DAY 8 - Santorini, Greece (Oceania Cruise)

For a cruise of the Greek Isles, Santorini is a “must see.” It’s quintessential Greece: whitewashed buildings with blue trim, windmills, and to-die-for views of the caldera!

The volcanic explosion that produced the caldera around which Santorini is built, was believed to have spewed 35 times as much rock and ash as did Mount St. Helens. The resulting hole (now filled with water) is 7.5 x 4.3 miles in diameter and almost 1,300 feet deep.

We tendered ashore at the Port of Skala, but that’s at sea level, of course. And once ashore, you need to get “up there.” There are only three ways to do this: cable car, donkey/mule, or walk up the approximate 850-foot ascent. Our cruise director said he’d done the walk once, but that he wasn’t likely to do it again. It’s a very rough, 45-minutes up, on the same path used by the donkeys. (Having said that, it’s not that they don’t ever clean the path.)

We took the donkeys, and I loved it!! It was the highlight of my day and one of the memorable highlights of the trip.

Donkeys await riders in Santorini, Greece

Captain of the donkeys in Santorini, Greece

Donkey rides up to Fira in Santorini, Greece.  Oceania ship, Marina, is in the distance.

What I’d read beforehand made it sound a lot more precarious than what it seemed to us in person. The path is quite a bit wider than I’d imagined, and there is a wall (albeit, a low wall) on the sea/drop-off side. The views were amazing, and they just kept getting better and better the higher we went. (It wasn’t recommended to take the donkeys back down the hill, as they rush past each other to get to their food at the bottom, and it can be a little precarious. So we took the cable car down, which also provides a great view and is quicker, though there can sometimes be a line.)

Fira, Santorini, Greece

Arriving at the top in Fira (also called Thira), we made our way to the bus station, asking locals for directions. Fira is pretty, but we first wanted to make sure we had plenty of time in Oia (pronounced EE-ah), which is considered the place you really want to see. The bus was very modern and clean – and full of tourists (we don’t know what the locals ride!) – so for only €1.60 each (which is paid after the bus is en route), we were set for the comfortable, 30-minute ride to Oia. It went like clockwork. The return, however, was something else again! (See caution below.)

I’ve never heard of anyone who didn’t love Santorini. Is it even possible for a sky to be any bluer? It was nice, on such a beautiful day, just to stroll around Oia, checking out the windmills and famous blue-domed churches (symbols of Santorini).

A church in Oia, Santorini

Windmill cafe in the Oia section of Santorini, Greece

Windmill in Oia, Santorini

 

Glimpse through open doors in Oia, Santorini

Terraced cliffs of Oia lead down to Santorini's caldera

Sea horse sculpture at an art gallery in Oia, Santorini

Before heading back, we sat on a restaurant terrace, seemingly on top of the world, and enjoyed a light lunch and libations, trying to etch the view into our memories forever.

Al and Vicki enjoy a restaurant in Oia, Santorini, Greece

Back onboard Marina, I called my 82-year old mother from the ship and was reminded of a TV commercial. My version of it is: Oceania “Grecian Glory” cruise (including air): $3,700 & up, depending on cabin.  Ship-to-U.S. phone call: $4.95/minute.  Hearing my mommy say, “And tomorrow you’ll be in Ephesus?” (she was keeping up with our itinerary):   Priceless!

The scenery of the Santorina caldera from our cabin on Oceania's ship, Marina

We went to Martini’s (the ship's elegant bar/lounge) for happy hour.  Two drinks for the price of one, plus free munchies.

The upholstery in Martini's is studded with bling (on Oceania's ship, Marina).

The effects of the lighting on my glass of champagne in Martini's, aboard Oceania ship, Marina

Friday night we had dinner at Jacques, the French specialty restaurant.

Chairs used in Jacques, the French restaurant aboard Oceania's ship, Marina

Bread basket in Jacques, aboard Oceania ship, Marina

Having fun at Jacques, aboard Oceania ship, Marina

Chef hard at work at Jacques, aboard Oceania ship, Marina

Everything was wonderful, but it was too hard to decide on dessert. (Any wonder, with French desserts?)

Dessert menu at Jacques, the French restaurant aboard Oceania ship, Marina

The winner was Baba au Rhum: a fruit-topped, little round cake onto which the waiter empties a small pitcher of old French rum – yum!!

TIP re THE SANTORINI DONKEYS: The donkeys generally don't like getting too close to the low wall bordering the drop-off, and therein lies the complaint some have had: they will sometimes rub your leg against the mountain side. Knowing this, I wore jeans, and it wasn’t a problem. When they brushed me against the cliff, I gently pressed into the animal’s side with the stirrup, and he moved out. Al pushed on his donkey’s neck, which worked as well. He also said he talked to his donkey and told it to “move over.” :)

CAUTION re TRANSPORTATION IN OIA: I can’t speak for all times of the year, but on this busy day in May, busses were only scheduled to run every hour between Oia and Fira. We reached the bus terminal about 25 minutes early for the 3:30 bus, so stood in the taxi/bus line, thinking maybe we’d spring for a taxi back to Fira. Just as everyone said, there are no taxis stationed in Oia; you have to catch one that's dropping off a new arrival. In the 25 minutes before the bus came, only two such taxis arrived, and we were not first in line for them.

Once the bus arrived, gone was the line and it was every man for himself. I got on and was surprised to see it was already standing room only, and I couldn’t see Al anywhere behind me. What neither of us realized is that people had been pouring in through the back door as well. I said to another passenger, “I don’t see my husband.” She said, “What’s his name and we’ll start calling it out.” So we both started calling “Al…Al…Al.” Those on the outside heard it, and he’s convinced that’s the only thing that allowed him to go ahead of them to get on the bus. Had he had to wait for the 4:30 bus, and then take the cable cars down and catch the tender, there’s a chance he wouldn’t have made it back to the ship before sailing. That’s a little scary!

If we had it to do over again, we’d try to get to Oia as early as possible, and return no later than the 2:30 bus, when (with a little luck) it may not be quite as crowded as later. Better yet, we might want to pay a taxi to take us to Oia, stay with us, and return us. Some say that costs less than having them return for you (which must be prearranged…and hopefully they remember), as there is a pick-up charge for anything outside Fira. The other option is to go with a tour bus. Every option is better than missing the ship.

CRUISE INFO: I was originally a little confused about which port we’d go into, but Oceania’s personnel explained it well to all of us before arrival. We first stopped at the Athinios Port. (We were told there was nothing there except for the busses that would take passengers who’d signed up for the cruise line’s shore excursions.) The ship then moved to the Port of Skala for the rest of us to disembark, as desired. Santorini is the one place we visited where ships are required to employ local tender boats to shuttle us to shore, rather than the ship’s lifeboats, which we used at other times.

DAY 7 – Monemvasia, Greece (Oceania Cruise)

People have asked us, “What was your favorite of all the places you saw on cruise?”



It was Monemvasia!

(Well, okay, that's not counting Venice, which we’d seen before, but Venice is in its own special category.)

I loved Monemvasia! And yet, chances are very slim that we would have ever known about it, had we been doing land travel. The only reason I knew it existed before now was because of the research I did prior to the cruise. That convinced me that this would be a gem!

Monemvasia is an enchanting, car-free isle. We felt transported to a different time and place in history. As I walked by other cruise passengers in the town, I overheard more than one of them say, “I feel sorry for anyone who stayed back on the ship today!”

Arriving at Monemvasia (it means “single entrance”) we saw a modern town on the shore (behind us in the picture below), and a causeway leading from it to a gigantic upcropping – almost 1000 feet high. It’s easy to see why it’s called the “Gibraltar of the East” and also, simply, “the Rock.”

Causeway to “The Rock,” Monemvasia, Greece

You can barely make out the ruins of the citadel atop the rock in the photo above. The real treasure (my opinion) is hidden from view on the other side, but first there’s a little walk to reach it, which is interesting in its own right.

Just over the causeway we passed the Lazareto Hotel along the way

to the walled town of Monemvasia, Greece.

A horse grazes on a plateau outside the city walls of Monemvasia, Greece

Another view along the walk toward the city walls of Monemvasia, Greece

The city walls of Monemvasia, Greece. Monemvasia means “single entrance,”

and this is it! No motorized vehicles are allowed beyond this point.

Al checks out the top of the mountain he’s about to ascend in Monemvasia, Greece.

How does this tree stay alive? It was nearly completely hollow. (Monemvasia, Greece)

Al almost immediately took the high road and climbed up to the citadel, while I continued along the main walking street (all the streets are walking streets) to where it ends at the Malvasia Hotel, 325 yards inside the gate of the city (or “castle,” as the city is referred to locally). Having featured this hotel in my pre-cruise blog of Monemvasia, I knew I wanted to sit on that terrace and sip a glass of Malvasia wine. Yes, it was déjà vu all over again (reference to the Kotor, Montenegro post), with Al climbing to the top of the mountain and me sitting below, drinking wine!

We both had the excitement of a couple of claps of thunder and light rain, but by the time I reached the hotel, the sun was shining. I felt bad about Al sweating away, climbing the hill, while I was sitting there enjoying some Malvasia wine and that absolutely unforgettable view, along with some fellow cruise passengers who were choosing to do the very same thing.

Vicki Scheck at the Malvasia Hotel, in Monemvasia, Greece.

(Weird effect, but I wanted to straighten the horizon without cropping the picture!)

Fellow Oceania Marina cruisers enjoy a snack at the Malvasia Hotel, Monemvasia, Greece

Terrace café of the Malvasia Hotel, Monemvasia, Greece

Well, I guess Al’s view was good too!

View of Oceania’s ship, Marina, from the citadel ruins atop Monemvasia, Greece

On the islands of Corfu and Zakynthos we learned that in earlier times, residents avoided areas close to the shore due to the fear of pirates. On Monemvasia, while the rock provided protection from land invasions, it took up almost the whole of the island, necessitating that most settlements would have to be near the water. So, for protection from pirates, the town was laid out in the most enigmatic web of narrow walkways, with occasional offshoots from which defenders of the city could lie in wait for any pirates who dared try to find their way around that island.

I turned my attention toward exploring twisty-turny cobblestone alleys that went this way and that – really, the pirates didn’t stand a chance!

There is such an architectural beauty about the place, with buildings of local stone, and roofs of ancient tile. Where exterior walls were painted, I can only assume the colors must have been pre-approved by a board with exquisitely good taste, because they all blend together so harmoniously.

The main shopping street in Monemvasia, Greece

One of my favorite pictures from the trip. I’m not even sure if this little girl

spoke English, but what a great pose for the camera!

Buildings climb the heights in Monemvasia, Greece

Window with lace curtains in Monemvasia, Greece 

Windstar cruise ship off-shore in Monemvasia, Greece

Monemvasia, Greece

Great tile rooftops in Monemvasia, Greece.

(Got the tip of my umbrella, sheltering the lens from sprinkles.)

Monemvasia, Greece

Shopping street in Monemvasia, Greece

Shop in Monemvasia, Greece

Outdoor café at Lazareto Hotel, on the island of Monemvasia, Greece

Lazareto Hotel in (Monemvasia, Greece)

It was time to go back “home” to the ship.

Lifeboat tender at the dock in Monemvasia.  Oceania's Marina is seen in the background.

CRUISE TIP re PORT INFORMATION: Oceania provided education about all the ports of call. Early in the cruise they had two or three optional meetings where they discussed several destinations at each. In addition, they put out a daily newsletter (placed on our bed each afternoon) in which, among other things, the next day’s destination was written up. There was also a closed-circuit TV channel on which the cruise director every morning gave detailed information about the day’s stop. So there was no shortage of information, though it was easy to get busy and not avail ourselves of all of it (of which many of us were probably guilty at one time or another).

SHIP INFO: We were amazed that we never heard our neighbors on the ship – not the neighbors on either side, above or below us. Well, to be perfectly honest, there was one fluke time when we heard a toilet flush, but that was it for 10 days. When in one’s own en suite, however, the flushing sound can be quite loud as it combines a lot of air, along with the water (much like an airplane toilet). Because of all the suction created, Al joked, “If I got my foot stuck in the toilet, you would never see me again!”  :)

We made it back to the ship in time to have high tea, a daily event from 4:00-5:00 in Marina’s Horizon Lounge at the bow of the ship. It was lovely.

DAY 6 – Zakynthos, Greece (Oceania Cruise)

Vicki and Al on top of the world in Zakynthos, Greece

What a great day in Zakynthos!!

Actually, we were a little concerned at first in that the seas were quite choppy, and the tenders were having difficulty in coming alongside the ship. Obviously, safety is the crew’s first concern, so shore excursions had to be delayed by about an hour until they felt confident that shuttles could proceed to the shore without incident.

One of Marina’s lifeboats, used to shuttle passengers to shore

Inside the lifeboat tender on the way to Zakynthos

Waiting patiently on shore was Jackie Boots Gklavas (also spelled Glavas) and the bus for the independent tour we and others had booked through Nefis Travel. We cannot say enough good things about Jackie and Nefis Travel! Due to rough seas, we were not able to take a boat to (and into) the Blue Caves as planned. That was unfortunate but couldn’t be helped. However, Jackie made it up to us, first of all by cutting the price of the tour. She then quickly reworked the itinerary and still gave us a full day of sightseeing, including a little museum out in the middle of nowhere (well, in Pigadakia, to be more specific).  My favorite part of the museum was their bathroom!

The bathroom door was a rug at the Vertzagio Folk Museum, Pigadakia, Zakynthos, Greece

All the conveniences of home in the bathroom at the Vertzagio Folk Museum, Pigadakia, Zakynthos, Greece

Vertzagio Folk Museum, Pigadakia, Zakynthos, Greece

A local market in Anafonitria with handmade offerings, which had tastings of various

local goodies and wine prepared for our arrival (Zakynthos, Greece)

A stop at the platform overlooking Navagio Beach (a.k.a. Shipwreck Beach)

for THE photo op of Zakynthos

At a tiny monastery on Zakynthos, Greece



We enjoyed a light lunch (Jackie covered the cost of the food), at a taverna in Giri where you could almost think you were the first Americans ever to set foot there.

Window at the Tabepna tavern in Giri, Zakynthos, Greece

Jackie surprised us all by picking up a guitar and playing / singing Greek folk songs while we ate. Great voice for folk music! After a song or two, the owner took the guitar (and later, harmonica) and sang to us, while Jackie harmonized. What a treat!

Jackie Boots Gklavas, of Nefis Travel, in Zakynthos, Greece

Click here for a YouTube posting of Jackie's folk singing.  It's worth a listen.  Click here for a second one, produced by Nefis Travel (with a little Bob Dylan action).  Either or both can provide you with some Greek music while you finish reading the blog -- and maybe, if you're like me, even after!

Oops! Busses come head-to-head (well, almost) in Zakynthos.

We later made another photo stop with a panoramic view.

Café in Zakynthos, Greece, with Marina anchored off-shore

This was an incredible day, driving past vineyards, olive groves and farms, and marveling at all the different blues in the sea. Having a tour size of 18 people was perfect (though that could vary day by day, depending on how many booked the tour). We never felt rushed or “herded.” As people started feeling they were ready to move on from one place, they started gathering by the door of the bus, others saw it and joined them, and soon we were all there and moving down the road. The whole thing was delightful.

Jackie taught us a lot, too. Zakynthos is an island in the Ionian Sea, and it is the Ionian Sea that boasts the deepest part of the Mediterranean: 17,280 feet, or 3 miles! The oldest tree on the island is 1,500 years old.

On Zakynthos, it wasn’t unusual to see unfinished houses that were two- to three-stories high, but only the first floor was finished and inhabited. The upper floors were just the concrete shell. Jackie explained that people build their homes with the expectation that their children will eventually, when older, finish the upper floor(s) and live there. But another reason for leaving them unfinished, if we understood correctly, is that no taxes are paid as long as the houses aren’t finished.

Back at the ship, I was able to go to a photography class, one of several that was held during the cruise.

Onboard photographer David Smith taught us some special effects.

Clearly I need to work on my technique!

The cruise also offered cooking and art classes. So many options, so little time!

That night we had reservations at another specialty restaurant: Red Ginger. All the restaurants were excellent, but Red Ginger seemed to be a favorite of many passengers.

When making reservations for the specialty restaurants, you can specify whether you want a table for two or to share with others. We opted to share and were seated with Lana and Ed, a fun couple from Canada.

Lana and Ed

At Red Ginger, aboard Marina (Oceania Cruises)

What was this?  After the appetizers, we found out.

At Red Ginger, aboard Marina (Oceania Cruises)

It was a hot cloth to wipe our hands after eating the appetizers.

We had such an enjoyable evening at Red Ginger, and my Tom Kha Gai soup (lemongrass, coconut milk and chicken) was amazing!

TRAVEL TIP re NOT GETTING RIPPED OFF: While in Zakynthos, Jackie had warned us ahead of time that the ice cream cones at our final stop should only cost €1.5. Sure enough, the vendor tried to charge us €2.5. When I balked, he pulled out a price list (hidden before we arrived) that actually said €1.5, adding, “But that’s for one scoop, you got two scoops.” I handed the cone back to him, saying, “But I didn’t ask for two scoops,” at which point he responded, “Take it. Our gift.” (Right.) I let Jackie know, and she went over to talk to them about it.

Lessons learned: look for posted prices whenever possible. Better yet, if you have a tour guide, ask her what something should cost before you purchase.

CRUISE INFO re INDEPENDENT SHORE EXCURSIONS: When there was some question about whether we’d even be able to go ashore due to high seas, we were really glad we hadn’t been required to pay any money in advance for our shore excursion. But after a private conversation I initiated with Jackie, I came to see there are two sides to this (as there are with most things!). There were some passengers who’d reserved the tour but didn’t show up. Since they hadn’t canceled with her, we all ended up waiting for the next shuttle, so as not to leave without them. In addition to all of us waiting unnecessarily, Jackie had rented a larger bus than needed because of the additional reservation(s). Some local tour operators are now thinking they might have to ask for a deposit with reservations. Obviously that would be a chunk of money to lose if tenders can’t get ashore through no fault of the passenger. A solution is to book the cruise line’s tours, but those tend to be costlier to begin with. It’s an interesting conundrum.

CRUISE TIP re SEASICKNESS: Due to seas that were a little rough for tendering ashore, Oceania’s reception desk gave out packets of seasickness pills to any who wanted them.  We picked up some for the journey, not quite knowing what to expect from the waves. Of course, there is always the question: should I take a pill now, proactively, or should I wait and see? We noticed that the medication could cause drowsiness, which would not have been a happy side effect for our shore excursion, so we opted to wait, which turned out to be the right decision in our case. It was no problem at all; in fact, we weren’t aware of anyone who experienced seasickness on the entire cruise.