Lunch in Fira, Santorini

With some free time one day we walked into Fira for a late lunch and some shopping.  We were lucky to get a nice table with great views of the caldera.  There are always people around enjoying the scenery so it's hard to photograph the scene without others in the pictures.  Would you enjoy lunch in a spot like this?

 

Santorini Monastery & Pyrgos

From Atrokiri we headed to the highest point on the island, a small mountain that has a monastery built on the top.  While the monastery was not open for tours, the view of the island from the base of the monastery was fantastic.  The drive to Akrotiri offered us our first views of the eastern side of the island where it is quite flat and has a few beaches.  There were also scattered neighborhoods of houses (Santorini style) across the flat eastern side as well.  We were surprised at the difference in that side of the island.  Some sample photos follow and the full set will be uploaded later.

 

From the monestary we then stopped at Pyrgos, near the highest point on the island.  Pyrgos was the Capitol of Santorini in the mid-eighteenth century before Fira.  The views of the island are spectacular and the village is picturesque as well. It's narrow, winding, steep walkways offer cool shade from the hot Mediterranean sun and interesting shops and cafés.  Again a few sample photos follow.

From the central square of Pyrgos it's a steep climb through the village to see the views.

Oia, Santorini - Blue Domes, Architecture & Sunsets

We took a late afternoon trip to Oia (EE ah) and it was the ultimate in OMG moments!  Oia is the source of most of the spectacular photos published about Santorini, and our walking tour did not disappoint.  Oia is on the northern most point of Santorini and mostly facing the caldera.  At the most northern point you can see clearly to the west and around to the north, making that point a spectacular vantage point for any sunset.  Thousands (OK, maybe hundreds) joined us for the sunset.

Oia typifies classic Greek island architecture with whitewashed walls and blue domed churches.  Cycladic and cave houses are carved into the rock face of the cliff.  Most houses are painted white with blue trim, and only this combination or pastels are allowed. This is tightly controlled on all of Santorini.  The blue and white are the colors of the Greek flag, and the white is quite practical to keep buildings cool in the intensity of the summer sun.  The houses are painted in white lime water so that the rainwater that runs over it can be collected and used.

We stayed for the sunset and managed to snag a table in a small cafe facing west about a hour before.  Some of our group came in after us and we sat together waiting for the sunset.  There was a group of 20 something's filling the tables outside in this small cafe and they were there for the same reason.  We grabbed a small table inside by the only window and had a great view plus a pleasant breeze.  We ordered some crepes done Greek style and it was served with a delicious plate of sliced olives.  That was so good we ordered a second crepe filled with chocolate.    The food was great and then we enjoyed one of the best sunsets we have ever seen.

There is much more to know about Oia.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oia,_Greece for more information.  Following are a few of our favorite photos taken in Oia.  The full set will be uploaded to the photo library later.  This a photo set to be sure and see.

Fira on the cliffs in the far distance. 

Exploring Fira, Santorini

After settling into our hotel, we were off on a walking tour of Fira, the capital of Santorini.  Fira was just a short 10 minute walk down the road in front of the hotel and we were looking out over the caldera and another OMG moment.  The road runs along the top of Fira (mostly), so the bulk of the city is below the road level.  As we reached the edge of the town we then climbed farther up the hill to a major pedestrian walkway running along the rim of the caldera.  Fira descends down the hill from your path all the way to the water.

Words do not adequately describe the view nor the beauty.  So following are a few favorite photos from a much larger set that I will upload when I have adequate wifi service.  This is a photo set to not miss.

Fira rambling on along the rim.  In the far distance, Oia, subject of a future post.

The island in the center is actually the crater of the volcano, which is still active.  Typical scene along the walkway.

Terraces everywhere, all built to maximize and enjoy the spectacular view.

Cafés and restaurants like this are all along the rim, offering fantastic views and good food and drink.

Oia in the distance.

Akrotiri, Santorini - Was it Atlantis?

The archeological site at Akrotiri is the best known Minoan site outside of Crete. Excavation started there in 1967 and to date only the southern tip of a large town has been uncovered.  The excavation site is completely covered with a building that allows in natural light and no artificial lights are used.  The building was built to protect the site against further deterioration from the elements, especially as the excavation progresses. Our guide said the building cost about 40 million euros to build. 

The buildings excavated so far are up to 3 and 4 stories high. Of course ground level today is at the top floors so we were walking around at that level looking down into the town.  The Bronze Age civilization that lived there thrived between 2000-1380 BC, and from the archeological evidence traded with other cultures and were a wealthy people.  The streets and squares were decorated with colors and the interiors of the homes and buildings were painted with frescos.  The city had a sophisticated water drainage system and water closets were found as some of the oldest anywhere.  Twin water pipes run throughout the city for both hot and cold running water with geothermal heating for the hot water.  The dual water pipe system, advanced archetecture, and apparent layout resemble Plato's description of the lost city of Atlantis. Many believe the Minoans inspired the Atlantis legend. 

The well-preserved ruins of Akrotiri are compared to the ruins at Pompeii in Italy. One huge difference however is that no human remains have been found at Akrotiri. This is probably because the inhabitants had early warning of the danger through small earthquakes preceding the huge volcanic eruption that destroyed the city. With enough warning they were able to escape.   The positioning of furniture and other items indicate the inhabitants thought they would return. 

Our guide was a young woman with her Masters degree in Archeology of the Byzantine period. While the Minoan era was not her speciality, she was extremely informative and knowledgeable.  She said the excavation was suspended currently die to the lack of money in Greece and the overall global recession. We have heard that at all of the archeological sites so it aes to be widespread. She did not say it directly, but we suspected she was working as an expert guide for a job and her archeological work was unavailable. 

There is much more to know about Akrotiri. If you are interested, click on the following link for Santorini and scroll down to the History section. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini

A view of the overall site and the building covering it.

A partially excavated street with the exterior of a building on the right.  Notice the layers in the volcanic material where it has been cut for removal.  Another building is visible on the left but with several feet of volcanic material yet to be removed.

Partially excavated street on the right and partially excavated buildings/houses straight ahead.  We are standing at like the 2nd or 3rd floor. 

Street,running between two rows of buildings.  Notice the open trench at the far right.  That is part of the drainage system for the city.

Third level of a home with a toilet built not the wall on the right.  The toilet has a seat and a drainage pipe running down and passes through a turn to control odors returning up the pipe.  

House of the ladies from the front.

Hotel El Greco, Santorini

Our hotel on Santorini was beautiful and as good as the professional photos on the hotel website.  When we stopped n front of the front door, we all had another OMG moment taking in the view in front of the hotel. Below is a sample of what we saw out the front every day.

The lobby and internal areas were beautiful as well.  There were three different large pools each in a different section of the grounds.  Surrounding each pool was a collection of rooms.  Our room was around the second pool where the restaurant and bar were also located.  Below are a few photos of the grounds.

The rooms were very stark but very typical if what you would expect of a Mediterranean room.  The walls were cream colored with no wall decoration but one painting (mural actually) over the bed.  The windows and doors were wooden and opened horizontally into the room to bring in air.  No screens on the windows and none needed as we never saw a fly or bug.  The evening air was really nice and we slept with the windows open each night.  It felt great!

The hotel was great and we enjoyed it.  Our only complaints were that our room was located next to the kitchen, which was a bit noisy late evening and early morning, and the wifi was very slow.  Otherwise it was great.  The pools were beautiful, but we only spent a couple of hours laying around them as we had too much to see.  The water temp in the pools was very brisk as they fill them often from the desalinated water source.  The water never has time to really warm.  But we only used them once.  

Santos Wine Tour, Santorini

We arrived at our hotel in Santorini before our rooms were ready, so we stored our bags and joined the trip to the Santos Winery.  Our guide had said the views from the winery were spectacular, and he was right!  It was one of many OMG moments!  Below is the view as we approached the main gate of the winery.

The wine tour was the usual walk through the crushing area, then on to where the sediment is drained and collected, and then to fementation.  For the reds we saw the barrels for aging, and then finally bottling. But what made this tour more interesting was to learn about the different technique needed to grow grapes in Santorini.  Because the climate is so dry and the sun intense, the grape vines are not strung up on trellises as in most places.  Instead, the vines are trained into a circle on the ground, about the size of a  wreath you might put on your door for the holidays.  The leaves of the plants are kept on the outside and the fruit is in the middle under the protection of the vines and leaves.  This protects the fruit and each night the plant collects some moisture  as the ground cools from the heat of the day.  The fields of grape vines with circles on the ground are strange at first, but you see them everywhere on Santorini.  It is a technique unique to the island.

At the end of the tour we gathered on a beautiful terrace for lunch and tastings of three of the Santos wines.  Again the views were fantastic!  White wine is is their best product and we enjoyed trying their offerings.  Below are a few of the photos from the terrace.  Watch for the full set to be uploaded to the photo library.

Below is the caldera with Fira at the upper right and Oia at the farthest point north.  The dries ship is anchored directly in front of Fira.  Notice the sediment layers visible in the side of the cliffs.

Below is the volcano crater, standing above the water as it's own island.  In the distance is another island that was once part of Santorini when it was a circular island.  

Enjoying the OMG views, with Fira visible in the rim.