Obviously where there are donkeys, and lots of them, there is donkey doo and pools of donkey piddle (liquid finds its way to the lowest point in each step).There were not as many flies as you would expect with all that dung. We felt sorry for the donkeys - their handlers kept whipping the donkeys rumps which gave the donkeys a real hurry up. People taking the ride up on the donkeys were hanging on tightly. There are about a thousand steps and some of the cobbles are very smooth from all the wear making the path very slippery in places. Needless to say you need to watch where you walk! When a group of donkeys comes past, you need to move right to the outside to avoid being too up close and personal with the donkeys who have a mission and are intent on doing just that. It took us about 45 minutes to walk down, which gave us 15 minutes to have a look around before the cruise started.
Once on board our cruise boat, the Thalassa, we had our tour explained to us. First stop was the volcano island. As we pulled into the small pier, the ruggedness of the island was apparent. The winding path (path is maybe too generous a word) was quite treacherous, consisting of loose gravel interspersed with larger rocks and the occasional boulder. Luckily, our group doing the climb had a range of ages and the tour guide allowed us several rest stops along the 1 kilometre climb to the summit. The volcano is dormant, but its last eruption occurred in 1950 so, it is not totally inactive.
Towards the summit, there are the twin vents of the last eruption still emitting steam, and layers of sulphur can be seen at several points around the twin vents. At one point, our guide showed us a hole in the path itself and invited us to place our hands inside - the temperature difference is quite dramatic even only a few cm inside.
We finally reached the pier and boarded the boat for the next stop - a swim in the waters of the warm springs on the next island.
To enter the water some of the brave and adventurous younger folk dived or jumped in from a considerable height at the front of the boat. John and I chose the more sedate entry down the ladder. On first contact the water felt cold - not as cold as the Adriatic though! Our bodies quickly accepted the temperature. As you swam closer to the inlet the water became warmer and browner. Small bubbles were rising to the surface from deep down underneath. I found it refreshing to swim back out to the clear and cool water near the boat.
It was then time to head out to where we again anchored - this time to watch the sunset! A sax player serenaded us all. It was a perfect sunset with a perfect location to experience it! Another WOW moment!
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