Leaving Crete, Arriving Santorini

After a fun, but too short visit on Crete, we were off by ferry to Santorini.  Crete has much more to offer than we had time to see and experience, so we will plan to return in the future.  We were sad to leave Crete, but excited to be on our way to Santorini.  Below is Crete disappearing in the wake of the ferry.

The ferry trip was about 2 hours and then Santorini began appearing.  Santorini is a much smaller island than Crete and is a crescent shape, having formerly been round before the volcano erupted about 3600 years ago in the Minoan eruption that destroyed part of the western side of the island.  Now on the western side are tall cliffs overlooking the caldera, with the crater of the volcano visible on a small island across the caldera from the main island.

Along the rim of the cliffs facing the caldera and in the middle of the coast is Fira (FEE rah), the capital of Santorini.  Our hotel, the El Greco, was just south of Fira and within walking distance.  South of the hotel along the rim of the cliffs is the Santos winery where we took the wine tour.  More about that in a subsequent post.  On the most northern edge of the cliffs and facing the caldera is the picturesque town of Oia (pronounced EE ah, shown as Ia on the map above) where most of the famous photos of Santorini have originated.  

Santorini is mostly volcanic and has been rocked by frequent earthquakes over the centuries.  (You can see the many levels of sediment and volcanic material in the photos of the cliffs.) This has affected its culture, architecture, and history.  The soil is a volcanic material that hold moisture, what little it gets in this arid climate.  It only rains in the winter months, and rainfall is limited.  There is only one stream on the island at the one small mountain that exists, and it is insufficient to supply the island.  Drilling for underground water is also futile, so the island uses desalinated water that is trucked around the island and delivered like fuel oil is done back in the US.  Houses have a cistern that can capture rainwater, but is normally filled from these tanker deliveries.  Those living in very high and scenic areas also pay more for the water as it is harder to deliver. Consequently, bottled water is common for drinking.  The desalinated water is safe to drink but is used mostly for showers and swimming pools.  It has a slightly salty taste.

The economy of Santorini is dependent primarily on tourism, and they are very happy to have tourists and treat them well.  The island also produces a unique quality of grape due to the soil and weather conditions, so they also make and export a very nice and unique white Santorini wine. They grow wonderful tomatoes and cucumbers, each of which also have a rich and unique flavor.  Otherwise, most all other goods are imported to the island.  

Before arriving in Santorini, our guide Roberto had said we would have many "Oh my God" moments with the views.  He was more right than we all knew and it became our collective response when we would see something new or return from an outing to a new place.  Someone would say "how was it?", and the response was alway "Oh my God".  In the subsequent posts I will insert a few key photos.  But to appreciate our time in Santorini, take the time to see all of the Santorini photos once I have uploaded them to the photo library.

You can read more on Santorini and it's history at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini.