Santorini - 7 September

Santorini Source: Wiki Commons

Well today we decided not to get off the ship. I know I'll probably regret it but I just couldn't be bothered. Sacrilege!

We enjoyed having our breakfast here on the back of the ship and lingered for ages.

It was too tempting to just sit on deck and come back here again for lunch. Well when you live in a climate like ours you don't get the chance to relax and eat outside very often.

Here's a photo taken as we approached Santorini.

Santorini was called Strogli in ancient times and is considered to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It's the most southern of the Cyclades Islands and and is the remnant of a volcanic crater that was enclosed by the sea. The giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, measures about 12 km × 7 km (7.5 mi × 4.3 mi) and is surrounded by 300 m (980 ft) high steep cliffs on three sides. The island slopes downward from the cliffs to the surrounding Aegean Sea. The water in the centre of the lagoon is nearly 400 m (1,300 ft) deep and makes it a safe harbour for all kinds of shipping. The island's harbours all lie in the lagoon and there are no ports on the outer perimeter of the island; the capital, Fira, clings to the top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon. (Source Wiki)

The volcano is still active and the last eruption was in 1956.

The population of Santorini is about 14,000 (that's apart from the tourists). Fira (also known as Thira or Thera) is the island's capital and is perched 900 feet up on the cliffs overlooking the harbour. Could you fancy living at the top of that? I couldn't.

I also didn't fancy riding a donkey to the top, poor little things. There was a funicular and there's also a road with steps you can see zig zagging to the top at the centre of the photo.

You can climb it on foot too but there's over 550 steps. Can you imagine it?

Later that day I met someone at reception asking for an elastoplast. He had been climbing the steps and fell in the donkey poo! I'll say no more!

Here's a few photographs of places I missed, courtesy of Wiki Commons:

Typical Blue Domed Roof

Santorini Windmills

The Town of Oia

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