Santorini is a caldera, which basically means it used to be a volcano until it erupted and blew it's top off. Then the sea rushed into the very large crater left behind.
So this next stop wasn't really a stop. The port at Fira is far too small for a cruise ship, so the ships stay out at sea and use tender boats to get the passengers to shore. But then, the sea is far too deep for any ship to drop anchor, so they drift freely on the waves. This morning, we woke to the sound of the engines every few minutes as they kept the ship in position.
I woke up before the alarm, and I started to read the blurb about Santorini, I was reading the tour information as well, wondering why I hadn't said that we would go on the Oia and Akritiri one. The alarm went off at 8.30 and Peter got up, picking up an envelope that had been pushed under the door as he passed. O Oh! We're supposed to be on tour, to Oia and Akritiri, but the tour started at 8am!
Well, there was not a lot we could do about it, we had missed the bus. Peter made several apologies to the Cruise Manager, and we knew we would have to prostrate ourselves before the shorex team later, and no doubt we will make several more, but for now it was breakfast on the decks in the warm sunshine.
It really was a beautiful day. The tender trip to the island was uneventful, and one we reached the tiny port, we took the cable car to climb the steep 244m crater side side to reach the town of Fira at the top. We loved Fira. It's all steep narrow cobbled paths, charming little shops and cafes with outstanding views.
So, we're sat on a little veranda in the cafe Zafora, just above the cable car. The sun is hot and bright the view is awesome, the drinks are cold and despite the fact we messed up this morning and have more apdogies to make, we are totally relaxed. As Peter has just said, it doesn't get better than this.
So we stayed in Fira until our money ran out. It was a good job we didn't take more, or my credit card, we, (I), would have just kept spending.
Back on board, we stayed on deck, hopeful for a good sunset in just brilliant surroundings. but sadly it was not to be. By now, I was feeling exceptionally tired, I think the last three days had finally caught up with me, but I managed to stay awake long enough for dinner and to attend the after dinner entertainment, "All at Sea", a team of three actors that delivered a couple of excellent short acts. I really enjoyed what they did and perked up enough to stay awake until the end.
Tomorrow we visit the island of Crete, and I double checked, we are on tour, so it's an early rise to meet the buses at 8 am. We won't let the shorex team down again.
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| Fira is the town at the top, the cliffs are the sides of the caldera, and we are sat in the middle of the old volcano crater |
I woke up before the alarm, and I started to read the blurb about Santorini, I was reading the tour information as well, wondering why I hadn't said that we would go on the Oia and Akritiri one. The alarm went off at 8.30 and Peter got up, picking up an envelope that had been pushed under the door as he passed. O Oh! We're supposed to be on tour, to Oia and Akritiri, but the tour started at 8am!
Well, there was not a lot we could do about it, we had missed the bus. Peter made several apologies to the Cruise Manager, and we knew we would have to prostrate ourselves before the shorex team later, and no doubt we will make several more, but for now it was breakfast on the decks in the warm sunshine.
It really was a beautiful day. The tender trip to the island was uneventful, and one we reached the tiny port, we took the cable car to climb the steep 244m crater side side to reach the town of Fira at the top. We loved Fira. It's all steep narrow cobbled paths, charming little shops and cafes with outstanding views.
So, we're sat on a little veranda in the cafe Zafora, just above the cable car. The sun is hot and bright the view is awesome, the drinks are cold and despite the fact we messed up this morning and have more apdogies to make, we are totally relaxed. As Peter has just said, it doesn't get better than this.
So we stayed in Fira until our money ran out. It was a good job we didn't take more, or my credit card, we, (I), would have just kept spending.
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| Donkey (or Mule), rides are available to take you to Fira from the port below, instead of using the cable car |
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| Inside the cathedral on the island. Very pretty, |
Tomorrow we visit the island of Crete, and I double checked, we are on tour, so it's an early rise to meet the buses at 8 am. We won't let the shorex team down again.
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