hazy skies and non-sunsets

Negatives of travelling alone #1 - no one to put sunscreen on your back. I woke up with an epic tan/burn line on my back which will take weeks to even out!

Having seen most of the island yesterday, I decided to spend some time checking out the two main towns, Thira and Oia. I again hired the quad bike as it was a convenient and fun way to get around the island and after breakfast on my balcony overlooking the water, it was helmet on and off we go.

Thira, about a half-hour drive from Perissa, is the capital of the municipality of Santorini, and it was absolutely buzzing with tourists when I arrived and parked the bike. Following the crowds on foot to the Main Street, I checked out a range of souvenir stores and followed my nose to the clifftop restaurants with their breathtaking views.

After spending an hour or so checking out the sights, it was off to Oia, at the far tip of the island, to walk the length of the walkway along the famous whitewashed houses and restaurants. I had tried to do this yesterday but had forgotten to bring water. This time I was prepared, and the views were worth it!

Oia is world-famous for its sunsets, so after a couple of hours there I decided to head back to Perissa, have a swim and something to eat, and return to catch the sunset (I wanted to get back on the bike for a hoon around). The weather in Santorini had been mainly overcast the whole time I had been on the island, (except for a couple of hours yesterday when my back got nice and burnt!) which was disappointing but was something to do with the winds blowing red dust from Africa according to the owner of my hotel, who was sick of mopping all the outdoor areas non-stop.

On my trip back to Oia in the evening, the overcast sky had truly set in and the sun was nowhere to be seen - a bit of an anti climax to my last evening on the island. Deciding that the sunset wouldn't be worth the trip, I turned back to Perissa and enjoyed dinner on the beach.