Santorini

The island of Santorini was originally circular but due to a massive volcano which blew the island to bits some 3,600 years ago it has now changed shape with the centre of the volcano forming the caldera which is now the sea with a large crescent shaped part and a couple of other small bits of land remaining.

At the time of this volcano there was a town in Akrotiri which was covered in pumice as a result of the lava mixing with sea water.

The entire town is an excavation site and has been covered by an enormous roof supported by pillars which go down through the pumice to rest on the solid rock below.

Walkways have been built around and through the "town" for the visitors to see the dwellings which have been unearthed.

The tour continued with a visit to the capital, Fira. 

Here we had a casual stroll along the very high coastal road through the town to the cable car to take us down to sea level to catch the shuttle boat back to the ship.

The town road was very busy as tourists from at least 2 cruise ships made their way to the cable car.

The caldera is incredibly deep so only very large cruise ships can anchor there.

That evening a meal with our new friends Maria Luisa and Ricardo from Argentina where we recounted the happenings of the day.