On the edge of a volcano

Our transfer to the Athens airport is due at 7.45am. We get up at 6.00.
We grab some breakfast at 7.00.

The restaurant is one floor below us.
In the lift, I press the 'R'. Athena immediately tells me off 'where are you going?' and she presses floor 6.

Me, I am confused-as the bar is up there??
Athena looks at me as if to say, yes my hand automatically goes to 6.

Doesn't that just say too much!

I grab some of the sweet pastries on display at the breaky bar. Baklava, bougasta, My plan was to eat one a day. But Athens has been too fast. And it has slipped us both by.

We summed it up with-
Day 1 Thannassi's tour of Acropolis and museum
Day 2 Meteora
Day 3 Hair, bank calls and The Plaka
So now it is over and out.

Trying to get the lift down, with our cases, to reception was impossible. A truckload of Americans arrived yesterday and only 2 people plus luggage can fit.
Everyone is off to breakfast, so it is full each time it gets to us.
Finally I push in and get down.

Another transfer and 45min plane trip.
I capture on camera the many brown islands below from the plane window.

OMG just landed in Santorini!!!
I feel like site seeing is done with and holiday begins.

The island is flat all around the airport.
Terrain is like Phillip Island. With not much infrastructure.
A single road into Fira. The sun is fully shining.

White and sand coloured buildings.
We go toward the back of the hill top of Fira. It is smaller than I imagined.
The road is simple
We hop out with a short walk to the top, dragging our heavy luggage up across the cobblestones, and this amazing view of the caldera is before us.

Dark deep blue ocean meets baby blue sky, with the remnants of arms of a historic volcano circling around a centrepiece of land.

It takes your breath away.

Our hotel, The Theoxenia, is on the main top path and a 2 min walk.
We haul our luggage up steep marble steps to the reception desk.

Our room is simple and it has Athena's main requirements
-a hair dryer, kettle and iron with board.
For me it has a balcony. We have a half view of the street shops and half view of the ocean.

For me this is heaven.

We head straight out, as is lunch time.
'Fanari restaurant' is our choice.

Away from the 'tourists' we took a quiet table overlooking the ocean.
The world below us spread out in a raw form. It is like we are viewing the earth from a satellite. So high up.

Athena has a massive red octopus tentacle and I choose shrimp. They are served with carrots and rice cooked so divinely.

We devoured our meals within minutes. Athena and I looked at each other and expressed that we were still wanting more food so we shared a full size calamari.

The waiter took a couple of snaps of us with our glasses of wine and we were happy.

Athena had the waiter very attentive toward her as he fully appreciated some Greek conversation, however her preference was more toward the wine.
.......
Athena has a few words-
We found ourselves very sleepy and we decided to get back into the room & take a nap..... Yes your all thinking we have a hard life atm.
We woke up & decided to have a coffee and baklava. We then went to the rooftop to watch the sunset.
.........

At bedtime,
whilst I am reading my novel (Call me by your name), I ask Athena if she would like me to read aloud. She permits me to. I wish to share with her this magnificent story.
My voice is monotone and soothing. Athena gets all cosy and she eagerly hangs on every word.

She reacted perfectly to this beautiful prose that fully captures the innocence of first falling in love with someone.
Athena-Wow, that is beautifully written!
Me-I know, isn't it just!

Shorty after, I hear her snoring.Read more