Honeymoon Roundup - Catamaran Cruising, the Final Roundup

Santorini on the Water
It was our last real day in Santorini, the last one of our honeymoon before a day of traveling back in time to the east coast. We had originally planned to spend this time on the opposite side of the island, taking in Kamari beach and possibly hiking to Perissa. We'd heard a travel podcasting couple recount their experience doing the same, and thought it might be interesting. However, it was also high on the list to do a catamaran tour while in Santorini. As these things happen, Alex decided that it would be best to do our "beach day" by visiting them via boat. In the end, this turned out to be the best decision, because we ultimately found the beaches to be pretty short, pebbly, and difficult to walk.

A man from our Imerovigli hotel schlepped both of our bags up the steep steps while we raced to keep up with him. A van from the cruise arrived probably 20 minutes after it was set to pick us up, and the three of us sweated in apologetic silence. We drove another half hour or so to the southernmost part of the island, where all of the cruise passengers were kept in the shade of a convenience store, herded to our various boats, then de-shoed. Alex and I teetered on the wavering narrow ramps to the boat with our packs jutting out from us like turtle shells.

Finally, though, we were settled on the front of the catamaran with drinks in hand, setting out to our journey around the island. The boat had a bit of an undulating rhythm, but nothing that I particularly noticed and nothing that seemed to make anyone queasy. It was a sunny day, but the breeze counteracted any heat, making it a totally comfortable ride.

The first stop where we could swim showed the water to be cool but not cold, and salty enough to keep us buoyant with the slightest effort. Alex and I marveled at this for a few minutes, then swam around the boat, waved to the nearby beach, and climbed back aboard.






More sitting, more sun, and on we went to another swimming stop, this time with snorkeling equipment and lots of fish, drawn in by the food tossed overboard. I had never actually snorkeled before, possibly not even in the community pool, and this was a fantastic introduction. I heard the "woooooooow" echo out of my air tube as I floated over top of the sleek silver and blue fish moving just out of my reach. I had felt this effortless peace before with the puffins, and now here with the fish, it was much the same. There was no noise, only soft sensations and smooth movements as the sun filtered through in pale beams. Eventually my mask started to leak and the mouthpiece got uncomfortable, and also there was food being grilled right off the back of the boat and it made sense to hop back on.

There was shrimp saganaki, grilled zucchini with balsamic, and stuffed grape leaves among the pickings. We ate while the boat moved on to its next location, the active volcano swimming hole. Our guide warned us that the rocks here were covered in sulfur, and it was likely that the water would stain light bathing suits. I looked down at my own white bathing suit, and decided to stay aboard. Alex quickly swam away, toward the most active area where the water bubbled and reached a pleasantly warm temperature. Egged on by one of the guides, I decided to change into some black clothes I had in my pack downstairs and follow along. The bottom by the volcano was silty and sucked at my feet. There was a strange shack where someone lived along the side of this smaller island piece, along with a chicken. It was a strange vibe. We swam back to the catamaran, promptly got hosed down, then went back to our sitting and sunning.










We were hurrying on our way to Oia for the sunset, so the boat picked up a few more waves than before. While all of the other international jet setters maintained their detached composure twenty feet behind us, Alex and I rode the trampolines at the front, bellies-down, gripping the ropes and squealing with delight at the increased crashing and rearing of the boat.











Finally we were at rest beside the other boats, every couple racing to the front to get their sunset picture, and then we watched our final Santorini sunset while we gently bobbed up and down.

It would take us a half hour to wait our turn to dock after this, and another half hour to drive to our hotel in Kamari. The room we had was lovely, but I was exhausted by this point and starting to feel off, so Alex found a nearby gyro joint for takeout. He brought me a giant cylinder of fried vegetables wrapped in pita, just the ticket for the weary traveler.

The next day, we walked Kamari a bit, struggled with the pebbly coast, and headed to the airport. A quick trip to Athens, then an evening in bed for me while Alex visited with his family again for a final supper. Our plane home left early, so we had easy access from our airport hotel - equipped with a wonderful rain shower - which would be our last luxury for the next 24 hours of plane food, turbulence, confusing German airports, and time changes. It was a glorious trip, a fabulous way to start our lives as a married couple, and something I cannot really translate with pictures or words. This was my best attempt.