Santorini plans -- few more questions
 

My husband and I will arrive in Santorini on Thursday 9/22, staying 3 nights in Oia (Hotel Delfini).

I'm planning to rent a car for one full day and wonder if it makes a difference whether we rent it on Friday or Saturday. I plan on driving inland, including the ancient Thira & environs.

At the moment, I'm thinking that on the other day, we might take a caldera boat tour (recommendations for one appreciated - moderate rates, not 5-star), as hubby's developed feet problems and the walk from Oia to Fira may not be viable.

So do I rent the car on Friday or Saturday, or doesn't it matter?

Thanks again,
Paule
(ps getting close - we leave on 9/15!)

Doesn't matter. Keep in mind that one of the main reasons for taking a caldera/volcano tour is to hike on the voclano. Your husband might not enjoy that if he has feet trouble.

the caldera will be a hike. a major hike. i wouldnt suggest going at all if you have leg or feet trouble.

ancient thira, same thing. it is a very steep drive up the hill, but you have to park the car at the top. and then you have to hike up on foot to even see anything.

many ancient sights, in greece, in my experience require hiking. e.g. acropolis, delphi, corinth, etc. although the agoras, keramikos, and temple of olympian zeus arent...

bring good hiking shoes is the one best advice i can give to people going to greece.

Hi Paule.
I have been ignoring your comments on your husbands PF to see if things improve but apparently they have not.
One year when we went to Greece I was absolutley hobbled with PF and I did not know how I was going to survive because I could barely walk and Greece is all about walking. Much to my surprise within two days I was absolutley pain free. I suspect it was a combination of relaxation, exercise, drugs ouzo and a small amount of willingness to walk through the pain. Hopefully your husband will have the same experience.

I have one other tip for you. Drugs like Ibroprofen (Advil) are extremely expensive in Greece. Almost a dollar a pill. Crazy I know. Be sure to bring a big bottle of Advil or perhaps two and if your husband is suffering use it. Hit it hard. Most people in pain tend to undermedicate in truly painful situations. PF is inflamaton and advil works on that problem. On vacation your body seems to remarkably to be able to use this kind absorbe this stuff up with no side effects. Not great advice I know but it worked wonders for me. Can't keep it up at home but a trip to Greece is something special and you never know PF may disappear.
By the way we were in Oia this May, Here are the new pictures
http://travel.webshots.com/album/580749989pYemZp

Thanks everyone for your concern - the information about Advil is very appreciated!

My husband is able to walk -- I'm just revamping the plan for long walks/hikes so that we don't overdo it and create additional problems.

Without a doubt, we'll still be doing a lot of walking, but the Oia-Fira walk and the Imbros Gorge hike are probably going on the back burner for now. Without a doubt, we'll still be doing a lot of walking.

What is the caldera hike like? What boat trips do you recommend?

Thanks!
Paule

The caldera/volcano hike is across the volcanic island, Nea Kameni, uphill to the highest vantage point overlooking the caldera and Santorini island. http://images.travelpod.com/tw_slide...o-trek-oia.jpg

regarding the comments on Ibuprofen, yes it is expensive if you get a 'named brand', but if you need any just ask the pharmacist for BRUFEN, that's the basic brand & not expensive at all, certainly not a $ a tablet!
As an addition to that subject, if anyone is here & needs paracetemol, ask for DEPON, about 70 cents for 20 tablets.

yiassas this is really valuable information !!!

Thanks Yassas. I think the pharmacist took advantage of us and sold us the expensive stuff. I never would have known to ask for Brufen.

On the other hand this June in Anti Paros my wife got a nasty eye infection and we went to the pharmacist who told us the doctor was on Paros, then he looked at us and said is this what your eye is doing and we said yes and he went to a locked cabinet and pulled out a little bottle of eye drops and said this is what the doctor would order, save you a trip to Paros. That stuff was fantastic, it cleared up the problem in a day in it was only about 3 euros. I should have bought another bottle to take home. We certainly got good service from that Pharmacist.

I thought the caldera boat tour/walk a bit of a bore and if there are mobility problems I would not recommend it. If I recall you walk over black loose rock that at some locations is steaming. It is desolate and barren. There are better things to do.

Further to what yiassas wrote, parecetamol is known as acetaminophen (Tylenol) in the US. :-)

Chania,
What ARE the better things to do?

I'm not wedded to the caldera tour, I just would like a possible boat trip that we might be able to do. I'm a little confused about the boating/ferry options.

Hubby says he WILL walk and deal with it. I just want to have options so that I can alternate between long walks and other means of exploring.

>>>Further to what yiassas wrote, parecetamol is known as acetaminophen (Tylenol) in the US.<<<
Cheers Heimdall! Now I'm learning stuff in case I ever get to visit the US! I had heard Tylenol mentioned so many times, never knew it was the same thing :)

Well, you will be in Oia. One day take the bus over to Fira and look at the museums. The Nokomis Conference center was deserted when we were there. Wonderful wall murals! We think we are so fancy with wallpaper and borders in our homes! The Akrotiri citizens had these things centuries ago! The museum is small, cool, quiet, and there is lots to see. Outside the museum along the side- you will see the cable cars coming up the mountainside. The other museum, closer to the bus stop, also has wonderful artifacts. Don't forget to stop at Lucky's for a gyro and fries. With any luck the owner will stop by and offer you a ouzo. Before we knew it we were tossing back a jigger of something and "OPA" was heard all around. The owner said that whatever this drink was made him feel strong and virile. Great day. Stop there on your way back out of town and pick up some tsatsiki and bread to go. Nice people.

In Oia, walk down the big stairs skirting the mule poop to ammoudi harbor. You just will not believe how clear the water is. Amazing. If your husband legs are cooperating, then continue to walk on until you come to a small beach. The access is a little tricky and you will want water shoes, but it is a quiet place to lay on a blanket for a bit. There will not be a lot of others there.

And, finally, for the sheer fun of it try our favorite place to go in the evening, Santorini Mou. It is on the edge of Oia as you enter into the town. The owner Mihalis sings and plays several stringed instruments. Often times his friends drop by and they all play. The diners and Mihalis' girlfriend, Malena, break out into dance at any given minute. Great place. Try the fried sardines. I would kill for some right now!

Thanks, Lynclarke. I appreciate the suggestions.

I plan on renting a car one day to go to Pyrgos &ancient Thira and whatever else fits into the drive. I'm still hoping my husband will be up for part of the walk between Oia & Fira. Can anyone tell me if there is a way (starting from Oia) that we can do perhaps a portion of the walk?is there a best part?

Many thanks - I can't believe it's almost here!