Around The World Without Flying: Santorini Part 2 - the village of Ioa, a winery, Fira and the chairlift down

Whilst walking up from the big car and bus park to the little village square of Ioa with its stunning views, we saw many charming shops and cafes. One cafe had a little garden with all kinds of animal ornaments to delight all the children who pass by, as you can see in the photo. I had not seen any children’s playgrounds on the Greek islands, though that is not to say they don’t have them. I decided to have some lunch there - a typical island dish featuring tomatoes, potatoes and cheeses. Delicious!

However, one thing that spoilt that all-too-short hour was being cheated in one of the little shops just off the village square when purchasing small toys for my grandsons. I had carefully avoided pickpockets all this time but then was overcharged by about 25 euros, no mean amount, in this shop. Because of the way the owner served myself and other customers simultaneously, our looming deadline to be back down at the bus, the crowd in the shop, and her failure to provide a receipt and removal of the price tags, I could not get back in the queue or even prove what she had done. I really abhor dishonesty, so marched back to the bus feeling very angry and disappointed.

Anyhow, after the aforesaid hour spent in the gridlock getting back out of the village, we went to a winery for wine-tasting. I wandered around taking a few photos whilst the others drank their wine and ate their nibbles, and discovered some panoramic views and preparations being made for a small wedding ceremony. I have included a couple of these photos.

Finally we drive back to the village of Fira, the capital of Santorini, where after a long walk in the heat and standing is a very slow-moving queue for about 90 minutes, we finally caught the cable car back to the ship. Apart from being very tiring, this experience also was a source of frustration and disgust, because many people bypassed our long, long queue that snaked down the alleyways, and marched right past us. When questioned by some of the people on the queue, apparently they said they were going down the cliff via the steps, which start near the chairlift. But in fact many were observed to sneak into the chairlift queue just near the chairlift, as brazen as you please. Not on! It took so long for us to get down to the last tender boat, the ship’s departure had to be delayed.

All in all, this was an idyllic place but not an idyllic experience . . .

The garden in the cafe.

Looking into the cafe from its small garden.

A lovely villa on the outskirts of Oia. It was a peach colour, and was of a typical design. Such smooth lines! I think the 'chimney' was a ventilation shaft.

On the drive to the winery and to Fira from Oia. There was a steep drop nearby. It can be seen that the landscape is rocky and barren-looking, but apparently the volcanic soil retains moisture very well, which enables the grape vines to survive the summer heat.