I was sorry to leave Mykonos after such a short time, but Santorini was waiting. We took a “Sea Jet” to Santorini, which didn’t seem to move any faster, and was appointed about the same as the Blue Star Ferry, in terms of seating and amenities.
Our biggest challenge was the storage of our luggage, which we’d hauled on ourselves, but our guides, Mary and Karen, were adept at getting us a spot inside the lower deck where we could pile them all together. It was a blessing not to have to keep them with us, and having the purple Bus 1 (or orange, Bus 2) YMT tags were a real blessing throughout our adventure.
We stopped at a couple islands along the way, the names of whom I’ve forgotten, and it occurred to me that “all these islands are beginning to look alike.” Nevertheless, I was thrilled to be out and among a few of the 6,000 islands of Greece!
The water hues continued to amaze me, and never did I fail to marvel at the apparent pollution-free sea. Living on the coast of Washington, it is easy to forget that salt water comes in colors other than slate gray! We had a couple hours to relax and watch the scenery go by before disembarking… or is that debarking?… in “the new port” on Santorini.
Santorin
i is a caldera, as are many of these islands. Caldera comes from the Spanish word cauldron and means “collapsed volcanic crater.” What that really means is that the deep water ports are beneath the steep cut-away hillsides, and the gentler, rolling landscape where the grapes are grown is on the opposite side of the island.
To exit the boat, we moved like lemmings to the land… or maybe that’s sardines to Santorini… collecting our suitcases and dragging them ashore.
Contrary to popular belief, Mama Mia was NOT filmed on Santorini. That’s probably a good thing, since it was plenty crowded without the usual contingent of Hollywood lookie-loos who love to tour the world visiting movie sites!
But I have a theory about why the film wasn’t done here… The seven hairpin switchbacks that traverse the caldera made my knees weak, and I couldn’t hardly stand to look out the windows as we swooped around each corner on our way up to the top. So how would all the equipment for the film crews get there? Not happening!
We climbed higher and higher, and little did I know we’d have to go up and down this same steep hillside several more times during our brief stay. And trust me on this—it never got easier on my nerves!
Yet it was worth it!