Santorini Day 3

This is the view from our parking lot. Seriously. There is not much that is ugly on this island.

We went up to Ancient Thera, which is up on a mountain. You drive up a steep road with so many hairpin turns that it looks like a plateful of worms on the map and then you get out and walk a long while up steep paths. If you are prone to vertigo, this is not the place for you.

But the views are spectacular.

The city of Thera was built on the top of a mountain to protect its inhabitants from bandits and marauders. Modern day archaeologists have removed almost everything except for the house structures and retaining walls to museums, but it is still amazing to see in person. 

It gets a little disheartening to make huge climbs to see these sights and be confronted by sun bleached plaques with photos of great art and the explanation that you have to go to this or that museum to see it in person.

Not cool, archaeologists, not cool.

Of course, some of that art is in Chicago, so I guess I can see it there.

Old carvings from a church that used to stand in Thera. It seems like there is a church every three hundred feet wherever we have gone in Greece, and Thera is no exception. However, because they were repeatedly conquered by many different peoples, the people in Thera hedged their bets, as it were, by having space for the Christian, Roman, and Greek religions in their church structures.

Thera is really big and you could wander it for a long time. Unless you are ten years old and have a blister on one foot and a cut on the other, so your limp doesn't know which side to limp on. He powered through bravely, though, with promises of Gelato to sustain him.

We headed into town for lunch. Here is Dash doing his best to blend into the scenery with his white self and his bright blue shirt.

Chase would eat Souvlaki for every meal if we let him. All of these pita sandwiches have fries in them, so in his book there is just that much more to love about them.

Greek salad! Seven ingredients plus dressing but definitely more than the sum of its parts.

Now we are off for the promised round of Gelato!