If Istanbul was exotic and mysterious, Santorini is 'pinch yourself, gob-smacking'. No travel brochure could prepare you for the sheer cliffs of the Caldera with pristine white architectured entrances into cave-like dwellings. Paths weave through accommodation houses, steep steps punctuated with walkways leading past restaurant entrances, swimming pools with fantasy-land views, apartment doors, sun decks, verandahs and cafes.
We are staying in a spot called Imerovigli, perched high above the cruise ships anchored below in the deep blue calm waters of the Aegean Sea. This morning I collected fresh bread from the minimart just a few minutes away and within half an hour the three of us had devoured the loaf - so soft it just about melted in your mouth. I wondered why the Lavazza coffee had I bought and brewed tasted so crap, until I realised I should have used bottled rather than tap water. One learns by one's errors.
We walked the 40 odd minutes along the cliff face through the accommodation houses into Fira, the main town on the Island. Typical tourist shops, but plenty to keep us interested for the morning, although after scouting places to book our ferry trip to Naxos in a few days, we did what has become our custom and found a cafe with prime people watching vistas and settled in for morning refreshments.
We have been going off among ourselves about the food. So far, our Greek faire experience has scored pretty much perfectly. Last night after arriving around 9pm, we walked back to the street to the closest little place, ordered a selection of appetisers; tomato balls, shrimps, meatballs, eggplant, all cooked with amazing flavours. The oh-ing and ah-ing went all the way through the meal. Then the bread for breakfast. And for goodness sake - you should have had a mouthful of the waffle the girls ordered for morning tea. Drizzled with nutella-like stuff with ice-cream .... give me a break. Lucky the walk to Fira and back constituted significant exercise, otherwise another set of pants might have be required to cater for my gut extension.
A friend who had recently been here (thanks Tan) recommended we get a souvlaki from a little gyro place called Obelix. If that wasn't enough to trigger more rapturous hmmmm-ing the ice-cream for dessert across the lane really was the icing on the cake.
And now Maria is up on the rooftop photographing the famous sunset, but I suspect is being foiled by the mist/cloud that is rolling past our verandah and apparently plunging down the cliff face toward the sea below.
Temperature is expected to be low 30s tomorrow, so maybe we hire a car and check out some of the unusual beaches on the Island ...