Day 6 Mediterranean Adventures: Santorini

It is Tuesday and we are in Santorini.   Enjoyed breakfast in the room again as we have an early call for our tour.  (7:30) We are on a panoramic Santorini tour for four hours, Our ship can't dock as there is really not much of a port, so we have to tender in on a smaller boat. We are not the only ship in the harbor as we look for the Quest from the Seabourn Line.  Friends Chuck and Eleanor Cavannah are on the Quest and are visiting here today also, Before we knew of the tendering and the tour arrangements, we actually thought that we might be able to meet the Cavannahs, but that thought soon faded.  This is a long shot at both the Noordam (our ship) and the Cavannah's Quest in the harbor.  So close, but so hard to get together.

Santorini and Anafi are the southern-most islands in the Cyclades group. Travel and Leisure Magazine readers have ranked Santorini as the Number # 1 Island destination in the world. Santorini was once an active volcano, but a massive explosion in 1628 BC blew it apart. The seismic event spawned a catastrophic tidal wave which some scientists say wiped out the late Minoan civilization on Crete 70 miles away.  Hence the island is mostly volcanic rock and grows very few things.  There is little rainfall, so water is precious. We visited a winery and tasted three different wines made from grapes that are grown here on the island. They also grow olives, small tomatoes, capers and pistachio nuts. We traveled the narrow, zigzag road to the top and Mount Profitis Ilias where fantastic views were displayed.  We were early enough that there were clouds and fog sheltering the villages below.

We visited several small towns on the island, each with small, narrow streets filled with little shops and many touristy areas. The while buildings with the deep blue roofs are characteristic of many small Greek town.

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The weather was extremely hot and quite humid (72%). Natives tell us this is not normal, but so far hot and humid is all we have experienced on our entire trip. We are eager to return to our ship and the cooler areas which abound.  I was getting ready to post this blog and Bob and Jerry decided they want to ride the donkeys to the villages at the top of the island and take the cable car back down. Will wait until they return for  the photos.

      This is the donkey path.