Santorini
Strongyli. Kallisti. Thera. Santorini. Historically, this island was called “the round one” and “the most beautiful one,” inhabited more than 4,000 years ago by the Minoans, one of the fascinating peoples of the ancient world. In approximately 1600BC, this beautiful, round, volcanic island changed forever after an eruption of cataclysmic proportions. Geologists estimate that the Theran eruption was on the order of 5 times that of Krakatoa, ejecting hot gas and pumice blocks nearly 25 miles into the atmosphere before the roof of the magma chamber collapsed, allowing the Aegean Sea to rush in and create a large caldera.
This morning, just after sunrise, we sailed into that caldera, and marveled at the layers of ash and volcanic material left behind. Today, we saw black, ochre and tan bands, rising 300 meters above us, capped with picturesque whitewashed villages. The Captain took Panorama in close to the caldera wall for a photo opportunity before proceeding on to take our mooring. A light breakfast, and we were off for our day’s exploration of the island.
One of the local tender boats picked us up at the ship and took us to the port of Athinios, where we were met by buses and began our drive of the island. First we went to the northern tip of the island, and the gorgeous village of Oia. Then we visited the southern end of the island, and had a fabulous lunch at the Cliffside Restaurant Aeolos, where we photographed the view of the blue-domed churches. Some of us bought souvenirs for friends and family, while others searched for the nearest post box to send postcards home. After lunch, we had the opportunity to view some of the artifacts uncovered by the archaeologists at the site of Akrotiri, before slowly making our way to the cable car. Down in the small port of Firá, we caught another tender boat, and returned to the Panorama.
Back on board, we slipped our mooring and motored over to the lava islands in the center of the caldera and anchored for the evening. Nea and Palaia Kameni are the New and the Old Burnt Islands, black and stark against the turquoise water. They’ve emerged since the Theran eruption, with the most recent eruption occurring in 1950. We rested after our busy day ashore, and then gathered in the evening for cocktails, appetizers and recap, followed by a wonderful dinner.
