I woke up tired. I didn’t feel like going to Oia, a village in the northwest where houses spill down the slopes, with a good view of the crater. I decided I’d take it easy and skip Oia for now. Oia is better at sunset anyway.
After internetting in town, I returned with some bakery items for lunch. It was a quick turnaround to head to the Old Port.
Santorini’s Old Port is located at sea level of course. But we’re very high up on the crater rim. It was a long stepped walk downhill, jostling with donkeys (or mules?) that shared the track.
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- Donkeys at the top of the track that goes down to Old Port.
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- Donkeys near the top of the track that goes down to Old Port.
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- View from near the top of the track that goes down to Old Port.
At the port, I boarded a motorised sailing ship to the volcanic island of Nea Kameni. On that island, there was a track to the crater. It was a 20 min walk each way. The crater wasn’t much of a sight except that it’s the kind of thing you should see if you haven’t ever seen one!
I did the roundtrip in 1h and waited for the others by the ship. We set off at 1545 to a hot spring off Palea Kameni. Many people hopped into the cold sea and then swam into the thermal area.
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- The motorised sailing ship for my excursion.
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- Looking up from sea level to where I came down from.
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- Looking back at the whitewashed buildings of Santorini.
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- Volcanic island of Nea Kameni.
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- At the volcanic island of Nea Kameni.
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- Looking back at Santorini with its white buildings. Looks like snow-capped mountains.
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- Crater of Nea Kameni.
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- Swimming at a hot spring in the sea near Palea Kameni.
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- The motorised sailing ship for my excursion.
We were back at Old Port around 1700. For those not feeling like climbing up to the crater, the alternatives were a donkey or a cable car.
Back in my hood, I swam in the pension’s cool pool briefly before dinner. I washed down my tuna salad with beer which was EUR2 for 500ml whereas a soft drink was EUR1.50 for less. I received a complimentary ouzo afterwards; it tasted sweet with star anise at first sip but subsequent sips turned foul on me.
Back on dry land in Santorini.