Tuesday, June 12th, 2012: Arrival in Santorini
Today we arrived in Santorini at around 12:30. Santorini is a crescent shaped island. There are a few islands across from it that form a circle. Initially, there was more land but one of the volcanoes erupted creating a caldera. A caldera is the place leftover after a volcano erupts and the dirt collapses. In this case, the area was filled in with water creating an island out of what had originally been connected. When we arrived in Santorini, there were three large cruise ships in the harbor. We got off the boat at the port located at the bottom of the mountain and were driven to our hotel by the owner. Our hotel was located at the top of the mountain. When we got there we chose our room and relaxed for a while before heading out to have lunch.
We used Bethany's guide book to find a nice restaurant called "Mama's House". The food there was very good and the portions were decent. Afterwards, we went into the town to check it out and to take a gondola ride to the bottom of the hill.. We walked through narrow crowded streets before making it to the gondola station. The line for the gondola was very long because there were many people from cruise ships that wanted to take it. We discussed what we wanted to do for a little while before deciding that Bethany and I would walk down and take donkeys back up. The walk down was long, but not too hard. The path consisted of several relatively steep, long stairs. There were also many switchbacks. As we were walking down, we had to avoid some groups of donkeys that were coming up.
When we reached the bottom we were able to see the old port and the spot where the gondola was. We walked around for a little while before heading to the donkey station. When we got there, we weren't sure it was the right place because there were just two men sitting at a table drinking fanta. Luckily, the donkey ride guy noticed us and asked if we wanted donkeys. We said yes and paid him. He finished his fanta and then brought us to where the donkeys were. Bethany and I got on the donkeys from a slightly elevated place. Hers started going up the mountain once she was on it, but only walked a little bit before it stopped and waited for mine. Once we were on, the donkeys started up the hill. The donkey guide lagged behind so we weren't initially sure if he was coming with us or not. Before we reached the first bend, though, we saw that he was heading up the hill too. The ride up was not as relaxing as imagined because the donkeys kept veering towards the wall, and while we never driven into one, we got pretty close a number of times. We got off the donkeys a little ways from the top because there were other donkeys already there. We walked to the top by foot and then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Mom and Ben. We all watched the sunset from a wall in front of our hotel. We relaxed for a while at our hotel before heading to bed.
Here are some pictures from our first day on Santorini:
View of the Volcanic Island from Santorini
There were some good views from up high.
The Three big cruise ships in the harbour
People eating and looking out over the water
A chandelier in an interesting shop
One of the narrow crowded streets of Thira
The city on a mountain, Thira
The Volcano from Thira
The path down to the old port
One of the turns in the path down
The Old Port
The donkeys at the donkey station
The Donkey Station
Santorini Had Great Views
One of the Nice Buildings on Santorini
The Sunset begins over Santorini
The Sunset during our first night in Santorini
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012: Volcano and Hot Springs Trip
On Wednesday, we slept in. When we woke up we had breakfast made of things we had bought from the grocery store the day before. Then, we headed into town to see the prehistoric history museum. The museum consisted of artifacts largely from the town of Akrotiri. Akrotiri was a rich town that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in the 17th century BC. The city was pretty well preserved by the eruption and about 3% of the city has been excavated so far. There were a lot of pots and jars in the museum, as well as a couple of painted walls. It was definitely worth the time we spent there. Afterwards, we had lunch at a gyro place on the main road. We ordered things to go before going to the bus station. We were going on a tour of a volcano and a hot spring. At around 2:30 we got on the bus and were driven to the port. There we got on a boat and headed to the volcano. While on our way, our tour guide gave us some information about the Caldera and the volcanic island we were going to. When we got to the volcano, we hiked to one of the resting points and she gave us more information about the volcanic history of Santorini. Apparently the volcano we went to was still active and had last erupted in the 1950s. The walk up to the top was not very hard, but it was very hot and the ground was soft which made it harder to walk on. On our way to the top, our guide pointed out the various craters where the volcano had last erupted. On our way back down, we stopped at a hot vent to feel the hot air coming from the volcano. It was so hot that I could only put my hand there for a few seconds. The guide said that this vent might partially explain why the volcano had not erupted for a while. The air is able to escape so the pressure inside the volcano does not build up quite as much.
Our next stop after the volcano was the hot springs. We got there and were told we only had 20 minutes before we had to leave. This basically just gave us time to swim to the hot springs and swim back to the boat. The water in the hot spring was much warmer than the rest of the water, but was definitely not hot. The water was also orange. Our group boarded the boat and we set off for our next destination of Thirassia. Thirassia is the largest island in the group other than Santorini. People live both by the water and up on top of the mountain. We had 2 hours to spend there, so we ate a leisurely dinner and then walked around by the water. There were several restaurants and some small buildings. At around 7:30, we bought some ice cream and returned to the boat. The guide then told us more about the island of santorini and we stopped below the town of Ia to see the sunset. The sunset would have been very pleasant if the boat had not been playing bad music. The sunset was still nice though. Afterwards, we returned to the port and took a bus back to town.
Pictures from The Harbor cruise and the Volcano:
One of the exhibits in the Prehistory Museum
A Wall Painting that was in the House of Ladies in Akrotiri
Another Wall Painting
A Jug
A Mask
Cups from Akrotiri
Dishes
Blue Monkeys wall painting
Another Wall Painting
An Ancient pan that was not called a pan
One of the huge cruise ships that we saw on our cruise
Santorini Behind some Cruise Ships
The lava rocks on Nea Kameni
People on the path up to the Volcano
Green Water because of sulfur
The island consisted basically only of these black lava rocks
Ships in the harbor at the volcanic island
View of the Rocky Path
More Rocks
Volcanic Crater
Close Up of the Crater
View from the volcano
A ship in the green waters of the volcano
Thursday, June 14th, 2012: Ancient Thira, Akrotiri, and Ia.
On Thursday, Mom rented a car. We got going around 11 so that we could see everything that we wanted to see before it closed. Our first stop was Ancient Thira. It did not take very long to get there although the road up to it was narrow and winding. At the top, we had to walk up another path to reach the main part of the ruins. Ancient Thira was comprised of ruins from Greek, Roman, and Byzantine times. One of the first spots we came to was an old church that had been rebuilt several times. We also saw ruins of houses, a theater, sanctuaries, and an agora. It was very hot by the ruins, so we did not spend very long there.
Our next stop was Pyrgos. We went there to have lunch and see the monastery. We had a nice lunch, but because it was still hot, we only saw the monastery during our drive up to it. Apparently people are only allowed during certain times anyways.
Finally, we drove to Akrotiri. There the ruins had a roof over them so we were able to explore them leisurely without being in the heat. The ruins definitely hinted at the impressiveness of the city. There were many two story buildings. Apparently the city also had a sewer system although we could not see it when we were walking around. We followed the path around the ruins and then returned to our car. We got in and drove to one of the beaches called the red beach. We looked at from a little ways away, and then found a nice shady spot to eat the watermelon we had bought near the ruins. When we finished, we went for a swim near where we parked our car. Afterwards, we piled back in the car and drove to our hotel. We showered and then headed to our final destination of Ia.
Our guide on the harbor cruise compared Ia to Disney Land. There had been a town there before, but it was destroyed by either a volcanic eruption or an Earthquake, I can't remember exactly. When they rebuilt it, our guide said that they built it for tourists. When I saw it, I could see what she meant. It was full of narrow roads with basically nothing but shops, at least where we walked. There were lots of tourists there to see the sunset. We watched it from two spots before doing our last minute shopping. I bought some things for myself and a couple of small things for my host mother. Then, we ate a late dinner. On our way back to our car, we stopped at a fish spa. The spa had chairs and big tanks with small fish in front of them. The fish remove dead skin. The four of us decided to try it for 10 minutes. When the fish first came to my feet, it tickled only a little bit. More fish went to Mom's feet and so she felt them a lot more. For me the fish felt more like tiny vibrations. Although our feet didn't feel that much softer afterwards, it was still fun to do. When we had finished having our feet exfoliated by fish, we returned to our car and drove back to our hotel. We went to bed almost right away because we had to get up early to catch our flight the following day.
Friday, June 15th, 2012: Flight to Athens
On Friday, we woke up at 5:15am so that we could leave our hotel by 5:45. Our flight from Santorini to Athens was at 6:55. We took a bus from our gate to the airplane at around 6:40. When we got on the plane, Bethany, Ben and I sat in one row and Mom sat by the window in the row ahead of us. The flight served us drinks but was only an hour so there wasn't really time to serve food. When we got to Athens, I said goodbye to Bethany, Ben, and Mom because they had to catch a much earlier flight than I did. I had about two hours before my flight so I wanted by the check in counter until it opened. When I got my boarding pass, I went through security and to my gate.
Today we arrived in Santorini at around 12:30. Santorini is a crescent shaped island. There are a few islands across from it that form a circle. Initially, there was more land but one of the volcanoes erupted creating a caldera. A caldera is the place leftover after a volcano erupts and the dirt collapses. In this case, the area was filled in with water creating an island out of what had originally been connected. When we arrived in Santorini, there were three large cruise ships in the harbor. We got off the boat at the port located at the bottom of the mountain and were driven to our hotel by the owner. Our hotel was located at the top of the mountain. When we got there we chose our room and relaxed for a while before heading out to have lunch.
We used Bethany's guide book to find a nice restaurant called "Mama's House". The food there was very good and the portions were decent. Afterwards, we went into the town to check it out and to take a gondola ride to the bottom of the hill.. We walked through narrow crowded streets before making it to the gondola station. The line for the gondola was very long because there were many people from cruise ships that wanted to take it. We discussed what we wanted to do for a little while before deciding that Bethany and I would walk down and take donkeys back up. The walk down was long, but not too hard. The path consisted of several relatively steep, long stairs. There were also many switchbacks. As we were walking down, we had to avoid some groups of donkeys that were coming up.
When we reached the bottom we were able to see the old port and the spot where the gondola was. We walked around for a little while before heading to the donkey station. When we got there, we weren't sure it was the right place because there were just two men sitting at a table drinking fanta. Luckily, the donkey ride guy noticed us and asked if we wanted donkeys. We said yes and paid him. He finished his fanta and then brought us to where the donkeys were. Bethany and I got on the donkeys from a slightly elevated place. Hers started going up the mountain once she was on it, but only walked a little bit before it stopped and waited for mine. Once we were on, the donkeys started up the hill. The donkey guide lagged behind so we weren't initially sure if he was coming with us or not. Before we reached the first bend, though, we saw that he was heading up the hill too. The ride up was not as relaxing as imagined because the donkeys kept veering towards the wall, and while we never driven into one, we got pretty close a number of times. We got off the donkeys a little ways from the top because there were other donkeys already there. We walked to the top by foot and then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Mom and Ben. We all watched the sunset from a wall in front of our hotel. We relaxed for a while at our hotel before heading to bed.
Here are some pictures from our first day on Santorini:
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012: Volcano and Hot Springs Trip
On Wednesday, we slept in. When we woke up we had breakfast made of things we had bought from the grocery store the day before. Then, we headed into town to see the prehistoric history museum. The museum consisted of artifacts largely from the town of Akrotiri. Akrotiri was a rich town that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in the 17th century BC. The city was pretty well preserved by the eruption and about 3% of the city has been excavated so far. There were a lot of pots and jars in the museum, as well as a couple of painted walls. It was definitely worth the time we spent there. Afterwards, we had lunch at a gyro place on the main road. We ordered things to go before going to the bus station. We were going on a tour of a volcano and a hot spring. At around 2:30 we got on the bus and were driven to the port. There we got on a boat and headed to the volcano. While on our way, our tour guide gave us some information about the Caldera and the volcanic island we were going to. When we got to the volcano, we hiked to one of the resting points and she gave us more information about the volcanic history of Santorini. Apparently the volcano we went to was still active and had last erupted in the 1950s. The walk up to the top was not very hard, but it was very hot and the ground was soft which made it harder to walk on. On our way to the top, our guide pointed out the various craters where the volcano had last erupted. On our way back down, we stopped at a hot vent to feel the hot air coming from the volcano. It was so hot that I could only put my hand there for a few seconds. The guide said that this vent might partially explain why the volcano had not erupted for a while. The air is able to escape so the pressure inside the volcano does not build up quite as much.
Our next stop after the volcano was the hot springs. We got there and were told we only had 20 minutes before we had to leave. This basically just gave us time to swim to the hot springs and swim back to the boat. The water in the hot spring was much warmer than the rest of the water, but was definitely not hot. The water was also orange. Our group boarded the boat and we set off for our next destination of Thirassia. Thirassia is the largest island in the group other than Santorini. People live both by the water and up on top of the mountain. We had 2 hours to spend there, so we ate a leisurely dinner and then walked around by the water. There were several restaurants and some small buildings. At around 7:30, we bought some ice cream and returned to the boat. The guide then told us more about the island of santorini and we stopped below the town of Ia to see the sunset. The sunset would have been very pleasant if the boat had not been playing bad music. The sunset was still nice though. Afterwards, we returned to the port and took a bus back to town.
Pictures from The Harbor cruise and the Volcano:
Thursday, June 14th, 2012: Ancient Thira, Akrotiri, and Ia.
On Thursday, Mom rented a car. We got going around 11 so that we could see everything that we wanted to see before it closed. Our first stop was Ancient Thira. It did not take very long to get there although the road up to it was narrow and winding. At the top, we had to walk up another path to reach the main part of the ruins. Ancient Thira was comprised of ruins from Greek, Roman, and Byzantine times. One of the first spots we came to was an old church that had been rebuilt several times. We also saw ruins of houses, a theater, sanctuaries, and an agora. It was very hot by the ruins, so we did not spend very long there.
Our next stop was Pyrgos. We went there to have lunch and see the monastery. We had a nice lunch, but because it was still hot, we only saw the monastery during our drive up to it. Apparently people are only allowed during certain times anyways.
Finally, we drove to Akrotiri. There the ruins had a roof over them so we were able to explore them leisurely without being in the heat. The ruins definitely hinted at the impressiveness of the city. There were many two story buildings. Apparently the city also had a sewer system although we could not see it when we were walking around. We followed the path around the ruins and then returned to our car. We got in and drove to one of the beaches called the red beach. We looked at from a little ways away, and then found a nice shady spot to eat the watermelon we had bought near the ruins. When we finished, we went for a swim near where we parked our car. Afterwards, we piled back in the car and drove to our hotel. We showered and then headed to our final destination of Ia.
Our guide on the harbor cruise compared Ia to Disney Land. There had been a town there before, but it was destroyed by either a volcanic eruption or an Earthquake, I can't remember exactly. When they rebuilt it, our guide said that they built it for tourists. When I saw it, I could see what she meant. It was full of narrow roads with basically nothing but shops, at least where we walked. There were lots of tourists there to see the sunset. We watched it from two spots before doing our last minute shopping. I bought some things for myself and a couple of small things for my host mother. Then, we ate a late dinner. On our way back to our car, we stopped at a fish spa. The spa had chairs and big tanks with small fish in front of them. The fish remove dead skin. The four of us decided to try it for 10 minutes. When the fish first came to my feet, it tickled only a little bit. More fish went to Mom's feet and so she felt them a lot more. For me the fish felt more like tiny vibrations. Although our feet didn't feel that much softer afterwards, it was still fun to do. When we had finished having our feet exfoliated by fish, we returned to our car and drove back to our hotel. We went to bed almost right away because we had to get up early to catch our flight the following day.
Friday, June 15th, 2012: Flight to Athens
On Friday, we woke up at 5:15am so that we could leave our hotel by 5:45. Our flight from Santorini to Athens was at 6:55. We took a bus from our gate to the airplane at around 6:40. When we got on the plane, Bethany, Ben and I sat in one row and Mom sat by the window in the row ahead of us. The flight served us drinks but was only an hour so there wasn't really time to serve food. When we got to Athens, I said goodbye to Bethany, Ben, and Mom because they had to catch a much earlier flight than I did. I had about two hours before my flight so I wanted by the check in counter until it opened. When I got my boarding pass, I went through security and to my gate.
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