One of the perks of our quiet lovely hotel was breakfast included, overlooking the pool area. A traditional Greek breakfast is simple with yogurt, fruit, and coffee. With a view like this, what more do you need?

Thira is the main town on the island of Santorini. You might recognize the Three Bells Of Fira church as it is one of the most photographed places in Greece. The white wash of the church and the blue dome stand strong against the choppy May sea.

Here’s your intrepid blogger in front of the church!

From the peaks of Thira, you can clearly see the volcano island at the middle of the crescent-shaped island. Boat tours depart daily around the waterways. You might notice all of the different ways the same Greek city can be spelled. It all depends on how you translate from the Greek alphabet into English. The classic way of translation was into Latin then into English, but more modern spellings closer approximate the Greek directly to English.

And that was our plan for the afternoon, a sunset cruise of the island.

The catamaran followed the coast of the island, providing spectacular views as the cool breeze pushed us along. It was too windy to stop at the red sand beach, red from the volcanic eruptions, but we were able to get plenty of pictures.

Another point of interest was the island’s lighthouse. We also stopped along with several other ships along side the volcano island. There, the sulfur springs create hot water coves. However, we couldn’t dock right in the warm water. To get to the sulfur spring, we would have to swim through the freezing cold early spring sea to get to the warm water. No one on our boat seemed eager to go. But, I braced myself for the cold and jumped in. It was so cold that I felt my whole body tense. It was not an easy swim to the warm water, but it was totally worth it. There was an abandoned beach bar, that is probably a happening spot in the warmer summer months. Closed, it was underwhelming.

It was hard to leave the warm (but smelly) waters, but it was time to swim back to the boat. Luckily, the ships crew had prepared a hearty Greek meal for us with plenty of white wine for all.

The natural formations of the island were quite a sight to behold.

Our afternoon cruise drew to an end as the sun set against the horizon. When visiting the island of Santorini, I would highly recommend a sunset cruise to see as much of the island as possible and enjoy the beauty of the sunset on the water.