover Atlantis bookstore, written up in a Guardian article as one of the world's top 10 bookstores. I was overhwelmed by choice and couldn't decide on a birthday treat. Reader - I left empty-handed. They had some books difficult to find in WA, Mishima's Confessions of a Mask, Tanazaki's Some Prefer Nettles and Nabokov's Dozen. Oddly, the book I'd hoped to find, Henry Miller's Colossus of Maroussi ( a travel memoir of Greece) wasn't there.
Birthday wise, after a wonderful day of wandering Dave took me for a fresh meal at Parea taverna in the heart of Thira. Dave was flabbergasted at the full-bodied but deliciously fleshy fish that was placed in front of him - a red snapper which was presented wholly grilled. To Dave's amazement, it was not red but char-grilled, and it had a hauntingly conscious eye. He freaked at first, but we shared our dishes. In the end he got a fair way through it.
Other highlights include the far from nosy local wine which wasn't special but did the job. After dinner Dave took me out to Club 33, which blasted Greek music. They played some awesome songs. No-one was there - it was a Monday night so we just sat in the corner. But when Vertis's 'Pes to Mou Ksana' came on I pulled him up and he danced with me for a bit. So, my birthday day was uber special.
Showing posts with label santorini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label santorini. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saintly Me (July 20-22)
Santorini (Saint Eirini/Erin) is a gorgeous - it must be said postcard perfect - island with lots to offer. Touristy, the island has busloads of older people on package tours (although not too old to navigate the interminable steps). Sleep deprived, Dave and I zombie-walked off the ferry at 1 pm to arrive in Santorini.
Crossing the road, we entered a tourist/accommodation centre. A greek man with a host of hotels canvassed the more expensive options until finally he pulled out the cheap stays. We jumped in the hotel bus and were whisked off to Olympia hotel in the nowhere part of Santorini. The hotel was good though - had an awesome pool and rooms were well kept.
Location wise, Olympia wasn't great at is was a trek to Thira and a long way from Oia. But with an adventurous spirit and a need for speed, we resorted to scooterific fun. On arrival we left our bags at the hotel and wandered the area closest. Dave was devastated - this sketchy area was not the postcard Santorini he had expected. His brow furrowed with a 'what are we doing here?' concern as his stress levels rose on the first day to match the temperature of volcanic Santorini.
Access to the blue and white bliss of this Cycladic island came in the form of renting a highly functional scooter - no speedometer, fuel or heat guards, a broken foot rest. Its reedeming factor however, was its' leading link front suspension, which according to Dave, is hot. As we got going on the road, Dave's mood picked up as he full-throttled it the whole way. Dave is amazingly talented at navigating Greek roads and avoiding disaster - there were some close run-ins on Santorini as Greek drivers are maniacs!
Beginning the next day afresh with inclusive brekky - freshly made bread, cold meats and fresh juice we headed out for some exploration.
Santorini was so vast we didn't navigate much of it. We did some typical venturing and enjoyed the magical sunset at Oia. Ironically we almost missed it as our scooter conked out on the uphill voyage. We stopped at a house and a mechanically minded Dave managed to fix it (brains and sweet skills) with the help of tools from a Greek man who looked on concerned. The sunset was gorgeous. We didn't watch it from above but instead drove the scooter down a hill and found somewhere less packed.
Dirty, hot and deliciously fun was our day of exertion in Santorini. We drove to an area above a cluster of houses. Peering down, we saw steps leading up to a large rock. Hours of sunny fun were spent climbing up until we reached the highest point at which the path ended. We crept through a crack in two rocks and climbed higher. We climbed until we reached an impossible prospect. It was too steep and a hook had been inserted for a rope. On the way down, we took another route to explore a little church. We've found some of those random explorations have been more intense and intimate than some typical tourist stopovers.
Going home on the scooter, we got lost but discovered an exhibition of ancient wall paintings of Thira - unearthed in the ancient excavations of Akrotiri. Some of the prints were reproduced from huge negatives which were made through complex techniques. Designs were awesome, ranging from realistic pictures of flowers to those with more interpretative latitude - saffron gatherers and the like.
After working up a sweat we got more gyros and watched the sunset from Thira. We headed out to reconnoitre the nightlife for the next evening. We wound up in a fairly crappy pub called Murphy's but I'll stop now and share the special birthday celebrations in another post.
Crossing the road, we entered a tourist/accommodation centre. A greek man with a host of hotels canvassed the more expensive options until finally he pulled out the cheap stays. We jumped in the hotel bus and were whisked off to Olympia hotel in the nowhere part of Santorini. The hotel was good though - had an awesome pool and rooms were well kept.
Location wise, Olympia wasn't great at is was a trek to Thira and a long way from Oia. But with an adventurous spirit and a need for speed, we resorted to scooterific fun. On arrival we left our bags at the hotel and wandered the area closest. Dave was devastated - this sketchy area was not the postcard Santorini he had expected. His brow furrowed with a 'what are we doing here?' concern as his stress levels rose on the first day to match the temperature of volcanic Santorini.
Access to the blue and white bliss of this Cycladic island came in the form of renting a highly functional scooter - no speedometer, fuel or heat guards, a broken foot rest. Its reedeming factor however, was its' leading link front suspension, which according to Dave, is hot. As we got going on the road, Dave's mood picked up as he full-throttled it the whole way. Dave is amazingly talented at navigating Greek roads and avoiding disaster - there were some close run-ins on Santorini as Greek drivers are maniacs!
Beginning the next day afresh with inclusive brekky - freshly made bread, cold meats and fresh juice we headed out for some exploration.
Santorini was so vast we didn't navigate much of it. We did some typical venturing and enjoyed the magical sunset at Oia. Ironically we almost missed it as our scooter conked out on the uphill voyage. We stopped at a house and a mechanically minded Dave managed to fix it (brains and sweet skills) with the help of tools from a Greek man who looked on concerned. The sunset was gorgeous. We didn't watch it from above but instead drove the scooter down a hill and found somewhere less packed.
Dirty, hot and deliciously fun was our day of exertion in Santorini. We drove to an area above a cluster of houses. Peering down, we saw steps leading up to a large rock. Hours of sunny fun were spent climbing up until we reached the highest point at which the path ended. We crept through a crack in two rocks and climbed higher. We climbed until we reached an impossible prospect. It was too steep and a hook had been inserted for a rope. On the way down, we took another route to explore a little church. We've found some of those random explorations have been more intense and intimate than some typical tourist stopovers.
Going home on the scooter, we got lost but discovered an exhibition of ancient wall paintings of Thira - unearthed in the ancient excavations of Akrotiri. Some of the prints were reproduced from huge negatives which were made through complex techniques. Designs were awesome, ranging from realistic pictures of flowers to those with more interpretative latitude - saffron gatherers and the like.
After working up a sweat we got more gyros and watched the sunset from Thira. We headed out to reconnoitre the nightlife for the next evening. We wound up in a fairly crappy pub called Murphy's but I'll stop now and share the special birthday celebrations in another post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
