Next point of our Greek program was Santorini. It was the place I keenly wanted to visit: the island is very interesting from the all points of view: historic, geologic, wine, and aesthetic.
Satellite image of Santorini archipelago (photo from internet):
It looks like a nibbled bagel. However recently (from geological point of view) it was normal, whole, round island with lower-sloped shore and big (1500 meter in height) volcano in the middle. People lived in the island from 3000 years BC. They built cities, growth grape, made wine, fished. Their culture was covered with umbrella of Crete-Minoan civilization. Near 1500 year BC volcano decided to become active and exploded destroyed half of the island and organized sea hole in the middle. It was not enough for the volcano to damage only it’s own island, and it organized the huge tsunami that washed out half of the Crete also. It cause the end of the Crete-Minoan civilization and gave a way to Hellenes.
The volcano is still active in nowadays, although it dreams now. In fact it is in the group of Decade Volcanoes. This group includes 16 volcanoes all over the world that located in high populated places. Probability of an eruption of these volcanoes is very high and they may cause severe destruction. Seismologists pay special attention to Decade Volcanoes.
Two of Decade Volcanoes I already visited. I live now near one of them, Rainier actually, see it every day then weather permitted, and climbed it many times. The other, Mauna Loa, I hiked on my last birth day.
At such deal the visit of Santorini volcano was especially desirable. A little island Nea Kameni in the middle of Santorini bagel hole is a volcano caldera.
Here is the map with all names:
Nea Kameni
Nea Kameni, on the left from it Palia Kameni, behind them Thirasia:
Islands and camomiles.
Nea Kameni can reached by boat. If you don’t have your own boat, you can take a guided tour. From Old Port a boat takes you to Nea Kameni. It coasts reasonable money. Of coarse, we took a tour.
First, you should come to Thira.
Next, descent to the Old Port.
Descent (and accent) is 300 vertical meters.
You can use this funicular (5 euro one way).
or walk for free
or rent a donkey for the same 5 euro.
About donkeys, by the way. All west coast of Santorini is huge steep cliff. All ports are also on west coast. Towns streets are also very narrow and steep. Before second half of XX century donkey was main transport of Santorini and other islands of Aegean sea. Now they partly replaced by ATV, but still used and not only for tourist attraction.
Donkey images can be meet everywhere on the island.
Donkey can take you to or from the port.
Donkeys of Santorini immediately remind me this:
“When to God’s fondouk the donkeys are taken —
Donkeys of Africa, Sicily, Spain —
If peradventure the Deity waken,
He shall not easily slumber again.
Where in the sweet of God’s straw they have laid them,
Broken and dead of their burdens and sores,
He, for a change, shall remember He made them —
One of the best of His numerous chores —
Order from some one a sigh of repentance —
Donkeys of Araby, Syria, Greece —
Over the fondouk distemper the sentence:
“God’s own forsaken — the stable of Peace.’”
John Galsworthy
We walked down on our own feet. A boat took us to the island. Our boat is not alone here, unfortunately.
It is a line to caldera.
There is a lave field around,
just slightly covered by grass.
People slowly moves to the caldera.
Caldera:
Palia Kameni
Thirasia:
Palia Kameni has hot water spring. The boat stops here for short swim.
The hot spring is on sea bottom near the shore. You need to jump from the boat, swim to the shore, and find place with warm water. April on Santorini is not the hottest time. On the boat I was in the sweater, and didn’t have any intention take take it off. The temperature of sea was 12-14C, and the hot water appeared to be 20C. Not the hottest hot spring in my life. So I decided to skip swimming. It would be fan in hot day, not in April.
On the way back our boat made first stop in New Port, so on the way from New Port to Old Port I enjoyed tho shore cliff view.
Old Port
I wanted to walk up by foot, but my comrades insisted to use the funicular. Another trail waited us.
To be continue…..
