November 3 - Santorini, a Greek island

Santorini is not just a Greek island.....it is one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful islands.  Santorini was once a volatile volcano.  Around 1630 B.C., it exploded--one of the largest in human history.  Eventually the volcano collapsed and formed the flooded caldera that we see today.

Our cruise ship anchored in the caldera below the town of Fira.

We learned that there was a trail to hike along the top of the cliff from the town of Fira to the town of Oia, 5 miles away on the northern tip of the island.  Oia with its chalk-white houses and domes is the place one imagines when thinking "Santorini".  We team up with another couple and their daughter and off the ship we went.

We tendered into the dock and then made our way up the cliff to the town 500 feet above.  Our options were:  take the cable car, ride a donkey, or walk up 531 steps.

Since we had a somewhat strenuous hike ahead of us, we chose the cable car to save some energy as well as time.

The hike is estimated to take just under 3 hours.  It was a bit confusing to find the start of the trail in the town of Fira.  Our friends had the foresight to research the hiking trail and we had some direction. With a little help from the locals, we soon were hiking the cliff trail.

At first we were hiking on a sidewalk between the houses built on the cliff.  We could see our ship anchored far below.

We saw many beautiful homes and hotels alongside the cliff.  Once we left the town of Fira,
the sidewalk ended and we could see the trail and the cliff we would be hiking on all the way to the town of Oia.  The trail was up and down and on loose gravel and was tricky at times to keep one's footing.

We passed a couple of villages along the way...

A dog tagged along with us for awhile...

And at one point the trail led us down to the highway for about 200 meters....

We stopped for photos....

And to check our directions...

It was a beautiful hike and the weather was great.  And soon we saw the town of Oia coming into view.

Once we entered the town of Oia, we had some photo stops. 

We saw some friends from the ship and they told us of a bakery they walked by that smelled really good.  We soon came to it and were lured inside for a break and a treat.  We sat at a window overlooking the caldera below.  It was beautiful.

Now re-energized and ready to walk some more, we browsed along the many shops in the town.  It was the end of the season and some of the stores were ready to close.

We walked through the winding, narrow streets and found the windmill at the end of the trail.  

We made our way back into the main square to the bus stop.  We took the local bus back to Fira--it only cost us 1.8 euro per person.

After reaching Fira, we headed back to the cable car and decided to walk down the 531 steps to the tender dock below...

 with some stops to take in the beautiful view of the island and the caldera below.

We passed many donkeys on the stairs.

Soon we were back on the ship, and it was time for sailaway...

We enjoyed the view and some wine on our balcony.

Santorini was beautiful and our hike with our friends was a lot of fun.  A great day in Santorini.

Next we have a sea day and then we'll arrive in Venice, Italy, where we will spend 2 nights.