Santorini – Far from the Madding Clients

A bit over a week ago I was still sweating over clients’ problems; now that seems like decades ago. The photos say it all – constant sunshine, picturesque villages, stunning sunsets, azure blue seas. Plus good food and a bit of an up-market hotel. We are in the honeymoon suite of Blue Suites, supposedly a 4 star hotel and quite nice but not what we would call 4 star at home. We do have 2 balconies (one for morning sun and one for afternoon sun), a 4-poster bed, a large sitting room and a lovely pool. But we do NOT have a plug for the bath, shampoo or tea and coffee making facilities. And the “buffet” breakfast is hardly inspiring.
We have shifted from a motor scooter to a 4WD all terrain vehicle (see photo). Lots of people are driving around in them, probably because they are cheaper than a car and do not require a motorcycle license. Yesterday we explored the south end of the island, today the north. Santorini is crescent shaped and is the rim of a volcano that massively exploded around 1600BC. It is almost unique in having the caldera of the volcano in the sea. Other islands to the west make up the rest of the crater rim. Tomorrow we are going on a boat tour to see the volcano centre, hot springs, etc. Then we fly to Athens and the next day to Rome where hopefully 5 of us will meet up at Rome station for the train trip down to the Amalfi coast.
Time to go to the pool for a dip and to read some more of “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” – quite appropriate since it’s partly set in Santorini. Then before dinner it’s down and up the 600 steps and 250m vertical to the sea, a daily effort to stay fit for Tour of Mont Blanc.