Santorini Island, Greece
Early in the morning we sailed into the caldera of the beautiful island of Santorini. The catastrophic volcanic eruption that occurred around 1600 B.C. created the perfect stage on which to find two dazzling white Cycladic towns perched dramatically high on the rim. The island is unique and offers one of the most appealing natural spectacles in the entire Mediterranean.
After taking a local tender to the port of Athinios we boarded two buses for our island visit. We drove to the north end to make our first stop in the most picturesque of Santorini’s villages, Oia. Its white houses, built virtually on top of each other, appear to hang on to the cliff; some of them are even built into it. We walked up and down the cliff edges, did some shopping in the art galleries and jewelry stores along the way, and then relaxed in one of the little cafes based on the caldera rim, offering their visitors a cold frappe and a beautiful view.
Later we headed to Pyrgos, where the amazing restaurant Kallisti is located, owned by a very charismatic gentleman by the name of Nektarios. We were all able to get our fill (to say the least) of an incredible spread of Greek mezedes. It was hard to believe that wasn’t the end of our visit to the island, but we continued on to Fira, the principal town of Santorini.
Some of us decided to join our guides Elli and Stella for a tour in the museum, where we learned about the fascinating archaeology of the island and about Akrotiri–a Minoan city destroyed by the massive volcanic eruption that created the islands we saw today. Others chose to wander the narrow alleyways taken over by jewelry shops, trendy boutiques and cliffside cafes. After taking a cable car or donkey ride down the cliff we boarded a tender back to the ship.
In the afternoon we repositioned a short distance to Nea Kameni, the new “burnt” lava island in the center of the caldera, where we were able to enjoy a refreshing and much welcomed swim before setting sail on our next great adventure.
