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Santorini

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Tap into this post to read about some of our sightseeing, fun facts, travel tips and many pictures of our time in Santorini.  We encourage you to get out and see the world if you are able, and if not, we will bring it to you through our posts.  We hope you enjoy!


flag of Greece
National flag of Greece

The flag of Greece is one of the most recognizable flags among all nations of the world.  The white cross represents the Greek Orthodox religion of the nation, while the blue and white colours symbolize the surrounding seas and white waves.  The nine stripes represent the nine letters in the Greek word for freedom.


Incredible Santorini! 

The first stop on our Mediterranean Sea cruise was the rugged and beautiful Greek island of Santorini.  Having always heard of Santorini’s beauty from TV and magazines, we were very eager to arrive at the legendary volcanic island in the Aegean Sea.  Marked by steep high cliffs with white cliffside villages, Santorini is a very picturesque island.  Arriving at the base of Fira via tender from our cruise ship, three of us decided to take a donkey ride to the top of the village while the other three family members took the cable car.  For all you tree-huggers out there calm down; donkeys have been used to transfer goods and villagers around the island for hundreds of years.  It was a great experience along the zig-zag cobbled path up some 221 meters (725 feet) to the top of the cliffs in Fira.

Once in Fira town center we found a private tour for the 6 of us who took us all around Santorini, from the blue-domed postcard town of Oia, to the monastery 600 meters (nearly 2000 feet) above sea level with incredible views, to red and black pebble beaches, to the Cape Akrotiri lighthouse at the tip of the island.  See ‘Travel Tips’ below for our recommended tour company and guide.

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Our cruise ship – the massive Royal Princess
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View from the cable car from Fira to the small seaside harbour.
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Kendall on his donkey
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Kayla on her donkey on the very scenic ride up
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And then here’s my ass…lol. He was a good boy. Donkeys have been used to transfer goods and villagers to the top of Fira for hundreds of years.
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One of many shops in the stone structures along the streets of Fira
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Beautiful church in Oia
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This could be a postcard! – Oia
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The sky was so amazingly blue; was a gorgeous day!  This was taken in the gorgeous village of Oia.
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What a beautiful place – Oia.
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More from Oia
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Simply gorgeous! Look at that sky!
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Church bells in Fira

A Little Geology —

Present day Santorini was formed from an enormous volcanic eruption over 3000 years ago.  The island of Santorini itself is actually the rim remnants of a huge crater with the sea filling in the caldera.  Sea depth in the caldera just offshore is over 400 meters (over 1300 feet) deep into the former magma chamber, thereby giving the sea colour such a deep shade of blue.  The sea is so deep in the caldera that only the largest ships can set anchor there.  Traveling around the island you can literally see the white layers of volcanic ash, black volcanic basalt, and layers of red lava.  Santorini is known for its unique black and red volcanic pebble beaches.

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Red Beach from ancient volcanic lava
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Map of Santorini depicting the rim-shape of the volcano with water-filled caldera in the middle – courtesy of www.lonelyplanet.com
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Another view of Red Beach
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Notice the contrast of ash and basaltic deposits
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More ash deposits extending into the Aegean Sea
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Perched some 220 meters above the sea, views from Fira were amazing!  Note the layers of volcanic sediment in the cliffs.

Facts & Figures

—  The island of Santorini is a remnant of a volcanic caldera (or crater) formed from a massive eruption around 1650 B.C.

—  The name Santorini is derived from Saint Irene (Santa Irini) of Thessalonika who died there in 305 A.D.

—  Santorini’s climate and volcanic ash soil produce amazing vegetables; while in Santorini you MUST try their cherry tomatoes!


Travel Tips

—  We hired a private tour company called Santorini Road Trips for the 6 of us in a very new and comfortable, air-conditioned passenger van.  Our guide was a lovely gentlement called Cristos and we highly recommend him and Santorini Road Trips.  Cristos took us all around the island, found us a nice restaurant in Oia, snapped family photos for us, and gave us excellent information about the history and geology of the island.  He even stopped to get us a special bag of locally grown, delicious cherry tomatoes.  Money well spent!

—  August is a very busy time to visit Santorini; the crowds were mad!  But the views were worth it!

—  Currency used in Santorini is the Euro


If you are a world trekker like us and want to become more ‘worldly’, then you will want to try our books below.  Thanks to the former British Empire and current Commonwealth, the English language is widely spoken across the world, however it is spoken quite differently depending on where you are traveling.  We believe the books below are essential to worldly trekkers and think you will find them both fun and informative.  The books include a dictionary of everyday words and phrases, traditional cuisine, some history and culture, and other handy information.

Simply click on the book covers below to find out more:

Handy Guide - British   Handy Guide - Down Under


Romans 1:20  (New Living Translation – NLT)

20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Tags: #AegeanSea #CapeAkrotiri #cruiseport #Fira #Greece #MediterraneanSea #Oia #Santorini #sunset #travel #travelphotography
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If you think we are all speaking the same English language, then think again! This fun and handy guide will help you understand everyday words and phrases widely used in the UK, various UK foods and cuisine, pronunciation and spelling differences to American English, and other handy and fun facts about the United Kingdom. This guide is a must read for those who are traveling to the UK, watching British TV or movies, or when simply reading British literature. We hope you find it both fun and informative.

Happy Travels!  Cheers!

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