Santorini, one of the Greek Islands, is a fantastic volcanic island in the Aegean. Thousands of years ago, the center of the island was destroyed in a massive eruption. The islands that survive today are pieces of the rim of the crater, plus some newly formed islands in the center (the volcano is still active). See map of Santorini…

Boats take you into the enormous crater, because it’s full of the sea now. The main towns on the island, Fira and Oia, are perched at the top of the rim. The whitewashed buildings lining the top of the brown cliffs remind me of snow-capped mountains, but it’s much too hot for that today!

The result of this arrangement is that it’s a loooong way down (almost 600 steps) from the town to the waterfront, or a long way up the other way! The traditional way to do this is by donkey. Being a person who loves to walk, I decided to take the steps on my own two feet down to meet a boat one morning. Sure enough, I met many donkeys on the path, carting tourists up the steps. In fact, you can pretty much find your way to the stairs by following your nose.

Our Greece guide, Susan, warned me about this.

In the morning, it’s OK, but as the day goes by, you’ve got to watch out for more and more steaming, fragrant piles. By late in the day, the local guides call it the giant donkey poo luge.”

The morning walk wasn’t bad, but when I returned that afternoon, I took the new-fangled cable car to the top instead.

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I’m in Greece now, checking out some options for a new Greek Islands tour. Santorini is definitely worth a stop, but if you decide to take the stairs to the old port, morning is recommended!