Thursday May 24, 2018
This morning the ship sailed into the gigantic caldera of the Santorini volcano. In 1600 BC, this was one humongous volcano before it erupted. 4000 years later, the only surviving fragments left above water are several islands in a circular arrangement which is the rim of the caldera. It’s miles across and very impressive. Over the centuries, cities were built on top of the volcanic rims. I felt like we were anchored inside a sleeping volcano whose sides loom high above the ship.
Today, the island of Santorini is a major tourist destination because of the geological uniqueness of the island, the incredible beauty of the region, and perhaps, the shopping opportunities! Fira is the main city on Santorini and was built on the rim of the volcano 1200 feet above sea level. From a distance, the white buildings look like snow on a mountain top.
For visitors who arrive by sea, there are three ways to get to the civilization at the top of the cliff: climb 588 steep steps up a zigzag path, wait in line to take a cable car, or ride a donkey. Everyone discouraged donkey rides as “too dangerous.”
We found another option. We signed up for an early excursion to the historic village of Oia (pronounced “ee-ah”). The plan was to ride a tender to a different port and take a bus up to the top of the cliff and then continue on to Oia. After the excursion, the bus would drop us off at the main city of Fira 8 miles away. Then later, we would have to decide how we want to descend the mountainside to sea level. Same three choices: steps, cable car or donkeys.
The tiny cliffside town is known for its cave houses which were built into the rocks high above the sea as protection against pirates. Fishermen and their families lived in the two-room stone dwellings carved out of the side of the mountain. I felt like a mountain goat clambering along the path.
Higher up the side of the cliff were the captain’s houses. These were larger two-story houses with tiny gardens. All the buildings were painted white, originally to ward off disease according to the guide, but later to reflect sunlight and keep the homes cooler. Why people chose to live on top of the high lifeless, waterless, treeless cliffs is a mystery to me.
Today, most of the buildings are commercial shops, restaurants, or luxury boutique hotels. Oia reportedly has the best view of the entire caldera which is enough to make photographers happy.
We had a couple of hours to explore Oia by ourselves then we boarded the bus again and drove slowly through traffic to Fira, the capital city of the island.
Our guide, Sophia, led us up to the main pedestrian walkway and set us free. Jeff and I took more pictures of the caldera and the sea and the lovely whitewashed buildings.
The weather was perfect: a strong cool breeze and warm bright sun. We strolled along the path with many tourists. Fira was very crowded with too many cruise ship passengers.
It might be more fun to stay on the island for a few days and visit Fira in the evening after the tourists leave. Sophia recommended staying in one of the smaller villages elsewhere on the island away from visitors.
Before we left Santorini, we stopped at one of the many restaurants perched on the cliffside overlooking the sea. We relaxed, away from the crowd, with iced ‘cappuccino freddo’ and a strong breeze off the water….
We strolled along the main pedestrian walkway in Fira and eventually, we rode a cable car down to a waiting tender to return to the ship. We opted not to ride donkeys down the steep path. It was an incredible view to look up at the inside walls of the volcano.
What a day! Santorini is an amazing place. How often can a person stand on the rim of a volcano and look down into the caldera? Not like anything I have ever seen before.
Tonight we sail to the port city of Piraeus and visit Athens.