Santorini [officially Thira]

Today we made the trip from Crete to Santorini via bus from the resort to a ferry that took us to the island.  I've seen photos of Santorini and heard stories from friends that have visited, but it's truly one of those places you have to experience for yourself to appreciate.  In Santorini, the water and sky are mirror images of one another from certain views, and I even caught a clear glimpse of the moon midday.

The panoramic view of the Santorini Caldera is truly B R E A T H T A K I N G.

Our tour guide rattled off a ton of facts about the island that can be found here.  At the beginning of the tour our guide told us we'd call our charter bus driver "Hero" by the end of the day.  I grabbed some images from Google that provide a visual to our journey up the mountain.

Today the road was jammed packed with Charter buses.  When two buses approach the curves at the same time, one has to back up [along with every vehicle behind it] in order for the other to make the turn.  We ran into traffic, were in jeopardy of missing the last ferry out, so our "Hero" flew back down this road to ensure we made it out!  This guy's driving is so impressive I had to give him a shoutout here.

One of the stops we made was at a winery that doubles as a museum.  Our guide turned on a machine to show it was still functional, even though it's hundreds of years old and not currently in use. We tasted 3 of the traditional wines of Santorini, accompanied by cheese, bread and a tomato based sauce with capers.

We stopped at various locations to get photos, do some shopping and eat.  Today was a very long but equally rewarding day! I'd definitely like to return and spend at least 3 days in Santorini. Below are photos from today.  [I'm not patient enough to upload videos using the resort wifi]