Oia Village

One of the optional excursions available while on the island of Santorini is called Island Tour and Oia Village (about 53 euros). My friend has recommended this tour if you want to see both the capital of Fira (or Thira) and Oia.

Located at the northern tip of the island, perched on the cliffside, sits the typical Greek island village of Oia which is famous for its spectacular sunsets. There are several really neat videos on YouTube that show just that. The cliffs get really crowded at sundown!

Since we will be on Santorini from 4:30 – 9 pm, I am not sure which town (Oia or Fira) we will be in for sunset. That’s a question for our tour guide.

The excursion takes us by boat to Athenios Harbor, where we then travel by bus on one of the most winding roads in the Cyclades. Oia is the island’s third port and was quite the commercial center before damage from the 1956 earthquake.

Reconstructed after the earthquake, Oia is well-known for its beautiful architecture –white and pastel-colored houses with red pebble walls clinging to the cliffs, Venetian sea captains' mansions, skafta cave houses, and blue-domed churches. A restored 19th century mansion houses the Naval Maritime Museum.

Staircases lead down to Ammoudi fishing harbor with its floating pumice stones and red pebble beach which boasts a tradition of boat building.

Oia was used for several scenes in the movies The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, parts I and II.

This video is a good overview of the village of Oia.

The Island of Santorini

When anyone pictures the Greek islands, it is Santorini that comes to mind first with its picturesque white-washed villages and the iconic blue-domed roofs that sit precariously along the cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea and its black sand beaches.

Santorini was settled by the Minoans in 3000 BC and in 1450 BC the volcanic island erupted with such force that it left only the present day crescent shape island. It was a circular island before the volcano blew out its middle and the tsunami it created devastated the island of Crete, another of our destinations. It is the island of Santorini that many believe is the lost kingdom of Atlantis!

Originally named Thira by the Dorians who settled here in the 8th century BC, it wasn’t until the 13th century that the Venetians coined the name Santorini after St Irene.

The capital city of the island is Fira, or Thira, which sits on the inside of the caldera, or crater, overlooking the tiny island of Nea Kameni. Devastated by an earthquake in 1956, it has been rebuilt, terraced into the volcanic cliffs with domed churches and barrel-roofed cave houses (skafta). Many cliffside restaurants offer stunning views of the caldera…and the amazing sunsets!

The tiny port of Skala Firon is 885 feet below Fira and is connected by a cable car (about 4 euros) or by mule (about 5 euros) up the 580 steps. Of course, you can walk up and down the steps, but you have to dodge the donkeys AND what they leave behind!

Fira is primarily a pedestrian town and its most well-known street is Agiou Mina, for it is here you will find the 18th century church of Agios Minas with its distinctive blue dome and white bell tower which have become the symbol of Santorini.

Also in Fira is the Archaeological Museum which houses the famous frescoes from Akrotiri which were remarkably preserved by volcanic ash. The best known are The Young Fisherman, depicting a youth holding yellow and blue fish, and The Young Boxers, showing two young sparring partners with long black hair and almond-shaped eyes. The murals are shown on a rotating schedule. The museum may be closed however by the time we arrive.

There are two optional excursions offered on Santorini. One is Santorini Sailing and Volcano, a smaller boat cruise around the active crater of Nea Kameni. Refer to the previous blog outlining the excursions for an in-depth description and recommendations. The other will be addressed in the next blog on Oia.

We visit Santorini on Thursday evening from 4:30-9 p.m. Enjoy this video on Santorini.

Rhodes revisited - Excursion to Philerimos

I noticed after looking more carefully at the optional excursions offered by the cruise line that I had neglected to tell you of another one offered on the island of Rhodes which includes Old Town Rhodes and Philerimos.

It is a 3-hour bus tour with some walking for 47 Euros (price subject to change) a short distance from Old Town Rhodes featuring a monastery set on the beautiful hillsides of Mount Philerimos (sometimes spelled Filerimos).

The tour drives along the medieval walls west of town to Mount Smith, the acropolis of Rhodes which offers panoramic views of the city and harbor. It is named for the English Admiral Sir Sidney Smith who kept watch from there for Napoleon’s fleet in 1802. It is also known as Agios Stephanos.

The hill is the site of a 3rd century BC city featuring a stadium, acropolis, and small theater, or odeion, built in an unusual square shape. Only three columns remain of the mighty Temple of Pythian Apollo. Nearby are the ruins of temples to Athena Polias and Zeus Poliefs.

The summit of Philerimos a short drive away is the next stop on this excursion, and is the site of Ialyssos, one of the three ancient cities of Rhodes. Among the cypress and pines sits the restored Byzantine Church of Our Lady of Philerimos, a complex of four chapels; the main one built in 1306 leads to the other three. The innermost chapel has a Byzantine floor decorated with a red mosaic fish.

The Italians erected a Calvary from the entrance of the monastery in the form of an avenue with the Stations of the Cross illustrated on plaques. On the headland stands a giant 59-ft. cross.

This tour concludes with an easy and flat walking tour of Old Town Rhodes and a stop at a ceramic workshop.