The ferry trip was reasonable, a few swells that made people's crockery slide around, but not too bad. I still didn't like it much.
Arrived at 'The Hollywood of Greece' as the Greeks call Santorini. Hundreds of people, buses, taxis & spruikers. Chaos. Especially after the serenity of Crete.
We had pre-arranged to be collected, & there was my name on a board & a minibus waiting. Great driver - chatted about the island (another patriot) & told us how the cruise ships are the only tourists who are disliked. They are called 'the mess of Santorini' by the locals, as 'they come, make a mess & too much noise from the ships' horns, & leave.'
Quad bikes everywhere, no helmets & little clothing. Crazy.
Came into Oia (pronounced 'eee-ah') & were greeted by the manager (Irene) of Gabbiano. I felt like I already knew her from our countless emails. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a place. Totally private, traditional cave house, with a jacuzzi right on the terrace edge. 180 degree views across the Caldera & of course the volcano. Gorgeous little dining room, sunken kitchen, big bedroom with canopy & modern bathroom. Rolled towels, slippers & chocolates on the bed, fresh fruit in the basket, & a bottle of wine. Amazing!! Totally self-contained, we don't have to share any facilities, & after seeing some of the exposed accommodation, we were absolutely thrilled with our choice. My concern about the jacuzzi being too warm was unwarranted - perfect!
Irene could not have been more beautiful - advising us where to eat & things we could choose to do.
She left us after all the paperwork was done & we walked into the Main Street to buy some groceries & have a look around. Loads of local artist shops & souvenirs. Scotti bought me a clay heart for my wall.
Whilst everyone else was crowding to see the sunset, we watched it from just above our villa with about 8 other people. Local knowledge shared with you is a wonderful thing! We had a drink up there, but to be honest it wasn't that good. We've seen better in Exmouth & Thailand.
Went out to dinner at a little place not 5 minutes away. I had fish & salad (lovely), Scotti had pepper steak that didn't have any pepper. It was tough & undercooked, so he was disappointed.
Came back to the villa. It was actually chilly this evening. The first time I've felt cold. Crete was around 35C at 11pm - so the temperature drop is really noticeable.
We have 5 lovely days here.