4/22

Katie

4/22

Today I woke up around 9 and went for a run. It was a perfect temperature outside and I loved running on the street with the view of the sea below. It was so beautiful with the morning air and sun shining on the sea. After my run, I went back to my room, freshened up, and packed my bag for the day. Today we were doing a private boat tour! We still had our ATVs until we had to leave for our boat, so all the girls drove around town and stopped at the grocery store. We bought refreshments and snacks to tide us over for the duration of the trip. After that, we stopped into town to eat a gyro, and then returned our ATVs. We then walked back up to the town where we were supposed to catch the cable car down to the old port of Fira. Time was running out to get to the boat, so we basically sprinted up the steep stairs to the cable cars. We arrived at 12:01, and the cable cars left at 12. We were going to wait twenty minutes for the next one but figured we could walk down faster. When we started walking down, we saw rows and rows of donkeys lined up for the tourists! We had the option to ride them down, but just decided to walk and ride them back up after our trip. After the long walk down of cobblestone steps to the ports, we finally made it and boarded our boat. Our skipper was a cute old man named Xorias that let us decide what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. I told him to take us where he thought would be best as he knows the island so well! The first stop was in the hot springs of the volcano. This volcano is still active and the last time it erupted was in 1937. Xorias first took us to the touristy part of the volcano where many people get out to swim in the hot springs. We asked to swim, but he told us he would take us to a different part of the volcano that was better. He then drove the boat around a the volcano and to a small inlet where the hot springs was located. Once he anchored the boat down, we all dove off the back into the warm water. I couldn't believe how warm it was after getting used to the cold water! It felt like bath tub water. We swam into the inlet where we were told it gets warmer. It was a great swim and the water was refreshing. After we finally swam back and got back on the boat, Xorias drove us to a private bay where we could snorkel. In that time while we were heading towards the bay, we had some good conversations and enjoyed the time on the boat. Once we arrived to the private bay, Xorias brought out the snorkels, but everyone opted to stay in the boat. We were cold from drying off and we were enjoying the time on the boat! We sat in the private bay and Xorias came out and visited with us as well. He was a funny old man! We took a lot of pictures while we were stopped there and then Xorias finally started the boat back up. By this time, our tour was almost over and he headed back to the port of Santorini. While on the way, we drove near a small island called Thirasia that only had 200 people living there. We slowed down and took a quick look at the island. I could not get over how clear and blue the water was! Even after all the islands I have visited, I am still amazed by the beauty. We were all disappointed when the boat tour ended and we had to say goodbye to Xorias. We weren't ready to be out of the sun so we laid down our towels and laid out in the sun! Everyone fell asleep for a little bit, but I was wide awake. The sun was so hot that I dove into the water in the port. It wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be and it was just what I needed to cool down. After awhile, everyone woke up and we decided to head back up into Fira. I was so excited to ride the donkeys because it was something I had always wanted to do! It only cost five euro for the ride. Somehow, I lost the rest of the group and rode up by myself. I was still loving every minute of it and made friends with a young Australian couple. We would keep handing our cameras back and forth to each other to get good pictures! Once I made it to the top, the rest of the group was waiting and then we walked around the shops. Everyone bought various last minute souvenirs for their friends. I had done all my shaping, but still bought myself a pretty oil painting of Santorini. Once we were done shopping, we stopped at a small place to eat another gyro. My second of the day! After that, we all walked back to the hotel and rested for the rest of the night. Me and Carolyn decided to go out and have a couple drinks since it was our last night in Santorini. On our way, we stopped at a kiosk to buy a water. When I was looking at the Pringles, I gasped in excitement when I saw ketchup flavored Pringles. I love ketchup and Pringles so it was the perfect combination!  All the bars we went to had two for one drinks, so we only had a couple drinks before going back to the hotel. I can't believe there is less than a week left on Greece, and days like these are ones that make me never want to leave!