Dream came true - Santorini

Goodbye Heraklion, hello Santorini. As our ship sailed towards Santorini, our cruise director Cristina made the announcement and everybody scrambled to get a glimpse of the caldera that we were sailing into. I could tell that I wasn't the only one who was so excited about this island.

We transferred to a smaller boat and reached the port in Santorini slightly after 4pm, 12th Aug. The island has an area of 76 sq km with a coastline of 69km and 7500 in population. We boarded the coach as part of our land tour package but it did not set off till some 45mins later. I was feeling anxious as we need to be back at the port at 7.30pm and I wanted to see as much of the island as possible.

When the coach set off, we were given a visual treat of the Aegean sea as the coach slowly ascended the cliffs of Santorini. Our first stop was Oia (pronounced 'Ia'), a quiet town in the northern part of the island that offers spectacular views of the volcano of Palia and Nea Kameni and the island of Thirassia. Situated on top of an impressive cliff, Oia is a traditional village with charming whitewashed houses in narrow streets, blue domed churches and sun-bathed verandas. I fell in love with this place instantly.

Many shops and art galleries lined the narrow cobbled streets of Oia. Everything looks so appealing to me and I wish I could buy all of them. I wanted to bring home a piece of Santorini and simply couldn't resist the miniature churches and whitewashed houses (see video). Call it a blessing in disguise, I had wanted to purchase some souvenirs in one of the shops but was put off by the shop owner's bad attitude. I walked away only to find even better and cheaper souvenirs in another shop down the street.

Time flies when you're having a good time. We left the serene Oia and headed for Fira, the capital of Santorini. Perched above the caldera, Fira is a happening place where all the expensive hotels, hip bars and cafeterias are found. We were given only about half an hour in this picturesque town and that includes finding our way to the cable car station, which will bring us back to the port. Our guide told us that we have three options to get to the port - 1. by cable car (3-5mins), 2. by donkey ride (20min) and 3. walk down (30min). Since we were pressed for time, cable car was the only option.

The way to the cable car station was much farther than we thought. We were torn between taking pictures of the spectaular sunset at Fira and finding our way to the cable car station. I was the one figuring out the direction while the rest take pictures. It was a long uphill walk with many steps and my poor mom struggled to keep up with our pace. As I looked back to see where they are, I realised that I was right at the spot where many of the postcard shots were taken. I was awe-strucked by the beauty of sunset at Fira. The whitewashed houses at the cliffs have all been transformed into a glorious golden colour.

Eventually, we reached the cable car station at the eleventh hour and made it to the port at 7.29pm. With mixed feelings, I bade farewell to Santorini as the setting sun saw us off. I left my heart at Santorini....