Vance #4 adventures in and on the island santorini, a beautiful windswept island

From Vance email. adventures in and on the island santorini, a beautiful windswept island. 9/28/2014 3:22 PM

high on the top of the island is the little town of fira, an ancient port

a bus picked me up in the drizzle and wound its switch back way

much like dehra dun to mussoorie to fira and the blue suites
one of hundreds of places to stay

wind, rain, cold prevailed
not unlike san francisco at times, poor weather for tourists
i understand in the summer its hot and wonderful

in the rain walked the length of the hira with many places for

quick greek food but i wanted fish

but
first ichtyotherapy, fish therapy, a fish spa
no, not therapy for the fish, therapy for tired feet

ok
weird,
30 minutes in a glass tank with tiny garra rufa fish that defoliate
your feet and legs

kinda tickles but after awhile it feels good
and then off to eat some fish
i know, nutso

fancy restaurant totally full

raining, so i trudged on and there it was

a real family restaurant

with a whole sea bream, white fish, delicate, flaky, grilled!

delicious

with eggplant and peppers grilled

wonderful greek salad of cucumbers and real tomatoes

fish cheeks, licked the bones, a rather generous catch

devoured with gusto then relaxing into pleasure and
satisfaction

fish to the second power, lol

the aging owner/waiter recognized an eater and was gentle and kind
wife on skype chatting in a rather too loud, excited motherly voice with grand children

i suppose

two chefs who were turning out moussaka in a tureen,
looked really great, two californians across attested to its quality

others were served massive platters of vegetables and various meats,
as the owner proudly stated
this is a family restaurant not a tourist restaurant, meaning,
not full of hype but rather honest family owned, cooked food,
really greek and proud of it

stopped at the mini market enroute returning to the hotel
blue suites 
a little sparkling water and a night cap of ouzo

THE greek drink

today, minimal breakfast of coffee and cheese and toast

sunny

very very windy

means internet does not work, we are too high so they say

looking out over the sea,
meditating on the blue blue sea

watched a family of goats looking for anything green, a bit of

grass, low hanging leaves of trees,

the male with long blond fluffy hair with curving antlers
or is that only for deer

and his winding horns,
mama black and blond spotted,
one baby bleating to find the flock, her coloring
none of the others including 3 blond babies answer,
too windy so the black one runs off lost

walked up to town and took a bus to perissa

walking --- be careful
way too many two wheel, 4 wheel bikes, mini cars, small cars,
most driven by tourists, whew

huge huge tour busses managing narrow lanes,

enroute to perssia sparse vegetation, lots of eucalyptus trees,

this is an island created by a volcanic explosion

so indiana friends unlike our flat state
this is mountainous and the roads vary from narrow barely paved
to two lane, everyone slows, walking is treacherous on volcanic rocks

cemented, not polished smooth so worse than cobble stones for ankles

this tiny windswept island is populated by many villages,

and the rest of the landscape dotted with private homes,
all in the traditional rounded roof, blue domes, lots of new construction,
once again with long rounded roofs,
some circular with traditional windmills,

corey, is this architecture one that grew out of the reality of wind

as the electric car, or the old vw's which creates less wind resistance?

michael pappas, bakeries are in every nook and cranny and one
really great one in hira, is the th an H in greek? you see thira everywhere

45 min to perissa, a black sandy beach covered with empty lounges

tourist season is over though the many restaurants along the beach
are all serving tasty food, i had a greek salad there watching the

perfect surfing waves, tested the waters, shoes and socks soaked 
the water - perfect for swimming but did not have my swim stuff,
another time.

back to hira after lunch
to the local museum loaded with lots of pottery large and small
figures and wall paintings dating from the 6th - 3rd millenia,
much of the local pottery beautifully painted and some imported from crete. a thinner more elegant pottery.
this from 1700 b.c.
the pottery ranges from cook ware and small vessles for sauce or olives
to huge 4 ft tall jugs. this was really well spent time.

then to the other edge of the town for a different view of the sea and hundreds of tourist shops, some with very beautiful items, a lovely orthodox church, 1975, beautifully painted of christ pancreator

in the very top of the dome surrounded by saints.
anomaly - a little greek lady, cleak, in black dister, on her cell phone, selling candles and items and chatting non stop, on sunday, technology.

back to the hotel, change of socks

and back to hira, hiking rather quickly to catch the sunset at 6:30

nice high restaurant up and up the stairs to the third floor for the view

ouzo and a single octopus tentacle, grilled

think a dense 8 oz steak, chewy, tender, edges charred,
tasty with olive oil and a dash of vinegar

sun cooperated and was brilliant sinking behind dark gray clouds

after

walking just to be walking past myriad gift shops
just like san francisco's marina or china town, all the same stuff

living just to be living

traveling just to be traveling

joy

be well all
vyg