Sorry for the delay!
Our last full day on the Aegean cruise took us to the island of Crete, home of the ancient Minoan civilization, and to Santorini, most likely Greece's most recognizable island with its whitewashed houses, perched on the edge of a cliff.
Once we left the ship in Crete, our local guide took us past part of the city of Heraklion en route to the countryside, passing by the Knossos Palace, ruins of the ancient Minoan civilization. Once we arrived in the Peza Valley, we stopped at the Minos Winery for an introduction to the wine making history of the region and the products produced by the winery: red & white wines, as well as raki, a strong, anise-flavored alcoholic drink that's produced from the leftovers of the wine making process. Each family in the region has their own recipe and distills it according to tradition.
After our tasting, we continued on to another village for a show of traditional Cretan dancing. The road took us past the site of one of the oldest farmhouses in Crete, dating back over 5,000 years. Our guide walked us through the town of Archanes to a tavern that welcomed us with a glass of raki, some local herbal tea and a plate of Cretan treats. Once we (and several other tour buses) had settled into our seats, four local dancers introduced us to traditional dances and costumes. For a few of the dances, audience participation was encouraged and a few CETA travelers joined in. The show was a family affair - three of the four dancers were related and the announcer explained that the fourth dancer was "trying to be my son." We rushed back to our bus, which got us back to the port just in time to board our cruise for our last port of call: Santorini.
Around 3:00 in the afternoon, the cliffs of Santorini appeared in the distance, dotted with whitewashed houses and blue domed churches. The deck railings of the ship were lined with people getting their first dramatic glimpse of this volcanic island. Tender boats efficiently brought us to shore, where we departed for Oia, the iconic village perched at the northern tip of the island and carved into the volcanic caldera's rim. We had free time in Oia to explore the narrow (and tourist clogged) streets and admire the panoramic views of the entire island, as well as the caldera below. We returned to the ship just in time to catch the sun setting through the clouds. The late afternoon lighting made it feel as if we had all stepped into a picture postcard.
Tonight is our last night of the cruise, so we'll be busy packing our suitcases (so that they can be picked up overnight and delivered to the port terminal tomorrow morning) and enjoying another dinner of fabulous food. Tomorrow we return to Athens for our final day of touring Greece.
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