This blog
brought to you by Judy, another guest aboard the Andrea Cay…
Change is an
inevitable part of life and no one knows that truth better than the people of
the Greek Isles. For centuries they have
seen many changes. Empires and conquerors
have come and gone and left traces of their individual cultures behind, but the
essence and vitality of the Greek people has endured. The strength and flavor of Greece has
survived it all.
On this
journey we have visited many of the Greek Islands and every island stop has
been similar in some ways and yet each has been as individual as a
fingerprint. We’ve explored caverns,
seen ruins, heard legends of love and betrayal.
We’ve met people who were born on an isle and have never left the family
home; staying to raise their children and their children’s children…an enduring
legacy of family continuity.
We’ve
unwillingly ridden donkeys up hundreds of feet of cliff faces, visited a small
winery, and driven hairpin-turn roads, often lost and disoriented. Unable to agree if the next turn should be
right or left, the one thing we can all agree on is that we have been totally
charmed by the Greek people who are so welcoming to strangers. Perhaps we are the new hoard of
invaders. And yet they still welcome us.
We spent two
days on the island of Santorini, certainly one of the most well-known and
beautiful of the Greek Isles. It’s
precariously perched at the rim of a volcanic caldera (the hole in the middle when
a volcano erupts and blows all the pressurized detritus out). When this volcano erupted thousands of years ago it created a tsunami
which devastated Crete. It also
resulted in the creation of a loose
circle of islands of which Santorini is the largest. To get to the towns of Fira in the middle of
the island or Oia at the north end, you must travel either by donkey or cable
car. We chose the donkey ride. This resulted in Sandy vowing to join PETA
both for the animal’s sake and so that she would never have to ride another
donkey. Truthfully, none of us is eager to ever again experience “the essence
of donkey” again.
The town of
Fira is the largest island town. It was
bustling with tourists. The streets were
maze-like and seemed to go in all directions with no evident plan. There
were many shops and varieties of wares for sale. A true market place
atmosphere. There were even several spa-like
fish pedicure places, but sadly, we ran out of time and did not get to
experience the fish foot-nibbling.
Oia was
another beautiful town which was accessible only by donkey or taxi. Our party was too early for the donkey
experience and chose to walk up the steps to the town. The coup of this adventure goes to Nancy and me. We managed to snag a brand new Mercedes tour
bus to take us up the long winding road to Oia while the rest of our party did
the donkey poop two-step on foot for almost 300 steps. While smaller in scale than Fira, we voted Oia
as one of the most picturesque places any of us has ever seen. The streets are smooth white marble – the houses
and buildings white-washed and trimmed in a vibrant blue color. There is a huge traditional Greek Orthodox Church
in the center of town and many outdoor restaurants placed just right for sunset
dining overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
While in Santorini, John, seeking patience to deal with his unruly
crew (us), entered an ancient church to pray for divine guidance. Upon entering the church, he found that it
had been converted into a bar. At this
point, John experienced a religious conversion of his own and we were all
forgiven for our tardy and focus-lacking way.
(We celebrated our redemption by joining him for yet another glass of wine.) 
(much to Sandy's disappointment)
Houses built into the sides of the hills
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