Wonders of the World

Since we did the city thing in Valletta, Malta on the previous visit, we opted to take a 45-minute ferry ride to the Island of Comino to enjoy a few hours lounging by the sea at a place known as the Blue Lagoon. Comino is a mostly uninhabited island with no cars & only 1 hotel. True to its name, the Blue Lagoon is a natural wonder. Jagged cliffs lead down to the shoreline with the bluest sparkling water in the world & the lagoon is only about 4 feet deep all the way across. As we sat in our chairs, we were struck by the beauty of our surroundings & awestruck that the Creator made it all. Quickly we were snapped back to reality with the “Disneyland-like” atmosphere… gorgeous as it is, it’s a total tourist trap. Ferry’s drop hundreds of people off every hour & pick-up those who are leaving. The shoulder-to-shoulder walkway is lined with food trucks & souvenir stands. Once you arrive at the shoreline, a polite gentleman escorts you to your chairs with umbrella & promptly collects 20 Euros for your one-hour fee.

After a day at sea, we arrived to the Island of Santorini, Greece… yet another marvel of beauty crafted by God. The island was once much larger, but a huge volcanic explosion destroyed half of it creating a natural sea port. The town of Fira is located on the cliff side 400 meters above the sea. We took the tender boat into the small port area & then grabbed a cable car for the ride up the cliff. We had a private guide & driver taking us around the island to 3 different villages. Dolli had dreamed of a photo shoot in Santorini & we were able to make that happen. It truly is a place of great beauty & learning about the volcanic beginnings & unique history made it all the more beautiful. The Greek Orthodox Churches on the island have dome-shaped roofs painted a gorgeous color of blue. It’s hard to describe, but the streets & walkways seem so random as you traverse the side of cliff between shops, restaurants, private residences & villas.

After about 4 hours buzzing around the island, we arrived back at Fira to take the cable car back down only to discover a line of a few thousand of our closest friends already waiting. Our expert guide spoiled us & helped us avoid the crowds all day so we were kind of shocked. We really hadn’t considered the fact that there were 4 large cruise ships in port plus a handful of ferries that brought visitors to the island. After about 30 minutes of waiting in line & going no where, we decided to make the trek down the cliff. The jury is still out as to whether that was a mistake or not. It took about 45 minutes to get down the hill as we played “chicken” with the donkeys carrying people up & down the hillside. Did I mention you can pay 10 Euros to ride a donkey up or down the hill? Quite the experience. We were a bit disgusted by the commercialization of such a beautiful place & the wall-to-wall people… then, we realized, we were one of “those people.”

Seeing such places of beauty that most people only read about is both humbling & inspiring. Dolli & I cannot fathom how a person could see such natural wonders & not believe in a Creator. Truly the “Rocks Cry Out” singing the praises of God Almighty!