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Santorini Private Tours |
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| SANTORINI
SKALA PORT: The view
from your cruise ship when you come to Santorini at Skala port or
the old port of Santorini. |
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A
few worlds of some of our happy travelers about Santorini Private
tours !
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Ah,beautiful Santorini! What
hasn’t already been written about this romantic paradise of
white washed homes and blue domed buildings perched on
imposing rock cliffs high above the azure sea.
We walked around
the island of Thira, took dozens of pictures of famous sites,
and wondered what we could offer our readers that they haven’t
already seen and read about Santorini. We found our answer
while chatting with one of the town’s many colorful donkey
drivers.
When a cruise ship approaches the sun-baked islands
of Santorini in the Aegean Sea, the first thing the passengers
notice is the daunting 800 foot rock wall of Thira that
stretches from the sea to the mountain top where the principal
town of Fira is located.
process – but the most fun ride is
still by
donkey. | |
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There are
three ways to get from the water’s edge to the town
above
In 1715, the island inhabitants built a rough path
into the side of the sheer mountain so they could hike to the
summit. Before long, donkeys were enlisted to help carry cargo
and passengers to and from the ships and town. In 1930, the
walkway was improved and more donkeys were added to aid in the
assent and decent. Finally, in 1979, a cable car was installed
to automate the
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If this were Disneyland, the
donkeys would be the E-Ride
The Santorini donkey drivers refer to their
cutesome beasts interchangeably as donkeys and mules. A fellow
tourist and practicing Arkansas farmer enlightened us,
“Donkeys are purebred, and mules are hybrid, – these are
mostly donkeys”. We have no reason to doubt his
word.
On any given day, and depending on the number of
cruise ships moored in the harbor, there are between 50 and
100 donkeys at work. A one way ride – up or down – cost five
Euros
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Walk up if you
can
The zigzag walkway from sea to city is paved in
stone, and because of the many switchbacks, the distance from
one end to the other is 1300 meters or 4,265 feet. There are
657 four-inch tall steps on the walkway, and this natural
stair-master provides a very good workout on a sunny
day.
Donkey vs. cable
car
The cable car ride lasts approximately 3 minutes
(the wait can be fifteen minutes), and the much more
exhilarating donkey ride takes almost one-half hour to go up,
and just 15 minutes to come down. The down journey is faster
and more thrilling for two reasons. First, descending is
inherently easier, and second the donkey food is at the bottom
of the walkway | |
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A small word of
caution
The downhill donkey ride is not without its peril.
Banging legs against a fellow rider on a tight curve – while
going full donkey tilt – can be painful. In addition, on any
given day, there will be one or two cranky donkeys that are
out of sorts for one reason or another – and they bite. This
aside, the rewards far outweigh the risk
The next time you find
yourself on a cruise ship in the picturesque old port of
Skala, Santorini, start your visit with a smile – ride a
donkey up to all those unforgettable views and remarkable
restaurants
Happy travels
For questions about Santorini
email
our friend Nikos Sirigos who specializes in private tours for
cruise
passengers. | |
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 Save money
and escape the crowds. Better tours, personalized service. Don't pay high cruise line prices!
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© Copyright 2009, Santorini
private guide. All Rights Reserved. | | |
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