We were greeted by quite a grey day as we boarded the first available tender boat to the Island. I was afraid that I would not get the picture postcard views that I had hoped for. The colours were flat and my photographer's eye was a bit sad. But as we approached the island, pockets of blue began to peek through, and in the end it turned out to be another perfect day.
We had met a regular visitor to the island as we waited for the tender, who suggested the best way to Oia (postcard destination) was via pre-organised boat then bus, as opposed to taking the cable car and then finding the local bus. We had already eliminated the donkey track as an option. As I was keen to get to Oia efficiently, we chose this option which was good, but then we had to wait 45 mins to get on the boat. It is frustrating in these beautiful places where you have limited time, that you are so conscious of the minutes. I felt like those 45 mins below Fira where we landed, were somewhat wasted as there was really nothing other than a few shops at the base.
Eventually we made our way to Oia, and once there we simply walked the streets and lanes, Marvelling at the amazing views. Bev, the lady we met on the tender boat, was also a photographer, so it was great to hear about her travels and to share some photographic stops with her. It continues to be rushed photography however, and I still don't think I have a single shot that I would enter in competition, they are all just memory shots. Which doesn't detract from there 'value', it's just photography for a different purpose.
The shops in Oia looked amazing, but I dragged my poor mum through the streets without stopping, always looking for the next Kodak moment, presuming we would get the same sort of thing once we were back In Fira. Didn't quite work out that way, though she did find the linen shop she visited last year, and also managed another couple of purchases. At this stage I have limited awareness of how much I've spent as I can't remember the password for my debit card lol. I guess when it refuses a purchase I will know it is time to top it up💰.
We had predicted a long wait for the cable car back down the cliffs to the tender boat, but it wasn't too bad really, and when we got to the meeting spot, we were straight aboard and back to the ship.
Overall I thought Santorini was as beautiful as I had anticipated, but I didn't quite get enough to satiate me. A bit like when you order an appetiser, and really wish you had the main size of that dish. I don't know if I will ever be back but if I do, it would be good to spend a few days not a few hours. I feel this way about a few of our stops; that the taster we get is a tease!
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