Greece 04: Santorini

Arrived at Santorini at 5.30pm where our trusty Mill Houses rep was waiting to pick us up. Everytime the vehicle turned a corner which offered an even higher view down to the caldera, our jaws dropped further and we spontaneously wahhed probably to the amusement of the driver. Santorini is regarded by many as the most spectacular of the Greek islands, largely popularised by the caldera, which is a vestige of what was probably the world's largest volcanic eruption. Interesting internet fact: The eruption that caused the caldera is believed by some myth-makers to have caused the disappearance of Atlantis.

Our first night in Santorini was at Hotel Sofia cos our splurge-worthy Mill Houses was fully booked that night. Which was just as well cos it's definitely better to upgrade than to downgrade so no complaints here. Hotel Sofia was 63 euros for a double but we got to enjoy the decks overlooking the caldera at Mill Houses, which was just a few steps away.

As if the views weren't already spectacular enough we were treated to champagne to which we promptly toasted each other to even more eternal travel holidays what else!

It was the perfect sunset here in Santorini and apparently not everyday the sky would be so clear and cloudless for this magnificent display of nature in its finest. This was truly one of my best trip experiences ever and the warm fuzzy effects of champagne just added to it all. And i hadn't even stepped foot into our extravagrant Mill Houses yet.

Day o8 - Sat 17 May 08 - Santorini
The day i climbed a volcano

Breakfast at the Mylos Cafe where i accidentally spilt some milk onto my legs through the gaps in the white planked table. I apologised for the mess i made and the cafe owner said he was more concerned that it didn't spoil my day.

Sights along the way from Hotel Sofia in the town of Firostefani to Fira, the town centre of Santorini.

Cable car ride down to the port for our 25 euros package day tour to the Volcano, Hot spring, Ancient Town of Thira, and Oia Village famous for its uninterrupted view of the sunset.

Cat sleeping on a chair at the ferry agency by the harbour.

On board our traditional boat, the Santa Irini, to our first stop which was the Nea Kamini Volcano, which is by the way, still active, just that it has been asleep since its eruption in 1956, so no one knows just when it may decide to erupt again one day.

Some parts were quite steep and pretty hard to climb and with the grainy black lava rocks gravel, it's almost like for every two steps you took you backtracked one step. Coming down was quite scary too cos it was quite easy to slip. But it was exhilarating to get to the top and be greeted with a 360 degree view of the breathtaking surroundings.

Back onto our boat where the next destination we were looking forward to was the Palia Kameni hot spring. Unfortunately the boat stops you quite a distance away from the hot spring which wasn't really a hot spring since it's connected to the rest of the sea. You had to swim to get there and since none of us were terribly good swimmers or fancied jumping into the cold waters , we could only hang our legs from our boat and watched as the others jump in one by one.

Lunch at the ancient town of Thirasia, where we stopped for about an hour and a half.

Final stop was at Oia Village where we got off to stay on for the sunset which at this time of the year happens at about 8.30pm. It was quite a steep climb to get to the town so we decided to try the donkeys, which turned out to be one kind of an experience for different reasons for each of us.

Rayvees was first up but his donkey was slow and often seemed to be waiting for instructions. Anng was next and her donkey kept slamming her against the inner walls and brushed passers-by on foot. Then it was Teik and his donkey looked as if it was on steroids or something cos it kept wanting to overtake Anny's, which it eventually did. Mine was the last one and veered so much to the cliff edge the whole time i had to turn my face away from the cliffside or i would just tremble at the thought of my donkey falling off the cliff, complete with me and my trembling fingers. And trust me you need a strong grip on the harness.

Anyway this donkey episode provided us with many many laughing fits thereafter lasting days as we recalled it and it largely had to do with the donkey master who was just behind me on his own donkey with a cane going "Mah-dam, no problem, Mah-dam" and me in return feeling bad and wanting to reassure him that i trusted him so i went, "okay, okay its okay, i'm okay" followed by giggles but at the very next moment this same dialogue would repeat itself again and again. The funniest thing was afterward we had many hilarious versions of the donkey episode over meals and coffee. The one that takes the cake was Rayvees' insight that maybe the Donkey Master meant "Madam, NO!! Problem!!" and simultaneously conjuring up in all our minds were the images of donkey and me falling over and a tombstone that read "i told her NO!!! Problem!! but she said Okay, its okay!"

Cat atop a jewellery shop showcase. Cats and dogs were quite a popular sight in Oia.

Picture-perfect scenery at every corner you turned in Oia-Santorini as we made our way towards the stretch which offered the best view of the sunset.

Two dogs and me waiting for the sunset in Oia but alas the sun disappeared behind the clouds, much to our disappointment and to the rest of the crowd that had gathered to watch it.

It's funny how the most beautiful things happen when you aren't waiting for it. Compared to the amazing sunset we chanced upon when we arrived in Santorini yesterday, the highly rated one in Oia which we had to come early to secure vantage points and waited a good hour or so was quite a letdown but nonetheless i am thankful that we got to experience the perfect sunset in Santorini without even least expecting it. Things like these make me very happy.

Came across these delightful pretty-looking cakes in the town of Fira where our bus dropped us. They looked so super delicious i had such a hard time deciding which piece i wanted and ended up not getting any.

Dinner at Stani in the bustling lively town of Fira with view of the volcano except it was so dark we couldn't really see it.

Next up was our extravagant night's stay at the Mill Houses for 140 euros for one suite for two - ouch! I think i went kinda giddy-mad and couldn't stop laughing as i explored the spacious suite cos never before in all my travels have i forked out money to stay luxuriously although i'm sure 140 euros is no big deal to many for a suite like this.

Suite 105, Mill Houses

What the other suite looked like.

4 happy dwellers.

Day o9 - Sun 18 May 08 - Santorini
The day i woke up feeling like a princess

Breakfast being served right to our doorstep where we enjoyed a relaxing morning sipping orange juice and eating honey drizzled yoghurt while enjoying the breathtaking views of the caldera and the volcano which we'd climbed the day before.

Heh with a dresser in a room like this, which girl can resist camwhoring and posting a vain self-portrait or two *giggles* hmm make that three ;P

Spent the rest of the morning lounging by the pool and we tried to use the jacuzzi but the water never seemed to be warm enough and the pool water was way too cold in the morning. Too bad we didn't have time to take a dip in the afternoon otherwise it would have been nice.

Teik's all-white pjs made him look like one of the 'butlers' who served us our breakfast and carried our bags to our rooms. teehee.

If you're considering staying here, you may wish to check out the rest of the suites at http://www.millhouses.gr/

View of the volcano on our way down from Mill Houses. It does look different now that we've actually climbed it.

More of Santorini as we made our way downhill in search of lunch.

Mythos Beer and drinks after lunch on a sunny afternoon with views to the caldera was quite a nice way to spend our last day in Santorini and the last day of our trip together as Rayvees & Anng head for their overnight ferry back to Athens.

Enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice courtesy of Mill Houses while waiting for our transfer to the ferry port.

next: Crete