Our first stop was in the beautiful town of Oia which is perched high atop the cliffs of Santorini’s northern terminus. Known for its quiet beauty and spectacular sunsets, this spot boasts superlative views of neighboring volcanoes. We huffed and puffed through the narrow, cobblestone streets so that we could look at the brilliantly, whitewashed buildings and the blue-domed churches. (I have some great pictures to post when I get home. Internet on this ship is not good at all. It takes so long for anything to post and especially for pictures to upload).
This is a very mountainous island and so many of us held our breath as we went up and down the narrow, winding road. It was a little scary, but the bus drivers in this area of the world are really excellent. At the end of the day we arrived back at the ship safe and sound and with a thankful prayer.
After the trip to Oia we traveled to a neighboring winery (Santo Wines) for a little wine tasting. No – the driver did not have any wine. We made sure of that!
Our next stop was Mount Prophet Elijah, with panoramic views as far as the eye can see. The mountain is the highest point on the island of Santorini at 2000 feet above sea level.
Lunch was served at a traditional Greek restaurant in the village of Pyrgo. We were able to sample delicacies from the region – some were good – some not so good (my opinion).
Refreshed, we headed off to visit the beautiful, Byzantine church, “Panagia Episkopi”, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. Once again here we go up a bumpy road to this monument that has survived both invasion and earthquakes.
Another short drive took us to the resort area of Kamari Village to see the famed black sand beaches of Santorini. We were able to walk down to the edge of the water and to take one of the stones that are made of lava from the volcano.
Our last stop was Fira, the capital of Santorini, known for its mix of Cycladic and Venetian architecture. From the main square in Fira, which is a colorful meeting place, we could easily walk to shops, jewelry stores, and tavernas (restaurants). The next part of today’s journey was almost my undoing – the long, STEEP walk to the upper part of the town which led us to the cable car ride. This was our transportation back down the mountain to the dock to meet our tender to return to the ship. It wasn’t the cable car ride; that was a breeze. It was the walk up the long, long, STEEP, STEEP hill. When we returned to the ship, we didn’t leave our room for the remainder of the day. Of course, Linda was fine, but I had hit the wall for the day.
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