Thira (Fira) in beautiful Santorini

Before our trip, we had made reservations in an inexpensive hotel called Pension George.
George, the owner, picked us up in his van and quickly drove us up the winding streets of Santorini to the hotel.
It was an exhilarating ride, that´s for sure.
His wife introduced herself to us, showed us to our room, and we were just in awe of the incredible beauty of that place. All blue and white, brillant flowers and vibrant greenery around a cool, clear swimming pool. And that was just our hotel. Check-in now, check-out never.
The first thing we decide to do is go running. We run to the nearest beach from our pension, lose our sweaty running shirts, and jump into the Mediterranean (or, more technically, the Sea of Crete).
It was amazing.
We walked - a little painfully - in the black sand created by the volcano that erupted thousands of years ago and created the island. So much of the sand consists of black pebbles, so it´s not the silky little grains we encounter at many beaches in the Americas.
The run back up the side of the island was not as fun as our downhill jog to the beach, but we enjoyed the workout.
And then we were temporarily stalked again.
A guy pulls up and asks us where we´re going and if we need a ride.¨
¨No, thanks, we´re just going to the top of the hill. We´re getting exercise,¨ Leslie tells him.
Well, apparently he though we´d change our mind because he continues to drive beside us at a slow crawl. Leslie waves him along again, and finally he speeds up. Only to slow down and stop, and then turn around and come back.
And Jennifer lays down the law again. As he approaches with his window open, I literally yell, ¨WE DON´T WANT YOUR HELP, AND WE DON´T NEED A RIDE, OKAY!?!?¨
He accelerated and drove away after that, and we kept running back to our hotel.
I guess it´s a good thing I´ve got big guns.

We trek into town, hoping to rent some motopeds, but find out that you have to have an international or European license. Way to let the air out of that balloon.
But, the vendors told us, we can rent something with four wheels...for example, a quad.
We decide to save the quad rental for the next day, and spend our afternoon touring the capital.
Walking into Fira from our hotel, we admire the little shops and purchase some souvenirs.
We stake out a restaurant at the top of the hill among the shops. It sits right on the cliff´s edge, so we have an amazing, unobstructed view of the ocean in front of us. And that sea is the bluest body of water I have ever seen.
From our seats, we can also see Santorini´s volcano, which sits just west of the island.
Lunch was beautiful, relaxing and delicious.
And then we continued walking through the city, and then back to our hotel.
Leslie fell asleep by the pool, I fell asleep (pen and postcards in hand) in the hotel room, and we both had a good nap. We were going to try to watch the sunset before dinner, but decided that it would be too hard to get to a good, open place nearby, and so we went back and got ready for dinner.
Just down the road, there was a restaurant with an electric atmosphere, packed with people. We´ll take that one.
We ordered a fish dish and Greek salad and bread. Started with the salad, and then they bring out the fish. It was literally four cooked fish, just sitting there on the plate with their eyes and all. It smelled delicious.
And no worries, it was.
We ate well, with yogurt and fruit for dessert, and then continued on foot into town.
But that meal gets five stars in my book.