Santorini, Greece

Dear Grace,

Ahhhh....the next stop on our cruise was to Santorini, Greece. It was described to us as a place where people would love to die, heavenly, dream-like, breathtaking and as Greece's version of the Amalfi Coast, which holds a very special place in our hearts. That was our honeymoon and probably our favorite place in the world. People talked it up so much that it potentially could have been a let down.

There was no disappointment once we arrived. We agreed with the way people had described it to us. Santorini is a small, circular island, formed by volcanic islands and is part of the Cyclades. It's two cities are Thira (pronounced Fira) and Oia (pronounced Ia). When you close your eyes and imagine a picture-postcard vision of Greece, that is the Village of Oia with it's white houses and  traditional white churches with blue domes. The second we arrived, Michael literally said, "I agree. I could die here." Enjoy!

Love, Mummy

We arrived early in the morning, which made for a long day, but the breathtaking views were worth it.

Since Santorini is located on the top of a very steep volcanic island, there were only two ways up there from the cruise ship. Either wait in a 2+ hour line up a cable car, or the tourist trap. A donkey ride.

I'm so glad we strapped you on to Daddy, because my donkey was voted the craziest. This is an experience we will NEVER forget. Somehow you and Daddy were put on a donkey right away, but I had to chase you two up a good part of the climb yelling, "that's my husband and baby!" "I already paid." After yelling louder than I have ever done and paying a second time, I was thrown up on a donkey (no nice raised platform for me) and we were on our way...

My donkey was not only the first to make it to the top, but he stopped at the perfect spot waiting for me to hop off.

Once we arrived in Thira, we found another couple to split the cost of renting a car and our own tour guide to Oia. 

The Village of Oia = a taste of heaven

We split a cab with an Asian couple and the driver ended up being an amazing tour guide as well. At the end of our 3 hours together, the woman turned to the driver and asked, "Is that it? Where were the blue domes?" Keep in mind, what we saw in the pictures above were what this woman saw as well. The driver replied with a polite, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" 

Have I mentioned lately that meeting people along the way and listening to their stories is one of my favorite parts about this adventure?

There were 2 ways up, but only 1 way down. A cable car that had no organized line, and 2 sets of 4 cars carrying a whopping 32 people at a time. Arriving only about an hour before our ship was scheduled to deport, desperate times call for desperate measures. We squeezed our way to the front and said we were told babies go first. It wasn't a lie, but it almost caused a huge brawl. 

One day in Santorini was a tease. We would LOVE to go back alone or with some of our friends. Who's in?