Santorini Island
When we arose this morning, we were surrounded by the dramatic multicolored cliffs of Santorini rising over 900 feet straight up from the water. All that is left of the once large island is a circle of small islands now marking the outer perimeter of a volcano that erupted around 1635 BC. Santorini is just one in that circle. This morning, in addition to their usual colors, the cliffs were decorated with puffy white clouds draping over the top.
Our explorations today took us from one end of the island to the other. We began with a lovely drive to Oia. Here, the white-washed cliff top houses, steep drops to the ocean and homes built into the caves in the cliffs looked every bit as impressive up close as from a distance. While some of us looked for just the right angle from which to take a photo of the many blue-domed churches, others found the perfect café for a cup of coffee with an ocean breeze and a stunning view. Although we have heard that there can be hundreds of people walking the narrow paths of this town, we got to enjoy it this morning as it was waking up and nearly had the place to ourselves.
Our next stop was at Aeolus restaurant for a traditional Greek meal. The god of wind, and namesake of the restaurant, would have surely loved the cliff top location, and our taste buds fully approved of the new flavors and dishes we found there.
Our final destination was the town of Fira. We went to the museum at the Nomikos Foundation and learned about the sophisticated Minoan village of Akrotiri that had been buried under the ash from the cataclysmic eruption around 1635 BC. Only unearthed in the 1960’s, the town is still being uncovered. Because of being totally covered under ash, much of the town was preserved, including their amazing Fresco wall paintings. Using sophisticated technology, many of these have been reproduced and available for viewing at the Nomikos Foundation.
From Fira, after some free time to shop and enjoy the views, the only way back to the ship was to go down. Most of us chose the steep but efficient cable car ride. But, the more adventurous among us used the more traditional method – donkeys!
When you start the day in amazement surrounded by the multicolored 900 foot cliffs of Santorini and end it with a refreshing swim off the ship, it is hard to go wrong. And now, it just keeps getting better. As we head onto the decks after dinner, we are greeted by the full moon and a calm, balmy night at anchor.
