The Fish are Biting at Kamari Beach

The Fish are Biting at Kamari Beach

Oh the seafood! The variety of scalefish, crustaceans and shellfish on the island of Santorini is amazing – and not just on the plate! There is a non-culinary species available to literally “tickle your fancy”. You don’t need a knife and fork or even sit at a table. All you have to do is immerse your whole person in a tank of tepid water and abandon all sense of modesty as an attack squadron of these voracious critters makes a bee-line for your dead skin. They supposedly suck rather than nibble and the tingling, tickling sensation is undeniably pleasurable.

 This “dorsal defoliation” was recommended by our new best friends, Charlene and Arleen, from Los Angeles. These lively gals are regular visitors to Santorini (as well as other places) and, as you will see later, enhanced our stay here. A little coy about letting these aquatic necrophiliacs loose on our nether regions, we opted to dangle only our tootsies in Dr Fish’s Blue Fish Spa.

 Earlier in the day we had climbed 360m (22 hairpin bends in the road/track) to the remains of Ancient Thira so our feet felt quite refreshed after this unusual form of pedicure. Andrew reckons he would need to cross the flesh-sucking Garra Rufa fish with a barracuda to chomp through the callouses on his feet!  These fish spas are all over the Greek Islands and probably elsewhere as well exploiting naïve tourists with more euros than good sense.

We surprised ourselves yet again by succumbing to the ultimate Santorini tourist experience – riding a donkey up the cliff top trail in the capital, Fira.  We walked down to the attractive old port on yet another steep winding track but it was so hard on the knees we couldn’t face the trek up again. There was a gondola-cable car but Andrew’s aversion to heights left us with no option but the mule train. There are hundreds of donkeys which relentlessly ply the trail – up and down, day in day out. With thousands of passengers spewing out of cruise ships at the old port, the donkeys get a real work out and, at 5 euros a ride, they are making someone lots of money – obviously not the animal handlers or the guys who have the unenviable job of poop scooping. These lowly peasants would not have a full set of teeth between them, poor souls.

Jane’s donkey took it into its head to be the leader and took off before Andrew had even mounted his trusty steed. Leaving her beloved and two Japanese girls in a cloud of chaff dust, she took off clinging to the saddle.  But Donkey #1 knew exactly what to do and valiantly clip-clopped up the zigzags narrowly averting considerable descending donkey traffic and oncoming walkers. At the top, Donkey #1 parked himself very cosily between his bretheren wedging the bemused rider between two handsome grey asses……     

Charlene had another treat for us in the evening. She is good friends with our hotel proprietors, having stayed with them 7 times and often dines with them. She invited us tag along for a culinary treat with real Greeks. And so it was that the hotel owner, Vigallis, escorted eight hand-picked hotel guests first to the incredible Santorini wine centre in the centre of the island for nibbles, wine and an excellent sunset viewing. 

Then it was off to a family-run taverna with the best live music in Santorini. Our party included the two lively American Jewesses “of a certain age” Charlene and Arleen, Spiros and Nicki (Greeks from Melbourne who amazingly own the hardware store at Shearwater, near our shack at Port Sorell) and a Greek couple who meet up twice a year in Santorini to continue a long-standing affair. He lives with his wife and family in Athens and she in Germany. When I asked Anna about her relationship with the Demis Roussos lookalike she replied: “He is my friend. He is my lover.” Demis was a show pony of colossus proportion and entertained the whole restaurant with his dancing. He’d flick back is shoulder-length grey curls, stamp his feet, swing his leg over a vacant restaurant chair and then pick it up with his teeth (I kid you not folks). He would then lay back his head and balance the inverted chair very precariously on his chin. This he did for the titillation of not only us, but the restaurant owner’s aged, but very well preserved mother. The old girl was well dressed (definitely not in traditional widow’s black) and heavily made up. She would have been well over 80 but, teetering on stiletto heels, had all the moves and thoroughly enjoyed the attention.

The food was absolutely fantastic as it has been so far in Greece. For entrée there were plates grilled garlic bread, creamy fava bean dip, spicy white aubergine salad and luscious Greek salad served in edible baskets crafted from melted cheese.

 To follow there was grilled lamb chops with lemon and then Greek yoghurt drenched with muscatels stewed in port. The lovely local white flowed as did the not so lovely red wine. The wonderful atmosphere was invigorated with a superbly talented singer/guitarist and bouzouki player. It was such fun.

Santorini is roughly crescent shaped and about 12km long. It is cris-crossed by roads that connect the villages in a random manner. It is dry as chips and there are no forests, save a few clusters of pines and avenues of eucalypts. 

There are small, domestic vineyards delineated by low stone walls all over the place but they are left to struggle in the stony soil with little water. They are not trellised and are pretty untidy. The local wine is very inexpensive and can be bought in fill-it-yourself plastic bottles at the small family-run supermarkets. There are orchards of nut trees and plenty of melons, figs and olives. Cherry tomatoes and white aubergines are a specialty.

Another specialty is souvlaki – but only at the legendary Lucky’s, recommended by Trip Advisor and patronized by locals and visitors. Everything is prepared and cooked on the premises and the pork gyros was undoubtedly the best we have tasted. The pita break was thick and tender and the contents were mouthwateringly good with tzatziki and salad to die for.

So far, the food we have had here has surpassed anything we have eaten in Europe – except of course the duck in Paris. The trick is to find family-run places – not the big menus catering for multi nations. Who could go past the stewed figs and Greek yoghurt for breakfast or the Greek platters served with beer on the beach at Navy’s café. If you buy a drink or food, Navy’s provide you with a sun lounge and umbrella. Another of Charlene’s little deals!

Almost forgot to mention the # 1 activity at Kamari Beach according to Trip Advisor – the open air cinema. It’s a short stroll from our hotel and is set in luxuriant gardens portioned from the road by high concrete (we are in Greece after all) walls festooned in vibrant bougainvillea. There is a well stocked cocktail which also serves snack food contributing to an oasis type of ambience. It is quite lovely except for one very European failing: non smokers are relegated to the extreme wings of the viewing area while the puffers get to sit centre screen. This is yet further evidence that Phillip Morris and Benson and Hedges are still doing very nicely thank you among the trendsetters here in the Mediterranean. We saw the film “The Best Offer” starring Geoffrey Rush in glorious English with Greek subtitles.

Farewell beautiful Santorini

Next stop Mykonos …….. by ferry.