Islands of the Caldera
This was a perfect day for boating. Our ship was a two-masted schooner without sails that delivered us from island to island as we explored Santorini's Caldera. Our adventure started with a bus ride north to the cliff-top village of Oia (pronounced "Eee-uh.") We were transported by mini-bus down the steep incline to the harbor. Our boat, the Poseiden, soon arrived to take us and thirty other passengers across the bay to the island of Nea Kameni. The sun shone bright and hot, and the blue sky was reflected in the blue, blue waters of the Caldera as we sunned ourselves on the deck.
Nea Kameni is at the center of the Caldera and is in fact the top of the volcano that once dominated the island of Santorini. The whole mountain collapsed when the volcano blew thirty-six hundred years ago. Today the island is a mass of chunky, black volcanic rocks. We didn't realize the tour would involve so much hiking, so we wore flip flops as we awkwardly ascended the volcano to the summit. Near the top is a spot where sulferous gases escape from whatever is still churning below the surface. The last eruption was over sixty years ago, but we didn't take chances as we skirted the noxious mist and returned to the boat!
Nearby is the small island of Palea Kameni. We never actually docked there, but passengers were invited to swim from the boat to the hot springs that warm an inlet. I took a flying leap off the side of the boat while Leroy volunteered to stay on board and take photos! The water was about thirty feet deep and clear and cold. I swam toward the shore with about fifty others from our ship and another tour boat. We passed a small church and then the water suddenly became quite warm. The water also turned reddish brown from the mud that lines the bottom of the inlet and was stirred up by swimmers. I joined others in covering myself with mud and then washing it off on the swim back to the boat.
The final island, Thirasia, has a long, narrow beach of black rocks that is lined with small restaurants and souvenir shops. We ate Giros and then walked to the far end of the beach. A tiny, hand-crafted church ("St. Nicolas") stood there by the water. I heard today that there are a thousand churches on the islands that comprise Santorini. Pretty impressive, considering the population is less than fifteen thousand. Most of the churches are what we would call "chapels" or "shrines" in America. Little St. Nicolas by the water on Thirasia was attached to a boathouse and looks like it was a family's charming and creative arts and crafts project. Leroy and I swam there and then walked back to our boat for the return trip to Oia.
This evening, like each evening here, we are sitting on the terrace by our very own volcanic rock, enjoying the quiet while looking at the lights from the cruise ships and other boats below us on the Caldera. This is truly a place of remarkable peace and beauty.
This was a perfect day for boating. Our ship was a two-masted schooner without sails that delivered us from island to island as we explored Santorini's Caldera. Our adventure started with a bus ride north to the cliff-top village of Oia (pronounced "Eee-uh.") We were transported by mini-bus down the steep incline to the harbor. Our boat, the Poseiden, soon arrived to take us and thirty other passengers across the bay to the island of Nea Kameni. The sun shone bright and hot, and the blue sky was reflected in the blue, blue waters of the Caldera as we sunned ourselves on the deck.
Nea Kameni is at the center of the Caldera and is in fact the top of the volcano that once dominated the island of Santorini. The whole mountain collapsed when the volcano blew thirty-six hundred years ago. Today the island is a mass of chunky, black volcanic rocks. We didn't realize the tour would involve so much hiking, so we wore flip flops as we awkwardly ascended the volcano to the summit. Near the top is a spot where sulferous gases escape from whatever is still churning below the surface. The last eruption was over sixty years ago, but we didn't take chances as we skirted the noxious mist and returned to the boat!
Nearby is the small island of Palea Kameni. We never actually docked there, but passengers were invited to swim from the boat to the hot springs that warm an inlet. I took a flying leap off the side of the boat while Leroy volunteered to stay on board and take photos! The water was about thirty feet deep and clear and cold. I swam toward the shore with about fifty others from our ship and another tour boat. We passed a small church and then the water suddenly became quite warm. The water also turned reddish brown from the mud that lines the bottom of the inlet and was stirred up by swimmers. I joined others in covering myself with mud and then washing it off on the swim back to the boat.
The final island, Thirasia, has a long, narrow beach of black rocks that is lined with small restaurants and souvenir shops. We ate Giros and then walked to the far end of the beach. A tiny, hand-crafted church ("St. Nicolas") stood there by the water. I heard today that there are a thousand churches on the islands that comprise Santorini. Pretty impressive, considering the population is less than fifteen thousand. Most of the churches are what we would call "chapels" or "shrines" in America. Little St. Nicolas by the water on Thirasia was attached to a boathouse and looks like it was a family's charming and creative arts and crafts project. Leroy and I swam there and then walked back to our boat for the return trip to Oia.
This evening, like each evening here, we are sitting on the terrace by our very own volcanic rock, enjoying the quiet while looking at the lights from the cruise ships and other boats below us on the Caldera. This is truly a place of remarkable peace and beauty.