We arrived in SANTORINI shortly after 0500. PITCH black, lots of people and cars getting off the ferry and MOTHER OF GOD, it was COLD!. BRRRR!! This IS Greece, isn't it? In the end, the ferry crossing took nearly 10 hours, with stops. VERY pleased to NOT be in "cattle class" this time around!! That is what you do in your 20's when you party all the way over in a gang and show up at midnight and don't care if you have to sleep on the beach. Ahhh, those were the days!
We had arranged to be met by someone from our hotel so we sat there and had a coffee and waited and waited, hoping they were just late but in the end we took a taxi to the hotel and got there around 0645. It was light by then but still very cold.
Our hotel - THE MILL HOUSES STUDIO AND SUITES - is located in FIRASTEFANI, just up the road form THIRA (the main town of the island). Took us awhile to find our place and carry our bags down the MANY steps to our hotel (More then 50) but OH MY GOD, WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE PLACE!!!! Overlooking the caldera - everything so WHITE and pristine! Very elegant.
Finally the manager, Yamnis, showed up with another couple from the airport. He swore up and down that he'd been at the port to meet us - I'm sure he WAS but we didn't find him and I wonder how long he waited. One of those unfortunate mixups!
(Yamnis deducted that taxi fare from our final hotel bill, though - so we were all happy in the end).
The downside is that we couldn't check in until 1:00pm because the hotel was CHOCKERS so they had to wait until the people who'd been in our room checked out and they had the chance to clean. That meant that we had SIX hours to kill! Ugh, not amused! They brought us cappacinos and croissants and we just ogled the view and pinched ourselves. AWESOME!!!
So we eventually walked back up the many MANY stairs to the Millhouse Cafe (which is owned by the same guy - Manolis).
Wandered the streets of Thira for the next FIVE hours - poking in shops, soaking up the INCREDIBLE scenery - walking, walking, WALKING (happily, my foot was holding up really well by now). I kept saying to Karel how much it was NOT bringing back fond memories from my last time here. NO recollection of anything. NO familiar vibes, no emotional memories, NOTHING! I remember NOTHING about the place - ZILCH! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since it WAS 22 years ago but I have to admit that I felt vaguely disappointed too.
Had a coffee in town overlooking the caldera - EIGHT euros... that would be.... oh about TWELVE dollars for two coffees. PULL- EEEEEEZE!!!!!!
The only bar that still exists from my past is TWO BROTHERS but it doesn't open until June! Bummer! I wonder if THAT place would elicit memories from my poor overworked brain?
HUGE cruise ships VOMIT forth hundreds of passengers every day on to the streets. You can still ride donkeys up the hill from the old port to town (for 25 euros per person!) but now you can also take a high speed cable car for 4 euros each way. Of course there's the "gauntlet" of expensive stores and junk for sale. Made me think of Key West, really.... Nothing authentically GREEK left in Thira town. I know it's silly but I felt VERY let down. Oh well, that's progress for ya!
Hmmm - can't add any more to this one so will continue on the next page.....
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