Europe 2013 - Day 10: Santorini, Greece
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Today, we were on the Greek Island of Santorini! It used to be an active volcano, and it is thought to be the place of Atlantis. We got off the ship right around noon today, and we headed towards the island. Santorini does not have a port, so we had to tether to the ocean floor via an anchor; we then had to take little boats to the shore, where then we were at the bottom of the major cliff, where Fira sits at the top. We chose to take the cable car to the top, instead of walking up or going by donkey.
Heading into the port city of Fira.
Looking back on the ship from our small boat.
Entrance to the cable car that takes you to the top.
Fira sitting atop the cliff
Once we got to the top, we had booked a scooter rental. Once we got to the rental place, they accidentally pulled up a 300cc four-wheeler, which ended up being a nicer ride for this type of island than the scooter. We then drove to Oia, the northern most city on the island. This part of the island is the location of spectacular views of the sea, as well as the famous blue dome tops of the local churches.
One of the famous churches in Oia.
Looking out over the sea.
Another view from Oia, which shows the famous blue domes.
Looking at the cliff/ city scape from the outer edge of the island.
Side of the cliff with the city.
Looking out over the bright blue sea.
Zeb's new outfit we bought, Greek style!
The windmills located all throughout the island.
After our time in Oia, we rode down to the south end of the Island and visited the famous black beaches. The beaches are all made up of small volcano rocks, which is now black sand. It was a very pretty site, and of course a gorgeous beach.
Black beaches of Santorini.
Close up of the beach.
Our ride for the day.
We then, headed back to Fira where we dropped off the four-wheeler. We took the walking option to get back down to the port. This was about a 15-minute walk and about 320 steps. Donkey was also an option to get down; there literally were 50+ donkeys ready to take people down to the bottom but we opted to get some physical exercise by taking the stairs. We then boarded the boat, headed back to the ship, and went straight to dinner since it was already about 7 pm once we got back on board.
Walking down the steps, back to the port.
Tomorrow, we are headed to Athens, Greece. We are very excited to visit all the famous and historical places.
From somewhere in the Sea.
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