Our sail into the island of Santorini was spectacular. The white painted homes perched on the cliffs take on the appearance of snow covered mountain tops. There are boats, cruise ships, and tourists everywhere. And there are TONS of tourists!
The first stop was to the village of Oia where we are met Tim and Angela. It is breathtaking! The pristine white walkways mixed with hints of marble, guide you through labyrinth-like alleys with high end hotels, boutiques, and restaurants. It is certainly a high class experience.
Getting to Oia was quite the adventure in itself. There are no anchorages close to harbor of Oia so we were moored in a neighboring bay. A water taxi could bring us around to the harbor. Unfortunately, the water taxi service ends at nine and our dinner reservation to meet our guests was set for 9:45PM. With calm sea water, the only measure was to take the dinghy across the channel and proceed from there. Overall, the evening was a success despite delayed flights, dragging suitcases up slight steps of stairs, and navigating the dark sea back to our boat.
(07/13) Jumping into a water taxi, we sped over to the the harbor of Thera or Fira for our next adventure. Thera is the main town of island of Santorini, as well as its capital. Mixing with the sight-seers from three jumbo cruise ships plus folks from a gaggle of water taxis , we made our way into the village.
Thera is situated at the very top of the mountain, similar to other Greek and Italian villages. The way to the top is by cable car, walking, or riding a donkey. We chose the rickety cable car.
Lunchtime! Seated in an open air cafe, with a stunning view of the land and water, we experienced local wines and mouth watering, home made dishes. Less expensive than Oia, Thira still features the infamous white and blue shuttered buildings. We enjoyed the day meandering the hot, sun-drenched alleys to churches, shops, and museums, all while taking in the breathtaking sights. I even purchased two more Christmas gifts! In my opinion, Thira is not as “posh” as Oia, but unique into itself.
As daylight dipped behind the cliffs, we decided to walk to the harbor and enjoy a sunset dinner while waiting for the water taxi. Of course, we met the donkeys on their trot up the slight, spiral ravine. They stunk. We witnessed young girls nearly in tears, fearful of the beasts slipping off the trail, and a mom yelling into her cell phone, clutching her son to her breast, that it was a terrible experience. Perhaps the “fun sounding” ideas are not always the best. And guess who was stuck when a throng of stomping, beasts decided to move while her fellow travelers were half way down the path?!
