Hopefully he has pushed the issue enough and it should appear in tomorrows daily times...for tomorrow evening... if not he will be very fed up ( thats being polite)....
Meanwhile we continue to cruise along...
Todays Port was the island of Santorini.
We were excited about this stop - especially when disembarking required a tender into the quayside and a cable car up the cliff.
Its a spectaculary pretty place. From the sea the cliffs tower up and the houses all along the top look like snow, or icing. The cliffs themselves are very striated with different rocks and the colours just continue the cake theme. There are a lot of overhangs...not sure how safe some of the buildings,are!
The (rip off priced ) cable car is the quickest and easiest way to the town of Thira. Currently it's the only way as the steps are closed due to needing repair - but I have to say I didn't really want to climb 600 steps in The heat of the day. The other option is a donkey - although because the path was closed there were no sign of any donkeys - but more importantly there are signs around the town saying please don't use the donkeys because it's an animal welfare issue. Other people have said don't use donkeys because then you smell of donkey all day.
Once up there you can elbow your way though the crowds and explore loads of overpriced gift shops. Oh dear...am I sounding cynical... I recognise we are just as much part of the tourist problem as the next person but I think its been so long since Dr Fred and I visited such popular places we have forgotton what they can be like on a glorious sunny day.
There were 3 cruise ships in the harbour - these islands must rely heavily on tourists - I cant see what else they could do - the land is volcanic and mostly not fit for farming - fishing would be an option.... but there is little industry other than building new apartment blocks for more tourists.
We walked a good way out of the main town (looking for rocks surprise surprise) and soon found ourselves in one huge long building site. All the houses we past up till that point were apartments for rent - I'm guessing the bar, cleaning, touring, bus drivers, staff live somewhere but I don't know if it the pretty bit.
The streets were clean but the gullys and out of town were just rubbish dumps - didn't quite go with the gleaming white and blue images generally associatrd with Santorini.
Eventually we found a viewpoint - much quieter until the bus loads appeared for photo opportunities.
We stopped off in the main church - ornate and churchy..
Santorini didn't delight as much as I had hoped it would although it was what I thought it might be, superficially pretty, expensive and very popular. A day out was plenty and enjoyable, its an interesting place and has fabulous views - should we ever come again I think its a car or boat hire and an explore of some of the lesser known areas - if there are any!
Back on the ship I almost succumbed to be in an old person sleeping on the deck with my mouth open but ended up back at the 'bubble and speak' again drinking free fizz and pretending I knew about wines🤣🤣. To be fair the chap that runs thesw sessions is very entertaining. He was telling us all about the different wine glasses you need for different wines - impossible to remember🤣 but interesting nonetheless.... and while there are some apparently knowledgeable people there I think most people are there just for the free cava 😀
After our evening meal we sat in our favorite spot on the back of the ship. Thira looked very pretty as it got dark - sparkling lights on top of the cliffs, very scenic. We sat drinking wine and chatting with a couple of other guest speakers who have the most amazing life style. They split their time between lecturing on cruises and house sitting. For over 20 years they have not had a permanent base. It sounds fascinating but at the same time induces a kind of anxiety about not having my own bed.....
Tomorrow Crete....
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