We Were Of To The Island Of,

Santorini,

instead of using the ships lifeboats, tenders were sent from the shore,

we said goodbye to the Ventura,

as we made our way along the coast we could see the strata that was exposed when the volcano erupted,

we neared the harbour,

an nice yacht to cruise the Mediterranean in,


the picture does not show how step and sharp the gradients and the bends in the roads are,

another nice yacht for cruising,

we were soon in coaches,

making our way to the hill top town,

with blue topped churches beneath us,

looking across the plain below,

this is what you do not see in guide books,

when a cruise boat docks and the tourists flood ashore,

but all was not lost, with a bit of planning we found the quiet spots,

where locally made goods were for sale,

and quiet streets could be found,

as well as troubadours,

playing in the church square,

Diana posed on one of the many balcony's that fronted the sea,

looking to the right,

and to the left,

continuing our walk,

we had streets almost to ourselves,

and what a view,

picture postcard perfect,

so many picture opportunity's,

for Diana,

to be in,

looking down balcony after balcony,

of course while it looked perfect,

there was some building work going on,

a yacht starts the next stage of it's journey,

hardly a soul in sight,

except us!

a panorama looking out to sea,

we then chanced on a wedding,

as we were looking at more souvenirs,

we passed the clock tower,

many artist now live on the island,

using their homes to show case their work,

more building work going on,

and more souvenir shops,

going away from the clock tower,

a few more local handicrafts,

and views,

of the sea,

a different design of building,

and a pose from Dina,

a home or a gallery, or both?

a yacht in one of the nearby bays,

a smiling Diana,

one of the over 3,000 islands that make up Greece in the distance,

no one here except,

us!

we then chanced upon a second,

third,

and fourth wedding!

we took a rest,

and found wedding number 5!

another studio,

if puppets are your thing,

 this could be the shop for you,

we made our way back to the coach, stopping for a drink in the square,

then drove past these buildings,

they were homes with a windmill attached as a selling point,

one nearing completion,

we stopped on the other side of the island opposite this restaurant,

at one of the famous,

black sand beaches,

you can see boards on the sand, for a good reason, the sand being black was blazing hot!

looking to the left,

and right,

and a panorama,

me taking a picture of Diana,

and here she is,

I know, diet starts when we get back to Thailand!

I was trying to make it look like Diana was wearing the sun umbrella,

we took a walk,

to the restaurant,

a starter of fried tomatoes with a few other ingredients,

a coffee for Diana,

then the main course arrived,

a chicken kebab,

'Cheers!',

back to the coach past the crazy golf course,

then to the another part of the island,

our day on Santorini was not yet over,

looking down we could see the Ventura,

a look over the balcony,

and up towards the highest point,

we continued our walk,

in the distance the cable car,

looking a little scary,

to say the least!

looking up one of the locals,

has produced these bronzes,

we continued exploring,

going down,

and up again,

then it happened!

a clothes shop,

and guess what? they had everything in Diana's size!

time to descend by cable car, the big wheel at the top of the cable way,

cars arriving from below on the other platform,

then ours arriving,

we started the journey down,

looking back,

a slightly nervous Diana,

and me putting on a brave face,

looking back to the hilltop village we had just left,

you could, if you were fit enough, walk down or up for that matter,

we did think of taking a donkey either up or down, but there is a question about the use of animals like this,

the business part of the cable car power system,

the good news is that contrary to popular belief cables like these seldom snap and if they do it is normally a once in a lifetime experience for you!

we arrived safe and sound at the port,

and boarded our tender,

all aboard for the trip back,

what a great day,

the cable car was an experience we were not expecting,

goodbye Santorini,

as the island recedes in the distance,

back on board, a shower and a change,


and we were upstairs,

to the Epicurean,

for our afternoon champagne cream tea,

there were just a few other dinners this afternoon,

this was the selection we both had,

Diana started with the chocolate tear drop,

after the sandwiches, or I should say rolls I decided on the summer berries and Diana click the camera at just the right moment, to freeze a drop of juice mid air,

we spent the afternoon having a stroll around the decks and pool areas, then glad rags on,

and we were off for the evening,

a cocktail for Diana,

and tonight we are going to see,

Paradise  City,

playing the part of ThunderStruck,

the story of a pop group,

as the show started,

the 'roadie',

made his way through the audience,

then the show began in earnest,

it was the story of the break up,

of the lead singer and his girlfriend who was a member of the group,

the group was looking for another singer,

when she then came back into the band,

and it became a success,

but then it appeared the lead singer had a previous girlfriend,

he promised the part to, the good news was that it all ended up well, another great evenings entertainment,

we took a walk up the the centre of the ship, why up? the ship was leaning over, the water in the pool confirmed this, now there's a worry,

but this did not seem to concern the bar staff,

so a nightcap and we were off to bed.