Santorini is widely acknowledged to be the most beautiful and unique of all the lovely Aegean islands and when you visit you will see why. Santorini stands out from the other Greek islands in that it offers not only sun, sea and sand, but much more. Here you will find picture-perfect white hill-top villages, beautiful unspoilt beaches, thermal bathing, an active volcano and the remains of an unbelievably advanced civilization that was completely destroyed by the volcano 3500 years ago. It is a wonderful island to visit for a holiday and cheap flights and packages are available from all over Europe. It is also a favourite port for visiting cruise ships, and if you are thinking of cruising the Greek islands , be sure that Thira Santorini Greece Cruise Port features on your itinerary.
Thira Santorini Greece Cruise Port
If you are visiting the island for a holiday you will have time to explore! The best way to get around the beaches and coastal attractions is probably to hire a motorcycle, while a rental car would be the obvious choice to see the interior of the island. The main tourist attractions are the excavations at Akrotira, the Volcano, the Sulphur Beach, the other bathing beaches and, of course, the pretty villages.
If your cruise ship calls at Thira Santorini Greece Cruise Port you will have the option of going on an organised excursion to see most of the major sights. (I wish I had done more research before visiting the island, as I would love to have seen the excavations of the ancient city that was lost to the volcano.)
Anyway, life is all about decisions and we decided to just spend the day in the village of Thira which is perched very prettily directly above the old harbour, where our cruise ship docked. There are two ways of getting to the village from the old harbour – either in the rather ancient-looking cable car (I had my doubts about this one, but I lived to tell the tale!), or by walking or taking a donkey ride up the steps. You know all those postcards one sees of Greek Islands? It appears they are all taken here in Thira! The village is the absolute epitome of what everyone expects a Greek island village to look like; cobbled streets, white-washed houses and buildings, blue shutters….the list goes on!
There are modest little shops selling local goods side-by-side with chic boutiques and many artist’s galleries to browse. I came away with the most beautiful handcrafted glass platter which now graces my dining room table and reminds me of Santorini every time I see it. Of course, there are dozens of restaurants and with about 1000 hungry cruise passengers a day, looking for an authentic Greek meal, competition is stiff! We found a great roof-top Taverna where we spent a most pleasant hour or two over some exquisitely cooked grilled octopus and some local Greek wine, all washed down with some authentic Greek coffee…just perfect!
Could it be that lovely Santorini really is the lost island of Atlantis, as many people claim? There are many different opinions on this assertion; why not visit this very beautiful Greek Island, learn her history, absorb the atmosphere and come to your own conclusions.
没有评论:
发表评论