Santorini Island
Sometime around 1450 B.C. the volcanic island of Santorini suffered a major eruption which changed the face of this area forever. In the aftermath, an outer rim of three separate islands (Thira, Thirassia and Aspro Nisi) was left with a flooded center or caldera. Two center islands (Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni) emerged after further volcanic activity. After a bit of a rolly passage south from Sifnos we arrived into the caldera around and within which we would spend our day. The deck crew worked with a local tender boat to secure the mooring lines which would hold the Panorama secure for our stay.
Shortly after breakfast we boarded our tender and headed off to Athinios to join our next mode of transportation. This is the only port accessible by road on Santorini but today we would only see it once. Our return trip to the ship would be by another route. As we departed the port we climbed to the rim of Thira and could see no cruise ships in sight which meant that we would have the island mostly to ourselves.
The first stop was the small town of Oia which sits at the northwest end of the island. We wandered the narrow streets and searched for the best photo that included as many blue domes as possible. After a bit of exploring and some shopping we boarded our coaches again and made our way to the south end of the island for lunch. The restaurant Aeolus hosted us with a grand feast of traditional Greek dishes. Aeolus the Greek god of wind lived up to its name. There were good gusts along the ridge that we were perched upon and this helped cool us off. The view of the caldera from our tables at the restaurant was exceptional.
Our journey along the rim ended at the town of Fira which is the main community of Santorini. Some of the guests joined the guides for a tour of the local archaeological museum which showed some of the findings from the ancient town of Akrotiri. The rest wandered the streets in search of local wares or something cool to drink and a shady spot to observe the waters below. When it came time to depart to catch our tender back to the ship everyone had to choose between the cable car, donkey or long walk down to the port below.
We boarded our tender and departed for the Panorama shortly after we had all gathered at the pier. The ship dropped its moorings and headed for Nea Kameni, the island at the center of the caldera and our swim call and anchorage for the afternoon.
There were flotation aids of all shapes and sizes, with kids and adults of all ages attached to them. Many continued their study of “leaping” techniques from the ships’ rail and we enjoyed a very cooling swim in the center of the volcano. It’s not often you get do that.
After dinner we heaved the anchor and made our way northbound from Santorini. Our timing was fortunate in that the sun was setting just short of the south tip of Thirasia as we were passing by. As we cleared the protection of the caldera, many of us were happy to see that the swells had calmed and we could look forward to a gentle ride for the rest of the night.
