My previous visits to Santoríni, one of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea, were limited to meandering around Fira, the largest town, crowded with shops and restaurants. On my latest visit, I was determined to experience more than that.

An organized shore excursion from our ship allowed us a transit across the island and a visit to Domaine Sigalas, a winery producing a number of wines from varietals grown in the rather extreme conditions on Santoríni. Water is a scarce and precious resource; you’ll not find  irrigation canals or drip lines here, nor will you see acres of vineyards with trellised vines marching across the landscape. Instead, small pockets of vines are tucked in here and there, and each vine rises up from the dry, sandy-rocky soil and is trained into a spiraled, basket shape. Most are no more than 2 feet tall, for aside from the intense sun, the wind — a near constant here — would batter and further desiccate the plants. The grape clusters then grow within the protective inner circle of the branches, and the only moisture comes from what the roots might suck up from the soil and what may be absorbed from the fog which develops overnight. We tasted a few of the products of this difficult terrain, and found the wines to be pleasant and quite light (no, not the harsh retsina that may come to mind when you think of Greek wine).

Our afternoon excursion was far more informal: Five of us squeezed into a taxi and went in search of a beach on which to while away a few hours. We mentioned the name of one beach we had heard about, but the driver encouraged us to try one closer to town (exchanging precious time in the car for more time on the beach) which he assured us was very nice. We went with his suggestion and were very pleased with the result. He dropped us off with a promise to return in two hours, and we made a beeline for the cool water and beach chairs. A pair of chairs and umbrella went for 7 euros — what a deal! — and with a collective sigh we laid back to enjoy the afternoon. I’m sure that earlier in the season the beach would be packed, but in mid-September we found it peaceful, even on this hot day. One could rent sail boards, Jet Skis or small boats; but we preferred simply drifting between our shaded chairs and paddling about in the clear, cooling waves.

I have to say that relaxing interlude at the beach was my favorite Santoríni experience!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor