This may have been the most dramatic stop on our cruise. Santorini is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 125 miles southeast from Greece’s mainland. Santorini is one of several islands that make up a small, circular archipelago, the left overs from an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island. We sail right into the 1,200 foot deep sunken caldera and anchor among the 980 foot high cliffs that surround us on three sides.
CLICK FIRST PHOTO BELOW TO START SLIDE SHOW.
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- The evening before we arrived in Santorini, we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean, with a crescent moon and the planet Venus foretelling a wonderful day tomorrow.
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- ORIENTEERING TODAY’S TRIP: We anchor in the sunken crater off the central cinder cone of the ancient volcano and at the base of the volcano rim, where the town of Fira is perched on a precipice 1,000 feet above. We shuttle from the ship to the dock at Fira; then take another boat to the dock at Oia. A bus motors us to the top, where we walk the beautiful town. Later, another bus takes us from Oia to Fira for a short visit there. Then it’s down by cable car and a short boat ride back to our ship.
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- The rims of the sunken volcano rise 980 feet above the Aegean sea. The town of Fira tops the rim at this point. The winding route from the dock to the town is NOT a road. It’s a 588-step path shared by hikers and donkeys, which will give you a memorable ride to the top, if you like riding sweaty animals.
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- Our ship cruises into the deep lagoon, and we anchor off Fira.
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- Our ride from the ship to the Fira dock approaches. The winding steps to the top or a cable car (left) are the only direct means of getting from the dock to Fira high above.
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- View from our ship … scenery that makes your brain go “poof.”
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- Arriving at the foot of the steep cliff. Fira looms almost 1,000 feet above us.
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- How to get to the top? We opt for an indirect route, a boat ride to another location, where a bus will take us to the top at a beautiful town called Oia. The ride was wild and bumpy, with sea spray showering those of us who were silly enough to go to the top deck. That would be ALL of us.
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- Way back at our first port-of-call, our Pompeii guide dubbed my camera “the bazooka.” That name stuck for the entire trip.
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- The iconic images of Oia include the blue-domed churches.
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- Many homes are built right into the cliffside.
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- Blue domes and bells make a nice photo subject.
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- Did you ever want to own your own island? Did you ever want to live IN an island? This home would be something to see inside.
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- Strolling through Oia.
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- Oia virtually hangs on the precipice. Rule #1 in Oia … DON’T SLEEPWALK.
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- Yes, there are windmills on Santorini, too. Just not as many as Mykonos.
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- Jane and Dennis posing for a dramatic picture.
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- Someone’s colorful patio overlooking the lagoon.
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- Our ship parked near the central cinder cone of the sunken caldera.
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- Never miss a chance for a local beer.
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- Greg learns about Santorini from a resident’s point of view.
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- Friends
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- More Friends
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- Our trip back includes a scenic bus ride from Oia to Fira; then a cable car down to the dock area.
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- The cable car gives us a birds-eye view of the lung-busting climb or knee-destroying decent from Fira to the dock. I think we made a real good decision here.
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- Back at sea level, and readying for the short boat ride to our ship. Were we REALLY just up there?
