Sign In
Blogs from Santorini, South Aegean, Greece, Europe - page 33
Advertisement
July 12th 2006
Hi Guys, In Santorini at the moment having an amazing time. The weather has been lovely, blue sky, about 32....perfect. We hired quad bikes yesterday and cruised the island, checking out the volvanic beaches on the way. Then last night we drove them to Oia to watch the amazing sunset! Will probably stay here another couple of nights and then head to Ios and then Mykonos.....then LONDON!! Nooooooooooooo!!!! Have to find a place that lets me load photos....so you can see how amazing this place is!!!! Miss you all.. Love Me x... read more
July 12th 2006
I climbed a volcano today. I took a sail boat to the centre of the caldera, the active volcano and climbed the 138 m summit. All there is to walk on is volcanic rock. Everyone had flip-flops but me. Almost no vegetation, all just dark basalt. It would have been really super duper hot, but the wind was strong enough to cool us down as we climbed. This was really quite spectacular, the setting was so picturesque, for a geology teacher that is. Santorini was a complete island in 1500 BC, but the explosion blew most of it apart. The centre islands have since emerged as resurgent domes and eruptions. At the second island they let us off to swim in the hot springs. I stayed on board, but watched as many dived off the side ... read more
July 10th 2006
I arrived in Santorini along with hundreds of other tourists. We approached the island through the caldera while everyone snapped photos. This place is like a dream. Is this for real? Perched high upon the caldera rim appearing to defy gravity, or at the very least, just waiting for gravity to do its work and pull the whole town of Fira into the sea. But it stays, thankfully, for the tourists. It's hard to describe the mob scene as we departed the ferry boat. Hundreds of people rushing forwards all with packs, suitcases, roller suitcases, motorcycles. We are at the base of the cliff, dramatically announcing itself as a shear wall of volcanic rock, layered red, black, and grey. I walk into the crowd of domatia, those raptious owners of pensions who want us to stay ... read more
July 6th 2006
Once we checked in to the Andromeda Villas, we were able to relax a bit. The accomodation, though having a slightly spartan feel, was comfy, and the views, well just look at the photos. You hear everyone talking about it, but you can't really appreciate Santorini unless you go there. We were staying in the area called Imerovigli, the highest point. We were on the cliff face, looking straight out towards the setting sun.... read more
July 3rd 2006
6/29-7/3 After a lovely stay in Crete we were told that Santorini is a must see. We were fortunate enough to time it right and meet up with our friends Jay and Stephanie who were vacationing there. After checking out there posh accomodations we found a cheaper version with less amenities (but an incredible view) next door and pretended we were guests at their fancier hotel while sitting poolside. A tad embarrassing but all in the spirit of backpacking. Santorini has such amazing natural beauty formed from volcanic rock. We had a great time exploring the dormant and active volcanos. Luckily we were told they have tons of electronic equipment that can detect an eruption at least a month in advance, so no need to fear. The four of us set out for a motorbike tour ... read more
Advertisement
June 27th 2006
So we are in Santorini, as everyone knows... or at least those who have read the last blog. So much fun here, its so beautiful and so amazing. Its skorching hot here, but its actually really pleasant because of the sea breezes. Today we did the Vespa thing, except they wouldn't give us full insurance because we didn't have motorcycle licenses. I didn't like this, so instead we have a quad bike (ATV) and have been buzzing around on 4 wheels instead of 2. Still so fun, and safer to have insurance. So first we went out to the red sand beach, that was amazing. The cliffs are all read and the ocean is crystal clear. Amazing sight. Then to the Southern most tip of the island to get some good views by a light house ... read more
Sooooo.... How many volcanos have you climbed in the past 2 weeks?
Published: June 26th 2006Europe » Greece » South Aegean » SantoriniJune 26th 2006
Hello to one and all, We are in BEAUTIFUL Santorini in the Cyclades of Greece. Wow, I can't believe I was actually contimplating not coming here because of the cost of ferries. The experience is well worth it. So we took an 8 hour ferry from Athens (leaving at 7:30) and arrived in the Santorini port expecting to see our ride... They never showed, so we got scooped up by some other pushy, but friendly man who was amoung the many throngs of hotel reps trying to get us to stay at their hotel. We are staying in Perrisa, a black sandy beach town. So pretty. The water is wonderful and there are many cheap and nice (not crap!) shops. We have 3 days on the island before we go to Mykonos. Yesterday was day 1, ... read more
June 10th 2006
We arrived safely in Santorini on a ferry at 4 am and are staying at a hotel a block from the black beaches of Perissa. Time for the wine tours, volcano, and tonight the sunset over the Caldera! We split up a bit for the day with Jessica and Jeanna heading up the beach front. Aisha, Aliya, Aditi, Megs, KJ, Me (Melissa) and George (who we met at the internet cafe in Milos) traveled around Santorini. It is beautiful there. We took the day to walk around, shop, take in the local culture and watch the sunset over the Caldera. The night we spent playing Uno, and other card games and chatting. All while enjoying the beautiful location, at our not so beautiful hotel! The showers were missing curtains or doors, and the spray went everywhere. ... read more
May 27th 2006
Today we took a traditional sailboat tour. The first stop was Nea Kameni island, the active volcano. A 1.4km walk up to the breathtaking crater where we had a stunning view of its vastness. There was a hole dug, about a foot deep where the stones are hot enough to boil an egg in 20 minutes. Mmm...smell that sulfur. Our second stop was Palea Kameni island where we visit the hot springs. We are informed that to get there we jump off the boat into the cold ocean and swim a short ways to the hot springs. No the guide was not kidding! Everyone that decided to go rubbed the iron rich mud on themselves with the notion that it is great for the skin. This poor American guy got stung by a jellyfish. Amie told ... read more
May 26th 2006
9 am we met Tony and Manolos at the front of the restaurant. Tony suggests coffee at the beach. So we each hopped onto the back of a moped. They took the senic route overlooking the cliffs of Santorini 300m high with stunning views of the caldera while overtaking buses, cars and other vehicles. We don't have any pictures of this due to the priority of holding on for dear life. Mom, you and Amie now have matching tail-pipe burns :) We ended up in Parissa beach on the other side of the island and enjoyed some iced coffee with our new friends. An hour later, they left for work. We stayed on the beach a little longer, dipped our toes in the black sand ocean before heading back. The rest of the day was spent ... read more
