Santorini Island, Greece
Around 1650 B.C. the island of Santorini exploded in a massive eruption that reshaped civilization for the Cycladic Islands. Just before sunrise we could begin to see what the area looked like today. The layers of lava flow and ash from the eruption were obvious as they formed the inner walls of the bay thrusting up about 1,000 feet near the upper edge. Perched high atop this ridge were the villages that function on the island today. The Panorama made a close pass below the town of Oia, which marks the northwest tip of Santorini just after we entered the caldera. During breakfast the captain and crew secured the ship to its moorings below the town of Fira.
The local tender boat arrived on time and we were loaded and underway shortly thereafter. They took us across the caldera to the port of Athinios which provides the only access by road down inside the caldera from the rim. This also serves as the ferry landing and we got a good look at one of the local boats as we both approached the pier at the same time. The coaches were loaded in good time and our drivers meticulously navigated us up the many switchbacks to the rim of the caldera.
We arrived to the village of Oia to find that we were some of their first visitors of the morning. Our Greek guides Stella and Ellie gave us an introduction to Oia and led us into this charming spot, pointing out a few of the dramatic viewpoints along the way. There was lots of free time for photos, shopping or for getting a coffee that came with one of the best views in all of Greece.
To reach “Kalisti,” our restaurant for lunch, we journeyed back towards the southern end of the island of Thira but for this leg we went along the “high” road. Lunch was a selection of traditional Greek “mezedes” or appetizers. The kids were given their own “section” or table which was very successful. The food was great as was the wine and I don’t believe any of us went away hungry.
Our last destination on Santorini was the main town of the island, Fira. Those that wanted to view some of the discoveries from the ancient town of Akrotiri joined Ellie and Stella for a tour of the local museum while others chose to have more time for shopping and wandering the labyrinth of alleyways.
For the journey down to the port the guests had to choose either the “civilized” cable car, a hike down the donkey path or the most adventurous of options—a donkey ride to the base of the caldera wall. There seemed to be an even split between the avenues down but everyone was in agreement that it was time for a swim. We boarded our tender in record time, had a short ride back to the ship and were underway very quickly.
The Panorama repositioned to a very intimate anchorage positioned near the center of the caldera between the small islands of Nea Kameni “new burnt island” and Palaia Kameni “old burnt island”. As soon as the anchor was secured and the engines shut down we were in the water. Leaping from the ship’s rail became popular and everyone enjoyed swimming in the center of a volcano after full day on the rim. Once we could swim no more we were underway for our anchorage on Paros Island, our destination for tomorrow. It was a full day that provided us a thorough exploration of Santorini.
