Our Greek Odyssey -- Santorini

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Every Aegean island is beautiful but I believe Santorini is the most scenic of them all.

All the Aegean islands are prone to earthquakes and related volcanic activity, but Santorini is especially so because it is at the center of South Aegean Volcanic Arc.

The Santorini volcano erupts periodically (here I am speaking in geologic terms and ‘periodically’ means millions of years.) and changes the surrounding landscape/seascape totally.

Thus, Santorini was a round island once upon a time. It became a ring of land filled with sea, looking rather like an atoll after one volcanic eruption - without the coconut trees, of course.

(An atoll is formed by the activity of live coral, however. It does not have a volcanic origin.)

Then the ring of the atoll broke after another eruption, giving it the present embryonic shape.

So, what was a single Island, has now become a small, circular archipelago of tiny islands.

This last eruption, about 3600 years ago, was so large that the tsunamis it generated, wiped off the Minoan civilization on Crete - miles away. (At least that is what some scientists claim. As is usual in scientific circles, others dispute it.)

The two new “burnt” islands in the caldera - Palea Kameni which is 2000 years old and Nea Kameni, which is hardly 425 years old - are still being pushed up from the bottom of the caldera by the volcanic activity.

I was particularly attracted towards this Nea Kameni island, ever since I had read its description in the travel brochure. It is called the ‘volcano’ and it is active.

However, the shore-excursion to the Nea Kameni generally gets cancelled and people go on the other excursion - Fira and Oia.

That is because there is a small but hard trek involved in the Nea Kameni excursion. Given the average age of passengers on board the ship, (60+) it is small wonder that the Nea Kameni excursion gets cancelled whereas, the ‘Fira and Oia’ excursion is a pleasant shopping spree, well suited for the oldies and so it is always full.

Even though I am an ‘oldie’, fully aware of my own physical limitations and knew that no mules would be available on Nea Kameni to take me to the top, I was determined to go on the Nea Kameni excursion.

I knew there would be a time-limit set for going up and coming down. I had decided that I would climb for half of that time-limit irrespective of whether I reach the top or not and return from that point, thus honoring the time-limit. I may not see the island fully but at least I will see it partially.

The ship’s travel-desk was not so optimistic however, and tried every which way to persuade us that we should go on the ‘Fira and Oia’ excursion. They also told us that there were no takers for the Nea Kameni excursion and so it would not take place.

We were turning away dejectedly from the travel-desk when a man approached it and said that he wanted to book the Nea Kameni excursion.

We stopped there and awaited developments.

When the girl from the travel-desk tried to tell him that the Nea Kameni excursion stood canceled because there were not enough passengers for it, he coolly replied that now there were, because he was a travel agent and was booking the excursion for 50 youngsters under his charge.

Now that there was a chance that the excursion would take place, we did not want to lose out on it and so we stayed put.

The girl from the travel-desk consulted her boss and they decided that the excursion should be undertaken. They booked the excursion for the 50 youngsters and when we insisted that they should book us also on the same excursion, they had no choice but to include us.

Our inclusion in the excursion was accompanied by many dire warnings, given our age and my fitness. (or, the lack of it)

Now that our excursion was booked, we were free to enjoy the view of Santorini as the ship approached it.

It is awesome. The 1000-feet, sheer, semicircular crags of the rim of the caldera are topped by the white houses of Fira. It looked as if fresh snow had fallen on the cliffs.

The port of Santorini is just a small strip along the base of the cliff. Two zigzag lines snake up the face of the cliff. One of them is a motorable road and the other is a mule-path, leading to the town on the top. There is also a cable-car for the same purpose.

{I wholly approve the latest fashion of making a zigzag parting in the hair adopted by our TV actresses. It always reminds me of Santorini.}

The people of the ‘Fira and Oia’ excursion went to the bus, that would take them to the top, whereas, the people of Nea Kameni excursion were bundled into a small ‘traditional’ boat bound for Nea Kameni. (It was a ’powered’ boat. Its sails were a mere ornamentation.)

That is how we found ourselves sailing on a wooden vessel towards the Nea Kameni Island along with 50 youngsters. We were the only two old people on this excursion.

The black, volcanic mass of the Nea Kameni loomed ahead. Its black, treeless, arid appearance is not exactly inviting but it certainly is unique. However, we were mentally prepared for it since Nea Kameni means “New Burnt Island’.

It looks like a large heap of coal stacked in the midst of the sea. I said so.

“Or the cake you had made for my Birthday.” Avi added.

Now, it was not necessary for him to remind me of that culinary disaster, but then, that is Avi.

However, I was in such a happy frame of mind to be actually visiting Nea Kameni that I ignored the jab.

The colors of the sea changed as we approached Nea Kameni from azure blue to parrot-green due to the sulfur/iron in the water. The coal-black rocks near the water’s edge have acquired a bright orange hue due to chemical reaction.

We got down at the jetty and started walking up the gravel path. The Nea Kameni Island is about 2 kms in diameter and 130 meters high at its highest point. It is pockmarked by nine active volcanic craters. The path skirts around these craters. On either side of the path are huge ‘coal’s (burnt rocks) the size of big boulders.

Not a speck of green anywhere, but wonder of wonders, the thin soil was carpeted by a sort of succulent (not edible) red ‘grass’. Altogether it was an alien landscape, making us feel like pioneers to an unknown planet in the outer Space.

The 50 youngsters were soon far ahead of us. Avi tried to stay with me but I insisted that he should go ahead and take lots of photos. I was already reconciled to the idea that I may not make it to the top in the given time and may have to turn back midway.

There was little chance of getting lost. Part of the way, a youngster from Washington D.C. kept me company, but I again insisted that he should join his friends.

I am happy to report that I did manage to climb about 85 % of the steep climb and I did see the vent from where white steam issued and the yellow sulfurous mass below in the crater.

When we came back, the youngsters were ready for another ‘treat’. They wanted to swim in the warm sea where the volcanic activity below the surface is supposed to heat the water.

The first batch that jumped in the water started shivering and shouted a warning to their friends, “brrr, it is COOOOOLD.” However, it did not deter the friends from jumping in the water and the scene soon assumed the appearance of a water-picnic and the air was filled with their shrill laughter.

We sat in the boat and enjoyed the picnic vicariously.

Soon the water-sport was over and we came back to Santorini in our ‘traditional’ sailboat.

The bus was waiting for us to take us up the cliffs to the Fira town, on the self-same zigzag road.

It is quite a scary road, but we have been on such roads before and just put our faith in the driver’s skill and God’s will and enjoyed the thrill.

As we turned one bend the guide pointed out a spot in the caldera very near the cliff. The spot was clearly marked by a ring of orange buoys floating in the sea.

“That is where the Sea Diamond sank.” She said but did not elaborate it further and talked about Santorini, Akrotiri, Oia and Minoan Civilization and volcanic eruption and Atlantis and Laura Croft the Tomb Raider and all such things, rather fast. I got a feeling that she wanted to avoid the topic of Sea Diamond.
It is a good thing she did not talk about Sea diamond. It would have killed all our joy of the visit to Santorini.

I resolved to find about Sea Diamond later on the Internet.

I too do not want to kill the joy of reading this blog for readers (I assume that they enjoy my blogs.) and so, I will write about Sea Diamond in the ‘Afterword’.

We reached Fira on the top of the cliff and saw the caldera from a height of 1000 feet for the first time.
Fira is quite a cute little town, with tiny houses clinging to the cliff for dear life and paved narrow roads lined with up-market shops. Space is so scarce that some ‘cave’ hotels have been dug out of the cliff.

Since tourism is the major industry, it has become a highly touristy place.

We have seen many scenic places on earth but I believe the view of the Caldera from Santorini, with the Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni Islands in its midst is simply the most scenic.

The circular Nea Kameni Island now looked like a back of giant turtle sunning itself in the sea and I was reminded of a Sinbad story.

I would not even attempt to describe the sunset at Santorini. Even the photos do not do it justice. It has to be experienced.

It is so awesome that the thousands of tourists that are chattering away nineteen to the dozen throughout the day, become muted as the sun sinks towards horizon. A hush falls on the whole populace and everyone just looks towards the West silently. A long time after the sun has sunk in the sea, the babble of voices returns to Santorini.

That spectacular Santorini sunset will remain with me for a long time.

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