Our waiter at La Prua adjusting the screen to block the setting sun

Our hotel was along that row of buildings further to the left out of sight.

Wine, homemade pasta dripping with olive oil and small pieces of fish, tiny clams, tomato and garlic; YUM!!!  Randal had pasta with clams. 

This was the best stuff: homemade pasta!

Can you taste Randal’s spaghetti with clams?

Even better than a chocolate éclair or Boston Cream Pie. 

Decaf tiny coffee

Our great waiter whose brother works reception and checked us into our Park Hotel.

The woman on the left took the photo of us with our waiter.  She was from Austria, I think; and the other ladies were from Iowa!

La Prua which I think was the name of my pasta..very thick and chewy spaghetti noodles. 

Walking back to our hotel along the water front.

A real fishing village and the food was like being back at Chippy’s in New Bedford!

Coast Guard building where we had to go to check into Sicily/Italy

We wondered what it had been once upon a time when it was built.  Randal asked the official checking us in, but his English was limited and he was unable to answer our question.

Getting the restaurant wifi code which was more important than the food.

So far Turkey has the best salads and DEKS (N. Cyprus) and our anniversary meal dinner in Herzliya have the best calamari.

Burlington, Vermonters.

These folks were already having lunch when we arrived but we started to chat.  We didn’t ask names but they have our card and hopefully will keep in touch.  She teaches in the School of Nursing at the University.  It’s a program that takes in multi-disciplined people whose focus is work with the mentally impaired.  I hope that’s a correct description.  He has his own business and rental property.  They were traveling around Italy and Sicily for 3 weeks.

We’d just eaten lunch and had too many hours before we’d return to DoraMac so we weren’t tempted.  But the woman who owned? Managed?  was able to tell us where to buy our SIM card.  It was she who broke the news to us that shops close at 1:30 and reopen at 4 or 4:30 or 5.  We wanted the SIM so decided to wait, hoping the phone card shop would reopen earlier rather than later.

Our next stop was somewhere for a drink and more time to compute.

I asked if they had wifi and one fellow said yes and one no; but the yes guy was correct

I’m not sure how he got it to work; but it did. 

Randal had a beer, I had a cappuccino.  Then I went off in search of a Sicily map and some info.

Great small alleyways with what looked like homes on either side.

I liked the doorway

Randal right here I’d left him.

We still had another hour before shops reopened so walked around the area in an out of the small streets and alleys, many with boutique shops and enticing restaurants.

Everything Olive Oil

Bow of a small bot used as a planter

A fantastically painted ceramic plate

Sicilian Triskelion

I love this 3 legged thing. You see it everywhere and I might have to have one.

“If you venture to Italy’s unique little nugget, Sicily, you will be sure to see a three-legged symbol with a gorgon’s face in the central crotch region staring at you from every manner of tourist trinket. If you want to impress your travel mates, read on to learn the origin on this interesting Sicilian symbol.

The Triskelion (from the Greek for "three-legged") emblem appears on the Sicilian flag and fanciful versions pop up on everything from bottle-openers to lingerie throughout the island. The face of Medusa typically is seen in the center of the graphic, representing the protection of the war goddess Athena, Sicily’s patron. Most of us only know Medusa as the snake-haired demon slain by Perseus, but she originated as an aspect of Athena’s persona. So, never fear, the graphic is not a curse meant to turn tourists to stone!

Also called the Trinacria, the triangular image is said to represent the geographic shape of the island. The image was seen on Sicilian coins at least as early as the 4th century B.C., and it is not likely to fade away any time soon. Now you’re ready to impress your crew on your next Italian adventure!

http://www.examiner.com/

The lady in the straw hat caught my eye

So did this small “Max-like” dog

Very pensive.

These ladies, just sitting and being part of everything going by.

Piazza del Senato home to City Hall on the left.

Piazza Duomo….we just “stumbled” across it in our wanderings.

“The building par excellence which demonstrates Baroque influence in Sicily is the Duomo, built in the 7^th century with the transformation of the Tempio di Athena which contains the massive columns that once encircled the cella and today constitute the central nave.  The current Baroque façade of the Duomo is decorated with statues of the Saints and in the centre the statue of the Madonna del Pilar to whom the church is dedicated.  The statues of St. Paul and St. Peter by Marabitti flank the splendid stairway leading to the Duomo.”

Sicily : Art, History, Culture and Folklore

http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art423.htm  tells more and shows more.

Noise and food were prohibited but not cameras so I used the “no flash” museum setting

There were many small chapels but where people were praying I didn’t take photos.

An accordion serenade in the piazza just across from the church.

Looking back towards Siracusa from DoraMac

Rhino Randal checking the chart plotter to see if we’re on course to Pilos.

Rhino Randal keeps watch with me during my night watches. 

Small Pilos harbor

The old gas barge with its empty tanks and NO SMOKING signs.  The older man who told us where to tie up and took Randal to check in lit up a cigarette standing in front of one of those signs.  I have to say it scared me to see a match so close to our diesel trawler….though I have lit candles on board when we’re at a dock.  But still. 

To get off you climb over our rails onto the barge’s rail and then jump down several feet.  You walk through the barge and out the opening onto the concrete pier.

Several small fishing boats would come and go in the mornings and evenings.

Cloud covered mountain off in the distance and hills going up the hillside.

Modern windmills

At least some seasons there’s lots of wind so we’ve seen lots of modern windmills.  We saw about a half dozen being built on this mountain.  It’s very appropriate that there are windmills as Cervantes was a prisoner here of the Turks and wrote about his experiences in Don Quixote.

“plant shaded plateria”

“surrounded by whitewashed porticoes”

Sidewalk gas pumps

“You gotta go up.”

“If you want to see it you gotta go up,” was something our friend Linda Levy wrote about hers and Michael’s visit to Greece.  Here in Pilos, if you want to go home, you gotta go up!  Must be very healthy people who live here.  Streets bisect the hillsides but between the streets are only these stairs. 

And down again. 

Each stair is not very high so maybe some kind of truck could get up to deliver furniture or other big items. 

Real life Greece

After getting checked in, showered and collecting trash for the harbor dumpsters, we went off to lunch and to compute.  I had a huge salad with a wonderful olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing.  Hard passages make me crave junk food so being back on land makes me crave vegetables.

Sad sack!

I tried to cheer him up but no dice.  He just lay there with those sad eyes.  Hopefully he was just pooped out from a long, fun morning walk.

Four Seasons Restaurant: Our lunch/computer place.

Sunday we actually slept late recovering from our night passage.  And truly enjoying the quiet of the harbor that allowed us to keep all of the portholes and hatches open.   We went off to explore the town which was pretty much closed up for Sunday.  Even the small supermarket and fruit shops were closed.  Only restaurants, bakeries, small souvenir shops and museums stay open which was enough for us.  I took bunches of photos at the fortress and that will be the next email and final one from Greec…at least this passage. 

Randal declared that he had everything to make him happy; computer,  Greek salad, white wine, olive oil, bread (not in the photo but always served in Greece) and, of course, me!

Mountain salad made me happy: some type of thin mild spinach-like green cooked in olive oli and served with lemon.  Yummmmm.  That mountain of greens served with bread to soak up the olive oil would have been more than enough.  Bread, olive oil, olives and wine surely must come from the gods.

But I’d also ordered baked feta cheese which came with its own olive oil and grilled tomatoes and green peppers.  Double yummm!

As we had enough food for 3 or maybe even 4 people we went home with a packet for later.

Often something sweet is offered after the meal and these were tiny thumb sized frozen banana flavored ice cream with a thin chocolate cover. 

I left Randal sitting with his wine and computer and I walked around town, up and down and around taking photos.

This grilling meat smelled wonderful, but we were still full from lunch so just took a photo.

The shop where I bought some olive oil.  We have some Turkish olive oil and now Greek.  I’m going to collect different oils along the way and one day we’ll have a tasting….for those of you who come visit us in London!

Photo taken when we entered the bay going towards the small harbor.

Randal was fascinated with this modern medieval door, beautiful and functional.

I liked climbing the rampart on the walls

Inner fortress doors

Part of the octagonal center

Walk overlooking the entrance to the bay

Jail cells used during its time as a prison in the 19^th and 20^th century. 

Anchors away!

I cannot imagine having to pull up that anchor!  Not that we pull ours up by hand, the mechanical windless does that.  But cruising friends have “pull up by hand” anchors and that must be a real chore.

No “No Photo” sign so I took some with the museum setting  until I was told by the “person in charge” No Photos.  But she was very nice and I’d already taken some, so it worked out. 

There were tiny fish swimming around in this aquarium display.

A floor level exhibit showing sunken ships in different color dots.

Jacques Cousteau was involved with some of the excavations. 

Memorial with the date 1944 and the names of soldiers.

The mosque that became a church now being refurbished.

Leaving the fortress: our 3 Euro (x2) tickets were quite worth it.  There was a group of school kids coming in as we were leaving.  I don’t know if our timing was perfect or if we really missed out watching the kids “play fort.”

DoraMac in the small harbor of Gialos taken from the ferry to Santorini

Looking back from my walk along the island path; we’re right in the harbor town much too near the bakery which is the shop with the brown oblong sign.  They make great “real” donuts and giant gingerbread cookies.

Entrance to the Gialos Harbor on Ios.

I walked to the church and found a path that lead along the coast.

The blue coastguard/police station with very helpful staff

Stone stairway to the church

Looking back to the harbor from the church patio entrance; very lovely spot

The path looked as if it went a good distance around the island.

Crystal clear water

Looking back at the church and the hills of Ios

Lots of yellow and purple to add color to pathway

Making myself walk back to town; I could have stayed out for hours but Randal would have sent out the police wondering if I’d fallen off the cliff edge.

Decadent donut for breakfast from the bakery across the way.

We rented a small motorbike that sounded like a lawnmower but it got us up and down the steep hillsides of Ios.

Homer’s Tomb

“Setting off from the port or from Chora, by motorbike or by car, you make your way up to Pano Kambos, a fertile valley rich with vineyards and olive trees, and to Koulida.  From there, if you leave the asphalt road and take the path branching off to the left, you’ll be heading to the amazing beach of Plakoto.

    Some metres short of that, there’s another path that leads to the ancient ruins dating from the Hellenistic period, where tradition claims that the tomb of the poet Homer lies. On your way back, you can also drive to Aghia Theodoti bay. Limpid waters and a sandy beach, taverns and rented rooms, as well as the occasion to admire the 16th century church of St. Theodoti, the oldest on the island, built in the 16th century”

 http://www.iosgreece.com/homer_ios

The tomb of Homer sight can be found on the Northern part of Ios island above the bay of Plakoto. Concerning the true existance of Homer’s tomb on the island of Ios there are numerous reports from ancient historians and sightseers. Further supporting the claims are the reports claiming that Homer’s mother was born in Ios island.

As an ancient sign states there is an ancient coin found in Ios island with Homer’s profile engraved on it as well as a month from the ancient Ios’ calendar named after him. You will find the tomb of Homer sight on the hill of Psathopirgos, as the locals refer to, which as archaelogists report was a tower from the Hellenistic Period . http://www.iosinfo.gr/

Randal had a black marker and was going to color in the washed out letters but I wouldn’t let him…

Lots of bee hives off in the distance and we could also hear goat bells

Looking back  at the tomb from seaside.

Sadly, not such an impressive tomb for such an impressive person in history

Stone piles left by visitors…and a small one left by me

Walking back to the motorbike

Looking back towards Gialos port

Agia Theodoti beach on the far side of the island

Modern day windmills

Back in Gialos and I couldn’t resist this woman reading and I like her shoes.

Eating utensils are served in the bread basket which I like a lot.

View of Chora from the main road (from our motorbike the following day.)

From the harbor there’s a stairway that takes you to up the hillside to Chora

Randal started with me, but his heart wasn’t in it; and his heel spur was bothering him so I went on alone.

No problem if you get tired or thirsty along the way; you pass several bars and cute B&B’s

First landmark where the walking path crosses the road to town; hard to miss

Evangelismos Cathedral (Ευαγγελισμός)

The striking cathedral of Evangelismos in the centre of the main village of Chora is one of the main iconic sights you will see in Ios.

The cathedral is painted in the traditional Cycladic white with blue roofs. It was originally named Ayios Nikolaos then renamed to Evangelismos.

Next to the cathedral is a small church called Ayios Ioannis Prodromos.

The majority of the shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs lie just behind the cathedral

http://www.loveiosgreece.com/evangelismos-cathedral-ios.html

The church is the orange oblong to the right of the word port on the dotted line road. 

The B was obviously put there to welcome me.

A small café just near the church with a path leading into the labyrinth of lanes.

I was told pretty much nothing opens before 5 pm so most everything was this empty.

Ios was charming and yuppie and local and quaint and artsy; at least the part I saw on my walk.

Could be Provincetown; but it’s Ios.

An everything shop that catered to locals and tourists so was open.

I splurged on a bookmark with blue doors and pink flowers and some paper napkins with an olive pattern that looks like our N. Cyprus olive patterned pottery.

Another small square with a church

Across from the church were a few tables and chairs and lots of doorways where I saw mostly older local men sitting and socializing.  I took the path to the left of the church though had no clue where the sign told me I was going; but it didn’t matter really.

Pro-Cycladic settlement at Skarkos.

“Here the largest and now most important known settlement of the procycladic world of the middle of the 3^rd millennium BC were discovered.”  Ios Island Map

This is all we saw of it but from the distance it looks quite impressive.

Pre-historic Settlement of Skarkos

    Skarkos is an award-winning archaeological site. The project was awarded the 2008 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Top Prize for Conservation, for the ‘outstanding quality of conservation work and above all the minimal and extremely sensitive character of the interventions, having no detrimental impact on a unique landscape’.

     The site was excavated from 1984 to 1997 by the XXI Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities – the regional service of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture responsible for the Cyclades. The excavations found an important Early Bronze Age settlement from the mid-3rd millennium BC which had been exceptionally well-preserved.

     Skarkos is circular in shape, most of the buildings are 3/4 meters high, and 2 storeys. There is evidence of stone-paved floors, a drainage system and a late Middle/early Late Bronze Age cemetery (mid-2nd millennium BC). There are also many examples of pottery, kitchen utensils and work tools made from metal, stone and bone, many of which are housed in the Archaeological Museum in the Town Hall in the main village of Chora.

The settlement can be found in the north side of Ios port. It is open to the public and there are two entrances to the site, one suitable for wheelchair users. http://www.loveiosgreece.com/skarkos.html

Windmills

Windmills are one of the signature icons of the Cyclades, and Ios Island has 12 traditional windmills. In the past the windmills would have been used to grind barley and wheat to make bread.

The windmills are set in 2 rows on either side of the hill overlooking Chora, however only 3 have been restored.  The rest have been worn by the weather, but it is hoped that they will be restored in the future too.   The charming windmills are a must-see for anyone visiting Ios.

To get to the windmills, walk east through the village of Chora. You get a great view of the village and the Aegean Sea.  http://www.loveiosgreece.com/ios-windmills.html

While I was taking a photo this man’s pals started to heckle him (me?) but as it was in Greek, we’ll never know and I just took the photo, smiled at the man and walked away.

I think this row was named for its proximity to the windmills rather than that they were once mills, my original guess.  But I still don’t know.

Party town after 5 pm

And of course cats

Ios Chora or Ios Town is the main and only real village of Ios, built on the western side of the island, twenty minutes walk from the Town port. It is a real jewel, built amphitheatrically and shimmering under the sun.

It easily charms everyone with its little cube houses with flat-roofed houses and its narrow stone paved streets winding like a labyrinth of white lines traditionally painted around the large flat stones; arches and arcades are merging from a street or between two houses and contribute to the creation of a wonderful and magical atmosphere.

In this typical Cycladic village, one of the most beautiful town in the entire Cyclades, visitors will find many hotels, pensions, rooms for rent, restaurants, fine jewellery, gift and souvenir shops, mini markets and a great amount of bars and night clubs.

To enjoy the beauty and charms of Chora, it is better to wander around its magical streets during day-light hours, when most of the crowd is lying on the beaches, the bars closed and the locals out of their houses.

The breathtaking view from Panaghia Gremiotissa, the highest spot of the village, is worth seeing and truly unforgettable, especially during the amazing sunset. Behind the beautiful whitewashed windmills is the outdoor amphitheatre  Odysseas Elytis (a famous Greek poet), where some concerts and plays are performed during summer.

The ruins of the Venetian castle which lie on the top of the hill and look over the village, are also very interesting to see. Despite the great amount of tourists and the frenetic nightlife, Chora has kept its traditional character and colours, as it has been proclaimed a preserved settlement.

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/ios/ios-villages/ios-chora.htm

Sightseeing at its peak: My humble apologies if the headline led you to think this particular blog post is about having a good time on Ios while doing illicit drugs! It’s completely understandable if that’s what you assumed, especially considering that Ios has a notorious worldwide reputation as one of the top summer party destinations in the Mediterranean (if not all of Europe, for that matter).

By “getting high on Ios,” I’m actually referring to something totally different: hiking up hills and mountains to enjoy the amazing island views and scenery, and get a natural, physical high.

I got partying out of my system during my university days, so bars, nightclubs, beach parties and boozing it up don’t interest me much anymore. And since I can’t stand being in tightly crowded places, you won’t catch me cramming into Cavo Paradiso or the Space club on Mykonos to join thousands of other people listening and dancing while top DJs from around the world spin music all night long.  So why, then, do I even bother going to a so-called “party island” like Mykonos, Ios or Kos in the first place?

Ios is more than just a “party island”

That’s a question I get asked all the time, and my answer is simple: those islands have a lot more to offer besides a thriving social scene. In fact, there isn’t much partying on any of those islands in the spring, which is when we usually visit Greece. If partying is your prime reason for travelling to the Greek Islands, you’ve got to go during July and August, which also happens to be high travel season — the busiest and most expensive time of year to travel in Europe. Many island bars and clubs aren’t even open in May, and the wild beach and club parties you may have heard about generally don’t start before mid- to late June. Until then, the bar scene is rather tame. And come September, once younger travellers have returned to college or university, the party atmosphere quickly dissipates, giving way to a relaxed, mellow vibe that lingers until the tourist season draws to a close in early autumn.

Spring and September are perfect for non-party activities, and sightseeing and hiking are two of our favourites. Actually, hiking is the only way to take in some of the spectacular scenery on islands like Ios because many of the best viewpoints are situated at the tops of hills and mountains that are accessible only on foot (or by donkey, if that’s what you happen to be driving).

Great vantage points abound

At Chora, the main village on Ios, two of the top places to check out the views are from the peaks on the south and north sides of town. The south hill is a short, easy hike above the village, while the peak to the north — the steep rocky mountain crowned by four picturesque churches — is a tougher climb, up dozens of thigh-burning stone steps and along sloping dirt paths. Both points are ideal places to watch a sunset or just enjoy aerial views of the village, surrounding valleys, and the port, harbour and beach area of Gialos.

The top of the hill east of Chora offers two more terrific spots for taking in the scenery while getting some fresh air and exercise. One excellent lookout point is the Giannis Gaitis-Gavriella Simosi Museum of Modern Arts, a huge modern museum & gallery space that opened in 2008 to display work by the late artist Yiannis Gaitis and his wife, but has apparently been sitting vacant ever since. (At least, that’s what several locals told us, and we certainly didn’t see any artwork when we peered through dusty windows into the cavernous empty rooms inside.) From both the big terrace outside the museum and from its wide, flat roof (you can climb a flight of stairs to get up there),  you’ll enjoy panoramic views of Chora and nearby Sikinos island to the west. A short walk away is the 1,100-seat outdoor Theatre of Odysseas Elytis, which faces the opposite direction, and offers breathtaking views of Mylopotas beach and bay far below.

http://mygreecetravelblog.com/2012/02/23/getting-high-on-ios/

Ios – The island

Ios Greece or "Little Malta" as it’s called by sailors because its port is protected from the wind.

Ios is one of the southernmost Cycladic islands . The highest mountain is Pirgos, 713m in height, located in the center of the island. The warmest months are July and August (average temperature 28C). although due to the northerly wind called the Meltemi, Ios weather is pleasantly cool.

And there you are, leaning upon the bulwark gazing at the natural harbor of the Aegean and the second most popular area on the island, Ormos,known as Yialos among locals. At the marina, traditional fish boats are leaving for the open sea in the morning and in the evening, fishermen are coming back with their nets full.

Chora, which is situated right next to Ormos, is a typical island town, with Cycladic whitewashed houses that contrast with the blue sky, winding narrow stone paved streets leading to chapels, windmills, and yards. If you take a walk in the evening hours, you will find out that the three main squares are so  overcrowded that you may lose your way in the small side streets. The windmills, on the slope above Chora, offer you another good excuse to show off your new camera.

History

According to the tradition,Ios Greece is believed to be the homeland of Homer’s mother, while it is speculated that the great poet died and was buried here.

The island was emigrated by Ions and later became a part of the Athenian Alliance. In the beginning of the 13th century, Ios Greece was conquered by the Venetians who built the castle in Chora the very next century.

Chora

Exploring Chora means, first of all, walking. Choose a cool morning,wear your most comfortable shoes and get ready to set off. One hour is enough for the ones who just want to have a look at this whitewashed village, perched on the slope of the hill between the port and Mylopotas. The more demanding ones will need the whole morning to discover the hidden beauty of Chora. That’s becauseChora was built up for the sun and it’s the sun that reveals the village to the visitor or hides it from him.

To go up to Chora, just follow the wide stone steps of the old ascending road that comes from the port. On your way, right before entering the village, you will come across a part of the walls that once surrounded the ancient town. Following the same road you reach the first square of Chora. To your right stands the modern Orthodox Cathedral of the island, named Evangelismos (Annuciation) and, nearby, a church dedicated to St. Ekaterini, where in 1903 an excavation unearthed the remnants of Byzantine foundations and the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo. Above these ruins the Christians built the Byzantine Cathedral,whose altar rests upon two of the temple’s columns.

To your right there is the marketplace and the two main roads that lead you across the village and to the square of the mills. Following the road that goes up, you reach the second square of the village, with its four cafes. On the left side coming from this square, the stone steps lead to the old castle of Chora, where the sublime church of Panaghia Gremiotissa (Our Lady of the Cliffs) is situated, built during the years of the Turkish occupation. According to one tradition, an icon of the Virgin was found among the rocks of Mylopotas’ seashore, with a lit candle standing on it. The legend has it that the inhabitants of Crete had thrown the icon in the open sea to protect it from falling to Turkish hands, and that the waves had carried it to that coast. The icon was then taken to the church of the HolyCross, but only to be found again the following morning on the same steep mountainside. When the islanders tried to build a new church for the icon, but not on the exact spot where it had been foundbecause of its inaccessibility, the foundation stones of the church kept disappearing every day in a miraculous way.

It was only then that the islanders understood that  the icon had chosen that exact spot, because it was the only one from where the dim shape of Crete could be viewed. On this piece of rough land they built the new church, known today as Gremiotissa, with its miraculous icon. A little beyond this church you can see the ruins of the castle walls and enjoy the magnificent view of the port and of Vigla. If you walk towards the northern side of the castle, you will come across the ancient walls again. On the other side of the market area, the square with the old windmills is a centre of commercial activity and a meeting place for the local festivals. Today, because of a complicated system of private ownership, the square remains undeveloped, used only as a parking space, but we hope that the efforts of the local authorities will soon pay off, so that the inhabitants and the visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic view from a reorganised square. From the square of the mills, you can follow the narrow street that goes up to Prophitis Elias. A path of 500m., with magnificent view to Chora and to Mylopotas, leads you to the church of Prophitis Elias. In periods of water shortage, a procession with icons and banners is made along this path towards the church. http://www.ios-maganari.com/eng/ios_eng.html

Restaurants line the rim of the hillside walk and we picked one early enough to get a good spot.  Pasta, grilled veggies, red wine (chilled?) bread and olive oil. 

It was quite windy and as the sun went down, quite chilly.  I wish I’d worn long jeans and a wool sweater and hat!  The woman in the little sweater kept wrapping her arms around herself.  She must have been freezing.

It was after 8 pm when I took this photo of the sun just starting to set.

Fira changes colors reflecting the sun

Mystery woman and Randal, though one profile photo reminded me of our pal Sharman.

Not sure who she was but she was a great addition to my photos.

Even in B& W

Sunset watchers lined the walkways.

It is said that at Oia you can actually see the sun touch the water, but we couldn’t here at Fira

Walking back to our “room.”

We ate an early lunch at the Terpsi Music Café where the waiter was very helpful.  We asked hotel prices along the caldera and 200 Euro was the answer, about 175 Euro more than we wanted to pay.  We were then told his boss had rooms below the café, but still with lovely views and one would be 50 Euro. 50 Euro was okay and we paid when we agreed to take the room.  No receipt or anything so maybe a little odd. Also odd when we booked our ferry tickets later in the day and the tourist officer asked our hotel and we showed thecafe’s card.  She was surprised as she’d not heard of it.  Hmm.

  It was your basic dorm room except for the balcony with the really good view and the free wifi so we took it.  It was certainly clean and good enough and a great location.  The bathroom access was out on the balcony like when we visited Charmaine and Linda at their island home and the bathroom was off the porch with a lovely view of the lake.  Take note of the steep steps, they go down, down, down.

So we came back from watching the sunset and after some work on these emails we went to sleep as we needed an early start in the morning.  Thankfully there was no coffee maker in the room or this story would have been very sad as we would have dawdled longer before trying to leave.   We had to catch the only 8 am bus from Fira to the port to catch the 9:20 am ferry back to Ios.  The only ferry that day! We woke about 6ish and got ready to leave and go find some breakfast but, alas, the hallway door wouldn’t open.  We have no idea how it had gotten locked or why we’d been given no key. Across from our room was a storage room and perhaps someone had visited it and then locked the hall door.  Randal tried everything, nothing worked; but wisely refused my suggestion to tie sheets together and climb out the window.  We banged and pounded and banged and yelled and finally woke the folks in the room further down the stairs.  Or at least one of the guests who came out but spoke no English and had no clue really what to do.  We yelled down to the donkey men when we saw them coming up the hillside.  No luck there.  Then a young oriental woman heard us and called down from the hillside path above but she spoke little English and also had no real way to help as no one was in the café to speak with.  We asked her to find the police and off she went somewhere.  Then we banged and yelled and banged and yelled and woke more guests downstairs thankfully one of them a strong young man.  He came up and was able to catch Randal who could then climb from the window.  Not only were the stairs too far to jump, but the steps were narrow and descended sharply making a broken something very possible if we’d fallen.  Then Randal and the young man both caught me, and I have to say I was really scared as it was a long way down if it hadn’t worked.  The time of our escape was 7:15 am  amazingly giving us time for a quick breakfast before boarding the bus.  The bus was on time and the ferry was on time so we had no time to spare during this crazy escapade.

  I’m honestly not sure what we would have done had the young man not been there.  Or if there had been a fire!  We were locked into that hallway with no fake TV stunt person to actually kick down the door.  Back on DoraMac I found a contact email for the café and wrote to them.  We’ll see if they answer.

   During past vacations I’ve been locked in bathrooms as have several folks I’ve spoken to recently, Jane and Collin from Hydeaway  being 2 of them.  And my college roommate Eileen and I got locked in the stairwell of the Boston John Hancock building on Bunker Hill Day and had to walk down a dozen or more floors.  And Randal and I had to let ourselves out of our pension in Istanbul but could find the correct key behind the reception desk to do that. I guess in the Eurozone  they must just expect everyone to sleep till noon.   In this situation, at the least, we might have missed the only ferry that day. The worst case scenario we would have had to use the sheet trick in case of a fire. I do remember seeing a red fire alarm pull and I think some red fire extinguishers.  I was tempted about the red fire pull but it didn’t look so much as if it would work and the consequences of it working  weren’t so much better.  The gods must have been watching over us to have that young man in the room below.  Next time we’ll think to ask for a corridor key.

Louvered shutters did open and the windows to the left were our balcony.   One certainly wouldn’t have to worry about anyone breaking into the windows from below.  The door that wouldn’t open is to the right of the windows.  And adventure hopefully never to be repeated. 

I call this one, “what happens on Santorini, stays on Santorini.” 

We saw these three very pleasant young men on the ferry from Santorini back to Ios.  As we were leaving I asked what part of the States they were from.  (They had no tell-tale southern, New England Brooklyn or mid-west accent that I could tell.  Actually they were from the mid-west;  they were from Chicago and were travelling before returning to work and school.

Ioa, the tip of the caldera, is Santorini’s Key West.

Fira town where we stayed with the main harbor below and the hairpin turned road up.

Throwing the lines at arrival in Fira where the whole street was lined with “tourist info/hotel/tour” kiosks  and small cafes.  One café hawker was an American by accent so I asked him for the bus to Fira town which we caught and sig- zagged our way up.

There were a maze of streets that climbed up higher into Fira and all were lined with small shops selling the same things one to the next.

Lots of cotton clothing for sale; these sisters were human mannequins.

The island in the caldera and the cruise ships hovering in place.

Water in the caldera was over 1,000 feet deep in places making anchoring for these cruise ships impossible.  Instead of anchoring, cruise ships used their thrusters to hold them in position.  Fuel is used to run the thrusters which seems pretty expensive and not great for the environment.  Small tenders were used to ferry people back and forth between Santorini and the ships.

Famous Santorini sight; Fira

Another famous sight, sitting in a café overlooking the caldera having a drink.

More colorful ingenious ways to wrap yourself up.

Lots of Americans on the cruise ships; these were from Richmond. 

This photo was taken just as we were all about to enter the small antiquities museum filled with pottery and a few sculptures. We actually saw folks with B hats too, but my camera was in my pack and the narrow lane too crowded to make time for photos.

From a cemetery of Ancient Thera (Fira) 3^rd century BC.  I loved the sentiment expressed in the image.

Early 7^th century BC and early 21^st century.

The boy with the fish is an image seen everywhere.

“Painted about 1500 BC, these Minoan style murals are similar to those found at Knosos.  The best known are The Young Fisherman  depicting a youth holding blue and yellow fish and The Young Boxers, showing two young sparring partners with long black hair and almond shaped eyes.  Preserved by lava, the frescoes have kept their colour and are displayed on a rotating basis at the New Archaelolgica Museum in Fira.  Eyewitness Travel: The Greek Islands

Photo enhanced to show the bits and fragments put together.

I read in the museum information that green wasn’t a color found in the murals so maybe that’s why the fish were yellow and blue.  But yellow and blue make green which was pointed out in the museum info so it’s an interesting question of why no green.  I didn’t ask if photos were allowed and no sign said No Photos, but I didn’t use the flash so the colors aren’t so intense.  We did watch a video showing how each of the zillion fragments was scanned three dimensionally  and then put together like a puzzle rather than have to do it all by hand.  Quite interesting.

We opted for the bus, but one could ride a donkey part way up from the harbor. 

In the Philippines with our friend Carol we rode donkeys to a volcano caldera and Randal ended up walking half way.  These donkeys looked more sturdy and the group of them could be smelled for a good distance.   

Or you could take cable cars.  I wouldn’t so Randal didn’t though I guess he could have cabled up and I could have ridden up and that would have worked.

More views of Fira