Day trip from Crete to Santorini

After our mass tourism experience on our first trip, I have to admit that I had very little desire for another trip of this kind. However, we had booked both tours together, so there was no turning back. So we still visited the island of Santorini. Since we had no choice anyway, I tried to look forward to the trip. Besides, Santorini is supposed to be really beautiful, according to what you hear.

On to something new

So we were picked up by bus again as usual. This time we didn't have to drive so far, as we set off from the port of Rethymnon, which was not too far away. To get to Santorini, you have to take a three-hour ferry ride across the open sea. I advise anyone who is prone to seasickness not to do it. Maybe it would have worked out well with the travel tablets that I have discovered since then, but unfortunately I didn't have them back then. So the ride was quite a torture. As soon as the ferry set sail, I felt sick for the next three hours. No comparison to what would happen on the way back, but more on that later...

Land in sight!

After a good three hours, we finally saw the rocky landscape of Santorini. From here, we continued by a large tour bus, which drove us around the island. Although the tour guide entertained us with interesting facts about the island, I somehow felt like I was on a coffee tour...

Oia

The first stop was the artist town of Oia. This is the typical image of Santorini that you know. The most famous pictures of the island are created here. Rightly so, I must say! The city is simply beautiful. Everything is kept in white and blue, the floor is made of white marble, everything glimmers here! The view over the beautiful roofs to the sea and the volcano is breathtakingly beautiful.

Here we had about 1.5 hours to stay, which is really not enough to see the city in all its splendor. Together with my mother, I strolled through the alleys, past small churches, nice cafes, and cute houses. Along the way, we enjoyed the view. It's quite hot today, and only the constantly blowing wind allows us to tolerate the temperatures. Unfortunately, I'm not moving very fast with my injured knee. We come to a nice viewpoint, from which you have another wonderful view of the city and the sea. The fence there is adorned with locks from couples who have immortalized themselves up here.

We have only seen a fraction of everything here, and we already have to make our way back. We would have loved to stay longer here and have a cup of coffee at one of the nice-looking cafes. However, it was not possible given the short time.

Firastefania

So we got back on the bus and drove across the island to our next stop. The capital of the island, Firastefania. To get there, we had to walk a little bit. The path always led us directly along the sea, so there were enough beautiful photo opportunities along the way. However, the tour guide was quite fast, so we had to run here as well, rather than really enjoying our surroundings. We slowly approached our destination, from above you could already overlook the city. However, I had really trouble keeping up with the tour group. We fell further and further behind. Finally, we arrived in the capital and could stay there for a while. We also strolled through the alleys, admired the view, and took some photos. Later we had lunch there too. My mother had moussaka, I opted for souvlaki. The food was quite good, but we could have saved the money...why, you'll find out soon.

A long way back...

Here too, the time was again too short. The whole stay on the island was just not long enough for a day trip. In the afternoon, we drove back to the port, where the ferry was already waiting for us to take us back to Crete. I dreaded the journey back. And for good reason! The sea on the way back was simply terrible, so after a while, all passengers spent the trip only in the toilet. Including me and my mother. I'll spare you the details at this point, I can only say that these were the worst three hours of my life so far. I had never experienced anything like it. The three hours felt more like three days, but after an infinitely long horror trip, we finally arrived back in Crete in the evening. Pretty exhausted, but at least with solid ground under our feet, we stepped out onto the harbor. There we were taken back to the hotel.

Conclusion

The conclusion of the tour is basically similar to the previous tour: the destination is beautiful, but the implementation leaves something to be desired and there is simply not enough time to spend a relaxed day. However, I was so enthusiastic about Santorini that I would like to spend a few days here during a vacation. However, I would prefer to travel there by plane ;) I would not do this trip again in the same way. The long, arduous journey simply does not justify the short time you have on the spot. But at least I have discovered (once again) a new travel destination! :D