Santorini

I wish I had a good atlas of Greece right now. We are cruising just off shore and the islands and mountains are very lovely. I just wish I knew what I was looking at. My best guess is we are about parallel with the top of the Messinia in the Gulf of Kyparissia, perhaps a little closer to Pylos. I can see a castle on a promontory and a large Cruise ship leaving the area.
Do we care? It is 5AM; I am restless waiting for the sunrise. I want Santorini and I want it now.
6:30 AM and I am on the prow of the ship as we head into Santorini. The winds are strong across the bow and I am photographing the dramatic black islands as we near the gap between Thirassia and Aspronisi. As we pass into the Caldera the wind subsides almost instantly and the world is silent. We circle to the south of the two Kamenis and head for Fira Scala the old port below the city of Fira. We will be tendered here and those on bus excursions will go to the newer Athinios, which actually has a road. We have the choice of walking or riding donkeys up the zigzagging steps [600 or so] to the top or taking the new Funicular [Gondola style cable car] straight to the top. The fare is 4Euros for the donkey or the cable car. Walking is free. We opt for the funicular and jump in to the small pods; each holds four comfortably or six in a squeeze. What a wonderful ride. The cobalt blue water spreads out below and the first homes of Fira appear almost instantly at the sides. The ride takes 3-4 minutes. When you leave the cable car building you are in the thick of Fira and it’s shopping hoards. Mind you, we are the only ship there today, yesterday there were 4; on Tuesdays there are 9 or 10. The streets were packed with tourists. They are not all from our ship, indeed half our ship are on excursions to other parts of the Island, but it is hard to imagine this tiny town of crowded alleys and cobble-stoned steps accommodating another let alone 8 more cruise ships.
The bus station was a short walk south on the main road. There was quite a crowd there at 10:30AM; I would advise going as early as possible. The buses are new and well air-conditioned but we were literally squeezed in with people standing in the aisles and doorways. It wasn’t as unpleasant as it sounds but if you need to sit you may be out of luck. The fare to Oia is only 1.40 Euros and the trip is about 20 minutes. The road is quite winding and is barely two lanes. It can be hair-raising if you don’t like heights and speed. We passed through two smaller villages before we reached Oia. It is perched on the northwest tip of the crescent that is the Island. It is a delight. Around every corner is a new and dramatic vista. Shops and restaurants line the streets. Every café has a spectacular view. The people are very friendly and most of the shopkeepers and service people speak English. It is a “must visit” destination. We had very nice, comfortable weather and none of us got tired at all. The return ride at 2PM was lighter with a few empty seats.
We shopped for a few for hours in Fira with a stop for pizza and beer. One could spend a lot of money here. One could also spend a lot of time here as well. I could see a minimum or 4 days to check it out completely but a week would be ideal. They do have an international airport and regular ferry service from many other islands and Athens [that takes 10-15 hours].
We all found the experience one of out favorites. I think the photographs on my MobileMe Gallery should validate that.