Santorini - rather nice

We left a wet and miserable Malta and two short flights later arrived in paradise!

Well, paradise for a few days, that is. We stayed in Fira at the slightly retro (but I don't think they mean to be) Hotel Atlantis, where the exact same breakfast is served everyday by a waiter who diligently recites the name of every dish as he puts it down on the table. On the plus side, though, the pool is very nice - although it was a bit cool when we were there - and the views are stunning.

We were happy to kick back after three weeks of crazy busy sightseeing in Italy and Malta, but we did manage to see a few things.

We walked down to the old port, dodging donkeys and their faeces and lots of cruise ship passengers, and had a delicious but simple lunch sitting right on the very edge of the wharf.

We walked the ten or so kilometres to Oia, a more ambitious adventure but great fun also. It was a great mix of scenery, from the various luxury accommodations of Imerovigli and Oia to the barren and spectacular views over the caldera to the occasional whitewashed church. It was quite a lot of trudging up and down hills to get there, though.

The weather has also been a bit iffy, quite windy and not as hot as we expected even allowing that it is late in the season.

We've also had some terrific meals and have loved the atmosphere of this relaxed town with its incredible location.

Well, R and R over, we've watched our last caldera sunset and are now en route to Athens to resume exploring. One more destination and this year's holiday comes to a close.Read more