calling from some city...

            Today was perfect day, part 2. We slept in late because we were worn out from the day before. Personally I was exhausted and a little sun burnt so I enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in. I actually woke up first but Sara and Scott were up by 10:30 and we headed out on the ATVs, which we decided to rent for another day.

We went to Red Beach, a famous beach known for the red cliffs and sand that distinguished it from the other beaches in Santorini (many are black sand beaches). The ride there was beautiful as usual and it again felt great to ride the ATVs. We got there and discovered the walk to the beach was a bit adventurous. Basically the beach is surrounded on 3 sides by massive red cliffs. We have to walk up one side of the cliff, then along the top, and then down and across until we could get to the beach. It was a well-walked path, but still a little tricky with all the rocks you can climb up and down. It did offer some amazing views. We got to the beach and Sara spotted 2 open chairs and an umbrella for us to use for the day. The red beach was definitely stunning, but it was really crowded and very touristy. It was easy to tell there were a lot of Americans there- all of the guys had long bathing suits on, not the short shorts or speedos I was growing accustomed to seeing. It was really hot out and I needed to be under the umbrella for much of the day. I quickly needed to go into the water and it was the perfect temperature once again. This water had a lot of rocks that you could swim out to, and Scott and I made our way over to them. My swimming skills have definitely deteriorated because I was pretty winded by the end of the swim. The current was coming in though so there was no danger of being swept out to sea.

            We stayed at the Red Beach until mid afternoon and decided it was too loud and crowded so we made our way back to the beach from the day before. We went to the same bar/restaurant area from the day before and ordered refreshing iced coffee drinks. I got a Greek iced coffee which is stronger than I am used to but it’s really good. After a few minutes in the sun I had to make my way back into the water. After about 5 though the sun was not as strong as before and it was perfect time to sun tan. Scott went for a long swim, Sara read a book, and I listened to music until about 5:45.

            We went back to the villa to change up for dinner and then went to Fira, the main town in Santorini, Fira has many of the restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops on the island. It also clearly caters to tourists the most. We returned the ATVs and went to get dinner. Our original plan was to catch a bus to watch the famous sunset at Oia, but we quickly figured out we wouldn’t have time tonight. We ate a really good, cheaper dinner and then walked around and window shopped before catching a bus back to the villa for the night.

            Tomorrow is our last day in Santorini. We are off to the volcano and hot springs in the morning, and then enjoying our last few hours on this magical island.