4th Stop: Santorini, Greece

This 4th stop was definitely my favorite! Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, but unlike the most recent volcano which left many of my friends strewn across Europe, this volcano created paradise. We woke up pretty early, which to us was about 8:00 AM. We ate breakfast in groggy, sleepy silence and gazed at what Santorini is known for, the white houses tucked within the steep sides of the island, contrasting with the blueness of the ocean. In fact, Santorini has been thought of to be the place of the magical island, Atlantis, this would be fitting, since I felt like I was in a dream.

We walked off the boat, not onto the harbor like at other places, but onto a smaller boat to actually take us to the island. Us 7 girls hopped onto this little boat with the help of the trusty Happy Cruises workers and then arrived on the island. There we were met with two options, ride the donkeys to the top of the island, or take the elevator. These 7 girls are the exact same that rode camels in the Sahara in February so I am guessing you can assume which option we chose. After a bumpy and smelly ride to the top, we followed some directions and found ourselves at Tony’s Rent A Moto and did just that. With a short introduction on how to drive an ATV by Antoni and his wife, Antonia, we had our helmets on and were on our way, pulling out of the parking lot, leaving this poor couple with a worried look in their eyes.

All day long we just drove our ATVs around in a single fill line on the streets of Santorini. I think I remember them saying that the island is only about 25 KM long, or about 15 miles so we were able to see almost the entire island before heading back to the boat. First thing we went to was the winery, obviously. Santo Wines was situated right on the cliff of the island and was beautiful. Although it was a totally toursity area, so was the entire island. Some of the girls sipped on wine and ate some cheese. Some of us simply chose to sit on the edge of the building and stare. We also drove to the Black Beach and I saw a cat that looked exactly like our cat, Punkin. I think my mom may have sent him here to get rid of him or something. Seriously, this thing was his identical twin, rotted nose and all. Check out Facebook for picture evidence.

We then made the trek to the other side of the island, to Oia. We rode our ATVs through the beautiful island, saw some huge beachfront homes, got honked at by some car drivers and stopped along the way to take some pictures. We made it to Oia where we saw some more beautifulness. Oia is famous for it’s sunset, considered by many as one of the most beautiful in the world. Although we had to be back on the boat and couldn’t see the entire thing, we saw the beginning of the sunset and sat there waiting for the moment when the sun slips down on the calm sea. We then rode our ATVs back to Tony’s and he was very relieved that we brought ourselves and the ATVs back safely. He told us he was so worried he even said a little prayer as we drove away. We walked back down to the dock just in time to catch the last little boat back to the cruise ship. It was my favorite day of the entire week, just sitting in silence on my ATV and feeling very fortunate.

That night was Tropical Night on the cruise ship so we all dressed in our beachy colors and had another amazing night in the disco! The next day was our day at sea. Although it was windy, we laid out by the pool and relaxed all day. We even made friends with a group of older couples on board and they told us a dirty Spanish joke. Crazy Spanairds! Next up, Croatia!