So, if you approach Santorini by sea you first notice a huge slab of volcanic rock . As you get closer you start to see the small white villages with the blue domes dotted here and there . There’s no question it’s spectacular… and then you arrive.

I can’t imagine a more ineffective way of handling tourists than what has been devised by the local government. In the last 10 years the number of cruise ships had grown by more than a 1000 fold a day. It’s now common for 4 to 5 cruise ships a day to arrive for 8to 9 hours , disgorge their 12, 000 passengers who clogged the streets and create huge traffic issues in the small beautiful but touristic towns

To make matters worse all these ships offload passengers to the old port by tenders(small boats that carry about 150 people) . This mean offloading takes forever . Then once you get off the only way up to the villages is by foot , (600 steps) or Cable Car (36 people per trip) or have a mule transport you . This means that after a 90 minute wait to get on the tender and a 90 minute wait for the cable car you’ve spent 3 hours just trying to get to the top of the hill.

Yes I could have taken a mule to cut the time but I certainly would want to carry some fat American tourist up 600 steps so why should they

Once you’re at the top you can explore the island. The primary attraction is indeed the village of OIa, a sort of wealthy persons shopping mall transformed from a heartbreakingly beautiful village with a spectacular view. The whole experience made me curse mass tourism while being part of it

Then after a mad dash to see anything you start the process all over again . Down the cliff after a 90 minute cable car wait and then a 30 minute wait to get on your tender. We actually walked down the steps dodging enormous amounts of Donkey poo to make our way to the tenders

For me the highlight of the entire day was the drive up to the Monastery. Sitting at over 2000 feet this sacred site to the Prophet Elijah is today maintained by 8 monks . There used to be 200 . Built 400 years ago it is an oasis of calm and tranquility. We were the only ones there and to be honest I could have spent the whole time here

This place is beautiful and historic but I’d never go again via cruise . They were supposed to limit cruise traffic to 8000 people a day but apparently that seldom happens . they need to finish the new port that’s been in process for 20 years and strictly limit cruise passengers or in 10 years there won’t be anything left to see. Amazing beauty being destroyed by greed and stupidity. I’m done