YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE…..

Posted on by

Some things are difficult to believe. Such as the story I am about to relate.

Two years ago, a new cave hotel opened in Oia. Adronis Suites. About 300 feet from Nikos’ place where I am staying. Everyone tells me the new cave hotel is expensive. Very expensive. How much? Responses varied from $1,000 to $1,500 per night. Hard to believe.

I stopped at the new hotel yesterday. Brochure? No brochure. They handed me their business card and said all I wanted to know would be on internet.

The rooms go for 3,700 euros a night! $5,000 American money!

I find it hard ot believe. I cannot believe it. I lived my life denying myself nothing. Went everywhere, did everything. Never was I asked for that kind of money. And rest assured that had I been asked, I would not have payed it!

Ridiculous!

I watched two young ladies checking in this morning. Early 20s. No way could they afford the place. They were scrawny appearing. Not that good looking. Not kept women if the thought occurred to you.

I have a feeling the hotel is some devious operation. Perhaps money laundering. Who knows. If legitimate, I spent a lifetime in the wrong business. I should have owned a couple of high end hotels like this place.

The wind has become a factor.

Amorgos had the burning sun every day. No humidity. Always cool because of the northwest wind which blew into the bay.

Santorini was hot yesterday. Hot hot. Like I cannot take anymore hot. No wind. More accurately stated, no wind on my side of the cliff. The Oia side.

The cooling wind comes from the northwest for Santorini, also. However, Oia faces southwest. The caves and Oia life are over the crest of the hill facing southwest. The cold northwest wind only 500 feet away. But on the other side of the crest. Ergo, the mountain itself blocks the cooling northwest wind for those of us on the southwest side.

The choice is the view or comfort. The view is worth the discomfort.

Oia’s evenings are cool. There is no humidity day or night here. The masterful wind from the northwest is called meltemi. It only exists in July and August. Then gone until the following year.

During the winter, the wind comes from the southwest. It reverses itself. Nikos said starting in late October the wind is so cold, even he and his family move to another part of the island.

I mentioned the huge number of cats on Amorgos. I rarely saw a dog. I recall my last 1 1/2 hours standing on the concrete port dock in Amorgosw in the boiling sun waiting for the ferry boat to arrive. While standing there, an elderly woman opened the door to her home. Out she came followed by 15 cats. I counted them.

On Santorini, I have only seen dogs. Many of them. Not a cat yet, though I am sure they are here.

Dinner last night was spectacular. I was tired. Heat exhaustion. I did not want to walk far. Ended up in a nearby tiny restaurant. Sat outside on the deck.

I asked what was good. Something different is cooked every evening. I wanted lamb chops. He said…..lamb on the spit!

We had a language problem. I made it known I would like to go in the kitchen and look at the lamb cooking. I was allowed to so do.

The cook was happy to see me. He was probably in his 60s. Bald headed. Fat. No shirt. Bare to the waist. Sweating big time. Chopping something up with a huge cleaver. Which he handled with precision.

There on the spit was this large former sheep turning and cooking. Actually being kept warm. It looked already cooked. Juices dripping off it.

I had lamb on the spit. I am convinced it was lamb and not goat. It looked like a lamb cooking and tasted unquestionably like lamb. I have never enjoyed a more tasteful piece of lamb. Juices still moist. Tender. Just the right amount of fatty taste.

When I finished, I went in the kitchen to congratulate the cook. Actually, thank him. I could see from the look on his face that I had made his evening.

The heat is already up today. I feel like I am in a blast furnace. I have walked. As soon as I finish here, I am going down to the pool to cool off.

Enjoy your day!

FIRA

Posted on by

Cash money can be a problem in Oia. The town I am staying in on Santorini. No one takes credit cards, with one exception. Car rentals. Restaurants, bars, hotels, stores, etc., do not. I am not sure it is the same in the other towns on Santorini. I assume it is.

I initially thought cash only so the merchants did not have to pay the 1 or 2 per cent to the credit card companies. Not the case. The purpose/reason is to beat taxes. Tax avoidance is a major sport in Greece. This is one of the reasons why Greece is broke. The government does not take in enough money to operate.

Arrests for tax fraud are rare. If so, the court process takes 10 years to complete. No one worries.

Obviously, you must carry many euros around with you.

Yesterday, I was down to 20 euros. Not much I could do with so little. I went to the ATM. It was broke. I went to the other ATM. It was broke. There are only two ATM machines in Oia.

I was sort of desperate for cash. The nearest ATM outside Oia is in Fira. Fira is the capital of Santorini. About 15 miles away. I took a bus.

The bus ride was pleasant. Took all of 20 minutes. A crazy curvy drive on a very narrow road. Many Americans on the bus.

The ATM in Fira was working. A relief!

I walked around Fira a bit.

The town was very crowded. Many tourists.

Cruise ships feed Fira with tourists just as in Key West. Four of varying sizes were sitting in the Aegean some distance off shore. As I stated yesterday, there is no dockage. The water is not deep enough for the cruise liners to come into shore. All use small shuttle boats to take the cruise ship customers back and forth.

This bugs the hell out of me. If Fira can get the cruise ships to come in and deposit their passengers in this fashion, why can’t Key West? This is a current problem in Key West. There is a push on for millions to be spent to deepen and widen the channel so the big boats can dock and drop their passengers off.

Fira sits high on a cliff. Just as Oia. A steep cliff. The passengers have to get to the top. They have options. They can walk up. A path exists. Generally stone. Over 500 steps. There is a cable car to take them up and down. Finally, donkeys and mules.

No one seems to mind.

Fira is different from Oia. I would describe Oia as more update. Fira a hundred years behind.

Whereas Oia’s walk is marble, Fira’s consists of lava, stones and pebbles hardened together. The walkways reminded me of a Chora. Chora is an old Greek section. Though Fira’s was improved.

Fira’s walk ways are 4-8 feet wide.

Enjoyed a sandwich and cold drink and returned by bus to Oia.

I have not spent much time laying by the water. I did yesterday. By the pool sitting halfway up a 2,000 foot cliff. The view of the bay before me.

When I returned to my room, I decided to sit on the terrace. My terrace on Back Street. I read the Eisenhower book for a while. Eisenhower was a crafty individual. He had warts. The book describes both the good and bad of the man.

Last night, I returned to Taverna Katina. No screwing around. I wanted to be sure of a good meal. That is exactly what I had. Basically, the same meal as two nights ago. Except this time I added egg plant salad as an appetizer. My entre was some fire red fish broiled. Tasted terrific, though a bit boney. Dessert again was baklava.

It finally happened! I saw a man with a beard!

He was sitting at the table next to me. We smiled at each other at the same time. We talked. He was from Australia. No beards here, he said. He also said he was beginning to feel strange having one. I laughed and agreed.

Earlier this morning, I was sitting on my terrace on Back Street enjoying a cup of coffee. An elderly woman was on the porch across the way. The porch on the flower/shrubbery covered house. White haired, pudgy, a black dress. She was sweeping the porch. She looked up and smiled at me. I said “ya sou.” Not spelled correctly. However, I have learned to pronounce it properly. It means hello, good day. She responded with the same Greek hello.

Ya sou is the only Greek word I have learned thus far.

After sweeping, she brought her coffee out and sat outside sipping and smiling at me.

She reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother would rise, sweep the floor and then sit down for a cup of coffee. The same routine every day for many years.

My apartment is on the second floor. I have a next door neighbor. A young lady. In her early 30s. Other than a hello a couple of days ago, we have not seen each other. Our terraces are joined.

She came out in her night gown. I said hello. She said hello in English. Then tied her undies to a chair to dry. She had apparently just washed them. She then walked downstairs to the common area where there is a clothesline. She returned with black pants and a blouse. I have to iron these for work, she said.

Everything is easy in my Back Street complex. Everyone interacts like a family. The fact she was only in her night gown bothered her not at all.

I speak with the locals as much as possible about the economy. It is the same with everyone. Germany is no good! Merkel a rotten woman! We never should have gotten into the euro! We have been down and out before! We shall survive!

They will.

Enjoy your day!

SHE RODE THE DONKEY

Posted on by

 

Oia is a town on the Greek island of Santorini.

I spent ten days there last summer. You will recall it as the place where I failed in my attempt to climb the volcano.

Santorini is a huge cliff sitting in the water.  The sides run straight up to the sky. At one particular point in order to get to the bottom, one drives a car or walks. The walk is a wide pathway seemingly attached to the cliff. The cliff is at least 1,500 feet tall at that point.

The pathway is in reality a donkey trail. It has steps, widely apart. Donkeys carry people up and down. People walk the path also. However, they do so gingerly because of the dung along the way.

Others drive to get to the bottom of the cliff. I drove. There are restaurants and apartments at the bottom which sit on the sea. My favorite Oia restaurant Katrina Taverna is one of the restaurants.

About a month ago, my dear friends Bob and Helen Marks visited Oia. They walked the donkey trail. That same day, they climbed the volcano. Bob is 75 years old.

I never met anyone who rode a donkey. Until last night. Her name is Elaine Jette. Met Elaine and her husband Fred. They are visiting Key West for a few days.

Elaine likes to travel. She goes all over the world. In addition to Greece, she recently visited Africa. Fred does not like traveling so he stays home. He mentioned that the only places he travels to are the Bahamas and Key West..

Elaine was in Oia. She rode a donkey! It had to have been a fearful experience. If you fall off, you fall off the pathway also. Into the sea below.

Fred and Elaine are from Stuart, Florida. Fred is a civil engineer. He builds roads and bridges. Elaine works for Merril Lynch.

I met Fred and Elaine at the Chart Room.

Frankie came in while we were talking. Frankie is Admiral of the Conch Republic Navy. A big deal! Frankie got into the Sea Battle which takes place every year. Fred and Elaine listened attentively.

I pointed out to them that you can’t experience anything like the Sea Battle in Stuart. They agreed.

I wrote about killer whales yesterday. I forgot to mention how they got the name killer whales.

Killer whales do not kill humans. There is no record of any human fatality, except with whales in captivity. Turns out their name initially was the reverse of what it is today. Whale killers. Why? Because killer whales kill bigger whales of a different breed.

We all know dolphins are not afraid of whales and that whales fear dolphins. Killer whales are not whales. They are dolphins.

Interesting!

This morning my tv/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten my time.

I will be chatting a bit more regarding killer whales. I will also get into Senator McCain’s recent foray into Syria. A bit on the Catholic Church and hypocrisy. Some words about Father Andrew Greeley who died this week. Plus more.

Join me for a fast moving informative hour. The show can be viewed on television from Key West all the way up through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

DAY 16

Posted on by

I was dead last night! The volcano did me in!

I did yesterday’s blog till 8 in the evening. Then I satisfied a need. For whatever reason, I had a desire for a chocolate milkshake. Yes, they sell them in Oia. It was delicious!

I was back in my cave by 9 and soon sound asleep. The sleep of the dead. The volcano responsible therefore.

I have been in Santorini longer than planned. I was to leave last Saturday. Put it off to Sunday. Then to today, Tuesday. Now, tomorrow. I definitely will be leaving tomorrow. Wednesday.

Destination Mykonos.

Going by boat. Speed boat. So called. Probaly a big boat as yesterday. Makes three stops before reaching Mykonos.

I do not have a place to stay. Unusual for me. I am normally a planner. But this trip is loosey goosey. I am told to worry not. A lot of places to stay in Mykonos. Not yet the season.

Donna and Terri wrote me. We have friends in Mykonos. She told me a bar to go to. Terri sang for the owners in New York. Bobby Peoscue, probaly spelled his name wrong, is playing piano there. He worked the place where Terri sang when she first came to Key West.

Loosey goosay not working in Mykonois. I am only staying three nights. I am anxious to move on to Fourni-Korseon. In English, Pirate’s Cove.

Fourni, as it is so called, is a very small island with a very small village. Only one bar. Serves the same one meal all day.

The attraction of Fourni is its expatriates. Writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, etc. I am told my time there will be enjoyable and well spent. The expatriates look forward to the few guests who arrive to visit their island

I do not know how long I will be in Fourni. Perhaps a couple of weeks. Where, then? I am thinking Morroco or Portofino. I have met many Morocco natives on this trip. They make their homeland sound interesting. Although a Muslim country, the people dance to their own tune. Women dress as in the USA. Mini skirts in vogue. Men and women walk the streets hand in hand. The young well educated. A fun place.

They speak of interesting historical places. Like Casablanca, the Casbah and the like. Shades of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Tony Martin. Even Frank Sinatra. I saw Sinatra in person at the Paramount Theatre on stage in 1943. My father took me. I was 8 years old. This young kid, skinny, with a big bow tie sang. The movie running with the live Sinatra was The Casbah with Tony Martin. The recollection fixed in my mind.

China is starting to tickle my fancy. I have met many Chinese here in Santorini on vacation. All interestig. All mysterious.

Portofino is a must. Have to get everything worked out. decision time later. I have the time.

The Greek language is difficult to absorb. I have mentioned the katini I dined at three evenings. The one at the base of a lava cliff on the sea. I thought the place was a katini. In my mind, a canteen. The sign said Katina. Turns out Katina is trhe family name of the persons owning the restaurtsant.

The name of the place turns out to be Fish Eatry. However that is in English. The sign in Greek reads YapotaBepva. I am staying on the island of Santorini. The name Santorini is on the sign, also. In Greek. It read Eantopinh. Do you wonder why I make mistakes in translation?

Some intreresting tidbits about Santorini.

The locals dress in black. Men and women alike. All black. The men wear black jeans and black tee shirts who work on the boats. How they stand the heat, I do not know.

Oia wakes up at 9 in the morning. Before then, the locals are busy sweeping in front of their stores, otherwise claeaning up, doing pre opening tasks. They talk with each other. Not a precise description. They yell. A hundred feet away, they communicate in loud tones. Reminded me of the Italian neighboirhood in Utica where I grew up.

Comes 9, everything goes silent. And stays that way til the next morning.

Water a problem. As everywhere. Santorini is a small island. No wells. Water is brought in by tanker. Some in large vats, some in bottles. It is said it is better to drink bottled water as the tanked water is not so good.

Everyone has water problems. Key West brings water in also. Except Key West gets it by pipe from Miami.

There are two super markets on the walk above the caves. Not really super markets, though so called. Really small grocery stores stacked with every conceivable thing.

I have been going to the one closest to me. The owner cheats. No matter how many times I buy the same thing, it is always a different price. By as much as 3 euros.

No cable TV here. Antennas like in the 1960s on rooftops.

Electric power via solar panels. One on each house. More on hotels. Each rthe size of a door. with a small tank behind each one. Not covering the entire roof as we are being told in Key West. As I understand it, solar panels in the U.S. are cheap. It is the labor that is costly. But we cover the entire roof in the U.S. Someone should look into the Greek concept.

You pay for bread in a restaurant. A small basket is anywhere from 1 euro to 2.5 euros. The bread sucks. The only food in Greece I have not enjoyed. It all tastes
the same no matter where you eat. Bland with a soft/hard crust.

On the other hand, other type baked goods are delicious. Like the breakfast rolls I enjoy each morning.

Santorini is a vacation place. The season is the summer months. However, the island is open for business from April 1 to November 1. Otherwaise closed down. It gets very cold here in the winter.

Locals work 7 days a week. Some froim 9 to 9. Others different evening hours. Hotel workers from 7 to 9. These are all morning to night times.

They do not complain. This is their time to make it. An industrious people.

It is now June. The weather is warm by day. Very warm. Absolutely no humidity. I have not sweat once no matter what I wqas doing. Evenings are cold, however. A sweater or jacket required. They tell me it remains that way in July and August.

So much for today. Chat with you in the morning.

Enjoy your day!

DAY 14

Posted on by

I do this blog each morning from an internet store. On the way back to my cave yesterday morning, I had a stimulating experience. No, not one involving a lady. I heard music. The Three Tenors. Bellowing out from an art gallery store front. The name of the art gallery: Opera Art Gallery.

I went in. The artist/owner was doing his morning clean up. He spoke no English, I no Greek. However we still communicated. He had a bucket of water bottles sitting in ice. He offered me one and a comfortable chair. I sat and listened as he worked. I looked at his work. Top shelf. Oils of the Santinori landscape. Unfortunately, my art buying years are behind me or I would have purchased one.

One of my Greek coffeee drinking friends corrected me yesterday. I have some of them reading my blog every day. Even those who did not know what a blog was.

He said I was incoorect in how I portrayed the Greek women who dress all in black. I stated they were most likely widows. They can be, he told me, but not necessarily so.

Greek women as they age have the option of deciding when to go to all black attire. It is a distiction. a recognition. She has reached a particular state in life entitling her to additional respect.

Correction made.

I drove to another beach yesterday. Karami Beach. Again, the other side of the island. Again, I got lost as I did the day before. Eventually by merely fololowing instinct, I found it.

The drive was not without its rewards. There is so much to see on Santorini.

I am living in a cave. A remodeled rehabilitated one. Probably since the volcano oif 3,500 years ago, it was merely a hole in the cliff wall. Now a beautiful apartment.

I saw many caves on the drive. Old fashioned real ones. Holes in the face of cliffs and rocks. One to three at a time. Large openings. A person could walk in. All appeared deep and dark.

There is a No Name restaurant in Karami. Just like No Name Pub in the Keys. A steak house. I smiled as I drove by.

I reached Kamari Beach. Big! Long!

Kamari Beach is located on the north shore of the island. The water from the north is rough and cold. It was both.

Black sand. Soft and rocky at the same time. So soft your feet sink in six inches with every step. The water black also. From the lava sitting at the bottom for thousands of years.

I rented a chair and umbrella. Chairs and umbrellas in Europe are all in a straight line.

I looked to my left. I looked to my right. I looked in front of me. I looked behind me. No topless or otherweise bare women. The place was a family beach.

I have come to the conclusion that nude beaches are a tourist deception so people will travel to the beaches.

Nature itself was eye opening and lovely enough. To my left was a huge cliff. Maybe 1,500 feet high. Young men were diving from its rocks. Thirty to fifty feet up. To the oohs and ahhs of the young ladies below.

About a half hour after I arrived, a woman took the beach chair and umbrella next to me. About five feet away. 50ish and attractive. She immediately removed her top. Success! My quest had been rewarded.

As she lay there, she knew I was sneaking an occasional peek.

I went to get up off my lounge to swim. I fell. Like a first class ass! Tumbled over. Me and the lounge.

My topless neighbor came running over to help. What happened? Are you hurt? Just old age, I told her. I could not get up. Could not get my balance. She helped. Said take my elbow. We locked elbows together and she lifted me. With her boobs slapping me in the face! I had succeeded beyond my wildest dreams!

We became friends. Talked most of the afternoon. Lunched together at a beach bar. She is the owner of a ladies dress shop in nearby Messeria.
She agreed with me that Greek women’s apparel was outstanding.

We shared a grilled calamari. Note grilled as opposed to fried. It was about ten inches long and two wide. Four more inches of small tentacles at one end. Rubbed in olive oil. Absolutely delicious! Tender. Literally melted in your mouth. Unusual for a large squid tentacle.

Lunch was the end of my experience with the one bare breasted woman seen by me in Santorini. Sadly. she had other plans for the evening. I have neither cell phone nor whatever so we could communicate. I gave her my email and told her to contact me if she would enjoy dinner some evening. I had one condition, however. She had to drive to Oia to me. No way could I or would I drive those narrow winding raods in the evening.

The proviso may be a killer. It’s a one hour drive. Each way. No one, including me, is worth that effort.

Dinner last night at a small taverna in Oia. A light meal. Some cheese, wine leaves and black olives. All buried in olive oil. Followd by an early bed time. The sun had knocked me out.

A common sight are clothes hanging outside on a clothes line. There are no dryers on Santorini. The sun and wind do it. You can see clothes hanging everywhere.

Santorini is much like Key West in many respects. There may be two lovely renovated buildings and then a dispidated one. Two buildingsd from where I am living is one of those buildings awaiting purchase and repair some day. The inhabitants hang their washed clothes each day on two clothes lines a mere fifty feet from my eyes and every one elses. On the drive to Kamari Beach along the north shore, I saw many lovely homes. Large. Beautiful grounds. Walled properties. And sitting on the front porch clotheslines of wash.

There is no OSHA on Santorini. Workers work at their risk. A couple of buildings away from my cave on the other side of the wash is a building under repair. Two workmen. It will take 2-3 years to complete the renovations. The scaffolding wood and leaning. No hard hats or googles. One wearing sneaks, the other sandals.

Fari is the capital of Santorini. I can see it from where I sit on my terrace. It has the only harbor/docking area on Santorini. Four cruise ships a day come in and drop passengers off to tour Santorini for the day. Just as in Key West.

With one significant differnce. The cruise ships do not tie up to a dock or the island itself. They are out in the water and boat the passengers in and back. Called transboarding here. Transporting in Key West.

The bottom line. Why should Key West spend millions of dollars for a study and then enlarging of its harbor so the cruise ships can tie up? As I understand, most European ports motor the passengers in and out. Why shouyld Key West be any different? Especially for the type of one day vistors the cruise ships bring in. I call them polyesters. They buy only tee shirts and beer. Do not eat in our restaurants. Lets use some of those millions to attract a better quality boat passenger who might spend at a dress shop and eat at our terrific restaurants.

Santorini has no tee shirt shops as such. Tee shirts are sold but as part of an overall offering of shorts, belts, hats, bags, jewelry and the like.

My plan for today was to get a fish pedicure.

About three months ago, I read that there was a new way of obtaining pedicures. Place your feet in a pool of water and have little fish suck off the dead skin on one’s feet. The process excited me. I love pedicures. Santorini has a place that specializes in the fish ones. I stopped in last night to see. A large beautiful room. Lovely chairs. Transparent buckets loaded with tiny fish.

I figured I would get a fish manicure today. Before starting today’s blog, I googled fish pedicure. Glad I did! Procedure not healthy. Banned in California and Florida. Infections can result. Are resulting. Even a strep type infection.

Tomorrow a definite, however. I climb the volcano and look into its mouth!

When I arrived, I expected to stay on Santorini only a few days. However I like it so, I have overstayed several days. Time to move on. Sadly. More to discover. Mykinos tuesday!

Enjoy your day!

DAY 13

Posted on by

Breakfast is simple.

Whatever time I roll out of bed, I throw on a tee shirt and pair of shorts. Then up fifty tortious steps. There is a small bakery a few feet away. All goods baked fresh a few hours earlier in the dead of night.

A little old lady runs the place. Works it. Dressed all in black. A widow, I assume. White hair.

I try to engage her in conversation. She ignores me.

Each morning, I purchase three different baked goods and a cup of coffee. All kinds of baked goods for sale. I generally get some crispy thing covering fruit, one with spinach and finally a small loaf of olive oil bread. I pick at the three for breakfast while sitting on my little terrace outside my cave. Overlooking the volacano, sea and boats. What I do not finish, which is most of it, I leave wrapped in the frige. During the day, I pick at the remnants.

Being on a small island half way around the world can make you feel cut off from the rest of the world. Especially when the computer is down. I use a computer at an internet store. Yesterday morning, every attempt came up labeled disconnected from the internet. I returned at 5 in the afternoon to do the blog yesterday.

I took the free time the disconnected internet gave me to walk. Oia is Greek Orthodox. Tons of Greek Orthodox Churches and shrines. People all over the place praying and bowing.

I visited one of the Greek Orthox Churches yesterday. It sets in the middle of the marble walkway behind my cave accomodations. About a mile down the way. In front is a huge plaza. Then an imposing white church.

I had never been in a Greek Orthodox Church before.

Dark when you first enter. The sun and eyes. I sat till I could see clearly. Beautiful! The only word to describe what I saw. Riches, also. Chandeliers of gold and silver. Wall plaques and figurines of gold and silver. Be clear. Not brass. Not a thin covering. For real gold and silver. A shining brilliance! The Greeks do not cheat their God as they honor Him.

Most visitors were Greeks coming to pay homage rather than curious visitors. Some locals, some foreigners.

They all burn candles. Or what I assume are candles. They look like bloated incense sticks. Light at the top. When lite, were placed with others in a stand. Then the supplicant would bow, cross his or her self several times and then bow again. I hope I have the sequence correct.

I have found over the years in my infrequnet visits to religious places unknown to me, that there is a peace and tranquility in spending some time in them. I felt it yesterday. I recalled a simiar feeling thirty some odd years ago at a Muslim museum in New York City. I sat in a small room with several Buddahs. I did not want to leave.

You will recall last year my blood pressure problem. Took a whole year to get it under control. My ankles were constantly swollen with fluid. I was popping water pills daily.

My ankles were big yesterday. First time in a couple of months. I carry water pills and potassium pills with me to use if necessary. My heart doctor said lay flat for three hours after taking the pills to get the best effect. I did. I lay for three hours in the cool of my cave on the bed. I would have done it outside down the steps by the pool on a chaise lounge. However, I needed to be near an appropriate facility when the need to expell fluid arose. Ergo, the bed with the bathroom nearby.

Everything is hills in Santorini. Even walkways and roads. Up and down. Everything is steps also. Too many. For example, fifty steps down from street level to my cave. To the pool, an additional fifty steps. What goes down, must come up. The reverse has generally been true. Ho ho! These steps are not normal. No codes here. They are different widths and different heights. I find the fifty steps from my cave to the road a killer. I have to stop and sit a few minutes at the top before proceeding.

Walking is impossible to avoid. The parking lot for my rented car is 1/2 mile down the road. An example of being compelled to walk every where.

Why am I boring you with this onerous walking situation? Because it is causing my belly to go down. For real. More than half way. I can’t believe it! I have no scale to see if I have actually lost weight. Whatever, my stomach is dramatically down and my face decidedly thinner. My heart, whether stronger or weaker, I do not know.

Come walk with me in Santorini!

Ate at the Katina again last night. The restaurant sitting on a concrete shelf beneath a towering lava created mountain. The daughtrer of the owner greeted me. I was remembered. So did 4 or 5 waiters.

I sat precisely at the edge of the concrete abutment. Another inch and I would have been swimming with the fishes.

I knew exactly what I wanted. Did not need a menu. I started with hot grape leaves stuffed with rice covered with oil. Everything is covered with oil in Greece. Understandable, there are olive trees all over the place. Red snapper for my entre. The fish was grilled and delivered to me splayed with the spinal bone removed. Boiled potatoes and cooked greens. Both buried in oil. For dessert, baklava. A rich crispy cake covered with honey. A double espresso. With the meal, I enjoyed three gins and one ouzo.

When the bill arrived, I was comped certain items as occurred with my previous visit. The waiter told me the 3 gins, 1 ouzo, the grape leaf appetizer, the espresso, and the baklava…..were on the house! This entire glorious meal cost me all of 24 euros. $34 American money.

Burbing is in vogue and socially acceptable in Greece. At the end of my meal, I inadvetntly let out a big one. The waiter looked me, beamed and said…..good! A Greek couple sitting at the table next to me did likewise.

Another beach day in the making. Today it is Kamari Beach. I have inquired and been assured no hills to climb. Park the car and walk directly onto a flat sandy beach.

Kamari is supposed to be a tourist place. Many restaurants and bars. I may stay for dinner.

I have also been assured there will be topless and totally naked woman. We shall see. No, I shall see.

Enjoy your day!

DAY 11

Posted on by

 

Ho ho Yogi Bear! I am having a terrific time!

Donkeys have become a part of my life all of a sudden. First in Navarro when I discovered horsemeat and donkey meat were sold in butcher shops for human consumption. Donkey was viewed to horsemeat as veal is to cattle meat. Now donkeys in Santorini.

Before I made the trip, many told me to be sure to ride the donkeys up and down the hill. The hill that in reality is a mountain of lava.

I saw the donkeys yesterday for the first time. I was taking a walk along the other road. The road that runs between the cave hotel apartments and lesser accommodations. Actually the other side of the road is where the working people of Santorini live. Much like Stock Island is to Key West.

All of a sudden, I came upon eight donkeys on the side of the road. All saddled up and ready to go. What beautiful animals! I am a horse lover of sorts. The horses that race at Saratoga. Especially up close. Magnificant beasts. So too were these donkeys. Beautiful shiny coats. Ears standing straight up. Big bright eyes. Muscular legs. Very muscular.

These donkeys carry people up and down the side of a nearby lava mountain. On a path running along the side. Along a five foot wide path has been constructed 2,000 feet plus long. It consists of 500 plus steps. The steps of varying widths. A short 3 foot wall on the ocean side.

The ride did not appeal to me. I did not wish to be an ass on an ass. I was fearful of either the donkey or me or both of us falling over the wall. I raised that issue with the man in charge of the donkeys. I think I insulted him. He told me very firmly that no donkey or person had ever even fallen off the path into the ocean.

The path was made of dirt and rocks.

I had Nikos give me a ride in his car down the mountain.

The volcano sitting out in the water is like a magnet. It draws me to it. I have decided to visit the volcano in the next few days. I want to look into the opening and its depths. I want to view the smoke and sulphur and whatever else my eyes can see.

The volcano is not too high. Most of it sunk into the sea. So I should be able to walk to the top.

There is an added attraction. There are springs periodically spraying water and smoke. Baths from the emissions are available on site. I want to bathe in these waters. Supposedly healthful, I will be doing it merely for the experience.

Sanrorini is the largest of the several islands which were born 3,500 years ago when the volcano had its major eruption. It is big. How large, I am not sure. Larger than Key West I do know.

The whole island has a mere 13,000 permanent residents. Compared to Key West which has 19,00.

Santorini is the name of the whole island. There are several villages and towns located on the island. I am staying in Oia, one of those towns. People are nice here. Just as in Key West.

Sociable, helpful.

I spoke of beauty parlor proprietor Catherine Risvani yesterday. Catherine owns the only beauty shop in Oia. One to a town, I guess. Called Hair & Soul. It is a beautifully done small place. Two chairs, two sinks, a manicure station and a counter. Two lovely ladies working for her.  Catherine gave me a manicure this week.

Catherine is lovely in appearance. A typical Grecian beauty. Tall, thin and blond. Hair swept up and somehow tied in back. Interestingly, I have yet to find a Grecian woman who wears her hair down. Catherine also has high cheek bones. Another trait of Grecian women.

The bill for the manicure was 20 euros. About $28 american money. I was out of euros. I asked Catherine if she took credit cards. No. So I took out one of my $100 bills and told her to hold it while I went to the ATM machine for euros. She would not take the $100. Strangers though we were, she trusted me. In a tourist town. Typical of the Greeks here.

Which brings me to Nikos and Maria. Proprietors of my cave accommodation. Nikos and Maria are around 60. Own the Filotera Cave Houses aka Filotera Villas. A superior accommodation. Consistent with historical Santorini.

They and their son Adonis work their asses off. They have staff, but work along with staff from very early morning to late at night.

When I first arrived and met Maria, she was in a dress and apron. Smiling always. She does not speak English. I no Greek. Yet we have had several conversations. Each of us has spoken our native tongue. We understood each other!

I figured after first meeting Maria that she was the typical Mama Mia. A dress and apron. Always cooking and cleaning. Always watching the grandchildren.

Was I wrong!

The next time I saw Maria she was in peddle pushers and a tee shirt. Directing the employees.

Nice people these two.

It was Maria’s birthday the day I arrived. She sent a piece of birthday cake to my rooms. Nikos picked me up at the airport. Nikos drives me where ever I have to go. And picks me up. Their caves are lovely and clean. Very clean. Take a look at them. www.filoteravillas.gr, www.filoteravillas.com and www.santorini.com/hotels/filoteravillas. These sites will give you a flavor of cave living. They will surprise you!

The second day here, their son Adonis showed up with a bottle of wine. He said it was from his father’s vineyards. A special brew. Please enjoy it. I did, the next day. A cross between a white and red. A distinctive special taste.

Yes, Nikos and Maria besides owning the cave villas also own a vineyard and wine producing facility on Santorini. They ship world wide.

Nikos and Maria live across that street I mentioned earlier. In a small apartment less accommodating than the caves. In November, it gets cold on Santorini. They move to their home on the other side of the island. When it gets colder, they move to their home in Athens. During the winter months, they generally take a one to two month trip to the Caribbean or South Pacific.

It gets better.

Santorini and the Greek isles are not the United States. Many amenities we are accustomed to do not exist or are not provided. Like my clothes getting washed and ironed.

I was warned before I embarked on this odyssey that such would be the case. I came prepared. Purchased shirts and shorts at Orvis. That special material that is light, easy to wash and dry. Generally requiring little or no ironing.

I wash my own clothes. For real. Easy. In the bathroom sink. Drop some dishwashing fluid on the clothes. A bit of water. Wash with my hands. Then shake dry.

The clothes still need hanging. Dryers are not common place on the island. Could not hang the clothes in front of my cave accommodation. It would not look right nor would it be proper.

There are clothes lines across the street at the cheaper accommodation. I hung my first washing there to dry. When I returned that evening, Maria came out to greet me. She insisted on ironing my clothes. My saviour in disguise!

If you ever plan to come to Santorini, stay with Nikos and Maria. You cannot do better. Their telephone number is 003022860 71110. Fax number 003022860 71555. E-mail Filotera@otent.gr.

Enough for today.

There is much still to share.

This afternoon I am going to a beach somewhere on this island. Where I am guaranteed seeing bare breasted women. And, if I am lucky, some bare assed ones.

Enjoy your day!