Temple of Poseidon Overlooks Aegean Sea

High atop a cliff ...

Temple of Poseidon

Departing from Central Athens, we journeyed by motorcoach Along The Attica Coast to Cape Sounion at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula. Sit back and relax as we take you on a virtual tour.

According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea.

The temple of Poseidon, god of the sea, was constructed circa 440 BC.  It stands over the ruins of another temple dating from the Archaic Period. Perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m, the temple has served as a landmark for sailors from ancient times through the present.  If you are awake as the ship approaches Athens, this is the first sight you'll see.

Local marble was used for the Temple of Poseidon's Doric columns.  During your visit you will be able to see 15 of the original 34 which survive today.

Doric columns stood directly on the flat pavement (the stylobate) of a temple without a base; their vertical shafts were fluted with 20 parallel concave grooves; and they were topped by a smooth capital that flared from the column to meet a square abacus at the intersection with the horizontal beam (entablature) that they carried.

The columns of the Temple of Poseidon were cut with only 16 flutings instead of the usual 20, which reduced the surface area exposed to the wind and sea water.

The setting is known to have inspired poet Lord Byron and if you look carefully at the columns, you will find his name chiseled into the marble, dating back to his first visit to Greece.  We weren't inspired to write any poems, but we were inspired to take photos, which can be seen in our album, Temple of Poseidon.

Returning to Star Princess, following our exploration of Cape Sounion, we ended our visit to Athens. Our next port of call was Katakolon (Olympia), Greece. Visit our blog post, Diary of Cruise with Chris to Greek Isles, for the entire virtual tour. There you will find links to our other blog posts as well as links to the photos.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Continuing Santorini Exploration in Fira

Welcome to Fira

The village of Fira, the capital of Santorini,  is known for its striking mix of Cycladic and Venetian architecture. The main square of Fira is "Plateia Theotokopoulou," a colorful meeting place. From here, one can easily walk to shops, jewelry stores and tavernas.  From here we could see our ship, Star Princess, anchored below in the Aegean Sea.

Fira is perched on the edge of an impressive cliff 260m high and offers a great panorama over the submerged volcano. It is made of many white painted houses in stepped streets with blue domed churches and sun-bathed verandas. 

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral is the first sight you see when entering the town of Fira.  The cathedral was built in 1827 and then rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1956. 

It is quite a striking building with rolling arches forming a courtyard. The arched design is mirrored in the impressive belltower above. The design is quite different from the churches we had seen in the village of Oia in the morning.

From the church we continued our stroll through the narrow lanes of Fira, passing white-washed buildings with splashes of color all around us.   Doorways open to the sea and frame our ship anchored below in the Aegean Sea.   Cafes hang over the cliff which offer their guests views of the volcano, the sea, and the rest of the village perched on the side of the steep cliff.  The views from Fira are amazing.

Getting to/from Fira & Tender Boats

There are two different tender points in Santorini.   One is for passengers on ship-sponsored shore excursions and the other is for independent guests.

Since we were on a Princess shore excursion, our motorcoach took us from our tender point to the winery, then Oia, and finally to Fira.   In Fira, we were on our own to explore at our leisure and return to the ship whenever we wanted to.  Once we were done, we needed to make our way back to the second tender point for return to the ship.

There are three options for getting between the tender boats and the town of Fira located on top of the cliff.   As you can see in the photo, some people decided to walk.   This is several hundred steps, so unless you are in good shape, and don't mind the walk, this wouldn't be your best choice.   Another option is by mule.   This is easier than walking but could be a little bumpy and smelly.   The final option is the cable car, which was complimentary for us since we were on a shore excursion.   The mule and cable car rides are the same for either one-way or round trip rides.   The cost currently is 3.5€ each way.

We explored the many shops and cafes on Fira and made our way to the cable car point.    We could have stayed there all day, just relaxing and looking out to sea, and enjoying the ever changing views.   Words just don't do justice to the scenery, so view our photo album, Village of Fira, on our Facebook Fan Page.

Entering our tender boat and sailing back to the ship, we had entered the live postcard of Santorini, Greece from a different perspective.  Once back onboard the ship, we would continue capturing postcard images of the entire island and surrounding area.   Santorini is a must see destination in the Mediterranean.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Village of Oia, Santorini Greece

Our Tour Continues

After concluding our visit at SantoWines Winery, we reboarded our motorcoach for the scenic ride to the Village of Oia. View our photo album, Drive to Oia - Santorini, to get an idea of the scenic countryside of this part of Santorini, Greece.

Arriving in Oia

Pronounced "Eee-ah," the village of Oia is perched high atop the cliffs of Santorini's northern terminus. Known for its quiet beauty and spectacular sunsets, this spot boasts superlative views of neighboring volcanoes.  Following our guide, we strolled through the narrow, cobblestone lanes, viewed the brilliantly whitewashed buildings, shops, sun-bathed cafés and blue-domed churches.

Church of Panagia of Platsani

Today Oia, as an Orthodox village, has the picturesque blue domed chapels, pristine white bell towers and volcanic stone trimmed church doorways dotted all along the caldera cliffs. Each chapel is of course named after the Saint it honors and was built by a local family, many to pray for the safe return of the seafaring members of the family.

There are two main churches in Oia that have a priest conducting weekly services. The Church of Panagia of Platsani is the principal church and located at the center of the village. It was built in the 1800's and maintained in perfect condition.

More than 70 churches, with the characteristic blue domes, dot the countryside of Oia.   The churches resulted due to the maritime life of its inhabitants.  Families would build churches in order to ensure that God would favor them with safe journeys on the sea.

In some cases, the parents and wives of the sailors and the captains  promised to erect a church to a saint so that their beloved ones would come back safely. Upon return from a dangerous voyage, the sailors and the captains also built churches honoring a saint that had kept them safe from bad weather or other dangerous situations.

Consequently, most of these churches are privately owned as they were inherited by the ancestors of each family. Family members were also buried at these churches.  They are typically closed to the public except for on the Saint's Name Day when a festival is held and everyone is invited to attend.

Postcards came to life as we continued our stroll through the village of Oia.  We had time to explore on our own, browsing for souvenirs, enjoying refreshments and marveling at the incredible views. The natural beauty and tranquility of Oia's landscape has inspired artists from around the world, and numerous galleries can be found nearby.

Photo Album:  Village of Oia

In the album above, which can be found on our Facebook Fan Page, we have shared some of our own postcard images captured as we continued our stroll from the center of the village, through the narrow cobblestone lanes, which lead us to the Kasteli (Castle) of Agios Nikolaos. From that vantage point you have excellent views of the volcano and all of the village. If we were still at the castle during sunset, we would be among the hordes of people that have gathered for a breathtaking view.   Our view from the ship was equally impressive.  

We'll share the rest of our day in Santorini in additional blog posts.   Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can follow the rest of our journey.   Also, become a fan (like) our Facebook Fan Page so that you'll be notified of additional stories and photo albums of our 12-Night Greek Isles & Mediterranean Cruise on Star Princess.    We hope you are enjoying your virtual journey thus far.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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SantoWines Santorini Greece

The Greek Isles

Day Six - we finally arrive at our first port of call in Greece. It is a beautiful day as our ship anchors off the coast of Santorini, Greece.

A catastrophic volcanic eruption that ravaged Santorini circa 1600 B.C. created a caldera - and one of the most dramatic land and seascapes in the entire Mediterranean. On Santorini, whitewashed buildings cling to vertiginous cliffs that plunge to a turquoise sea.

 Taste the Fruit of the Vine

This region is famous for world-class wines and unique vinification methods. Here you can visit some of the world's oldest vineyards and learn how the micro-climate and rich volcanic soil produces such a full-bodied bouquet.

We selected Princess Cruises tour, Oia, Fira & Winery, for our day in Santorini, Greece.   We met in the theater where we were then escorted to the waiting tender boat to take us ashore.   Once on land, we boarded a motorcoach for a ride through the villages enroute to SantoWines Winery, our first stop.   SantoWines Oenotourism center is situated on the top of the caldera cliff, with a magnificent view of Santorini volcano and the Aegean Sea.

SANTORINI VINSANTO NATURALLY SWEET WINE FROM SUN DRIED GRAPES 

Despite the early hour, the winery was hosting tastings of several of their products.   As with most tastings, there was a selection of  white, red, and their dessert wines.  Since we prefer sweet wines, we decided to skip the dry white and red and just sample the Vinsanto dessert wine.

Vinsanto wine consists of 75% Assyrtiko and 25% Aidani grapes. The grapes are sun dried for 8 –10 days, slow fermented for 2 – 3 months, and aged for at least 24 months in oak barrels.  Suggested Use:  Enjoy it as a dessert wine or accompany it with fresh fruit and light dessert.  This wine can only be purchased at the winery, so if you like it, take a bottle home with you.  Unfortunately, you'll have to pack it in your checked luggage, so keep that in mind.   Because of that reason, we decided not to purchase a bottle - hopefully we won't regret that later.

After enjoying our glass of wine, we had time to take in the scenic views of the volcano and Aegean Sea before reboarding our bus for the ride to Oia, our next stop.   See our photo album on Facebook: Santo Winery - Santorini

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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