Santorini, Greece--Day 8

Of all the Cyclades Islands, Santorini is often considered the most dramatic. Once an active volcano, in 1620 BC, the volcano erupted with such force that the center of the island literally exploded, leaving a submerged crater. Thira or Fira Town is laid out along the edge of a cliff that forms a portion of the rim of the now extinct caldera. The ship's tender took us to the Skala harbor and then a cable car took us up to Fira Town. You could go up a zig zag path by donkey or walk.

Some of them did walk but said the donkeys passing by you is a problem and coming down they would slip or fall so I am glad we stuck to the cable car, even though there was a long line of the over 65 crowd who had come off the big cruise ships. Evidently a rich family built the cable cars.

The town with the blue roofs is Oia and has magnificent views from the top plus with its cobblestone streets and white mansions on the cliffs it is very picturesque. It was once a major harbor but is now recognized as a peaceful place to escape to. I asked one couple how their stay was there and they were ecstatic over their 4 days on the cliffs.

We rented a little car and toured the whole island with Butch and Flo and then ate at one of the little towns. The bread everywhere is wonderful plus the pizzas and salads, cheese... There was also lots of shopping places in Fira before we took the trolley back down.

James found lots of jewelry he liked for Camber and I bought a Greek casual long dress for cool nights in the mountains and some embroidered pillow covers showing the pretty white homes. It was very dry there but they told us their grapes get enough dew to make them grow and there is a "special volcanic taste" to the wine.

The white buildings almost sparkle in the sunshine and the many terraces and patios on the cliffs is very enchanting.

From every spot you can see all the other islands and ships down in the bay. We saw more cruise ships here than any other place we docked except for Athens. Flo found some pretty jewelry she liked in this little town we ate in and James liked the the little light dresses and shirts for Camber to wear to the swimming pool over her swim suit.

Since we shopped so long the crowds were long gone from the cable car on our return trip. A very pleasant day...