Movement at the hearing. Welcome to the island of Santorini!
course visit the island of Santorini is a special chapter on the trip to Crete. And not even because that this island is one of naiperveyshih places in a long list of attractions in Greece, but because this place is special. Very difficult to describe the feelings and impressions that fills this trip.
will try to organize their thoughts and deal with technical descriptions of the trip.
There are several ways to visit this island, and they are all at the discretion of each traveler, depending on the goals each has set itself, choosing Seen Island. The most common and probably the cheapest - it's one-day excursion to the island of Crete. The ferry goes to Santorini from Heraklion every day and twice a week from Retemno. Journey time takes 2.5 hours to 3, depending on weather and sea conditions.
day tour includes a shuttle to the ferry from the hotel, the ferry to Santorini and back, a collective visit to the two towns of Oia and Fira, the island's two main cities, and in addition to that offered Additional options: swimming at the beach, walk around the volcano, or extra time in the city of Fira. The ferry will start in the 9 o'clock, the time of departure back from the island at approximately 18:30.
cost of such a day trip ranges from 130 to 150 euros, depending on the tour operator conducting the tour. This type of visit to the island provides an opportunity to review briefly the main attractions of the island and actually spend about 6 hours by ferry or catamaran. Language guided tours available in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. Sami excursions are good, but the time for individual inspection of the island are left.
There is an option visit the island on an individual basis, it is necessary buy a ticket on the ferry, the price of which varies from 80 to 90 euros, and as I said, the ferry goes from Heraklion every day and twice a week from Rethymno.
on the island have the opportunity to take the hotel and need to rent a car to be able to move around the island. In addition, on the island, there are Additional cruises on the yacht of the volcano and swimming in the bays. If you refuse to rent a car, it can be on a bus to get to town from the port of Oia or climb on a cable car to the city of Fira.
For the first time I choose the best option for me to visit the island, taking a day trip and paying for it 137 euros. At 6:40 am at the entrance to the hotel I was expecting transportation for transfer to the port. Travel time took about 15 minutes. Our ferry leaves from the city Rethymno. At the port we were expecting about 30-40 minutes. During this time the port was filled with all sorts of tourists from different countries who traveled to the port of sorts ways. Most used the Transfer from the hotel, someone came by taxi.
It should be noted that the Russian tour in average cost of 15-20 euros more expensive What tours in English, German or French.
Each of us was given tickets for the ferry company's MEGA SEA JET, which conducted the tour of this day, and we slowly began to rise on the ferry. The people were very much, however, we failed to take all the seats on the ferry. I think that in the peak tourist season, this situation does not happen.
I must say that despite all the criticism that I have ever heard against the Greeks and their work, worked Manufactory flawlessly. The Greeks were very precautionary, fun and very caring towards all of this huge mass of tourists.
ferry or catamaran as it is called is really very comfortable having multiple open decks for fans to breathe fresh sea air.
The ferry run two cafes with not a very diverse menu, and with tourist prices.
After 3 hours, the ferry arrives at the port of Santorini. At the last stage of the journey is a wonderful opportunity to look at the island from afar, but in my opinion, it is better to do on the way back to the floor sunset light.
During the ferry us film was shown on the island of Santorini, were offered the options of additional excursions on the island of, tickets for which can be purchased during the journey there.
arrived on the island, we immediately move on a bus with guides who speak different languages. There were two Russian bus and one Polish-Lithuanian, who also belonged to the Russian.
We immediately went to the town of Oia, which is located at the opposite end of the island from the port. In Iyo we spent 1,5 hours, of which took about 30 minutes trip. Almost had to ignore an excursion, to be able to explore the city. Frankly, this is insanely low for this city. Oia, one of the most beautiful and famous cities of Santorini, famous for its white houses, churches with blue domes and, famous the whole world Santorini his indescribable beauty of sunsets.
If we talk about themselves impressions, then, despite all the machinations of the circumstances, to lack of time and huge crowds of tourists, I was able to inject himself in this city ..
Still, in the very first moment when I saw a blinding white buildings and famous churches with blue domes, I was breathless. Light, all-consuming light pierced me to the most of my innards, my whole being. The city itself is situated on a huge rock overhanging the sea, so when I went to the edge and found a combination of white buildings with amazing blue sea water, I almost left speechless by what he saw.
combinations of white buildings, blue, blue, somewhere barely pink, led me into raptures. The sun was shining very brightly, white light is reflected sunlight, creating a mirage, all wreathed in a fog, retaining only the outlines of small islands, snow-white buildings and bright blue sea with furrowing his sailboats somewhere far below.
I wandered through the small streets and peered in home, church, kolokolenki ... stare bird's-eye view at the bottom of the sailing sailboats, the outlines of the island and the Kameni volcanic island with the same volcano that once engulfed the entire first civilization of Crete.
I tried to breathe, but I did not, my breath stopped, my heart stagnated. I've never seen so many lights at the same time from anywhere.
The city is the old fortress on the ruins of which can go down and rise as it is on the level below the main promenade.
very harmonious and appropriate common ideology of design shops, restaurants and hotels.
There is a full sense of being in town, a fairy tale. I got the only one desire: to come here again to stay in this town for a few days and really taste all its charm.
terrace cafe, hanging over the sea from the height of the rock, creating a dizzying sensation unreality, romance, pastoral, and the eternity of conscious states commit themselves in the universe. I wanted to sit down, ordered a usual cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and sit motionless, not looking up from the sea.
Then we went to the town of Fira, which is considered the capital of the island of Santorini.
road lay the upper part of the island so that the windows of the bus can be considered the entire island from top to bottom: in the form of mill houses, blue sea and not yet occupied expanses of the island.
We drove into the city, and stopped a mile from downtown, where begins the main tourist thoroughfares of the city, passing again on top of the rock on which the city and running along the sea to the very center, to the cathedral in the Byzantine style.
From the mountain top spectacular views of the sea and the volcanic island that erupted the last time in 1954. There is actually two volcanic islands, one of which erupted in the past, killing so ancient civilization, and the second has erupted recently.
Passing along this path, we stopped to listen to our guide, and consider in more detail all the sights. Already in the town of Fira, is a variety of tourist shops with souvenirs, household goods and clothing made in Greece.
At 16:30 we were taken out of town and we went in a little cruise around the volcanic Island. Unfortunately, come to the surface of the volcano we were not given, but we had a unique opportunity to hour cruise to see the formation of lava on the colony gulls and shoot the most exciting pieces.
Here I want to add some photos from this trip:
I have called this photo "Parking bicycle. " In the background is an amazing city view of Oia
The white ship is a constant companion of all the tourists, as a feeling that he's always here. In fact, it is not so ..
In this photo you can see the amazing combination of white and blue. For Bell offers an unforgettable view over the Aegean Sea and small islands
Probably, the boat could be on the right most valued element snapshot of its natural blend into the overall landscape. This view opens from the top of the island, where the city of Fira, the capital of Santorini
This picture should re-establish a positive image of loneliness, which may be plunging into a deep dive into itself in order to dissolve in an atmosphere of heat and languor
an integral part of the local landscape is constantly drifting sailboats, creating an additional effect of romance on the already romantic island in the city of Oia.
Sailboats come over the horizon. First, there is little point, which merges with the horizon, which then begins to slowly grow and take shape, gradually increase typing speed. At exactly the moment when the eyes are already tired of the bright blinding sun, he suddenly rises and dissolves again in the haze, a blur
This staircase descends to the lower part of the town of Oia, leaving the right from a blue dome Santorinskih churches. Looking at this beauty involuntarily snimesh hat before the Lord, in deep reverence bowed before him, expressing his admiration for his unforgettable creation.
there at the top can be seen the silhouettes of houses of this city, a fairy tale. Lone pitcher, a reminder of old times zatersya between white elements Santorinskoy architecture
Greek noon.
It overlooks the beautiful cliffs
