Santorini – Golding Family News

Leaving the Peloponesse and returning to the 21st century, we boarded a plane in Athens for the 1-hour flight to Santorini where we would spend the next 3 days. Santorini is known to be a destination for honeymooners, so it was not surprising that our hotel went by the name Absolute Bliss. The name fit. After checking in, we were led down countless steps to a beautiful suite with a canopy king bed, plenty of room, a great shower and a balcony overlooking the caldera and promising some of the famous Santorini sunsets. We were given a menu and told that breakfast would be delivered to our balcony/room each morning. Bliss.

Like most of the buildings on Santorini, our hotel was a whitewashed cubiform structure trimmed with the same blue for which Santorini’s church rooftops were famous. Similar to most of the other buildings, our hotel appeared to be holding on for dear life on the edge of this volcanic crater. The caldera was created was created by one of the worst earthquakes in human history (The Minoan Earthquake) in 1613 B.C.E. and had withstood thousands of temblors since. We were hoping that the slopes would hold back disaster a few more days.

One overall impression of Santorini is its verticality, yet we never saw an elevator; just plenty of steps. Not all of our walking was up and down, since there is a walking path that follows the rim of the caldera, connecting the two main cities, Fira (the capital) and Oia( pronounced ee-ah). Our hotel was in Imeroviglia, midway between these cities, which was convenient, since many of the shops and restaurants were located on this path. Imeroviglia was one of the high points of the caldera and is sometimes referred to as “balcony of the Aegean”.

We arrived late afternoon on the first day, acclimated to our surroundings and found a lovely restaurant close by and watched the sun descend over the Aegean. Right on script….

The next day, we took full-day tour of the island. We walked through Oia, at the northern end of the island, then drove down island to Megalochori, where we viewed an underground dwelling and some improbable vineyards. Santorini is famous for its white wines, but these “volcanic vineyards” are very different than any others we had seen elsewhere.

We visited Red Beach (there are also Black and White Beaches) and moved on to the Prophet Elias Monastery, which is at the highest point of the island.

Our final destination was the excavation site at Akrotiri, where we saw the ruins of a Bronze Age community (part of the Minoan Civilization), destroyed by earthquake and volcanic explosion and preserved by layers of volcanic ash. I am still not sure we fully grasped that we were looking at houses where people were alive while Santorini was still intact as a round Aegean Island, before a whole civilization was destroyed and the present-day caldera formed.

Our only remaining scheduled event was a small-group sunset cruise by catamaran. The tour starts at Akrotiri around 2 pm and sails along the inner coastline of the caldera before it deposits passengers at Oia after dark. There are scheduled stops for snorkeling or swimming and a stop at a natural hot spring. The trip does not guarantee a beautiful sunset or clear weather, but the crew does cook a dinner and serves wine.

We thought this trip might be a bust since we began it during a thunder storm. We lucked out though, as the skies cleared after the first hour and we had a wonderful sail and a memorable sunset. It was a great way to spend our last night in Santorini.

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Santorini, one of the multitude of Cycladic Islands, is a one-hour flight from Athens.

The Greek island of Santorini. We stayed in Imerovigli, between the capital (Fira) and Oia.

Stopping to pose for a photo in Oia.

The scenic caldera view from the village of Imerovigli on Santorini.

The building style in Santorini is known as “yposkafa,” which translates to cave houses carved into the caldera cliffs. View from our suite.

Skaros Rock, in Imerovigli, offers a hiking trail and an interesting history.

A view showing more of Santorini’s volcanic caldera.

This image displays the iconic Three Bells of Fira (also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary) in Fira, Santorini

Jani, navigating the many steps from our room.

A small portion of our suite at the Absolute Bliss accommodation.

Skaros Rock, a prominent volcanic promontory located in Imerovigli, Santorini. In the 13th century, it hosted fortifications and a Venetian castle, later abandoned after a series of earthquakes.

Our rooms were on the lower balcony, just over the pool.

“Honeymoon bed” in our suite at the Absolute Bliss hotel.

Typical breakfast menu at Absolute Bliss.

Complimentary breakfast on our balcony; a real treat for us tourists.

A sunset over the caldera in Imerovigli, Santorini. Santorini is the remnant of a massive volcanic eruption that occurred approximately 3,600 years ago.

Iconic buildings share the Santorini landscape with volcanic layers that make up the caldera.

Classic Santorini: blue-domed churches, whitewashed buildings, and a view of the volcanic caldera.

High above the Aegean, we stop for a rest in Oia, Santorini.

It was a long way down to our room. Pity the poor souls that brought our breakfast each morning.

Our backs to the Aegean Sea, the caldera, and the classic Cycladic bell tower.

The village is famous for its whitewashed cave houses and blue-domed churches built along the edge of steep volcanic cliffs.

The Church of Panagia Platsani, located in the central square of the village of Oia on Santorini island. Used as backdrop for many photo shoots. The original church was destroyed by a major earthquake in 1956, and the current structure was rebuilt in 1965

The Chapel of Saint Nectarius, Located just below the main building of the Prophet Elias Monastery, built in 1711.

The Profitis Ilias Monastery located in Santorini. The monastery is situated at the highest point on the island, approximately 567 meters (about 1,860 feet) above sea level.

The iconic white, three-level Cycladic bell tower in the village of Megalochori, located on the island of Santorini,

Our guide invites us into an underground home in the village of Megalochori.

At Red Beach, on Santorini. The striking red color of the cliffs comes from the oxidation of iron-rich volcanic basalt rock, which has been eroded over time.

We noticed numerous professional photo shoots, utilizing Santorini’s unique architecture and surroundings.

Local beers

Clever Santorini signage

There are many stray animals roaming the streets of Santorini.

Another professional photo shoot on Santorini

This stunning panoramic scene is from Imerovigli, known as the “balcony to the Aegean,” located on the highest point of the Santorini caldera cliff.

The prominent white structure is a Typical Cycladic-style church, often adorned with crosses and bells, overlooking the caldera.

The iconic cliffside village of Oia (pronounced E-ah) in Santorini, built along the edge of the caldera.

A railing covered in “love locks” overlooking the sea, a popular tourist activity in Santorini, a favorite honeymoon destination.

The unique vineyards of Santorini, Greece, famous for their harsh volcanic environment. The grapes grow in soil composed of volcanic ash, pumice, and lava stones, which contributes to the mineral profile of the local wines.

The vines are not grown on trellises but are instead trained into a low, circular basket shape known as a kouloura. The dominant grape grown in these vineyards is Assyrtiko, known for producing white wines with high acidity and mineral notes.

Mural we saw in Megalochori, presumably created by Sonke, a Greek street artist based in Athens

The site features the impeccably preserved remains of a Bronze Age Minoan city, which was buried under volcanic ash around 1600 B.C.E. The ruins are housed within a bioclimatic roof structure designed to provide shade and allow for airflow to protect the site.

This is the Akrotiri Archaeological Site in Santorini, a prehistoric Bronze Age settlement often referred to as the “Pompeii of the Aegean”. The Minoan town was preserved under volcanic pumice and ash for over 3,000 years following a massive eruption in the 16th century B.C.E.

Unearthed houses at the Akrotiri Archaeological Site.

Red Beach prohibits visitors because of the dangers of rockslides, but no one seems to pay attention to the warning signs.

Our “sister ship” on the sunset tour. Both vessels stopped off Red Beach for an opportunity to snorkel.

The storm passed and the coastline showed itself to be unique as we rounded each point.

White Beach

Many layers of volcanic rock are evident along most of the coastline

The Akrotiri Lighthouse in Santorini, Greece.

The rugged, dark cliffs are characteristic of the volcanic landscape surrounding the island.

The volcanic cliffs of Santorini. The stark, dark rock at the base is solidified lava flows.The lighter, layered material higher up consists of white ash tuffs and pumice.Reddish deposits are volcanic spatter and oxidized sediments.

These layered cliffs are part of the Santorini caldera in Greece, showcasing a complex history of volcanic eruptions over the past 500,000 years.The darker, vertical structures cutting through the lighter layers are volcanic dikes (or dykes), which are pathways where magma intruded into existing rock fractures before solidifying.