Greece 2022 - Day 17: Just another sunny day on Santorini

Today we indulged in a bit of a sleep-in, which was easy to do since we’re staying in a literal cave.  Our breakfast was delivered promptly at 9am as we had scheduled with the hotel yesterday.  We opted for a Greek-style breakfast with some pastries, boiled eggs, olives, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers which we enjoyed al fresco on our outside terrace overlooking the caldera. 

After breakfast, we set out on foot to explore Skaros rock, an impressive rocky promontory jutting out from the village of Imerovigli, which stands at the highest point on the caldera.  A few crumbled remains of an ancient castle still sit on the rock.  The castle of Skaros was the oldest and most significant fortified settlement of Santorini, and used to be the capital of the island up until the 18^th century.  The fortress was built on the rocky outcrop as a means of protection from pirates that conquered the coast of the Aegean Sea during the Middle Ages.  There once was a mobile wooden bridge that connected the settlement with the rest of the village of Imerovigli.  The entire fortified settlement was made entirely of stone and there were upwards of 200 residences, as well as churches, monasteries and streets that resembled a labyrinth on the narrow limits of the rock.  It is said that the castle was never conquered and was eventually destroyed by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Ian was brave enough to climb up on the very top of the cliff, while my poor relationship with heights dictated that I remain on the lower level on more solid footing.  Ian managed to capture some amazing pictures from the top allowing me to live vicariously through his photography. 

Looking back at Imerovigli

We also hiked down to Panagia Theoskepasti, the pretty little chapel built lower down and in front of the castle on the edge of the cliff.

We hiked back to the hotel and showered before setting off to Fira for some sight seeing and wandering around the shops, while fighting our way through the throngs of cruise ship passengers lining up for the Gondola to take them back to their boats.  

Admittedly, our main reason for going back to the busy, overrun ‘heart of Santorini”, was to return to Meat Corner for another delicious gyro.

Feeling exhausted from the earlier hike and the heat of the day, we headed back to the hotel for a rest.  Along the way, we stopped at a cute little café for a Greek coffee and a refreshing cold drink. 

We enjoyed some more time on our upper deck relaxing, reading and watching the constant stream of little boats delivering people back to the cruise ships parked out in the water in front of our perch.  Ian had purchased a pocket telescope, or ‘monocular’, before leaving Canada and it proved to come in very handy here in Santorini for peeping on things in the distance.

For dinner, we went back to the same little place, Vanilia, where we had enjoyed late night drinks and snacks the evening before.  We were not disappointed by this decision.  We were both craving pasta and they had a sumptuous selection of options.  Following a shared Greek salad, I had the Santorinian Spahgetti with tomatoes, garlic and capers.  Ian had the Spaghetti Alio-Olio-Pepperoncino, a delicious mix of garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, chilies and oil.

Once again, the sunset here on Santorini was spectacular!