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What storms! Last night the wind picked up and it stormed hard! Thankfully our cave room kept us nice and dry. Unfortunately we didn't get great sleep due to the storms so it was a very slow morning.
It was still incredibly windy when we did wake up for breakfast. We descended the stairs down the cliffside to the main pool area. Breakfast was served inside so we had some respite from the wind - until the power went out! The morning was off to a great start.
It was still raining off and on while we walked around Oia looking at the various shops, churches and ruins of some castles. It appeared the weather was clearing and the winds were dying down so we braved the roads of Santorini to head to the town of Pyrgos - an ancient town in the center of the island.
Driving on Santorini is crazy. The roads are so small and narrow that even with a tiny car, you feel like you're going to knock both mirrors off the side of the car. While most roads are two-way streets, there often is barely room to squeeze by. Not only are there cars parked on the side but if someone can't find a spot, they just double park in the middle of the road with their flashers on. While most cars are tiny, there are also ginormous coach busses and some large trucks that also use these roads. You weave in and out of the parked cars and close your eyes and hope that you squeezed to the side tight enough for the truck and bus to pass. Yikes! Oh and the car is manual and it's super hilly. Fun times!
We made it to Pyrgos and walked around a bit. Unfortunately the clouds blocked the view. There were some beautiful buildings but most things were closed here since it's not quite tourist season. Then it was off to the Venetsanos Winery. The winery was at the edge of the cliff and had fantastic views. The clouds parted enough for us to get some quick pictures. We sat outside and enjoyed a tasting of four wines made from grapes grown on the island.
We finished just in time for it to start raining again! We headed back to the hotel but took the backroads again so it wasn't quite so treacherous. The hot tub was calling our name when we got back. Hot tub is probably a bit generous, it's more like a warm tub but it was nice to overlook the Mediterranean in our own private pool.
This evening we went down to Ammoudi Bay for dinner at Demitris. The restaurant is right on the water. To get there, we took the long stairs that just kept going and going and going. It's amazing how high up on the cliffs our hotel is. Dinner was delicious until about halfway through our appetizers, a huge wave hit the rocks and soaked us! We had hummus, fried feta, sea bass, red mullet and red snapper. All were delicious.
Even though we are experts at stairs after Meteora, we opted for a taxi ride back. It was no ordinary taxi! It was a ginormous limo bus for the 2.5 min ride back to our hotel. Crazy Santorini!
The forecast looks better tomorrow so hopefully we'll be able to enjoy some of the views and more of the island.
Kevin
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