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Part of the islands surrounding Santorini is Nea Kameni, an active volcano that is literally a barren mountain of pitch-black lava rock. Nea Kameni is host to thousands of walkers who brave the trek to the top. We decide to enlist.

On this morning, we board a sailing boat with our friends, Trevor Birmingham and Jennifer Langley. The first stop on our excursion is the hot springs and mud bath. The boat drops anchor about 40 metres from the hot springs, and we must swim on our own to get to the warm waters of the small cove. Getting there is easy. We spend a luxurious few minutes basking in the tub-like waters and covering ourselves with natural mud. Suddenly, the boat’s horn bellows and we quickly start making our way back–against the current. After a few anxious moments and several mouthfuls of salt water, all passengers are safely on board, and we are heading towards Nea Kameni.

At the bottom of the volcano, the walkers gather to listen to our guide, He warns that we must have plenty of water for the hour-long walk ahead of us. I look at the trail winding up the side of the volcano and observe the walkers who are slowly, methodically trudging along. I am having a rethink. Hot sun. Black rock. Sixty minute walk. Are we crazy?

Nevertheless, we follow the others and climb the volcano. At one point, our guide stops and clears away a small area of dirt. He invites us to place our hands as close to it as possible. It feels like sticking one’s hand directly into an oven. No one can touch it. The purpose of this exercise is to prove to us that this volcano is still active, and is still a threat to Santorini. Yet, we carry on. Apparently, our guide is confident that Nea Kameni won’t blow her top today.

After the volcano walk, we make our way down and back to our ship, our water bottles long empty. Hunger is setting in, and we are thinking about lunch at our next stop – the island of Thirasia. On land, we walk right past a little open air taverna with an outdoor grill piled high with octopi and huge seafood kabobs, and a clay oven filled with individual dishes of moussakas and lamb stew. Tired and hungry, the four of us decide to settle in right here. We are hooked.

Lunch is quite delicious, although slow to arrive. As we are leaving to head back to the ship, we spot the kitchen staff hastily washing the lunch dishes - in a basin of water, outside! I suppose the health authorities don’t make regular trips to the island of Thirasia. I secretly hope that this lunch doesn’t come back to haunt us. Thankfully, all four of us are perfectly fine. And we have another story to enrich our account of our wonderful Greek holiday.

Our second full day on the island of Santorini and it stretches before us…what to do, what to do. We decide to rent a quad and explore this amazing island on our own.

After an unfortunate motorcycle incident in Calgary when Al peeled concrete off the road with his shoulder, I am hesitant to let him drive. But he reminds me that he took a quad course for work, so I concede. We head out, not sure where we are going and not really caring. The day is ours!

Just a few minutes into our ride, we are in the village of Pyrgos. Here we stumble upon the Santos Winery with its stepped terraces and incredible view of the caldera. We decide to do our own private wine tasting while we appreciate this tiny piece of heaven. Then it’s back on the quad.

We travel through another village called Messaria and ask for directions to a beach. Oddly enough, for an island that sits on a volcano’s edge, Santorini has beaches. And they are not your average beaches. There is the black sand beach, a red sand beach and a white sand beach. We make our way to Kamari, the black sand beach. The “sand” is zillions of tiny black stones and, baking under the Mediterranean sun, they are hot! Sandals are de rigueur. Closer to the water, where the stones are cooler, walking on them is like getting a natural foot massage. The water is actually very warm, probably heated by the black stones. And of course, it is aqua blue and crystal clear.

The sweltering midday sun is starting to take its toll. We are not used to this heat. So we decide to head back to the El Greco hotel for a swim in one of its three pools. Which one will it be? Decisions. Decisions.

Once refreshed, we are off again to see what we can find. We travel through Pyrgos once more, narrowly escaping the wrath of a stray dog, on the way to what we think is Megalochori. We end up on a winding road and soon realize we are climbing the side of the volcano. If not for the captivating view, I might be a little worried. Al takes the corners cautiously, knowing that at any second a car or bus could come around demanding to share the road with us. Eventually we make our way to the top where we find a military base. We don’t know how we ended up here, but the panoramic view is absolutely beautiful.

Going up means we must come down, and so we gradually make our way back down the volcano’s side. Hunger is setting in and we stop in Pyrgos for a bite. The little restaurant where we claim a table serves us one of the most delicious meals we have enjoyed in Greece to date. There is roasted eggplant with balsamic vinegar, feta cheese cooked with green peppers, lamb shanks with dill and lemon sauce, and a wonderful salad with hot peppers, capers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers in a deep-fried bowl made of cheese. We refuse to leave a single bite.

It is getting late and we decide to bring the quad back before it gets dark. And so ends another day in Greece, and I have to say, this one tops them all.

Without realizing it, we had saved the very best for last on our incredible trip to Greece.

The ship’s cruise director announces that we are approaching the stunning island of Santorini. We look out across the water and see only walls of steep cliffs and rock formations. From this distance, it looks like the cliffs are snow-capped. Coming closer, I realize that the “snow” is actually hundreds and hundreds of buildings perched along the edge.

Santorini is what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion that occurred 3,6oo years ago. The eruption created a hole that is now a giant lagoon called a “caldera.” The island of Santorini, hugging the caldera, is the edge of the volcanic mountain. It is hard to believe that an island of such spectacular beauty could be born from such devastation.

As the ship pulls into port, everyone is looking straight up at nothing but steep rock walls and wondering, “How do we get up there?” Well, for those passengers who are only on the island for a few hours (not us, fortunately), there are three ways to climb the cliffs of Santorini: take a small cable car, walk the 588 steps up to the town of Fira, or hop on a donkey. Those of us who are staying in Santorini are dropped off where buses are waiting to take us and our luggage along tight zig zagging roads up the side of the cliff. I try not to think about the fact that there are no guard rails, and even if there were, it wouldn’t do any good. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

Soon after, we arrive at our hotel, the very beautiful El Greco. With its vivid colours, arched rooftops, cobblestone walkways, and three pools, it simply takes my breath away. The pools are filled to the brim with clear blue water creating a seamless illusion of infinity. It is a living brochure.

Our new friends, Trevor and Jennifer, are also staying here, and we are anxious to start exploring this amazing island. The four of us head into the small town of Fira for a light dinner. Fira is a collection of glitzy shops and upscale restaurants precariously balanced on Santorini’s edge or, by some architectural miracle, built into the side of the cliff. As in most of the Greek cities we have visited, the streets and walkways are very close, forcing us to rub shoulders with hundreds of strangers. The place is abuzz with activity. There is excitement in the air.

We catch the sunset and for a brief moment, we think about those passengers on the Aegean Pearl who had to leave Santorini after just a few hours. Oh, what they have missed! Looking down, the millions of night lights of the shops and restaurants dot the cliff-side. The sea is calm as we watch the sailboats easily carving their way through it. I may never leave.

Over the next two days, we set foot on three more Greek Islands: Patmos, Rhodes and Crete. Each one has its own special personality, and I am amazed at how one country can offer so many variations on a theme.

Patmos - Even though it is a tourist destination, we find Patmos to be quieter and dare I say, more plain than the other islands. We walk around the shops a bit, and then we find a small beach with umbrellas and tables. We settle in under an umbrella and order a beer as we enjoy the view.

Rhodes - Rhodes is the Island of the Sun, and is named after a nymph who caught the affections of the sun god Helios. Rhodes Town is a fortress city with high stone walls, churches, towers and temples everywhere. The narrow streets are made of cobblestones, and must have taken several lifetimes to create because each stone is placed on its edge, not the flat side. For the umpteenth time on this trip, the word “Wow!” comes out of my mouth.

It is in Rhodes where we do battle with rug shop vendors. We are inches away from purchasing a very expensive silk, handwoven carpet for our dining room. I can’t deny that it is one of the most beautiful rugs I’ve ever seen. I know for a fact that it will look stunning under my new table. The store owners are relentless with three of them working on us at once. They are not going to let us get away. I plead for time alone with Al to discuss it and they agree. They bring us water and leave. Once we are alone, sanity creeps back in. Kitchen renos, son in college…we can think of many other, more practical ways to spend $3,000. We stand tall, thank them very much and walk out as they desperately try to talk us back in. Whew. Crisis averted. I’m over it.

Crete - Pronounced “Creetee” by the locals, Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands. As soon as we disembark, we are approached by a cabbie who tells us that we need transportation to see anything in Crete. Even the town is too far to walk. He wants 50 euros a piece for an hour and a half tour. That’s about $130 CAN for both of us. Fortunately, a Chilean couple from our ship asks us to go with them in their cab for only 35 euros a couple. Perfect.

We drive for about 20 minutes through palm-tree forests and mountain ravines with fields of olive and cyprus trees to Knossos. The first seeds of Greek civilization were planted at Knossos in 6000 BC. Knossos is the ancient palace of King Minos. Even though we are looking at ruins, one can see that in its day, this was a place of grandeur. Many of the wall paintings and monster-sized clay pots still exist. This is the first time we see colour used in the walls. We spend about an hour absorbing the ancient history of Knossos before we head back to our cab.

The driver takes us into the town of Iraklio/Heraklion to show us the sites. We stop at the grave of Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba the Greek. The site is a vantage point to see the city and port from on high - definitely a photo opportunity. From here, we visit Agios Minas, a breathtaking cathedral church in the city. During WWII, the Germans attempted to bomb the church, but the bomb, which landed in the centre of the church, didn’t detonate. It is now mounted outside as a reminder of this “miracle.”After a fast sweep of the city’s market, we are back in our cab and headed for our ship in record time.

Tomorrow, Santorini!

Not a Greek island of course, but still well worth a look-see is Kusadasi, Turkey. Unfortunately, we only have four hours here, and it is quickly obvious that it isn’t nearly enough time. We set foot on land and note the mountainous landscape stretching upwards. The city sits on terraced levels of the slopes. The streets are lined with palm trees. We put Turkey on our list of places to visit again.

We decide to forego the excursion, which is to Ephesus, the ancient city of Anatolia. Those who did the excursion gave it a thumbs up, but I wanted to explore the famed Turkish bazaars. There was much shopping and bartering to be done! In the streets of the Kemeralti Market, there are antiques, knock-off handbags, scores of jewelery stores, and stores offering local handicrafts such as handwoven rugs, mozaic lanterns (I buy two), and handpainted dishes. We are harrassed by the Turkish vendors - all part of the experience, I’ll warrant. One vendor asks us outright, “What can I do to take your money?” One jewelery store owner successfully get us into his shop, where he presents me with all sort of sparkling items. But we resist.

The aroma of exotic foods tempts us and there is more seafood here than we have seen to date, but time is of the essence. Besides we have encountered a problem with our new memory card, and if we don’t find a solution fast, we won’t be able to take any more pictures. We find a photo store, make a CD of pics from our old memory card, and are once again able to click away.

The ship’s horn calls us back to the port, and our brief stay in beautiful Turkey is committed to memory.