Greek islands 8-12 sept

G&T'ers love Santorini. We stay at a  beautiful hotel by the beach, where we can walk, or eat at one of the many small tavernas.

Tuesday is spent on a day long tour. Our adventure begins with a cable car ride to the old port at Fira, then a boat trip. 

We walk on, and learn about, the formation of the caldera, stop for a swim in the warm volcanic water, then have lunch at a beautiful taverna by the water. We say "yes please" to all the food that's offered, it's all delicious, and costs about $11 each including the essential Mythos beer. A swim in the clear water wakes us up. 

We disembark at Oio; the 3 sensible ones find room on a shuttle bus, the crazy ones take a donkey up a very long and steep path to the top. We laugh so much there's a little trickle escapes some, we hang on so tight we have sore arm muscles, and we scrape legs and toes against the rock walls as our feisty donkeys jostle for position. Getting on and off is a test of our accompanying guide's and mates' strenth to shove legs and bums up and over. A restorative drink at the end is in order!

It all looks just like we expect from the postcards ...

Mykonos is a party island. Kay and Ian take a boat trip along the southern coast, the others wander around town and relax by the pool.

Then 2 short flights to Samos, with a beachfront hotel.  We find a beautiful taverna for dinner, with live music, and confuse the young waitress when we request Baileys milkshakes. 

A short ferry ride, next stop Turkey.