I had hoped this would be a bright, clear day so I could get some really nice postcard shots of this beautiful spot. Alas, the weather was bright, but quite hazy. Oh, well. I went ashore (Adele stayed on board) and took the cable car (long line!) up to the town of Thira.
As expected, the “streets” (only about 10 feet wide, really) were jammed with Spanish tourists from a Costa Cruises ship which was sharing the harbor with us. Still, it was fun walking around. Thira is about 1/4 of a mile long with two streets going the length of it. The density of souvenir shops per square foot is the highest in the known world. The city has an incredibly picturesque location and is a “must-see” for every ship passing through.
I spent most of my time in the two museums. The “old” museum showed the more modern history, from about 7 BC onwards. The one I really liked was the “new” museum, which showed prehistoric Santorini. Most of the exhibits were pottery and frescos taken from Akrotiri – a town which was buried (like Pompeii) when the Santorini volcano exploded in 1628 BC. The quality and preservation of the 3,500 year old relics was wonderful. When you realize that if the eruption, which destroyed the Minoan Empire, had not happened, our own lives would be very different; it makes for a solemn moment.
I headed back to the cable car (even longer lines!) and the ship. The tender ride from the dock to the Prinsendam was the roughest by far of any we have had on this trip.