Blogs from Santorini, South Aegean, Greece, Europe - page 10

Can you clear your mind of your thoughts upon arriving in Santorini? This could be the destination or requirement to travel to if you seek help or guidance and need to forget everything while you're away. For real! The friends and family you've talked to about this magical and spiritual island will never prepare you emotionally and physically when you arrive. We flew in from Athens for a quick 35 minutes and you could sense the excitement in the boarding area of the gate. Travellers dressed casually, beach attire or business casual. They were all feeling the same. For me it was because in the 80's I saw " Summer Lovers" with Daryl Hannah and Michael Pappas. My thoughts were that there couldn't be a place like this in the world? The movies cinematography takes you ... read more

Santorini We woke up at 5 am in Athens to make our boat over to Santorini. We jumped in a cab and made our way to the port. We boarded our boat and we were off. Five hours later we made it to Santorini. We disembarked and fell in love. It was beautiful. The water so beautiful. The cliffs were breathtaking. The nearby islands were stunning. We took a shuttle to the top of a very steep hill to the top of the hill. We were dropped off at our hotel and checked in. Our villa had two balconies- yes two! One facing the pool and the other the ocean. For fifty euros a night it doesn't get much better. The prices will skyrocket in a couple weeks when high season hits. After checking in we ... read more

It is a short bus journey from Fira to Oia. The buses are regular, around every half hour and the scenery is superb. Some people walk along the cliff top and it takes around 4 hours. We walked part of the route one day then decided to stop at a local restaurant overlooking the sea and after we were too lazy to continue! So the next time we chose the low cost local bus. Oia is very picturesque, a small village perched on the edge of the volcanic rock with whitewashed houses overlooking the blue sea deep down below. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the tiny streets enjoying the super views. Fortunately we decided to catch a bus back to Fira just as hundreds of cruise people arrived by coach to view the ... read more

The excavations at Akrotiri began in 1967. Large deposits of volcanic material covered the area and the exact boundaries of the site still have to be located. 30 buildings have been located and these are protected under a special shelter. The area has been settled since Neolithic times. A volcanic eruption in the 17th century BC buried the city under volcanic ash. The excavations have revealed the advanced culture of the late bronze age with impressive buildings, sewerage systems and mural paintings. The Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira has many artefacts from Akrotiri, such as pottery and wall murals and is well worth a visit. After a fascinating couple of hours at the Akrotiri site we had a short walk to the red beach which was very picturesque. The day was completed with a squid ... read more

Splendour is tracking eastward as we awake. Have skirted around the Peloponnese she is making steady progress toward Santorini where we are due to arrive at around midday. We have a leisurely breakfast and spend a hour or so on our balcony watching the calm waters of the Mediterranean slip by. We head down to the theatre just before 12 to join our tour group. We have to tender ashore as there is no dock big enough in Santorini for Splendour. MV Europa 2 and Pulmantur Zenith (the old Celebrity Zenith) are already moored up. Roman Abramovitch's, the Russian Billionaires, private yacht Eclipse is also there. Until recently it was the biggest private yacht in the world and is bigger than some ferries I have been on. How the other half live. Our tender heads to ... read more