Day 3 in Santorini started in much the same way as the previous day, with an early morning walk to Oia and a bus to Fira. This time, however, I was off on another bus to Akrotiri, the archaeological site at the very bottom of the island. Turns out that, while interesting, archaeological sites are not that photogenic, and I only have one decent picture worth sharing. I think also it would have been more interesting with a tour guide, as it was hard to make sense of without any knowledge of what I was looking at.
Akrotiri was also really close to the Red Beach. I'd prepared better today and worn my swimsuit in case the water looked so inviting that I had to go in. The hike to the beach was quite a significant one - I can't believe people were doing it with kids and with unsuitable shoes on. It was really rocky and slippery. But worth it, as the view over the beach was beautiful.
However, this was not the day for a swim here in my book - it was so windy, I had to hold onto my hat the entire time I was there. My plan was to walk from here to the white beach that is nearby, but I couldn't find the path and the shopkeeper that I asked was not very helpful. I should have hopped on the boat above but hey, too busy taking photographs of it to realise that it was going to the White Beach.
With that, I walked back to the bus stop and caught the bus to Fira for some lunch. I had a really nice one too on the roof of a restaurant looking over Fira and surrounded by grape vines.
The next plan for the day was to walk from Fira to Imerovigli, the next town over on the cliffs. You can walk all the way to Oia, but it was stinking hot and, while I would love to have done it, it was exhausting enough walking to Imerovigli! But sooooo pretty! Oh Santorini, you're gorgeous.
At Imerovigli, you can take the bus back to Oia / Finikia. So I did just that, along the way meeting the owner of where I was staying and his 7 year old donkey. So of course I took a photo of the gorgeous animal, gave him pats and took a selfie, then had a swim before going to explore Finikia. I was so in love with this part of Greece, I wanted to see as much as possible. I also really loved where I stayed - Georgis Apartments - because it was close enough to the tourist areas but far enough away that it was the perfect place to chill. Finikia was full of these little guest houses... and cats. Because what is Greece without the cats.
I had a quiet last night at my apartment, eating all the food in the fridge and finishing my wine on the balcony while the sun set. It truly was one of the best places I've been to, and one of the best hotels/accommodation that I have ever stayed in.
In the morning, it was time to head to my lift, which took me down to the ferry port. Then I was boarding a ferry with everyone else island-hopping (although the ferry set up was so disorganised considering they do it several times a day, every day). Next stop - Naxos!