Blogs from Santorini, South Aegean, Greece, Europe - page 12

This day was my last day in Santorini. Last chance to see the Akrotiri ruins. On this trip anyway. So after breakfast at the hotel, I took the bus to Akrotiri and arrived just before my motion sickness got really bad. I was turning a bit green on those curvy roads. I'm sure all that sambuka I had last night had nothing to do with it. The ruins at Akrotiri are completely covered and protected from the elements. Excavation continues, but the site is so impressive. At 5 euros, it is well worth a visit. Akrotiri is a Minoan settlement from the Bronze Age. It was destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1500 BC and covered in ash, like Pompei in Italy. The ash actually preserved a lot of frescoes and mosaics and other works of ... read more

I waited so long to visit Santorini. I always dreamed of going there on some romantic holiday, but I decided if I kept waiting for that, I'd probably never get there! So I decided to book a trip and just go see it for myself. This was one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited and one of the best holidays I've ever had - once I arrived. On the flight from Kuwait, some a**hole kicked the back of my seat for four hours, even after I made him aware of it. Twice. Was he a child who didn't know any better or wasn't aware of his actions, you ask? No! He was a full grown man who apparently didn't know any better and wasn't aware of his actions. Once I arrived in Athens, I ... read more

Saturday May 4th, 2013. Thira (Santorini), Cyclades Islands, Greece Thira (named Santorini by the Venetians) is one of the most ruggedly beautiful of the Aegean Islands and is located in the Cyclades Island Group. Thira boasts pitch black pebbled beaches, whitewashed cliffs and sensational sunsets. The island owes its dramatic landscape to one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. In approximately 1600 BC the volcano that made up this island erupted in a catastrophic explosion known as the Minoan eruption. What was once the island of Thira blew its top and the resulting caldera (volcanic crater) was filled by the sea to create the great bay we see today. The bay is 1,300 deep in some places, too deep for some boats to drop anchor! The bay is like a lagoon and measures 32 ... read more

December 1st- Saturday in Santorini - Very quiet day here. I’m sure glad I came during the off season. The streets, stores, restaurants, and walkways are all not crowded. Indeed I had the walkway along the Caldera almost all to myself. The volcano is quiet and hopefully it will stay that way a few more days. December 2 – Oia – I caught the bus out to Oia today. The main thing I learned was it wasn’t worth the trouble to catch the bus out to Oia. Not much there but a lot of shops and restaurants that are mostly closed for the season or because it is Sunday. I think Fira has Oia beaten hands down. I should have went to the Red Beach and Ancient Akrotiri instead. I had planned on taking the boat ... read more

Well as you know we love Santorini and were there just for a short time this day. It's one of the two ports that we call into twice. So we added to the glass collection for the kitchen/lounge area - which will be sent home with the other purchases... for those who are curious enough to see them - you need to come and visit us! We wandered around some walkways - not to call them alleyways... seems to have a different connotation.. and looked in some jewellery and other shops and then decided it was lunch time - we stopped at a nice restaurant on the hillside but they didn't have wifi. So we went around the corner and asked the same question and they said yes upstairs.. so we trudged upstairs to find it ... read more