Today, we boarded a tender just after 8 a.m, to the port of Athinios, then enjoyed a short ride through the caldera of Santorini. As Santorini suffered multiple eruptions of its volcano millions of years ago, we had to drive up a breathtaking winding street, to an elevation of 300 meters above sea level.

Lava and volcanic ashes once covered the island. Almost 3,700 years ago, this was the site of Akrotiri, one of the most important civilizations, which was eventually destroyed. Today, it is an amazing archaeological site.

As it was early in the morning and we wanted to avoid crowds of tourists at the archaeological sites, we decided to make our way to famous village of Oia. On our way, Sofia and Angelos, our cultural specialists, talked about the history of this unique island of the Aegean Sea. In this beautiful village, we practiced our photography skills and relaxed.

After Oia, we enjoyed a traditional lunch of mezedes in the scenic village of Pyrgos. Mezedes are appetizers, small starters that Greeks enjoy together as a meal, in place of main courses. They are always served family-style and shared with loved ones―in this case, our Sea Cloud family. Nektarios, the cook and the owner of the restaurant, offered us lot of local specialities, like the well-known Santorini favas and white eggplants.

Our cultural orientation continued with a visit to the Museum of Prehistoric Thera. The glamour of Santorini (or Thera, another name for the island) revealed itself in these unique collections. Some members decided to stay and relax at beautiful Fira, but almost everybody visited Akrotiri, the excavation site dug from the ash layers. Ancient settlers had plenty of time to evacuate this place before the volcanic eruption of 1628 B.C.E. They left also some valuables behind, thinking that they would return one day!

Around half past 6 p.m., we were back at Sea Cloud.  After some coffee, we sailed out from the caldera, enjoying unique views of Oia and the spectacular volcanic cliffs around the volcanic islands. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a special Greek buffet dinner on the Lido Deck. Finally, our day was crowned with a viewing of the classic square rig sailing film “Around Cape Horn,” filmed in 1929 and narrated 50 years later by Captain Irving Johnson.