We encountered no lines when catching the tender to shore. The view of Santorini was incredible. Massive cliffs with cities of white perched at the top.
The tender left us at the dock at the bottom of the cliff from the city of Firá. There are 3 modes of transportation up to the city.
Walk the winding path up to the top.
Take donkeys on that same path.
Take a 2 minute tram ride.
There was no wait at the tram so you can guess which we opted for.
Our plan was to quickly get a taxi to the city of Oia (ee-wah) and explore, and return to Firá by the end of the day to make our way down to the tender.
The taxi ride to Oia was 20 minutes. The views from the walkways of the city were spectacular. It didn't matter which way you turned. The city itself was beautiful. We were there early enough to beat the crowds. There were 5 cruise ships in port and it would soon get packed.
We walked back and forth, stopping into quaint little shops and galleries.
At the far end of Oia is a sort of small castle top from which there are spectacular panoramic views of the island.
From there we walked down the 200+ steps to the shore town of Ammoudi. Probably not even a town, but a series of 4 to 5 restaurants at the edge of the caldera. We walked down, making our best attempts to avoid the piles of donkey shit that was all over the winding staircase.
At the bottom, we sat down in a restaurant called Sunset. We sat overlooking the water.
The waiter took us over to see the fresh fish, so that we could select what we wanted.
We again opted for the Red Snapper, at the waiters suggestion. With two salads (Greek and Santorini salad), Oven Cheese, olives and fried tomato balls - it was plenty.
The oven cheese was so good, we ordered a second helping.
As it was still early, they had to fire up the grill for us - so the snapper came out last.
It was beautiful and looked amazing.
IT WAS! The vote at the table was that this meal was better than the one in Mykanos.
The waiter brought us desserts that ended another perfect lunch.
As lunch ended, the kids opted to trek back up the 200+ steps to Oia. Linda and I rejected that option and tried to catch a taxi.
Well, it would have been faster and easier to walk - as no taxis were available, with 5 cruise ships in the harbor. One of the waiters took a private car and shuttled us and another couple to Oia. We arruved there after the kids, and they even had time to shop a bit!
The problem now was how to catch a taxi back to Firá. The taxi station was swarming with damn tourists! Not a cab to be seen, and people were lining up for the public bus by the dozen. Several times, when airport service cars (taxis?) pulled in to drop off people, Josh had attempted to ask for a ride back - with no luck.
When finally the bus arrived, the crowds ran towards it - and another car service also pulled up. Josh got us a ride back to Oia! He da man!
We arrived in Firá, and the streets were packed. We strolled a bit, and found our destination - the Fish Spa!
For those that don't know of these, it is a spa where you soak your feet in a tub of fish that eat at your dead skin.
It was hysterical. First we all had to wash down our feet. Then we all sat on the chairs and put out feet in.
The fishies immediately started to feast - and tickle the hell out of us. It really was quite an experience.
We walked out with much softer feet, and proceeded to wind our way back to the tram to see what the line looked like.
It was crazy! We had to get in line to ensure we got back to the ship in time.
As Linda and I waited, the kids wandered away to get some snacks.
They returned with frozen Greek yogurt for the elders.
As we moved forward in the line, Linda was able to purchase one if the last remaining gifts on out list, and Nat finally found a hat that fit!
The tender ride back to the ship was uneventful. We picked up our passports, as we would need them to disembark in Turkey. For a while, they couldn't find Jamie and Josh's passports - but that was quickly rectified.
As the kids retired to their cabin for showers and naps, Linda went to the gym and I headed to the pool for refreshing dip.
We soon met on our balconies to watch the Mediterranean sunset while sipping wine.
The Med was so calm, it was like a lake.
The sun set over one of the nameless Greek isles, and life is good.
We made our way down to the Italian specialty restaurant on board the ship and had our best meal on board. The wait staff bent over backwards and served us everything on the menu.
By my recollection, we had about 5 courses - all excellent.
After dinner, we rolled out to the top deck for after-dinner cigars and drinks.
By midnight, Linda and I turned in, as we will be up early to meet our tour guide in Ephesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment