The ship had anchored off the coast of Santorini by the time we got up this morning. I picked up a ticket for us to ride a boat from the ship to the shore, leaving at 9:10am. It was a scramble, but we made it. Then we stood in line for about 30 minutes to ride a cable car up the steep hill to the town of Fira, perched on the top of the cliff.
The temperature was already rising and it took us a little while to find the bus stop (we were approached by a couple of men trying to persuade us to take their minibuses instead) but we were grateful to finally have a nice, air-conditioned ride to Oia.
In Oia we wandered the main street, taking photos of the blue and white buildings clinging to the side of the mountain. It was very picturesque. Kent, Anna, and Elizabeth tried something new. It was a form of foot massage, done by placing your feet in a tank of kissing fish. The fish take off the dead skin on your feet. It was quite the sight to see them lined up with their feet in water tanks and covered in tiny fish!
We took the bus back to Fira and had a gelato before descending to the dock. Kent and I wanted to try walking back. The girls opted to use the cable car. We left them in line and set off. It was quite the experience! The heat was hard on everyone, but we passed several elderly people who were really struggling. The donkeys were stinky and thought they ruled the path. It wasn’t an easy walk (587 steps) but I’m really glad we did it.
Unfortunately, when we arrived back at our room, there was no sign of the girls. Kent and I were both a bit worried because their return should have been faster than ours. They finally arrived 30 minutes later and announced that they NEVER wanted to go to Santorini again! Apparently, they stood in line for the cable car in the heat for 45 minutes only to be told that it had broken down. Everyone in the line was forced to walk down and they moved en mass to the steep trail. Anna and Elizabeth could barely move for people. I’m pretty sure Elizabeth had mild heat stoke by the time they finally made it back. My first reaction when they returned was relief. My second was a fit of the giggles as Elizabeth dramatically recounted her horrendous experience (*note to Naini and Taid: Elizabeth’s dramatic prowess and humor remind me more and more of Sarah. Imagine Sarah recounting this tale and you’ll have a good idea of what it was like. ☺) I don’t think they’ll let us leave them on their own again!
These blogs are fabulous! I want you to know that when Jake and I traveled on the bus to Oia, I had to stand all the way there and on the way back - it was crowded! I smiled at the thought of all of you walking down the path and the donkeys forcing you to the side. You were much more adventurous that us - I saw the fish-feet tanks but decided that it was not for me!
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Yes, the donkeys brought a smile to my face, too. Ah, the memories of those stinky, pushy beasts!
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