Santorini Island
After a peaceful night’s sleep, we awoke to a beautiful morning at Santorini. Our first glimpse of the island showed that we were in a special place indeed – 1000 foot high volcanic cliffs rose straight up beside the ship. The cliffs were an excellent record of the past where we could see the layers of successive volcanic eruptions. The last cataclysmic eruption, somewhere between 1450 and 1640 BC formed the caldera where our ship sat moored during breakfast.
After breakfast we went ashore and (with wheeled assistance) climbed up the switchbacks to the top of the rim. From here we could see the full scope of our location. We were on the rim of the ancient caldera with the crescent moon shape of Santorini forming the eastern side of it and the island of Thirasia marking the western edge. There were newer islands in the center, Nea Kameni and Palaia Kameni “the burned ones,” which have grown since the last eruption.
We had the luxury of the whole day to explore this wondrous place. A trip to the town of Oia was like walking into one of the most scenic postcards of Cycladic Greece. The blue and white homes and blue domed churches decorated the cliffs and matched the blue sky and white cliffs in the distance. Houses built into cliffside caves were a unique addition not seen in other towns. And the winds that this volcanic island is known for kept us refreshed as we explored.
At mid-day we explored with our senses and tasted some of the products that this island is known for – grapes, cherry tomatoes, and fava beans as well as some other Greek specialties at Aeolus, a beautifully placed cliff-side restaurant. From there we moved to the town of Fira. Here we saw the amazing archeological items that have been recovered from the ancient town of Akrotiri. Besides the rarity of a town being preserved under volcanic ash, it was impressive in how artistically rich their culture seems to have been. Wall paintings and ornately carved wooden tables were proof of this.
Our final assignment was getting back to the ship from the rim of the caldera. The most daring of the group rode the donkeys down to the port, while the rest of us enjoyed the scenic views from the cable cars.
Once back onboard, Ellie and Eleni lead us through the Greek alphabet, taught us how the pronunciation works and showed us how easy it will be to start reading signs on our next trip to town.
