Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Santorini and Argostoli
A Mediterranean Cruise and Four Days in Ireland
Introduction
Planning
US Airways Business Class (Envoy) Philadelphia to Venice
Two Magical Days in Venice
Boscolo Venezia Hotel in Venice
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Introduction, Itinerary, and the Pinnacle Suite
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Katakolon and Athens
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Istanbul, Mitilini, and Kusadasi
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Santorini and Argostoli
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Sailing into Venice
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam: Cruise Review
Ryanair Economy Class Venice-Treviso to Dublin
Two Days in Dublin
The Aran Islands and Galway, Ireland
Driving the West Coast of County Clare, the Cliffs of Moher, and Bunratty Meadows B&B
Aer Lingus 757 Business Class Shannon to Boston
Join me as I chronicle my journey through the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas on our 12-night “Mediterranean Empires” cruise aboard Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam. The next few blog entries will detail the various ports of call we visited during the cruise…
May 10 – Santorini, Greece
We awoke early in the morning to witness the scenic entrance into the harbor near Fira, Santorini. It was beautiful, as we passed the gorgeous town of Oia before stopping in the caldera and natural harbor below the town of Fira. Since there is no pier, this is also a tender port, but we utilized the local Santorini tenders to take us to the base of the mountain. Here, one can either walk the over 900 steep steps up to the town of Fira, or they can spend €5 each way for a donkey ride up the steps or a tram up to the top. We opted for the tram to the top of Fira, where views were spectacular.
We then hired a cab to drive us to Oia. The drive to Oia was very scenic, but that was just warming us up for the town itself. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many, many places. However, the town of Oia, and the views from the white buildings with blue roofs was probably the most beautiful, picturesque place to which I have ever been.
Ever.
There is one main market street in Oia with dozens of cafes and lodges that overlook the caldera and Aegean Sea. The views are simply spectacular.
After a brief, 45-minute visit to Oia, our cab driver took us clear to the other side of the island to one of the black beaches, in Kamari. What we found here was a cute little beach town full of bars, restaurants, beach shops, and boutiques. The beaches themselves are black beaches – make up of volcanic rock. We ventured down to the water to dip our feet in the Aegean for the first time. Since the water was too cold to swim, we settled down at a café overlooking the beach for a beer before cabbing back to the town of Fira.
By the time we returned to Fira, the shops were setup in full swing, and my girlfriend enjoyed popping into the various boutiques. We met my Aunt and Uncle at a beautiful café that was perched on the cliff overlooking the caldera and our ship. After a couple of beers, we decided on a cheap, delicious gyro lunch from one of the many street food vendors in Fira. Sadly, we departed Santorini at 3:30, so we had to get back to the ship and didn’t get to witness a sunset from the famous setting of Oia. On the return, we decided to take the stairs. It as a relatively easy, twenty-minute descent, but you did need to move a lot to avoid the donkeys…. and donkey poop. At the bottom of the hill, we were walking past a herd of donkeys, when one decided to buck, and kicked me right in the shin. Luckily, it didn’t kick much higher, but nonetheless, I was the recipient of a nice bruise on my shin. It could have been much worse, I suppose.
Overall, Santorini was by far our favorite port of the cruise. I certainly plan to return to Santorini to spend several days in the future.
May 11 – Argostoli, Cephalonia, Greece
We had a late arrival in Argostoli – the largest city on the Ionian island of Cephalonia. Unfortunately, our short time in port of only 4.5 hours did not leave us enough time to explore one of the famous beaches or caverns of Cephalonia. Luckily, the town was pleasant enough. We didn’t do much at all in Argostoli, other than exploring the town, shopping, and having a few beers. We did stop for a snack of fried feta and tzatziki at a restaurant about two blocks to the west of the pier before we went back onboard.
I’d love to visit Cephalonia in the future, and I’d certainly suggest for the cruise lines to spend considerably more time on the island, as the island itself has the potential to be an absolute highlight of the itinerary.
Next stop: Venice (again)…
