The island of Santorini  has had a number of names throughout history - from Strongyle or "Round" to Thera in honor of an ancient hero. Santorini is more recent and stems from the island church dedicated to St. Irene - Santa Rini to foreign sailors.  This island was colonized by the Minoans in 3000 BC.  Santorini is still an active volcano (the same as Méthana, Mílos and Nísiros) and probably the only volcano in the world whose crater is in the sea.  Santorini came into existence as a result of intensive volcanic activity; twelve huge eruptions occurred, one every 20,000 years approximately, and each violent eruption caused the collapse of the volcano’s central part creating a large crater (caldera). The volcano, however, managed to recreate itself over and over again.  The last big eruption occurred 3,600 years ago (during the Minoan Age), when igneous material (mainly ash, pumice and lava stones) covered the three islands (Thíra, Thirassiá and Asproníssi). The eruption destroyed the thriving local prehistoric civilization, evidence of which was found during the excavations of a settlement at Akrotíri. The solid material and gases emerging from the volcano’s interior created a huge “vacuum” underneath, causing the collapse of the central part and the creation of an enormous “pot” – today’s Caldera – with a size of 8x4 km and a depth of up to 400m below sea level.The eruption of the submarine volcano Kolúmbo, located 6.5 km. NE of Santorini, on 27th September 1650, was actually the largest recorded in Eastern Mediterranean during the past millennium! The most recent volcanic activity on the island occurred in 1950. Legend says that Santorini's cauldron may be hiding the lost city of Atlantis.
 
On Santorini, whitewashed buildings cling to dizzying cliffs that plunge to a turquoise sea with black sand beaches. Part of the Cyclades Archipelago, the three-island group consists of Santorini, Thirasia and uninhabited Aspronisi.
 
We boarded our bus to travel to the picturesque village of Oia (pronounced "Eee-ah") which is perched high atop the cliffs of Santorini's northern tip. We reached it via one of the most scary roads in the Cyclades. Known for its quiet beauty and spectacular sunsets, this spot boasts spectacular views of neighboring volcanoes. We strolled through the narrow, cobblestone lanes, viewed the brilliantly whitewashed buildings clinging to the cliff face with the skafta cave houses, shops, sun-bathed cafés and blue-domed churches. The natural beauty and tranquility of Oia's landscape has inspired artists from around the world, and numerous galleries can be found in the area. I've wanted to visit Santorini since I saw the movie "Summer Lovers" with Daryl Hannah. I'm sure this is where that movie was filmed.

Then it was off to a wine tasting at a local winery. We saw numerous villages and vineyards on our way there. The winery was located on the way up to Santorini's highest point, which is 2,000 feet above sea level. This highest point is known as the Mountain of the Prophet of Elijah. A 16th century monastery with the same name graces its peak. We  visited Santos Winery and sampled 3 wines - a red, a white and a dessert wine called Vinsanto, which has been bottled here since Venetian times. The grapes are dried in the sun to increase their sugar content, and the wine is matured in oak barrel diving to a distinctive, velvety palate. Wine making dates back as far as 1700 B.C.  Assyrtiko grapes are the leading variety grown, as they thrive in the rich, volcanic soil and microclimate. White wines produced here have an appealing citrus aroma and the dessert wines are barrel-aged for a minimum of two years, and are celebrated for their smooth palate and honey color.

Then on to the village of Fira, the capital of Santorini, known for its striking mix of Cycladic and Venetian architecture. It is 721 feet above sea level. The main square of Fira is "Plateia Theotokopoulou," a colorful meeting place. We walked through the streets seeing shops, jewelry stores and tavernas. When we'd had enough of exploring, we walked to the upper portion of town and caught the cable car ride back to port. Other ways back to the ship included a walk down steep steps or a donkey ride. We were told to avoid the donkey ride down as they are anxious to get back and go quite fast down the steep steps. We had been walking a good part of the day so decided the cable car was the way to go. 

We enjoyed just wandering around the lanes and stopping for bevvies and some local food for the rest of the afternoon. I LOVED Oia. It was much prettier, quaint and cleaner than Fira but it is a sleepy village with no night life to speak of. It is definitely a place I would come back to for a visit. My one disappointment was not seeing the famous black sand beaches.

We met our lively dinner companions in the restaurant and then took in the show which was a fabulous singer from Scotland. She not only had a great voice but was quite funny to boot.