Santorini, Greece
The dramatic face of the caldera towered over us on the horizon. The Sea Cloud had anchored below Fira the night before and repositioned to facilitate our landing at Athinios Port on the local tender. After boarding our buses, we drove up a switchback road to the rim of the caldera. Once up there, the topography of the island became clear.
It’s hard to imagine the magnitude of the eruption that occurred in the 17th century BCE. Thirty billion square meters of magma was hurled up to the stratosphere, creating the caldera and leaving behind the islands of Thira, Thirassia, and Aspronisi.
Impressed by the thousands of low-growing vineyards, we drove to the town of Oia. Situated on the northern tip, on the rim of the caldera cliff, is one of the most photogenic places on earth. There are beautiful cubicle houses with vaulted roofs and Orthodox churches with blue domes. Arts and crafts are a specialty of this town and many of us helped the local economy….
We continued on to Pirgos, the old capital in the interior, for a traditional lunch of mezedes. Stuffed cherry tomatoes, fava beans, white eggplants, and local wine gave us energy to continue on to Fira, the present capital. Another surprise was ahead! The Museum of Prehistoric Thira was awesome. On the southern tip of the island, archaeologists have discovered a Bronze Age town named Akrotiri. The artifacts from the excavation are on display. Pottery, frescoes, and even a gold aigagros (wild goat), are on show. The inhabitants of this community fled their homes before the cataclysmic eruption, leaving their belongings buried under the ash for archaeologists to discover.
Leaving the museum, we had to make a final choice. How do we get down to Skala to meet our tenders back to the ship? Some of us chose the adventurous donkey ride and others the efficient cable car. Getting on the tender, you could tell that all of the guests were content. Another great day ashore was at its end.
