Santorini
What a spectacular place! Gods should have made a tremendous effort to create such a beauty! It’s not a coincidence that we stumble upon many of them today! Dionysos tending the vineyards, Poseidon relaxing in the calm waters of caldera, Hephaistos controlling volcano’s behavior and Aeolos generously offers his winds to the seafarers!
The Panorama entered the caldera early in the morning and the mist magically turned the time back to mythical Atlantis. The waters are so deep that no vessel can drop anchor. So we were tendered to the only place where a road can reach the sea level. Starting our ascent by bus we glimpsed for the first time at the black island we had the opportunity to see the terraced vineyards everywhere! Wine, cherry, tomatoes, Fava beans together with pistachios and capers are the typical products of Santorini. We drove to the very north of the island where we had the chance to visit one of the most beautiful traditional Cycladic settlements. The town of Oia. Narrow streets, countless little churches with blue domes, captains neoclassical mansions together with “cave-houses” on the slopes of the volcanic formation, stand there to remind us of the island’s life of another century.
After trying local specialties at a taverna with wonderful view, we ended our tour at the main town, Fira. We visited the special prehistoric museum where we had a chance to see frescoes and objects from a city of the 2nd millennium BC, called Acrotiri. It’s difficult to believe that we were standing in front of objects that have survived the greatest natural catastrophy on the planet ever! Wonderful colors, on the frescoes which once decorated people’s houses, ceramics used in their every day’s life! We then explored the center of the town, enjoying shopping and walking around.
The end of our visit in Santorini was not less spectacular. The cable car ride or donkey ride down hill gave us a last chance to look at the breathtaking caldera. A swim at the nearby island of Ios was a refreshing perfect end of this day.
