FRIDAY, November 19, 2010–Santorini, Greece

Our shipped arrived and dropped anchor near this beautiful island at about 7 a.m.  This was a “tender” port (there was no available dock).  So, our group of 10 Cruise Critic friends met onboard the ship before proceeding to the area where the tenders were being boarded.  The ride to the island took about 15 minutes and then we were on land at Skala 890 feet below the small town of Fira.

Two tenders travel from the ship toward Skala.

Notice that all the settlements are up the bluff on top of the mountain, 890 feet above the area where we will make land.  These are some of the famous white buildings that are always pictured on the postcards from the Greek islands. 

Santorini is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 120 miles southeast from Greece’s mainland.  It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 28 square miles and a 2001 census population of 13,670. It is composed of the municipality of Thira (population 12,440) and the community of Oía (population 1,230) and some other small villages.

Once we’re on land, we have three choices to get to the top of the mountain:  (1) ride donkeys; (2) walk, climbing  over 600 steps, using the donkey trail where one must watch out for the donkey doo; (3) take the cable car.

To give you an idea about the donkeys, here I show a group of donkeys who are traveling toward the trail that leads up and down the mountain.

We had already decided to take the cable car.

And we waited for our car to arrive.

Before boarding we looked back at the beautiful “Brilliance of the Seas” anchored in the bay.

Once off the cable cars we were in a maze of buildings, both shops and homes in the village of Firostefani. 

As we walked out of these homes and shops we could once again see the ocean along with the rooftops of some of the nearby buildings. 

As we climb we notice some beautiful tropical flowers.

We paused for a picture in this beautiful spot.

And admire the beautiful, colorful doors of the whitewashed homes.

Here you can see the homes clustered together on the hills.

And, looking back at the bay, the two ships (in addition to our ship, a Princess Cruises ship) .

We climbed higher to the top of the village where this lovely bell tower is located.

The freshness of the whitewash contrasts against the very blueness of the sky, and, the craggy cliffs…

This is Greece where the dogs are happy and well cared for.

On the north side of the island we visited the village of Oia.

 

Back in the van we climbed high on the southern edge of the island to the Monastery of Profitis Ilias.  The view from there is incredible.

Back down at the ocean level we visited Black Beach on the south end of the island.

Our tour ended about 3 p.m.  near where we had begun and we took the cable car back down the cliff and boarded the tender to return to the ship for a late lunch.