Santorini
A birds eye view of Santorini
When ever we mention Greece, Santorini is the island that most people seem to instantly refer to. So we couldn't have Barry and Kim visit without leaving Katherine in Lavrio and flying there. Taking Katherine to the island was a logistical concern we simply didn't want to undertake. Flying there meant everyone could play tourist.
Saturday 3rd June - Santorini
No time was wasted on our three day adventure to Santorini. We landed at midday, picked up our hire car from the airport and proceeded to our accommodation “Savatore Villas Santorini” in Imerovigli. The accommodation manager Mr Chris was on hand for our arrival and we cannot speak highly enough of his assistance to ensure we made the most of our time in Santorini.
Photo:
Above - Our Accommodation
Photo Right - We had a lot of company on this sunset cruise
By 2.30pm we were on a bus courtesy of Seadream boat tours to the southern end of the island to Vlychada Port. We were now beginning to understand why this was a 6 hour sunset tour. At the Port the scene was somewhat hilarious as a flotilla of catamarans began to simultaneously all head out of the port following the same route past Red and White Beach, Mesa Pigadia, Black Mountain, the Lighthouse and finally to the Hot Springs. It was a perfect way to get our first glimpse of Fira the old town, to see the island from the caldera and to enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Sunday 4th June - Drive Day Santorini
After what could only be described as a most hearty breakfast of freshness provided by our accommodation we headed out in our appropriately small car. We simply would hate to be a truck driver challenged with the streets on any of these islands.
We had a list, a map but that still didn’t stop us getting not lost but ultimately discovering something that we hadn’t intended to find. The first being the small village of Akrotiri with its sweeping views from the ruins of the Venetian Tower built in the 13th Century.
The Akrotiri Archeological museum
Our intended destination was just down the road. The Akrotiri Archeological museum that was originally established by a Professor Marinatos in 1967 who discovered a Minoan city preserved for over 3500 years beneath tonnes of volcanic ash. It was this volcanic eruption around 1450 BC that archeologists believe led to the devastation of this Minoan Civilization. As the island’s centre was blown out by the volcanic eruption, water rushed in from the ocean to consume the crater or caldera that had been formed giving Santorini the current cresent shape that is present today. Within the centre of the caldera there are two small islands that have emerged through volcanic action the last being the Island of Kameni which last erupted in 1707.
Photo: Two and three story buildings have been unearthed including this one with a toilet (looks like a throne) and drainage system
We enlisted a local guide on site which we all agreed was well worth the historical knowledge that she could share. Perhaps the biggest factor was that unlike Pompei no human remains have been found on this site. It is as if the Minoan population having possibly endured long periods of earthquakes and smaller eruptions leading up to the major eruption chose to leave the island. What ever the reason lives were obviously saved and only evidence of their building ingenuity remained to be unearthed thousands of years later.
Photo: Our Lunch Stop Cave of Nikolas
Our accommodation host had done it again with his recommendation for lunch a short walk down from the Museum. His instructions were very clear keep walking to the very end. We were very happy we did as the meal and the view were excellent and when you saw the fresh produce inside you could understand why.
From the very south we were then on route to the northern town of Oia but not without a few detours that brought viewings of windmills perched on a hillside, a monastery that was unfortunately closed, a chapel built into the cliffside and a stop to admire (and possibly purchase) the work of a couple from “Eglis” pottery studio.
Photo: Oia on the northern end of the island
This small picturesque town clinging to the cliff face and looking out to the caldera was badly damaged in the 1956 earthquake but has been well reconstructed to ensure it has maintained its traditional style of architecture. Some three hundred steps below sits the port of Ammoudi, a fishing and traditional boatbuilding port that is today predominantly used as a base for tourist boats heading out to the smaller outlying islands. Listed as one of the top spots to view the sunset from we departed as the crowds began to descend. Definitely not the place to be in peak season as we counted 51 buses in the carpark and lost count of the number of cars.
Monday 5th June - A walk to Fira and Sunset Wine Tour
I know I mentioned our amazing breakfast baskets supplied fresh each morning but they simply deserve another mention. Each morning a new surprise be it the pastries, spinach pies or freshly cooked omelets, fruit and yoghurt. Delicious.
With such a good start we had no excuse not to walk the 3km to the old town of Fira, Santorini’s Capital. It also saved the headache of trying to negotiate the traffic and to find a carpark.
We managed to weave our way through the streets to find the Archeological Museum to view the artefacts and frescoes that we had learnt about when walking through the ruins in Akrotiri the day prior. There is today a cable car that connects Fira to the port of Skala Firon below. The alternative is to traverse 580 steps along side donkeys which were in a constant motion of being encouraged up and down ladened with tourists and occasionally luggage. As early afternoon approached it became very apparent the numbers were swelling and a good time for us to be leaving. It is hard to imagine how this small town handles the people when there are double the number of cruise ships in the port in peak season.
To complete our final day a sunset wine tour had been organised through our accommodation. We were totally in the hands of our guide and three wineries, several food tastings and a beautiful, if not breezy sunset over the caldera later, we couldn’t have been more appreciative of the recommendation and organisation.
Wednesday 7th June - Heading home
So in three weeks we had managed to cover a lot. A few days in Athens, a quick loop around the Cyclades and a trip to Santorini. A lot of new memories to share but time for Barry and Kim to head back to the states and for us to prepare to start exploring on our own.