Johnny Rock&Roll Goes to Sea

Day Four

Everything is Beautiful

What a beautiful day we had in Santorini.

We started our morning with a boat ride to hike the Nea Kameni volcano.

This volcanic island was created just 400 years ago and is a bit like walking on the moon I suspect.

There is no hint of vegetation on the island.

We hiked to the summit in 45 minutes in very warm weather, but the views were worth it. We spent about two hours on the tour before returning to the Grand Princess.

Later we tendered into town and took a cable car up to the city of Thera. Some members of our group took the option of a donkey ride up to the city, but I decided to take the quick two-minute cable car as opposed to the 20-minute donkey ride.

I didn't want to smell like a donkey all day.

Thera is a famous white-walled city with loads of great shops and restaurants.

We dined on local Greek food (grilled octopus, squid, and lamb) on a terrace over-looking the bay below where our ship was anchored.

Afterwards, we walked through the streets of the village and took in the sights.

My wife, Maggie, opted for the "Easy Santorini" tour which involved a bus tour to a number of sites on the island. She said it was the best tour she had ever taken. Her group visited the beaches, some churches, a vineyard (with wine tasting) and stopped in the village for to shop.

We spent all afternoon in Santorini and found ourselves wishing that the ship would stay an extra day so we could explore the other parts of the island and swim at the beaches in the clear blue water that surrounds this island. This is truly one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited.

We arrived back on the ship in mid-afternoon and are now cruising toward Kusadasi, Turkey.

We hope to visit the beaches there and swim in the Aegean Sea! We truly had a wonderful day and hope to come back to Santorini some day when we can stay longer.

Rock On!
Johnny