We approached the Greek island of Santorini slowly, which I imagine was in part due to the many small islands and reefs in the area, but also the sinking of the cruise ship off the coast of the island just weeks before could not have been too far from the crew’s minds. Needless to say, we made it through unscathed. Presently, Santorini consists of three main islands, but previously it was one large, circular-shaped, volcanic island. A major volcanic eruption and subsequent earthquakes caused the crater in the middle of the island to collapse inward and broke the outer ring of the island into several smaller islands, allowing water to fill in the sunken crater, creating the caldera. We spent our time in Santorini in the northern coastal town of Oia and in the island’s capital, Fira. Being in Santorini was like stepping into a postcard – white washed buildings, blue domed churches, tiny cobblestone alleys and many steps – it was beautiful. The towns are perched high above the water and the homes are literally built into the cliff sides. We walked all around in Oia, and then visited a local winery – I made friends by giving away my free samples of the local wines :). Later in the day we headed into Fira to do some shopping, where I picked up some really delicious olive oil, and then we hopped into the town’s cable car to ascend back down to the Fira Skala (port) where we took a tender back to our ship. In retrospect, Becki and I agree that Santorini was our favorite stop.

Click on the picture above to see the album of photos from Santorini.