One of the main reasons we chose this particular cruise, was that we could celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary in Santorini, the timing was perfect and we just couldn’t resist.
Thankfully, Santorini exceeded all of our expectations and was even more beautiful in person than all of those gorgeous photos on Pinterest!
Santorini is a small island without ship sized berths, so The Royal Princess docked in the bay and tenders from Santorini were dispatched to take us ashore.
Once ashore, we decided a boat and bus tour that allowed for time in the two main areas of the island that we wanted to see would be a great option for our day.
It was at this moment that I realised I had forgotten to bring the extra lenses for the camera, and as you can see, my favourite 50mm lens could not zoom up to the village, Oia, perched high upon the craggy cliffs. Such is life 🙂
I could have watched the crystalline topaz blue sea lapping at the shore for hours, but adventure awaited, so onwards and upwards we went.
As we wandered through the quaint cobbled streets following the directions to the main square, we were thrilled to see the first of many quintessential blue and white churches.
Then we turned around to see this truly breathtaking view over the caldera!
Old and new.
It was a glorious day without a cloud in sight and at just 9am it was already 20ºC.
Diminutive gates protected private properties with the most enviable views over the caldera.
It would be fair to say that we had exhausted all adjectives by the end of the day!
Really wishing we had bought some of this lovely glassware
More beautiful churches and cubist whitewashed homes scattered as far as the eye could see.
Then it was time to take a rather hair-raising (multiple switchbacks and sheer drops à la The Italian Job!) drive from Oia to Fira.
Fira is the capital of the island and it was absolutely heaving with people. So after our morning oohing and ahhing in Oia, we decided to take a break from the heat and the crowds with a locally sourced lunch of tomato fritters, squid, Santorini salad and garlic prawns. Everything was so fresh and delicious and we would gladly eat it all again!
The view from the restaurant balcony of our home for the week!
It was quite difficult to take photos in all of the hustle and bustle, so we just enjoyed wandering around the cobbled streets and browsing in the shops instead.
After a wonderful day exploring stunning Santorini, it was time to head back to the ship. Which meant a tummy turning trip down the side of the island in a cable car!
I suffer with motion sickness and Nathan is afraid of heights, so we weren’t very keen on looking down, but somehow Nathan managed to record (without looking down!) a little video of our descent!
Our next destination was Turkey, which I will post later in the week!
It's so WHITE!!!!!! And, with the contrast of the crystal blue water, what a spectacular sight!! Thank you so much for sharing your photographs. It's breathtaking!!!
Oh wow how totally stunning. But thank goodness Nathan made that video so now I can cross that destination off my fantasy list. Terrified of heights and no fan of cable cars. Was on one in NY that got stalled and the driver kept rocking it back and forth. That was how I discovered my fear of heights and riding in cars suspending on strings. But it looks quite magical. Very funny to see the occasional pink or beige among the white–such a contrast it stands out as though it were more vivid. Seems like a very enchanted second honeymoon and I'm glad you two enjoyed it.
Thank you so much, Joann, it is truly my pleasure 🙂
The contrast between the brilliant white buildings and the panoramic cerulean sky (and sea) was absolutely breathtaking. Classic blue and white is one of my favourite colour combinations and it was wonderful to see it everywhere.
Santorini is completely and utterly sublime!
xo
Thank you so much, Nancy 🙂
I absolutely agree about the cable cars, they are a necessary evil, so I am pleased we saved you the journey down the side of Santorini!
xo