Inside Pantelia
View from Pantelia
Breakfast
Our Room
The old kitchen hearth
Santorini (called Thira in Greek), is the first of the Cycladic islands north of Crete. Santorini is a very unique island, being formed out of the exposed rim of a huge volcano. At some point in the past, part of the wall collapsed, leaving a crescent shape and filling the interior with water. Even today, the volcano is active, and there is a relatively new island in the center, with hot springs and sulfurous steam rising out of the ground. The ground on the back side of the island is very fertile, and the top steep walls on the inside of the crater provide a view like no other. People build as far down the crater wall as they can, creating a maze of narrow streets and staircases. Some people think that the origin of some of the Atlantis myths are in ancient Santorini. People also think that the eruption may have been responsible for the decline of the Minoan civilization on Crete.
I'd been to Santorini once before, and wanted to share the magic of the place with Danny. Unlike last time, when I stayed in a out-of-the-city hotel where I was electrically shocked each time I touched the temperature knob in the shower, we stayed in a nice place. Pantelia Suites was our favorite hotel of the trip. Everything was amazing - the bed, the living space, the service, the breakfast, the internet access, the location, and the view (oh wow, the view). Even the bathroom was awesome. The suite even had a secret room hidden behind a rolling cabinet. Pantelia was once a family estate, built by two brothers. We were staying in what had been the kitchen. One other thing that was awesome - our provided breakfast was so large, it didn't fit on the table - they had to sit an additional tray on a chair.
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Inside Pantelia |
View from Pantelia |
Breakfast |
Our Room |
The old kitchen hearth |
One of the first things we did on Santorini was take a day trip on the Thalassa, a replica of the 19th century boats typically used in the area. This cruise took us to Nea Kammeni, the new land at the center of the caldera, where we hiked to the top of the island. From there, we sailed to the hot springs, where we had lots of fun jumping off the railing of the boat into the water below. I think we were the only ones who were doing backflips (and pretty much the only ones even jumping off the boat at all). The water at the anchorage was cold, but over by the hot spring it was warmer, and murkier. The most unusual thing was that small pieces of pumice collected in the hot spring cove, and at the very back, the water was completely covered with it. It's the only place I know of where you can swim through a layer of rock. On the way back, we watched the sun set, and had a small feast of dolmades, keftedthe (Greek meatballs that Danny frequently makes), wine, and some other bites.
 Not the Thalassa, but similar |
 Hiking Nea Kammeni |
 Returning to the harbor |
 Swimming at the hot spring |
 On deck after swimming |
After the sailing trip, you have to get back to the top of Fira town from the old harbor. You can ride a gondola, walk up the steps, or take a donkey. We had taken the gondola down, but this time, we took the donkey, along with another couple we met on the boat.
 Ia and its windmills |
 View of the switchbacks as we depart |
 Riding the donkeys |
 Back safe and sound |
Of course the main attraction is the view. There's just nothing else like it in the world. A popular pastime is to climb to the higher points of the caldera and watch the sun set. This is supposedly a good location to see the green flash. We didn't see it, and the clouds weren't right for more than just a good sunset. After sunset, but before dark, we hustled our way out on a path we'd glimpsed that led through some houses abandoned many years ago after an earthquake and to a remote chapel. At night, the lights that cascade down the cliff toward the starlit water are almost as pretty as the daytime view.
 Fira before sunset |
 Looking north to Imerovigli |
 Us |
 The mysterious path |
 Fira at night |
Santorini is a pretty small island. In the picture of us above, you can get a good idea of the width of the island, since you can see the ocean on both sides of the picture. We rented an ATV for a day as our mode of transport, and drove to a black sand beach on the back side of the island. It was a nice beach, but a little too cool for swimming. Visiting a few other beaches, we found one that was scattered with huge chunks of pumice, some as big as two bowling balls. So that's my new record.
Some good food on Santorini:
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