Santorini or bust! (Or be a hitch hiker.)

What began as a low-key, relaxing day turned out to be quite an adventurous one! Once we grabbed a quick breakfast, we headed to the Solarium (adult only pool area), books and iPad in hand. We were lucky enough to snag one of the ginormous basketlike chairs, which could hold a family of four. As we read, we watched the tranqualizing Aegean waves ripple across the sea toward small islands. What a calming way to begin another beautiful day!

Our arrival in Santorini was uneventful, but we did opt for the Celebrity sponsored excursion. This enabled us to tender to the island before any of the other passengers (along with some friends we made through Cruise Critic: Fontaine & Nick and Lee & Karon). A short tender ride landed us in Athinios. There we waited until our bus drove us up the long, steep, and winding road to a local winery. There were picturesque views of the caldera and masterfully engineered vineyards. The bus dropped our group at the winery and we tasted the wine while exploring and taking in the beautiful scenery. It was a quick stop, then we were back on the bus for the main event: Oia.

Once we got off the bus, we totally ditched the tour group and headed off with our small group. Here in Oia, the views were simply stunning. The blue domed roofs and white washed walls atop the cliffs stood out brilliantly against the sea far below. We popped into a nearby church and I must admit, I was in awe. We've seen some beautiful churches since our adventure began, but nothing like this before! This tiny church was unassuming from the outside, blending with the shops and homes around it. But inside was a totally different story! Ornate and gorgeous, no...there are no verbs in the English language which do this church justice.

We began exploring this tiny town (always on the look out for The Red Bicycle, a restaurant recommendation from Jamie) and soaked in the beautiful views it had to offer. While the ladies shopped the men explored, sometimes where they shouldn't. We snatched up some great finds, including more books! Finally, we got directions to The Red Bicycle, but it was closed. Lee was kind enough to ask a local shopkeeper if it were possible to get in, and he gladly obliged. The manager opened early for us to share a bottle of wine, and we had the whole place to ourselves! The view from the restaurant was probably the best we had all day, and was well worth the prolonged search.

As you may (or may not) know, Oia is quite possibly the most beautiful setting at sunset. Unfortunately, due to our departure time, we are unable to tell you if this is true. We made our way back down the main street to the bus stop. Since we ditched our tour group (which only spent an hour in Oia), we needed to take the local bus instead. We took the short ride to Fira, the capital of Thira (the main island of Santorini), and explored some more. But first, we needed a potty break...and then we didn't. Some ladies found out (the hard way) that it was probably best to wait until we could find something that was more than just a hole in the ground with some cement around it. Of course the men found this hilarious, and were skeptical as to whether this could possibly be true. At that point, John was using the facilities, and the others wanted proof. Only at this point did the ladies realize (to our muted horror) there was a window and any person taller than 5'0" could see into the stall! I knew we would happen upon this type of toilet eventually, but was totally hoping the moment would never come. Later, Fontaine so wisely noted, "How is it they [the Greeks] invented the alphabet but they can't figure out plumbing?" Anyway, back to the adventure at hand!


Exploration of Fira was limited and was geared toward finding the cable cars (and something to eat). The path to the cable cars was clearly labeled, so we found a place to eat. Everyone was satisfied with their food and John enjoyed a Yellow Donkey, a beer brewed in Santorini. By the time we were finished with our snack it was about 20:00, just an hour and fifteen minutes before the last tender. Generally that wouldn't be a big deal. But, when there are only two ways down the cliff side (one the ladies vetoed: the 500+ "donkey steps"), the line for the cable cars is rather long.


As we waited a joke came to mind the tour guide told earlier in the day. What's the difference between a tourist and a hitch hiker? Anyone know? Five minutes. I didn't think it was a good time to bring that sort of levity to our semi anxious group at the time, so I abstained. And anyway...I'm not sure what we would've called ourselves. Just six Americans without their passports in a politically unstable Greece who missed their ship? Too long. A prize to anyone who can come up with anything better!

The wait atop the unusually cold and windy cliff seemed to last forever, but we finally made it to the ticket counter! From there, anxiety over whether we would make it decreased. And then we got our first close up of the cable cars. Holy smokes! Those suckers fit six to a car (enclosed, phew!) and only take three minutes to get from Fira to the port. The windy ride down was interesting, but quick. We hoped our adventure for the day would end here, but we were sorely mistaken. Our feet firmly on the ground, we scoped out the tendering situation. Final tender time was 9:15, and we made it just in time! There were three tenders waiting for passengers on our ship (a good thing considering there were at least 75 people behind us), the waves tossing them as though they were a child's toys. The ride back to the boat was manageable, although slightly unsettling. We finished the evening with dinner at the creperie (too late to make our dinner reservation) and what is definitely the worst show I've ever seen. (No, we did not stay for the whole thing; it would have been maddening.) As our ship pulled away, John was able to capture the beauty of Santorini at night...just gorgeous!

It was a wonderful day in Santorini, and I can see why it's such a popular destination. The calming effects of the blue and white landscape against the pumice stone and volcanic rock, with pops of color from a few daring Greeks make this island the most beautiful scene I've laid eyes on. Maybe we'll retire to Santorini one day. After all, who wouldn't enjoy walking out their front door to this view every morning?