Another beautiful morning dawned with clear blue skies and gorgeous sunny weather.
We fortified ourselves with a good breakfast as today was going to be the day we unlocked the secrets of Oia's splendid architecture and vistas.
A lot of today is simply a smorgasbord for the eyes, with little needed to be said. Enjoy !
We walked along the cliff path further into the village, stopping what seemed like every few seconds to take in another amazing view, and take another of many, many pictures.
The village was busier than the previous day on account of cruise ship passengers. We had to hustle to keep ahead of the fray.
In an effort to dodge the ever increasing crowds, we ducked into this white washed alley, only to be confronted with the Santorini of our dreams.
Back amidst the milieu, and onwards to the Kastro at the end of the village. The ramparts offer spectacular views of the village and the caldera.
We finally made it to the Kastro around lunchtime, but what an enjoyable morning it had been.
We retraced our steps through the village looking for a good place for lunch.
Dessert was a visit to one of the cutest book shops I have ever seen. This place is run by two young guys, one American and one Brit, and their love for all things written is manifest in the shop to one and all. What a great way to indulge a passion !
We retraced our steps to the hotel, planning a siesta, but the pool looked too inviting in the afternoon sun. The infinity pool at Perivolas is legendary, having graced the covers of practically all travel magazines of note, and it was one of the reasons that we selected Perivolas in the first place. Having it entirely to ourselves was simply the icing on the cake. Swimming in a pool will never be the same again.
The pool, notwithstanding all the baking in the sun, was still quite cold, and after a refreshing hour, we retired a level below to the jacuzzi. Hot water gently massaging tired limbs, ice cold lemonade, and the drop dead view, new heights of hedonism were being reached.
After that wonderful afternnon, the evening brought the prospect of our last sunset in Santorini, and in the islands, and we decided to head back through the village to the Kastro, for the time honoured tradition of bidding farewell to the sun from its ramparts.
The towns of Fira and Imerovigli could be seen abutting the caldera, glinting in the rays of the setting sun.
The atmosphere at the Kastro was festive, with people lined up all the way through the approach and onto the ramparts. There was talk, laughter, even singing, and then magically as the sun diped below the horizon, there was a hush for a few minutes, which was finally broken by applause, marking the end of another performance by the solar God. How far we have progressed as a species and yet at the heart of it all, we remain quintessential sun worshippers.
We decided to head back to what we will forever call "our spot" in Santorini to watch the play of colours post the sunset.
We head into Nectar, another restaurant by the same management as Ambrosia, and have a memorable meal.
After dinner, we stopped at the Melenio cafe and bakery, the best in town, to pick up dessert, and then strolled back to our room.
We indulged our sweet tooth on our terrace, before turning in, dreaming in white and myriad shades of blue.
