The next day was the day we were going on our excursion to see the volcano among other things. I met Matt and Benedict
and this was my breakfast
as Szymon and Tim settled in
and I took this self portrait
before we drove into town and prepared to walk down to the old port
along this path
where we met the donkeys
even as the path wound down
affording views of where we were heading
past more donkeys
and a view of the cable car that would rescue us on our way back
until we were on flat land wondering which of these boats might take us on our excursion
over the sea to this island
even as we looked back up the hill we had come down
as our crew gathered
and Szymon posed sans camera
as we looked out
at yet another boat that was not ours
and then watched our boat come to get us
which again was not this one.
After admiring the path we had taken
and the dock we had left
we enjoyed being on the sea and looking back at the cities on the hills which had been formed by layers of volcanic ash over the (many, many) years.
We passed the cruise ship
and took some more looks back at the path we had come down
and Thirasia in the distance, not yet realizing that we would eventually be among the hilltop houses.
I was still focused on our path here
and our ultimate destination
as I paused to see Oia off in the distance
as we found our way towards the new port with the steep road coming down
and the many buildings along the dock
and after another view of the road down
I watched us come in to shore
and the activity that was happening on the shore
before we headed back out to sea
with the volcano island in our sights.
Once on the island, we started up the paths to the entry
looking back at the beautiful water we had left
and the neighboring islands
as we climbed up the hill to Point A on our maps
where we admired the caldera heading off in all directions
and were sure to obey this sign (except that we generated no garbage while there)
as we continued along the path
and noted large piles of lava
while looking down on a caldera that has begun to sprout vegetation
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We came into town and were greeted by octopus on the grill
along with these dishes
as we looked out on the sea
and found a place to settle in for lunch by the sea
including this self portrait
as we ordered tsatsiki
eggplant salad
a vegetable plate
and enjoyed bread
and wine
along with the souvlakies
while looking out at the path up the hill into town and wondering if we would try a climb
while this boat pulled away
and we were convinced to start our way up
so that we could take a breath catching break and see these wonderful views of the sea below.
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We began the trip back and the views got better as the land got closer as we approached Oia
and then headed towards Fira
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Back at the hotel, the others posed with the gift they had gotten me on the last trip here but unfortunately a checked bag is required to bring it home
and after some hacking on the patio
we headed of to see the sun slowly set
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