Our previous visit to Santorini was in 2001. It was, and is, so beautiful and we have carried the memories of that visit for fourteen years now. We visited it in July that year, which is really the peak time to do so because it just glistens in the sunlight as you view it from the ship and the ship looks like a toy when viewed from Santorini.
The end of October is the end of the tourist season and the locals change from jobs in tourism to jobs in construction and other alternatives. No construction is done during tourist season. We found this out during a long bus ride that was part of our tour to the city of Oia, which is pronounced Eea. Oia is at the top of the crescent of mountains which are all that remains of what was the round island of Santorini. The rest of it was consumed by volcano.
We tendered from the ship to the island aboard local tenders which are gratefully much larger than those of the Spirit. Then we had a bus ride that took us along the top of the mountains providing excellent views of the island. Too much to talk about here and all so interesting. And all so different from fourteen years ago.
