Santorini Adventures

Friday morning was met with excitement as we were heading out to explore the island of Santorini on the water for the day! We were told the night before to get our tender passes (the tender boat takes you from the ship to the land) at 8:30am to make it to our 10:30am excursion, so Brian headed there straight after breakfast. However, whomever told us that the night before was mistaken, because the number we were given would have had us on the boat until almost 12pm! So, a bit more rushing around and another trip to guest services got us on an earlier tender and on our way by 9am.

I'm glad the tender ride was pretty short, because that boat was ROCKING!!!!

We were dropped off on the shore of the Island of Santorini, which gave us beautiful views of the ship!

This picture from the tender shows you what the island looks like. It is dry and very desert-like (almost no green to be found), there is a base port for small boats & a thriving, sparkling white town sitting on top of the mountain. In order to get to the town up top, there are three options for travelers:

1. Ride up in the cable car system

2. Walk up the 587 steps

3. Ride a donkey up the same steps

We decided to go with the more reliable cable car, since that what it seemed like everyone was choosing, and we had arrived early. We waited in line for a bit, but it wasn't too bad overall. 

The cable cars were not bad at all... as long as you didn't look out the window!

It was beautiful once we reached the top!

We had a little time before getting to our meeting place, so we did some shopping as we walked through the town...

We didn't have the best communication at the meeting point, and we weren't sure who was supposed to be picking us up. Suddenly, I got a call saying there was a big black van there for us, and it was a little nerve-wracking getting in until he started talking about the business and we knew we were in the right car. On the ride to our kayak guide's house, it looked like this, which made me worry even more, but in the end, we were all good... and at least we had our passports with us!!!

Our guide for the day, Kalliope, has her own business she runs from her VERY unique and remote home, but we were welcomed warmly by her, her mom Maria, and her young son. We met up with a couple of other groups that were going with us, and we ended up being a group of 11 in the end.

Kalliope provided us with all the gear we needed- life jackets, sun hats, suntan lotion, waterproof phone cases, snorkel equipment, towels, & an insulated water bottle for each of us. I had read wonderful reviews about this business, but it was definitely my kind of place- she was SO organized!

Down at the beach where we launched our kayaks, we found a VERY remote restaurant. I can't imagine living like that everyday, but it was very fun to experience for an afternoon!

After a quick lesson on sea kayaking, we were off on the open seas... The kayaks were doubles, and since Ben was under 13, he went with another guide, so we knew he was good- but they said he did amazing!

Abby & I were together, and MAN... it is A LOT of work paddling in the open sea!!! We loved all the stops in various sea caves along the way! They were so dark, quiet, & peaceful inside!

After a few miles of kayaking, we stopping in a swimming hole to rest, try some snorkeling, and enjoy a homemade lunch, made by Kalliope's mom, Maria. 

They were busy setting up our "dining table" while we enjoyed the water.

We were given a very Greek meal of homemade spanakopita, feta & olives, tomato & cucumber salad, baba ganoush, & fresh veggies. It was amazing and the "restaurant spot" couldn't have been more beautiful! It was a wonderful way to recharge for our trip back.

Ben and I weren't totally into the snorkeling, but Brian and the girls loved it, and even found some sea urchins! I had fun talking to Kalliope about her upcoming baby girl! I can't even begin to imagine being a pregnant kayaking instructor, but she used to be a professional athlete, so it's very much her lifestyle- and she is wonderful at it!

This boy didn't hesitate to jump in the sea... until he saw the cliff they said we could jump off....

Emily took a stroll to the top of the cliffs, and the views were beautiful, but not something you would catch us jumping off of! Not even Ben!

We got all geared up again to kayak back to the beach... It was a lot of work, especially with the inconsiderate paddlers next to us from France, and it would have been more peaceful without the girl complaining about the salt water in her eyes... We really can't complain though, as our pregnant guide was flying past all of us in a kayak alone! She did say that the Beach family killed it though and we were amazing kayakers! Yeah! Go us!!!

Back at Kalliope's house, we were given wine as we packed up all of our equipment, and Emily took the opportunity to enjoy some puppy snuggles (once he put down his toy rock long enough to be held)! I didn't get a picture of her other dog that we saw chase down and almost eat a wild peacock, but that is a story for another time!

Back in the town of Santorini, the views from the top of the mountain were spectacular, but a little intimidating since we knew we would have to get back down to our ship somehow... The line for the cable car was miles long, and we knew we wouldn't make it back to the ship if we waited, so we decided to suck it up and hike down the 587 steps...

The entrance steps to the ACTUAL steps looked steep, but we knew that would change... We just didn't know what we were actually in for.

The path zig zags down the mountain side so they can be a bit flatter...

The steps themselves were long and relatively flat, so not very steep at all, but the bits of marble and sleek rocks made the trek VERY slippery. People were slipping and falling all over the place (I did twice), and since we were dressed for kayaking and not walking, we had to shuffle ourselves down in our flip flops and dodge all the donkey shit that was on the same path. We passed people who had fallen, donkey's walking up and down in between the crowds, and even someone who had passed out on the steps from the insane heat. It was quite an experience...

It never felt so good to get to the bottom (especially since all of our legs were shaking, and we were all sunburned and drenched in sweat), except for when we found some gelato and coldish water to guzzle when we arrived at the port! The line for the tenders back was long, but we made it back to the boat with plenty of time to run back, shower, and get to our dinner reservation (not enough time or energy for pictures this night though). It was a long, exhausting day, but none of us will ever forget the beautiful waters and crazy island of Santorini!