Santorini

After a brief hiatus in Milos:

…to gather our thoughts and to absorb what we had already experienced it was onward to one of the highlights of our short voyage through the Cyclades – two days at Santorini. The InterWebNet furnishes the bare bones concerning the island:

“Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It was devastated by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, forever shaping its rugged landscape. The whitewashed, cubiform houses of its 2 principal towns, Fira and Oia, cling to cliffs above an underwater caldera (crater). They overlook the sea, small islands to the west and beaches made up of black, red and white lava pebbles.”

Once tendered ashore the main town of Fira is reached by ascending the cliffs by one of two methods – the traditional mule ride up the steep and twisty path, or the modern and spectacular cable funicular. No guesses required…

On our first day on Santorini we had one of those wonderful lunches – in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the caldera – that seems to transcend the usual dining experience. The food was fabulously fresh and every mouthful delivered an explosion of taste, the wine was chilled and chilling, the view was spectacular and the company was scintillating. What’s not to love?! This was the view…

Note that our cruise ship (the one on the left of this photo) is positively pint-sized compared to the giant that hove up later and dropped anchor in front of us. Bah!

Now – Santorini is known for a number of things, but perhaps most tourists know it for its sunsets. Indeed, on clear days (of which there are many) there seems to be something of a competition to nab the best spot to capture same (most probably these days in the form of the backdrop to a ‘selfie’ – but I will whinge more about that later).

Anyway – so as not to disappoint…