Europe Summer 2017: Greece 5 – Santorini - Atlantis Revisited

August 22-24

     Travel in the Aegean is like traveling in time as much as in a place.

       We've all heard slogans such as: “We are all _______ (fill in the blank) now,” used politically to sway public opinion in favor of some intervention in foreign affairs. But, people born into the Western cultural tradition, can, in a real sense, say “We are all Greeks!” since much of our Western political, cultural and linguistic heritage comes from the Ancient Greek civilization.

       The Aegean island of Santorini (also known by its ancient name Thera) is often associated with the Legend of Atlantis. Atlantis, a fictional story by the Greek philosopher Plato, was an advanced island civilization destroyed by a cataclysmic volcanic explosion around 10,000 BC. Thera, a volcanic island, was a thriving society of the Minoan period that was subjected to a massive volcanic eruption and explosion around 1,600 BC that left the once oval shaped island with a big hole that filled with sea water forming a caldera and destroying all life on the island. As a result, the modern Santorini is blessed with spectacular cliffs plunging into the caldera that present one of the most unique topologies in the world—and one of the world's best known tourist attractions. The volcano is still active on the small island of Nea Kameni in the center of the caldera. An eruption in 1950s did a lot of damage, but the towns have been rebuilt and are thriving with visitors.

sunset behind Thirassia

view from hotel room terrace

       We arrived in Santorini by ferry from Tinos with stops in Mikonos, Naxos and Paros before arriving in Santorini—a rather long 4-hours sailing. Santorini in summer is very busy and crowded with tourists. (If you don't mind the winter weather a few hotels stay open on the island and you can have it all to yourself.) The main thing for most visitors is the view out over the caldera from the cliffs around Fira, the main city on the island. Although relatively expensive, if you stay for a night or two, it is best to book a hotel on the cliffside with a view to the west where the sun sets behind the caldera and Thirassia Island. 

Fira

pedestrian walkway

Mama Thira's Taverna

       There is a pedestrian path that goes along the cliffside that is usually crowded with visitors taking photos of the stunning views over the caldera. The route is, of course, lined with cafes, restaurants and shops of all kinds from souvenir trinkets to high fashion clothing boutiques and is good for photo ops day and night.

Homeric Poems Hotel

Imerovigli town from hotel terrace

our cave style hotel room

along the pedestrian cliffside path

Nea Kameni - still active volcano (middle right)

Thirassia 

Oia

Ouzo in Oia

       There is a town called Oia (pronounced eeya) on the northern tip of Santorini that is popular for its sunsets. We decided to take the local bus to Oia to get some photos of the famous sunsets. The bus was crowded and the route precipitous as the bus wound its way along the cliff sides with sheer drops only a few feet away. When we arrived at Oia the bus terminal had people lined up waiting for the next bus back to Fira. The town was so crowded that it was difficult to walk freely so we decided it would be really hard to get a bus after the sunset crowds. Oia itself is lovely perched on the northern end of the caldera. We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the caldera and returned to Fira without taking any sunset photos, but without a long wait in line to get on the bus.

Oia and the caldera (Thirassia upper right)

Fira by night

       All in all, as expected, we found Santorini to be quite different from the relative tranquility of Tinos and felt that a couple days was quite enough for photo ops and visits to the prehistoric and archeological museums displaying artifacts from digs, especially Acrotiri, related to the volcanic disaster that beset Minoan Thera some 3600 years ago.