Week 602 · Santorini, Greece
On Santorini, we did a hike in the morning up to the top of the Nea Kameni volcano — it is active but no signs that it was a volcano except some hot rocks — and then a swim where the hot spring entered the ocean.
On Santorini, we did a hike in the morning up to the top of the Nea Kameni volcano — it is active but no signs that it was a volcano except some hot rocks — and then a swim where the hot spring entered the ocean. Seemed odd to swim from crystal clear water with 20 feet visibility to rust colored water where you couldn't see your hand and was only a bit warmer.
Santorini also was heavily based on shopping, but the cliffside towns and overall architecture made it much more interesting. We went to both of the main towns on the island, Fira and Oia. Oia is the famous town with the blue domes while Fira is the primary port (with a cable car to get to the top).
Fira is the primary port of Santorini, with a cable car to get up to the top from the cruise ship tender dock. The path up — which you can also walk — is lined with donkeys who also serve as transportation for visitors who don't want to take the cable car or walk the 580 steps.
Donkeys on the trail to Fira — an alternative to the cable car or the 580-step path up from the port. The donkey path is well-worn and the animals are a fixture of the Fira ascent.
"Overall, and this is probably heresy, the highlights of Mykonos and Santorini are the historic white towns — but they are very stark with no greenery, dark brown coasts, and very few sand beaches. The Adriatic was much more scenic. Santorini is spectacular — but imagine the pictures without the buildings."
