Travel journal: east Med Princess cruise 2010 (Day 10)

Nea Kameni

Nea Kameni's active crater

Palea Kameni and Aspronisi

Therasia

Mainland, Oia

Mainland, Imerovigli and Fira

Mainland, Pharos

Star Princess and Brilliance of the Seas, anchored.



Palea Kameni, hot springs,
and house of its sole resident.



Greek orthodox cathedral, exterior

Greek orthodox cathedral, interior

Greek orthodox cathedral, interior, dome.

Nea Kameni, from Fira.

Catholic cathedral

Catholic cathedral, back end.

Fira and Imerovigli, from Fira.

The stairs and a
corral of donkeys.

Day 10, 11/19/2010: Santorini

This Greek port of call, which is famous for many things, is actually made up of five islands. They are: Thera, the mainland; Therasia, population circa 300; Aspronisi, basically a small mass of pumice; Nea Kameni, (new burnt island), whose still-active volcano is about 500 years old; and Palea Kameni (old burnt island), whose famous eruption around 1650 BC was 10 times the strength of Krakatoa and affected half the world.

It was Nea Kameni that I had an excursion to hike today. Though its highest point is only 127 meters (417 feet) above sea level, the journey up its steep slopes and past its active crater was truly a geological adventure. We were lucky to have the sun shining warmly on us so late in November. “Normally at this time of year, it’s freezing and rainy,” our guide informed us.

Though not very high compared with the towering cliffs of the mainland, Nea Kameni’s summit afforded nice views of all four other islands and points of interest on the mainland. From north to south, those were: the village of Oia, the village of Imerovigli (“where all the postcard shots come from,” according to our guide), the capital city of Fira, Mount Prophet Elijah, the highest point in Santorini at 560 meters (1837 feet) above sea level and home to a Greek Orthodox monastery, and the village of Pharos.

As part of our excursion, we cruised briefly by the island of Palea Kameni to see its small church, its hot springs, and curiously, the house of its sole inhabitant and his goat herds. Then our tender boat headed back to the Star Princess.

Since the ship had anchored in Santorini’s harbor instead of docking, I had to switch tender boats and board one headed toward the mainland. To access Fira from the harbor front area, one must ascend 569 steps on foot or on donkey, or take the alternative cable car. Just having hiked the volcano, I paid the 4€ to take the cable car up.

Among all the places I’ve visited thus far, Fira is one of the most tourist-friendly. Directional signs, especially towards the cable car station, are everywhere, as are tour excursion offices – granted, there are a few of those in every port, but they are here at almost every turn. Free maps are available at the upper cable car station, one of which I took eagerly.

Fira is a picturesque town with narrow alleyways, quaint shops, terraces that divide the city into tiers, and churches. In many ways, it is similar to Mykonos, the other Cycladic isle we visited, except if one stays within the confines of Fira’s pedestrian-friendly old town, one never has to move aside for a car.

One prominent cathedral is not far from the cable car station, but to reach the most prominent, take the main street closest to the harbor front and follow it a short way. It had a truly spectacular exterior, but unfortunately its interior was barred.

Just behind the cathedral is the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, which displays artifacts throughout the eras of the islands’ history, some as far back as almost 3,000 BC. Many pieces come from the ancient Akrotiri, which is like Greece’s answer to Pompeii. It was an extremely advanced and wealthy city and in its prime when the volcanic eruption of the 17^th century BC devastated it completely. Akrotiri has been partially excavated, but its archeological site has been closed to the public for the past couple of years due to a roof collapse. Until the site reopens, visiting the Museum of Prehistoric Thera is one of the best ways to learn about Akrotiri and see some of its artifacts.

Fira’s other museum is the Archeological Museum, close to the cable car station.

Across from the Museum of Prehistoric Thera are Fira’s main square and public bus station. Fares to the village of Oia or to the local black-sand beach Kamari are a reasonable 1.40€ per way. I considered taking the one to Oia but discovered I’d need to wait almost a half-hour for the next departure and after that would have to wait until 4:30 to start the return trip to Fira.

I then started my descent to the harbor, deciding this time to walk down the steps. For those, like me, looking to save a few Euros and willing to traverse the 569 steps between corrals of donkeys and piles of their waste, coming thus into and out of Fira is a good alternative to the donkeys and cable cars. There are many staircases in Fira, but I followed the one labeled “To Old Port,” and it ended in an unassuming alleyway – conveniently right in front of a Star Princess tender boat, which conveniently was just about to depart.

Besides having a few snack foods at the International Café on Deck 5 and sunning for a few minutes on Deck 15, I opted out of entertainment for the evening, retiring instead to my stateroom after the tiring day.

I’ll also have a whole day to catch up on rest tomorrow, as it’s our full day at sea.