Santorini

October 3, 2008
Santorini, Greece

After a LONG sea day yesterday, (I had to play five sets instead of my normal four), we docked this morning in Santorini, Greece. My first glimpses of the island came as I disembarked the ship and boarded a tender for the island, and I knew right away that I was visiting what would turn out to be one of the more beautiful destinations in my itinerary.

I decided to meet up with the guitarist from the theater orchestra and the two male production singers on board and we headed for shore together. The view from the water of the portion of the island we were approaching was amazing in itself. Though there are parts of Santorini that are situated closer to sea level, the tenders bring cruise ship passengers to a small area at the bottom of hills that have to be at least 1,000 feet high, which looks like nothing I have ever seen. There are a few ways up this hill: you can take a cable car for a few Euro (or 1Euro if you are a crewmember), you can walk up a long, zig-zag-like path up the mountain, or you can climb the same path while riding a donkey (for 5 Euro). We decided that the cable car would be the best way up, so we waited in line for what seemed like an eternity, but enjoyed the bumpy ride all the way up in the six-person cable car. Needless to say, as we got higher and higher, the view got better and better, and when we reached the top, the sights were breathtaking. We proceeded to find the nearest quad-bike (ATV) rental shop and rented two vehicles for the four of us for 25 Euro a piece, and rode down the road until we reached the water. I don’t believe I’d ever seen a stone beach before, but it was interesting to see how one part of the island is situated at the top of a mountain, and the other part is laid out along the water like that.

We stopped for food at a small restaurant a block or so away from the beach and enjoyed a proper Greek meal (with Greek beer as well, which I would not call myself a fan of). I had a Greek salad to start and then chicken souvlaki with a side of tzaziki as a main course. It was my first time having Greek food in Greece and it tasted amazing.

After lunch, we got back on the quad-bikes and rode along the water for a while before heading back to the rental store. We returned the bikes and headed for, of all things, an Irish pub for a couple of beverages. I ended up sneaking out for a minute and did some quick shopping and bought a couple pieces of art that were made from petrified volcanic lava. I figured the first thing I spent my money on besides food, drink, a magnet, or a postcard should be something different; lava-based art fits that description in my opinion.

To close out the day, I decided to pass on the cable car method of getting down to the tender embarkation and paid the 5 Euro to ride a donkey. It was a bit frightening. I doubt anyone has trained the donkeys, and yet they know exactly where to go and when to stop. There were a couple times where I was worried my leg was going to get sandwiched between the stone wall and the donkey’s ribs but I escaped unhurt and it was actually quite entertaining (though I will say the odor was less than pleasing).

Tomorrow should be a long day: we have our British Coast-Guard boat drill, so I have no idea if I will be able to get off the ship in Izmir, Turkey. The following two days will be another Istanbul overnight, which I am looking forward to. Hopefully, I will have a chance to get off the ship more during the day to explore the city. We shall see.