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Yes, although there aren't as many blue topped buildings as you are led to believe in the travel brochures, Santorini is still a sight to behold.
The island cliffs were formed as a result of an enormous volcanic eruption which left a clearly defined crater shape with a small volcanic rock island in the middle.
The ships docked in the crater.... and there were lots of ships. There were three other cruise ships while we were there and ours was probably the smallest. There was a small army of tender vessels to ferry passengers to the island and once on the island there was the choice of either a walk, donkey ride or cable car up the very steep cliff to the top where all the villages are located. The buildings are all whitewashed and with the blue of the sea and the cliff faces it really is quite a stunning vista. No wonder tourists flock here.
After the cable car ride we meandered around taking in the jaw dropping view down to the moored ships in the crater and found a beautifully cool 'cantina' for some frozen Greek yoghurt and some refreshments. A local shopkeeper told us that that Aussies accounted for approx 80% of their sales at the moment. And even with a currently depressed European zone we could see why tourists would still come here.
We saw many quaint apartments and hotels with gorgeous views, small pools and terraced rooms clinging to the cliff face and it would be truly delightful to return for a longer stay one day. The narrow little walkways which connect them all are either paved, asphalted or cobbled with waist high concrete fences and these are shared with the donkey trains which we found to be quite obstinate (as were the drivers when we didn't want a ride back down) and they made it difficult for us to pass.
However all the whitewashed concrete in the villages reflected the heat making for a very warm day.
As well as the view, Santorini is apparently well known for it's jewelery and there are plenty of jewellery shops to support this.
We 'all aboarded' by 8.15pm and sailed on a course for Athens with the lights of Santorini disappearing behind us.
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