4 months 3 bags 2 chances: Volcano days, we used to know, where have they gone, where did they go?

Santorini

Found this on the web

Love the humour of uncomfortable silence. Reminds me of all the great Larry David moments like when by getting one letter wrong, and he significantly changes his Aunt's newspaper obituary, much to the horror of his family.

In a similar moment of silence, I remember sitting on some steps in Busselton leading onto a beach at the back of the Abby Beach Resort. Sitting with my arm around Drew who was maybe just 4 at the time. Cute little nut with red hair, blue eyes and great big smile. It was a lovely sunny day as we sat there, father and son at one with nature staring at the waves.

At some point a couple walked up the steps we were sitting on (mid 50s maybe?). They sorta stopped to look at the two of us on the steps, wistful smiles. I imagined them thinking of the time they may have sat with their child just enjoying the moment. Intuitively, Drew raised his head and looked them in the eye. He smiled. They smiled. In a clear and loud voice, he said "it's a dark, dangerous world". Silence. More silence. They walked off.

Zozo decided to take her hair out of its braid today. Good look?

Hmmmmm. Hat time!

Going down in the cablecar

Today there was no cruise liner in the bay. There were also no donkeys out on the path. In fact the town was rather sleepy today - no boat, no tourists, no point !

View of the path from the cablecar. Not a donkey in sight.

Volcano tour

Today seemed like a great day to take the volcano tour. Although the crazy wild winds prevailed there were less touristos in town and the sun was out on a more reliable basis than days before. Sweet little wooden vessel took us across the relatively short span of water to the island (pronounced "izz-land") created by several volcanic eruptions over the last 2000 years. €60 got us across the bay and dropped us at the lunar-like hills of ash, rock and lava stone. There we had to spend €8 more to climb the 1.5km track to the top. Seemed a bit unnecessary! It's a bit of a schlepp up the makeshift gravelly trail where tiny stones give out under your feet and the sheer drop on either side can be a bit daunting. We were told repeatedly to keep to the centre of the path. Largely ignored by the smaller Dembos who seem to be often disinterested in taking instructions. Which parent does that come from I wonder?

One of the 5 craters on the izz-land is still active (although not visibly) and you can smell the sulphur and see the yellow staining near the base. Not much growing there because last eruption was only about 60 years ago. Views back to Santorini were awesome. We all marched back to the boat for the "swimming in the hot springs" component of the afternoon (read - dive into 16 degree Agean Ocean, swim 100 meters through cyclonic conditions to small bay filled with tepid brown stinky water that stains your bathers). Seemed none of the now frozen punters on our boat were that interested in the 100m dash so the boat was turned around and steered back across the now thoroughly whipped up bay. Ahhhhhh the spray of the sea!!

The tour boat

Intrepid sailors

The wind chill was "significant". Took us a while to feel our fingers once we had reached shore.even Lozza the wharfie looking guy was afflicted although no seasickness at all (none of the sweet diesel smell that pervades the Rottnest journey).

Lozza the wharfie and his frozen fingers

Shame, so grey old man!

A warming crepe of banana, chocolate, more chocolate, strawberries, more chocolate and icecream

The walk back from Fira to Imergvoli

It's a good 25 minutes mostly uphill back to Heliotopos. Full of the aforementioned crepes, Drew was in speed mode and ran, walked, skipped and DIDN'T STOP TALKING. It's incessant.

The scenery is just extraordinary.

Speed boy finds a cactus ball

Turns out that Heliotopos is also a "wedding hotel". Whilst we were there two sweet Chinese couples got married on the balcony (on different days). Suddenly Bogdan the gentle Greek speaking Romanian painter, general handy man about the hotel was resplendent in a black suit and photographers appeared to do the necessaries. The couple below had only one bag - unfortunately it was stolen in Athens so they had to borrow a dress and suit from the collection left at the hotel. Turns out that after the nuptials conclude many couples leave their dresses / suits behind.