Sunday 3 October
Yesterday (Sunday) we negotiated our way down the path to the Port of Old Fira by dodging donkey poo and the occasional fractious donkey as they also negotiated their way round tourists and uneven cobblestone steps (some coming up, some coming down, and sometimes donkeys crossing in both directions!). It made you a bit careful about where their hooves were relative to your feet. I am not an expert, but I am sure the majority of the animals were horses, not donkeys, but they all seemed to get labelled as "Santorini donkeys". NZ OSH would have a field day with the potential risk associated with people and donkeys in the same space but, at least during the time we were there, we didn't see any donkey-related injuries. .
Yesterday (Sunday) we negotiated our way down the path to the Port of Old Fira by dodging donkey poo and the occasional fractious donkey as they also negotiated their way round tourists and uneven cobblestone steps (some coming up, some coming down, and sometimes donkeys crossing in both directions!). It made you a bit careful about where their hooves were relative to your feet. I am not an expert, but I am sure the majority of the animals were horses, not donkeys, but they all seemed to get labelled as "Santorini donkeys". NZ OSH would have a field day with the potential risk associated with people and donkeys in the same space but, at least during the time we were there, we didn't see any donkey-related injuries. .
We took a boat (clipper) 
across to the volcano island (Nea Kameni) and walked up to the top of the crater (actually 3 craters) accompanied by about 20 other people and a guide who explained the remarkable history and nature of the volcano. 
One of the "chimneys" has had three different types of eruptions within a short space of time. Although the last eruption was in 1956, the floor of the large crater is around 247 Deg C. Periodically, the floor of the caldera (the sea between the volcano island and the surrounding islands making up Santorini) releases gasses which rise to the top and form a greenish haze.
across to the volcano island (Nea Kameni) and walked up to the top of the crater (actually 3 craters) accompanied by about 20 other people and a guide who explained the remarkable history and nature of the volcano. One of the "chimneys" has had three different types of eruptions within a short space of time. Although the last eruption was in 1956, the floor of the large crater is around 247 Deg C. Periodically, the floor of the caldera (the sea between the volcano island and the surrounding islands making up Santorini) releases gasses which rise to the top and form a greenish haze.Our flight to Athens went smoothly at the end of the day and we were picked up at the airport by a smiling Dimitrous (see, I got around to who Dimitrous is at last). The Acropolis is at the end of the street where the hotel is located so we glimpsed a view of it on the way past.
Monday 4 October
Today, it was an 8am start (again with Dimitrous) for a day tour to the Peleponese Peninsula. We stopped at the Corinth Canal (which is over 6km long, 12m deep and serves as a shortcut for ships from the Ionic Sea to the Aegean). 
Although there are bridges over the canal, they have to be very high to clear ocean-going vessels. However, one bridge is quite close to the water and when vessels pass through, (which happens about 10 times a day) the bridge is lowered under the water to let the ships pass.
Although there are bridges over the canal, they have to be very high to clear ocean-going vessels. However, one bridge is quite close to the water and when vessels pass through, (which happens about 10 times a day) the bridge is lowered under the water to let the ships pass. During the day, we visited Ancient Corinth 
Mycenae 
, Nafplion,
Epidaurus 
and the Asklepion (healing centre from around 400BC). At both Mycenae and Epidaurus, we bumped into a group of touring senior school children from Blenheim who were visiting some of the things they had studied in Classics. They stood out to us (several took the opportunity to perform on the theatre stage at Epidaurus which has remarkable acoustics) and we (at least I) stood out to them thanks to the KIWI tee-shirt I happened to be wearing today.
Mycenae , Nafplion, Epidaurus and the Asklepion (healing centre from around 400BC). At both Mycenae and Epidaurus, we bumped into a group of touring senior school children from Blenheim who were visiting some of the things they had studied in Classics. They stood out to us (several took the opportunity to perform on the theatre stage at Epidaurus which has remarkable acoustics) and we (at least I) stood out to them thanks to the KIWI tee-shirt I happened to be wearing today.Once back in Athens, we had dinner at the Plaka and strolled past the illuminated Acropolis on the way back to the hotel. We are now off to bed for another shortish sleep in readiness for a brief walking tour around the around the local area (Acropolis, Roman Forum, Ancient Agora , ?Archealogical Museum) in the morning, then its back to the airport to catch our plane for Zurich. As this is likely to be the last place we will have either reliable internet or the time to write there might not be an update from Switzerland (we arrive lateish tomorrow night and will not have the laptop with us in Interlaken the following night) so if we don't post anything more....... see you when we get home!
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