“You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” ― Paul McCartney

It did my heart good to see how well cats are treated on the island of Santorini in Greece.  While I was there I visited a restaurant several times where there were several kittens and cats. After what happened in Bali last year:  “Knowing it and seeing it are two different things.” ― Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay , I told myself that I was going to avoid all stray cats and kittens because I couldn't take the heart ache of having something happen again like in Bali.  

I told the owner at this restaurant that I was  going to go buy a big bag of cat food for the cats that I saw lounging around on a couch in his restaurant.  He seemed offended and said "I feed and water them every day".  It did my heart good and restored my faith in humanity for a while.  I went back there more than once.  I needed to seek the solace and comfort get away from the tourists given the fact that this vacation was not what I had expected it to be.  If you read my last post:  What Do You Do When a Tragedy or Emergency Happens at Home While Traveling?  you know what I'm talking about.  The food was wonderful the service was great and I highly recommend that you stop by this restaurant if you are ever in Santorini.  I just wanted to write about this wonderful experience because it did help me get through a tough time.   Yes I was on a beautiful tropical island and I had my camera so I was able to take pictures, but in all honesty I couldn't wait to get home.  

Santorini is an incredibly beautiful island and I would like to believe that someday I can go back and truly enjoy it.    Having said that, the world is a big place and there are many other places I want to see you as well.  

Visiting this restaurant was one of the bright spots of my vacation in Santorini.  Thank you to the owner for taking such great care of those cats.  As you can see they are very happy and healthy looking,  

I was very happy to learn about a group on Santorini that helps the numerous strays on the island.   Santorini Animal Welfare Society (SAWA) is an animal welfare association this gorgeous island. They are a small organization and mainly focus on spay/neutering which is extremely important in stray populations.

Here are some photos of Kamari Beach:

I loved the colorful boats and cabanas all over the beach!

It's a very popular place!

I loved watching the kids play on the rocks
Kamari Beach is a really relaxing area away from the crowds of Oia
There were many, many nice restaurants overlooking the sea

The beaches are a little rocky - I live near Clearwater Florida where the sand is like baby powder so it's just different to me.
It was nice strolling down the streets lining Kamari Beach
I found this pretty church on one of the side streets

I also found some nice boutiques with pretty clothes and a happy cat :)

Then I found  a nice, away from the crowds restaurant named Koutouki tou bekri AKA as"cat heaven: 
They were allowed inside out of the hot sun and allowed to rest on a nice and comfortable couch.

My two very well behaved and entertaining dinner companions:

Kissing kittens:

For dinner I had sparkling water with lemon ( my usual) and grilled halloumi cheese with tomatoes and pita.  Very yummy!
And my favorite apple pie with just "a little" ice cream ;)

Here is their contact information if you want to visit them which I highly recommend!

Playful, happy, and healthy kittens!
Below is a beautiful table handcrafted by the owner:
  .

 I will leave you with the message I left in their guest book - they have no idea how much they helped me !!!

Thank you so much for your visit.  As always, your comments and or questions are always appreciated.  have a wonderful week my friends! 

~Michelle