Greece 2022 - Day 19: Last sunset on Santorini

We started the day with an early morning walk down the donkey trail to the Old Port.  The Old Port is where the cruise ship shuttle boats bring passengers ashore.  Once at the port, passengers have one of three options to get up the hill to Fira:  take a cable car, ride a donkey, or walk.  We managed to make it to the path before the first eager cruise ship passengers came ashore for the day; it was just us, a few other people (presumably doing the same us), and the donkey keepers walking their droves down to the port for the day.  Aside from the ever-present smell of donkey poo, it was quite peaceful.

We made it back to our hotel in time for our daily breakfast delivery. 

After breakfast, we set out to see if we could find some scooters to rent for the day.  Once we were out on the main road and could witness the crazy vehicular mayhem, we had second thoughts about risking our lives on a scooter, or any other vehicle for the matter.  We had been spoiled by the sleepy island of Folegandros where you could go several kilometers without seeing another vehicle on the roads.  We decided instead to amuse ourselves with the public bus system.  We purchased a couple of tickets and headed to the town of Oia on the northern most point of the island.  We found Oia to be very similar to Fira, but with fewer hoards of people and a generally more laid-back feeling.  We spent a few hours wandering around the narrow streets and alleyways, and taking in the views. 

 

We stopped at a small café for an afternoon snack of Baklava with coffee and cold beverage.  We took a cliff side table and enjoyed the views and the lovely breeze.

We then hopped on the next bus bound for Fira, and from there we meandered along the cliff side path returning to our hotel for some rest and relaxation on the deck before taking in one final sunset here on Santorini

For our final dinner on Santorini, we returned to Vanilia, the little restaurant in our neighborhood that we have enjoyed twice previously.  The service is great and the food, although very simple, is top notch quality.  Each time we have been here, we have taken the advice of  our server who has never led us astray; tonight was no exception.  We started with a Greek salad and grilled pita bread.  Then, Ian ordered the grilled squid with chips, and I had the lamb chops with chips.  Both were very tasty and the portion sizes were perfect, allowing us to stop for an ice cream on the walk back to the hotel.