Day - 8 - Santorini

I got up early, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the top deck because I had heard that the first sight of Santorini is unforgettable ....and it was. The ship entered what seemed to be a large lake and is in fact the centre of a volcano which exploded in the Minoan Period and the wave it set up was responsible for wiping out the Minoan civilization centered in Crete, many miles away. In a circle around me were these very high cliffs and on top was what looked like snow. Surely not at this time of year and in Greece? As we got closer I saw that it was houses clusterd along the top of the cliffs and falling down the side. It was unbelievable. When we went ashore we had the choice of a donkey ride to the top of the cliff and the town -----donkeys in my experience are not to be trusted---- walk up the same path as the donkey, trying all the time to avoid mounds of donkey poo, or take a cable car. We opted for the cable car and then spent a few hours drinking in the views from this magnificent place. We wandered along tiny narrow street and up and down alleys, all of which are painted white. The houses are white also and have blue shutters and doors and masses of pots filled with hibiscus and geranium and all sorts of exotic cacti in lovely pots. The place sparkles and each vista opens up some new view which leads me to believe that this is the most spectacular place we have ever visited. It is the most amazing example of a caldera and it actually gave me a strange feeling to be in the centre of what must have been the explosion to end all explosions. We had Greek coffee in a small restaurant hanging over the cliff and decided that we would love to come and spend some time on this island.