@ KarenWoo: I’m so glad you are enjoying my report! I’m envious of you for having been able to walk within the Parthenon; but mostly, I’m just glad that I got to see it close up, even if from outside the ropes. I didn’t visit that many islands – Crete, Santorini, Naxos, a few hours on Mykonos. Each has some elements that I found delightful, but I’m not particularly fond of fighting my way through masses of other tourists, so I enjoyed Crete and Naxos more than Santorini or Mykonos. I have now finished the section of my report on Crete, and expect to cover my experiences on the other three islands in the next few days. Maybe you’ll find some information that proves of use to you….

@ joannyc: Thanks for the encouragement! It is appreciated. :-)

Wow I am very impressed at your detailed tours of Heraklion. Am ashamed to admit you saw more in your stay there than I have, having lived on the island for 12 years!! Peskesi - I found that last month, what a fabulous restaurant. I don't think many of the places that try to do modernised, more upmarket versions of ancient Cretan recipes are very successful, but Peskesi proved to be an exception.

Am truly enjoying your report, as I'm considering a return trip to Greece in the near future. I went to there almost 20 years ago (wow time flies!) and it keeps calling me back. I feel like I 'should' try new destinations but,as corny as it sounds, I had the sense of coming home while in Greece. Hard to explain, you've most likely experienced it at some point in your travels.

My traveling style is quite different now, much more laid back than my first visit which took me to Athens, the Pelopponese, Crete and Santorini. I agree with your Santorini assessment. I went in late September as I said 20 years ago, and there were still a substantial number of people there. I can only imagine what it's like now. Glad I saw the place, but don't need to return.

Now I've got my eye on Naxos because it seems to have it all, IMHO, ancient sites, diverse architecture, landscapes, nature, a few good museums. Leisurely exploring/walking are my thing now. Those days of laying on a beach and partying into the wee hours are over! Glad of it really. Also, if possible I like to park it in one place and there's certainly enough on Naxos to keep me busy. The only trip off the island I'd take is, like you, to Delos. I could skip Mykonos, but from what I understand you have to do Delos AND Mykonos because of how the ferries run or something like that. Maybe you can shed some light on this.

Really looking forward to the next installment of your report. Thanks!

Heraklion sounds like a great place to base, linger, and take some day trips. Looking forward to read about your time on the other islands.

Kja I hope you don't mind my stepping in to answer Tralfaz question.
From Naxos there are two excursion boats that do day trips to Santorini, the little Cyclades Islands and to Delos and Mykonos. The boats are not ferries but rather large excursion boats with total capacity around 200 people.

On the Delos trip the boats depart Naxos around 8:30 and make a stop in Paros to pick up additional passages then sail on to Delos for a three hour stop. It then continues on to Mykonos for another 3 hour stop. Then it returns to Paros and on to Naxos. Its abut a 10 hour day and costs just over 50 euros last time I took it.

While I am no fan of all the hype about Mykonos and its high end reputation the main town is lovely and you can easily spend those three hours getting lost in the back alleys.
Here is what it is like.
Day trip Delos and Mykonos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7637922138466/

@jwugg: Peskesi is fabulous, isn’t it? :-) Perhaps like you, I’m always surprised by what people who visit my neck of the woods manage to see when they are here – somehow, it seems hard to take advantage of the opportunities in one’s own region in the face of work and life….

@ Tralfaz: I’m glad to know that you are enjoying my report! From what you are saying, I think a visit to Naxos is well worth considering – it really does offer a lot. I hope to post about that island in the next few days. And Delos is worth visiting, even if one must stop in Mykonos to do so from Naxos! stanbr has kindly already given you more info about that…

@ tripplanner: I enjoyed Heraklion – I thought it had a very pleasant laid-back liveliness about it.

@ stanbr: Thanks for stepping in to answer Tralfaz! Your description matches my experience.

stanbr: Beautiful photos and thanks for the transport info on Delos/Mykonos. I guess I can 'stand' Mykonons for a few hours! Do you happen to know the name of the company, or companies, who makes this trip?

@ Tralfaz: I don’t think you need to worry too much about the company name – the dock area in Naxos is small and your hotel will likely know your options. I got my ticket the night before the excursion at ZAS Travel on Protopapadaki near the causeway to Palatia Island.

Before moving on, let me say how much I appreciate the encouragement from so many of you! When I log on each day, it is a delight to find that one or more of you has commented – thank you so much for sharing my journey! I welcome vicarious traveling companions, and love hearing that you are out there. :-)


<b><u>Santorini</b></u>

Day 8

Boarding my flight to Santorini carried an unexpected challenge: The under-clothes pouch I was using for my spare credit cards caused me to “fail” my walk through the X-ray machine.
• It was a GOOD under-clothing pouch – which meant that I could NOT access it without displaying more of me than anyone would have wanted. :-(
• Two women escorted me to a room that I believe was their break room, where I had to strip far enough to access that pouch.
• With clothes back on, my pouch and I went back through the screening, my pouch in a bin, me through the X-ray machine.
• And then back to the break room to don the pouch again and then an escort through the screening point….
• Note to self: Do NOT put spare credit cards in an under-clothes passport pouch!!!


My flight to Santorini was otherwise uneventful, although I must admit that
• I'd never been on a flight that was delayed because there was no room for the airplane at its destination. Made sense, though!
• Fortunately, the delay was brief -- just a quarter of an hour or so.
• Upon arrival in <b>Santorini</b>, I found that a corner of my suitcase had been bashed in.
• I took pictures, but quickly realized that there was nothing breakable inside, and that my best course of action would probably be to deal with it later. Time to move on!
• (Fortunately, no damage was done and I was able to "pop" the corner out later.).

As promised by the car rental agency -- <b>Spiradakis</b> -- with which I had booked well in advance, I was met at the airport.
• My greeter was friendly and spoke English well. We soon reached Fira, and a truly nightmarish hour. See my post of June 25, 2017 @ 11:53 p.m. on
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m#last-comment
• For now, let me note that the two things that bothered me MOST were (1) falsehoods and false promises that “cost” me about 4 hours of my very limited time on Santorini and (2) the loud raging tirade in which I was accused of being the classic example of a rude American, all because I wanted to use my credit card to cover the charge (and so avoid the need to purchase separate CDW insurance).
• Suffice it to say that I will <b>never</b> recommend renting a car from Spiradakis.

Because my luggage was in an exposed compartment (contrary to expectation), I chose to go to my apartment in Firostefani before doing anything else.
• That proved stressful, as parking was not available at the lot I had targeted, and
• I ended up in Imerovigli -- and beyond! -- before I found a way to turn around safely.
• After several circuits, round and round, trying to figure out where I was and where to park,
• I did, eventually, find a parking space and,
• leaving my suitcase exposed, I managed to find my lodging -- the <b>Smaro Studios</b> -- with surprising ease.
• I wasn't expected so early, and so it took a while to check in and for my hostess to summon a porter.
• OMG, those porters are awesome!
• And OMG, the views of the caldera, and white buildings cascading toward it, are truly as advertised! :-)

Well aware that places I wanted to see would be closing, I left ASAP,
• drove back to Fira, and eventually found parking -- not an easy matter!
• I located the office at which I could exchange my voucher for a ferry the next day for an actual ticket – whew! I didn’t want to miss that bit of business. The woman was very particular to ensure that I knew to go to the NEW port.

Fortunately, it was only steps to the small, but exquisite, <b>Museum of Prehistoric Thira</b>. What a gem!
• With its truly stunning artifacts from Akrotiri, including some
• absolutely breathtaking wall paintings that were in remarkably well preserved conditions.
• I began to unwind from the stresses that had marked this day so far. :-)

And so back into the fray!
• I had hoped to make it to the Archeological Museum of Thera before it closed; no such luck. Instead, I encountered the things I like least about major tourist destinations:
• throngs of slow-moving tourists who fill every bit of usable space on
• Narrow lanes lined with shops selling souvenirs or trashy schlock or high-end, but seriously overpriced, merchandise.
• Drunken people stumbling and lurching from person to person like balls on a pinball table and
• Hawkers who, paying no mind to the passers by, shout loudly right into one's ear.
• I moved as quickly as I could, and
• after missing my turn off and beginning the path out of Fira, enjoyed some stunning views before
• Turning back and confirming that I was (as I thought) much too late.
• I was a bit disappointed – but just a bit. By the time I left the first museum, I couldn’t imagine reaching this one in time.

But I believed I still had time for Akrotiri, so I
• reclaimed my car and
• followed signs right up until I came to an unsigned intersection, just a kilometer or so outside of Fira.
• Of course, I had my new GPS maps on my TomTom :-) -- which was safely tucked into my overnight bag, back in Firostefani. :-( Argh!
• But, I thought: how hard could it be? I have a map!
• And with that map, I easily figured out what to do at that intersection.
• Unfortunately, I was to learn that it was NOT a <b>good</b> map.
• I met many very helpful people that afternoon! ;-)

I'm happy to say that I did reach <b>Akrotiri</b> in plenty of time for a leisurely visit.
• I do not usually hire guides, but had decided in advance that I did want a guide here. Unfortunately, none were available. I think a guide would have been beneficial, as the signage was informative, but limited.
• Even so, I thought Akrotiri exceptional!
• I particularly appreciated having a sense of what seemed to me to be the small scale of the rooms.
• And I was intrigued by the ways they found to being light into their homes and workshops.
• What an awesome culture! And what fascinating similarities to, and differences from, the Minoan sites (of a similar age) that I had just seen on Crete.
• (Was Akrotiri Minoan? I’ve read that there is some controversy about that….)

Very glad to have seen this exceptional and unusual site, I decided that I still had time to drive to Oia and walk around there just ever so briefly before returning to my apartment for sunset.
• Driving, driving, following signs, driving...
• When I saw a sign for Oia that directed me to the outer coast, I thought, that's odd, but hey, the main ridge drive is VERY busy – chaotically so at times. Another route could be very welcome! And IME, road signs rarely tell lies, so off I went.
• There were, of course, plenty of challenging moments as the street wended through towns built when donkeys and ones' own feet were the predominant mode of transportation, but I kept seeing signs for Oia.
• I remained optimistic, even when what I saw before me was a long stretch of unpaved road, seemingly awaiting pavement, but apparently connecting to a paved road ahead....
• I paused, and at that moment, another vehicle came down the road I had been on and took that unpaved stretch with the confidence of a local!
• So, driving slowly, I crept ahead and
• Reached a turnoff to a beach and what otherwise seemed a cul-de-sac.
• Argh!

Maybe I could have gotten to Oia from there; I don't know, but I thought a direct route unlikely. What I did know was that
• I was tired, and
• I was tired of driving.
• And even if I reached Oia, I was unlikely to do so with enough time to walk around and still return to my apartment before sunset.
• Sigh.

I returned to Firostefani, and after circling a bit more than I would have liked,
• finally found a parking space.
• I took the opportunity to walk around Firostefani. What a delight! It might not be Oia (I don't know -- I didn't get to Oia!), but I enjoyed what I saw:
• A brief glimpse into a pleasantly bright little church, where a service was underway; and
• Narrow white walkways between whitewashed buildings with windows or doors or a bit of blue paint or a plant to break the visual space; and
• A small terrace offereing panoramic and iconic views of white buildings, some with blue trims, and many with plants or shrubs, arrayed across the ridge and down toward the awesome caldera. Soooo nice!
• I bought a bottle of Santorini white and went to my apartment, and my private balcony.

Oh, how I loved my balcony!
• It was astonishingly windy that evening, but the
• views over the caldera were stunning, with the central island and far break in the caldera walls nicely arrayed in my visual field. :-)
• It was still some time before sunset, and although there was a heavy cloud cover, there was enough of a break in the clouds to allow the sun's rays to shine through at a glorious angle,
• Bringing the chop of the water's surface into focus and
• Creating dramatic contrasts in the colors of the sky and sea and
• Emphasizing the seemingly infinite array of bands of color in the caldera walls, and
• Illuminating the cascade of Cycladic buildings tumbling down from the caldera’s ridge.
• Oh, what a view!!!

I went to my apartment briefly to ready for dinner, and when I returned, perhaps 15 or 20 minutes later,
• the hole in the clouds had closed.
• All was overcast, and the winds were brutal.
• I huddled in the most protected corner of my balcony and am glad I stayed out there:
• Although the sunset itself was not visible,
• the views, and the shifting patterns of light and dark, were fascinating nonetheless!

It was just a short walk to <b>Aktaion</b>, where I ate a reasonably good dinner (although the service could have been better).
• And then back to my balcony for some last windy glimpses of lights tumbling down the caldera walls into
• Waters that offered just the slightest of glimmers of reflected light.
• In the middle distance, the lights of buildings edged the far reaches of the island and marked the gap into the distant sea.
• I am one very lucky person to see these things!


<u>Day 9</u>

After a delicious breakfast, served to me on my balcony,
• I appreciated the help of one of Santorini's amazingly strong porters and
• Drove to Fira, where I returned my vehicle -- as instructed -- to the Spiridakis office. After a pointedly careful inspection of the car,
• I was driven to the port, arriving well more than two hours before my scheduled ferry.
• As noted in my post about Spiradakis, although they told me that I absolutely HAD to be to the port at least 2 hours before my ferry, that was complete malarkey:
• I gave up my chance to walk a bit of the ridge for an utterly unnecessary "opportunity" to spend more than 2 hours along an uninteresting row of overpriced and overcrowded cafes. Growl.

As the time for my ferry arrived and passed, with no posted information and only rapidly spoken Greek messages,
• I remembered the woman at the ticket office who had been so clear in stating that I must go to the NEW port.
• OMG, have I just spent 2 boring hours at the wrong port??? As I was trying to find the answer, my late ferry arrived. Relief!

The ferry trip was, I thought, largely uninteresting. I
• treasured the views as we left Santorini, but didn't see much to keep me on deck after that.
• Forewarned by other Fodorites, I knew to leave my main suitcase near the ferry's mouth. I also knew to be prepared to debark rapidly once at my destination, so I carefully skipped the first luggage rack (which I correctly assumed would end up as a heaped mass of baggage) and instead picked a back corner of the next luggage rack.
• If any of you are thinking, "uh oh," let me say, good job, astute reader! The first rack was, as I expected, piled with luggage, but so was "my" little corner. Oh no!
• I grabbed a young, strong steward's arm and pointed. He moved large, heavy bags aside as easily as if shuffling though papers and then politely handed my suitcase to me.
• And so I arrived in Naxos.


Next up: my time on Naxos

Surprised you had difficulty with the X-ray machine. I have learned not to wear a money belt through the TSA's strip search machines, but don't usually have trouble with X-ray machines.

I feel a little breathless after reading your Santorino visit, but glad you had such a good hotel viewpoint.

The caldera views you describe sound amazing and well worth the visit to Santorini to experience it, although the crowds do not seem appealing at all. When I visit Greece, I hope to include Santorini, although perhaps in the off season when it isn't as crowded.

You did and you didn't miss something in not seeing Oia. It has the iconic views, but as well as being miserably stuffed with tourists, especially cruisers during the day, it's very sleek and polished (once upon a time it was rustic and charming). It also doesn't seem like anyone really lives there any more - it's all hotels, restaurants and shops. I took a lot of photos, which I'm glad to have, but I won't be returning.

Following along...I must admit as I read your account that perhaps the reason we are so brave to drive everywhere we go in Europe, it's probably because there are two of us to deal with the maps, wrong turns, poor signage etc.

On my own, I don't think I would find the experience so pleasant. So, I have to agree with thursdaysd you ARE brave indeed.

Thanks for the lovely descriptions of the views. I really cherish those moments too.

@ thursdaysd: I was surprised by the X-ray machine response, too – obviously, or I wouldn’t have tried it! I wondered if the problem was the number of cards with new chip technology, or just the number of cards, or the sensitivity of the machine and judgment of the human scanner…. Despite the challenges of my time on Santorini, my balcony was perfect! And I thank our fellow Fodorite, brotherleelove, for helping me nail down a place with such a great view – it was awesome!

@ tripplanner: Santorini was both wonderful and awful! I can’t imagine having planned a month-long trip to Greece that did NOT include it, and I would do so again! But there are some decided downsides, IMO. I would encourage you (and others) to plan accordingly!

@ artsnletters: Thanks for the reassurance about Oia! I would (I think) have liked to see it and its iconic views, but in the end, I think I came close enough, given the choices I faced. Ultimately, I’m just glad I saw what I did see! BTW, I thought of you while on Delos (coming up), and I can’t think of you without thinking of the Scruffman, and of your entertaining chronicles of his journey, which ALWAYS brought a smile to my face. :-)

@ sundriedtopepo: I’m very glad to hear that you are enjoying my descriptions of the views, but honestly, you are too kind! Quite unlike the pre-GPS days (when driving solo really was a challenge!), driving with a GPS is, IME, not generally a problem. I bought my TomTom specifically so I could drive when abroad on solo trips, and despite an occasional quirk, it has served me well and given me the option to visit some places that I would not have been able to easily see without a car. The biggest problem that I’ve encountered is that there are sometimes crazies on the road – and that could happen no matter how many people are in the car! I admit that driving has a lot of disadvantages. For example, I have only a limited ability to appreciate the views -- and of course, it is often the case that the better the views, the more important it is that I ignore them and keep my eyes on the road! And I can’t (don’t) drive after consuming alcohol unless all I’ve done is sip & spit, and then walked and had juice or coffee and a bite to eat afterwards. Yes, I get lost sometimes, but that happens, right? It even happens when I’m on foot! And if lost, at least I don’t have to worry about whether someone might blame me, or whether someone might think I am blaming him/her…. Really, it is a selfish thing. That said, I still appreciate your kind words -- thanks!

In answer to your question about Akrotiri, what little I do know, it is thought to have been colonized by the Minoans around 3000 BC. But at some point, can't remember when, the Dorians took over so ancient Thira is a Dorian town. Wish I could provide more info, hopefully someone will elaborate.


Sorry to hear about your nightmare car rental experience. As you said it was totally unnecessary and extremely unpleasant on top of it all. The tough part is shaking it off so you can enjoy the rest of your trip and appreciate the good stuff, which you certainly did.

Santorini was a real mixed bag for me. It IS jaw-droppingly beautiful and why so many folks flock there. I stayed in Oia, but like I said almost 20 years ago and it was well on its way to cheesiness way back then. I had no plans to return and after hearing your description I surely won't!

Well, I did a six week trip to Greece without visiting Santorini... A lot of mainland, Crete, Rhodes and Kos. Would probably try to include it if I make it back to Greece and concentrated more on islands, but I am not too upset about missing it because I had a wonderful time elsewhere in Greece. And I hate crowds!

What a journey you are having. Sounds like Santorini is even worse than our last visit 6 years or so ago. Our first trip Oia was a tiny village with very little to offer other than gorgeous views. It was shocking to return so many years later to a fully developed town with cruise ships arriving regularly. It's always a struggle for me to decide if I want to visit these overly tourist places for whatever it is to offer.

Looking forward to Naxos which I hope has not turned into another tourist jungle.

You saw so much! I really enjoy reading your trip report.

I have been to Thira 3 times and still have not had time to make to the museum. But the Minoan civilization fascinates me (loved Knossos) and since there are so many similarities, you convinced me to stop and make a effort next time.

I stay in Oia, on the caldera and get up early in the morning. During the hours of 6am-10am, there are only a few locals, no tours. I explore the little streets without the crowds. There use to be a small path to go swimming, but after a landslide, it does not exist anymore.

One of my favorite wandering hikes is the old donkey path from Oia to Fira. The views are spectacular.

I avoid Fira at all cost.

There is a direct flight to Vienna from Thira and it usually suits my purpose.

kja, Thanks so much for this report. I've also have been silently following along with interest and enjoyment.

My wife and I were planning to go to Greece this fall, but for various good reasons we are putting it off until next year.

Our dilemma is we'd prefer avoid the car rental stress and hassle, but we want to get to places that are easiest reached by car.

One solution could be to use a tour agency to book transportation to our main destinations, then leave us alone until it's time to move again. Some Googling turns up quite a few agencies that might do this. Any thoughts on this strategy? [Perhaps I should start a new thread with this question.]

In any case thanks again for your report! In particular looking forward to your impressions of Athens, Delphi and the Peloponnese.

Thanks for the very useful and enjoyable trip report.

Will make sure to read carefully with DW again before we get to Tesaloniki as we hope to sometime soon.