Picassa is acting up again so this post continues from the end of the last one. View from our lunch table on the small island of Thirassia which forms a remnant of the western rim of the caldera that was left after the explosion.

All the villages on the islands in the group are reached by “steps” which double as donkey trails – average price for a ride up is about 4 euros, about $6.50. A step can be a conventional step or it can, as in this picture be a short vertical surface followed a by a steeply sloped cobblestone slope that is well lubricated with….well, there are lots of donkeys so use your imagination! They are really steep – a real workout getting to the top.

Jane engaging in traditional local post lunch activity�..or lack of it!

The village of Oia, where the tourists flock to watch the sunset.

An irresistible Greek picture.

Aforementioned sunset!

The main local cooperative winery. We ended up there today after a bus tour of the island that took us from the main archeological museum through a range of sites and a long lunch by one of the black sand beaches on the south side. Wine, mainly white and a specialized dessert wine called Vinsanto, is the island�s biggest export. 70% of the land is under vines, but you might not recognize it at first as the vines are not on trellises, but pruned close to the ground with stems wrapping around eachother to form a basket shape to protect the fruit from the wind. Picking would be really hard work.

The schedule is now for an evening walk up to caldera rim and dessert, then a ferry to Naxos after breakfast tomorrow.
copyright 2006 Malcolm Ogborn