29 March 2011 - Heraklion, Crete (Tuesday)

This morning we got up with plans in place and had a very relaxing breakfast.  Again the couple of Victoria joined us and we visited and shared what we had done the day before.  Today is a new day so we did not waste too much time at breakfast.

Our first order of business was to go and get our laundry.  It was ready and we were blown away by all the work she must have done.  Everything looked like it had been ironed and folder perfectly, even the underwear.   For the 8 Euros we felt that we had been given a deal since this was most of the clothes we had brought with us.   We could not thank her enough and yes we did tip.

Then we headed off to visit the Knossos site.  'Knossos, also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square. Detailed images of Cretan life in the late Bronze Age are provided by images on the walls of this palace. It is also a tourist destination today, as it is near the main city of Heraklion and has been substantially restored by archaeologist Arthur Evans. 

The city of Knossos remained important through the Classical and Roman periods, but its population shifted to the new town of Handaq (modern Heraklion) during the 9th century AD. By the 13th century, it was called Makryteikhos 'Long Wall'; the bishops of Gortyn continued to call themselves Bishops of Knossos until the 19th century.  Today, the name is used only for the archaeological site situated in the suburbs of Heraklion.

The great palace was built gradually between 1700 and 1400 BC, with periodic rebuildings after destruction.  The features that are currently most visible date, mainly to the last period of habitation, Evans termed Late Minoan. The palace has an interesting layout - the original plan can no longer be seen because of the subsequent modifications. The 1,300 rooms are connected with corridors of varying sizes and direction, which is different than other palaces of the time period which connected the rooms via several main hallways. The 6 acres (24,000 m2) of the palace included a theatre, a main entrance on each of its four cardinal faces, and extensive storerooms (also called magazines). The storerooms contained pithoi (large clay vases) that held oil, grains, dried fish, beans, and olives. Many of the items were created at the palace itself, which had grain mills, oil presses, and wine presses. Beneath the pithoi were stone holes used to store more valuable objects, such as gold. The palace used advanced architectural techniques: for example, part of it was built up to five stories high.

The palace had at least three separate liquid management systems, one for supply, one for drainage of runoff, and one for drainage of waste water.

The centerpiece of the "Mycenaean" palace was the so-called Throne Room or Little Throne Room, dated to LM II.  This chamber has an alabaster seat identified by Evans as a "throne" built into the north wall.  On three sides of the room are gypsum benches. A sort of tub area is opposite the throne, behind the benches, termed a lustral basin, meaning that Evans and his team saw it as a place for ceremonial purification.

The actual use of the room and the throne is unclear.   The lustral basin was originally thought to have had a ritual washing use, but the lack of drainage has more recently brought some scholars to doubt this theory. It is now speculated that the tank was used as an aquarium, or possibly a water reservoir.

There was so much to learn as we walked around reading the plaques and learning about the ruins.  What became clear was that there is a lot of interpretations by archaeologist Evans as he designed the restoration of many rooms.  We learned from two fellow travelers (from Germany) who seemed to be very knowledgeable about the site, that often Evans would decide what was most likely the use of a room and describe it as such. 

 However, the foundations and layout of the ‘palace’ has provided guidance.   I believe the best way to share our explorations is by the pictures and will leave interpretations to your imagination.

After we finished here we headed by bus back into town.   Our friends had suggested that we visit the Archaeology Museum but again time worked against us.  We arrived at 2:30 and they close at 3:00 so we decided to give it a miss.  Instead we wondered slowly back to our hotel so I could sort, organize and create the collages of the pictures and catch up on the blog.  Wes decided that a nap was in order.   With this schedule I hope to have this evening free of blog writing and be able to relax and read for pleasure.  We will see as tomorrow we catch a morning bus to head to Chania.

28 March 2011 – Heraklion, Crete (Monday)

We awoke to a sunny day.  I have to admit that having a hotel room with a balcony and shuttered doors (glass as well) is very nice.  We can open the glass doors, leave the louvered shutters shut and have fresh air flow into the room.   Today is laundry day and we plan to visit.  First we headed down for breakfast.

As we went into the dining room we were amazed at the display of food available for us as part of the hotel room rent.  We have been used to coffee, juice and bread.  Here there are hard boiled eggs, many different types of breads and loafs, pasteries, toaster, etc.   This is a great change.  Tomorrow I will take the camera and get a picture for the blog.

As we sat down to eat we started to chat with a couple who turns out are from Victoria.  We adjusted our seating to sit with them and visit while we ate.  We had a great time comparing travel and adventures.  They travel a lot since he works in the oil industry and currently is working in Syria.  They take a month every 3 (I think) to meet up and travel since they tend to work in different parts of the world most of the year.  We had quit a discussion going about policing, society and the food industry and before long we realized we had relaxed and chatted for almost 2 hours.

We went across the street to the Laundromat to learn that we are expected to leave the clothes and they wash them for us.  We had some difficulty sorting out costs etc since the lady who works there did not speak English.  Finally we figured out that we simply dropped off and picked up.  So we did that.  We were told to pick up the cloths tomorrow around 1 pm which meant we had to rethink our plans.  We had thought of moving on tomorrow to Chania but this means we would have to spend one more day in Heraklion which actually was not a problem since our schedule seemed to have been busy this morning we would be able to put off going to Knossos (the capital of Minoan Crete) till tomorrow and we could do a few other things today.

To start the day we wanted to have a look at the Venetian Fortress which was the original fortress guarding the old port.  There does not appear to be much of a natural port here but this was remedied by building a breakwater structure out from the land in a semi-circular design and put a fortress at the end guarding the narrow neck left for ships to pass through.  Our first disappointment was to learn that the Venetian Fortress is currently closed and under renovations.  So we decided to walk out to the end of the new breakwater which has created a much larger port.   I would guess the breakwater is about 2 km long and this was a beautiful walk.  We had great views of the harbour, the city and the mountains beyond.  We were really interested to see mountains with snow on them in the background. 

Since we plan to take the intercity bus to Chania we needed to get some bus information, schedules and even tickets for this Wednesday so after we returned from the breakwater walk we headed off to find the bus station.  It was interesting to learn that many tourist information centers have no information on buses.  So we followed our map to locate the bus station which was a bit of an adventure since it is tucked away on a main road that is accessed from the port and we were coming from the city center.  Finally a nice lady pointed to a set of stairs and said to go down to the bottom and we would find the station and she was right.  Signage is not great here but we are able to find our way once we know where we are going.

We got our tickets for Wed and then returned to the tourist information center to ask about the Gorge we wanted to hike outside of Chania.  We were told that it was unlikely to be open so early in the season because of run off and snows.  To help us out she phoned to find out and got no answer so she took that to mean they are closed still.  This put a hole in our plans since that was one thing we had wanted to do.  But being quick thinkers we still want to visit Chania and now plan to spend one night there giving us what remains after travel on Wednesday, and all Thursday to visit the area. We will leave on the 9 pm ferry to Athens.  We booked a berth on the ferry since it gets in at 5:30 am so we can sleep on route.   Now we have our plans in Crete organized and only need to deal with the hotel in Chania which we decided to do online.

Our next fact finding venture was to learn which bus to take to get to Knossos.  We discovered the bus number, the cost for tickets, where to buy the tickets and finally the place to catch the bus.  All is good.

Wow, all this planning and we have spent most of the day walking from place to place to get information and organizing things.   It was early afternoon when we spotted a McDonald’s (yep even here in Crete) so we stopped for a quick lunch (even though it was about 2 pm) and continued on to find the Museum of History.  This required that we walk along the harbour which gave us wonderful views of the ocean and city.  In particular we were able to see many of the ancient shipyards called Neorias. 

The shipyards were large oblong buildings with barrel vaulted roofs capable of housing ships in need of repair, protection or construction.   Three different shipyards were built at different periods of time between the 15^th and 17^th centuries.  They comprised of a total of 19 vaulted roofs of which today only 5 have been preserved.

We also walked by the beginning of the 25th of August Street.   25th of August Street runs from the Meidani, the central crossroads of Heraklion, down to the Venetian harbour and the fortress of Koules. Along it are the Basilica of St Mark, the Loggia and the church of Saint Titus. 25th of August Street is now a paved pedestrian street, and boasts the most beautiful Neoclassical buildings in Heraklion. Today they house banks, travel bureaux and tourist shops. These buildings were erected after the catastrophe of 1898, to give Heraklion the air of a modern city. The street was ironically known as "Odos Planis" ("Illusion Street"), because visitors who come up from the harbour and see these beautiful edifices form a favourable first impression of the city which is cruelly disappointed further on.

25th of August Street may have been first cut by the Arabs in the 9th or 10th century. It has always been the main thoroughfare of Heraklion, linking the town centre to the harbour. During the Venetian period (13th-17th century) it was called the Ruga Maistra (Main Street), while in Ottoman times it was known as Vezir Tsarsi (Vizier's Market) after the Vezir Mosque.

The modern name of the street is due to a tragic event. On the 25th of August 1898, the feast of St Titus, a maddened Muslim mob slaughtered many Christians, including 17 British soldiers and the British Consul Lysimachos Kalokairinos.  This wanton act of violence spurred the Great Powers to place the island under their protection, leading a few years later (1913) to the Union of Crete with Greece.

Another historical monument that we walked beside was the Monastery of Ayios Petros.  The monastery and Church of Saint Peter in iraklion was built by Dominican Monks in the early 13th century, it was converted into the mosque of Sultan Ibrahim under the Turks. It contains the only remaining 15th Century frescoes in Heraklion but it is currently closed for restoration and what looks like rebuilding.

We were looking for the History Museum and finally we found it.  The history museum takes up were the Archaeology museum ended (which is closed today).  Starting from The early Christian era with much emphasis on the Venetian occupation and the Cretan war (1645-1669) which is illustrated by plans, maps and a highly detailed model of Candia (Heraklion as it was then named). There are rooms with pottery and other ceramics dating back 15 centuries and also the Altar and other finds from Gortys.

The struggle for Greek independence is illustrated by portraits, flags and weapons of revolutionaries. There is a reconstruction of the studies of Crete’s famous writer Nikos Kazantzákis (as well as extracts from his Diary and letters) and Emmanuel Tsouderós who was Greek prime minister at the time of the battle of Crete.

There is a large display about the German, Italian and Bulgarian occupation during the war and also a memorial to Cretan people that were shot by the Germans during the war and buried in mass graves.

Finishing off the exhibition is a large collection of Folk art and handicrafts including a mock up of an old Cretan house.

We had to leave the museum at 3:30 since it closes so we did not have as much time as we might like.  At this time of year all museums, galleries etc. are closed at 3 or 3:30 so it does limit opportunities.  Not a problem since we had been on the go steady so a break for us was to wonder back to the hotel and take a break.  For me I needed to start to work on writing up my blog and sort out the pictures. 

As we wondered back we took a few new routes (there are so many here) and ended up in the center city square where we had walked last night.  However to our surprise we found the Morozini Fountain which we clearly walked by last night and never noticed.  Of course at that time we were focused on finding a hotel and not sight seeing. 

The Morozini Fountain is at the top of 25th August St in El Velizelou Square (Lion Square).   It was built in 1628 by Francesco Morozini who was the Venetian Governor of the Island.  A 16km long aqueduct was built to channel the water to it from Mt Giouchtas.  It has 8 circular basins decorated with reliefs of Cherubs, Mermaids, Dolphins, nymphs and mythical creatures.  Above the Lions (which are from the 14th century and were incorporated into the fountain when it was constructed) would have been a statue of Neptune.  The fountain works but is very rarely in operation.

I have added some pictures today of the streets and the traffic just to show some of the sights we have seen as we have walked around the city.

27 March 2011 – Santorini to Heraklion, Crete (Sunday)

This morning we are off to explore the Island with the car we have rented.  I am comfortable driving here (NOT) but with the GPS and Wes’ co-pilot skills we will find our way.  What concerns me is that the Greek drivers have their own rules and I am not sure I have figured them out.  Defensive driving here means staying home.  For example there are times when the road gets very narrow (as opposed to be just narrow as normal) and you have to beep your horn as your enter that section.  But at other times you don’t, so go figure when or when not.

Today our plan is to drive to the Kamari Beach,  Perissa Beach, Red Beach and visit the Pre-historic town of Akrotiri.   The drive was pleasant as it was Sunday and there was very little traffic to deal with.  Most traffic we met was other tourists who looked as concentrated on their driving as we were and that included cars, quads and bikes.

As for the country side we finally figured out that the fields build with rows of retaining walls along the hillsides as well as the fields on the ‘plains’ were grapes.  There is a lot of wine growing in the area and I suspect it is the primary agricultural crop.   However the grape plants at this time of year are dormant and all look like coils of rope circled on the ground.  There are no supports or anything which would be what we had expected.

As for the countryside itself, we were amazed at how land there was on this side of the island that was either undeveloped or fields.  I am not sure what they do for water since it seems very dry, but they must have some system in place to survive.

Our first stop was Kamari beach which we had been told was a beautiful must see black sand beach.  It was black but hardly sand.  The beach was ocean polished black stones which looked beautiful, but not what I would want to throw a blanket down to lay on.  While we were walking around exploring we kept hearing shouting and large bangs.  At first we wondered if there was a demonstration happening somewhere and if we needed to start to look for shelter if those were guns being fired.  However, no one we saw seemed to be worried so we decided to just carry on.  Eventually we wondered around a corner to find a soccer game getting started and that was fans with noise makers, fire crackers and some form of very large firecracker that sounded like a small bomb going off.   We decided to stop for a bit and watch the game.  The fans here are very VERY very supportive of their team and it looked intense.  We did not stay to the end of the game but it was fun to watch.

Then we moved on to the second beach, Perissa Beach, also a described as a black sandy beach and this one did have black sand.  Of course it is just before the official tourist season is to begin so everywhere we went we watched renovations being done.  No wonder everything here looks freshly painted and so clean – it is freshly painted and cleaned but we got to see the transition happening.  Above on the cliff overlooking the beach is a ruin of some sort but we did not find out what it was about.

We carried on looking for Red Beach next.  This was interesting since we got to the place where Red Beach should be and we are in a parking lot for a Bastille.  The rocks above this are red and there are red rocks in the water but there was no way we could see a beach.  Wes commented that on the map it looked like we had to take a pathway along the shore to get to the beach so we looked and found an unmarked, undeveloped but visible path at the end of the parking lot going around the point of land.  We followed it around and sure enough we got to an outcropping to look down on a cove where there was a beach with rock from the red cliffs around us. We went down to the beach which was very small and very rocky (not real sand but crushed red lava rock) and met up with a group of young people hanging out in the sun.  We took some pictures and left them alone.

We were surprised to see that we passed the Ancient town of Akrotiri on our way to Red Beach even though the map indicated it was in a totally different area.  It was good that we went to Red Beach first so we discovered its true location rather than spending time looking for it on the map provided.  At any rate, it was a waste of time since we discovered that it is still closed for ‘technical problems’.  Apparently a few years ago a roof collapsed killing a tourist so they are in the process of ensuring it is safe but we are not sure how long that will take.

So we decided that instead of the ancient town we would continue on the road out to the Lighthouse at the end of the Island.  We climbed up to a viewing point above the lighthouse and had fantastic views of the caldera and the west side of the island. 

We returned to Fira to return the car and head back to the hotel to get our ride down to the port for the ferry.  The hotel owners’ son (we think) drove us down and he drove like all Greek’s, fast but proficiently.  As we headed over the cliff edge on the cut in the ledge switchbacked narrow road to drop the 300 m to the new port I did have to wonder at times if we would get there safely.  Needless to say since I am writing this, we did.

The ferry we took to Crete is a fast ferry and it has very comfortable seats.  It is a catamaran build, travels quickly and does tend to bob up and down with the waves.  However we both were able to sleep part of the 2 hours we were enroute so it was not too bad.

We arrived in Heraklion at 8 pm and we had looked up potential places to get a room so we were not feeling as unprepared as we have at other stops.  However the taxi drivers were really pressuring us to take a ride with them but we knew that the hotels were not very far (1-3 kms) and we could walk that.  I am so glad we did not take a taxi ride since one of the things we learned as we walked is that the streets are often one way and for a car to travel to a destination about ½ km away by foot they have to travel about 3 km by road.

At any rate we decided to be smarter this time and put in the address of one of the hotels we had found on the internet into our GPS and locate it on a map to help us.  We found the first one without any problem at all, but it was closed for renovations.  Ok, we decide to go for another name (we had picked three) and we started off towards it.  The streets here are extremely narrow (narrower than the back alleys in downtown Vancouver) and so at first we looked at them and wondered about walking down them at night.  Eventually we decided we really did not need worry so we stayed to the better lit ones and walked to the next hotel.  

When I asked for a room and the rates we were told 55 Euro.  I explained that on the internet it was advertised at 45 Euro so the receptionist said she would match that.  Then I asked if it included breakfast and she said no, that would be extra.  I suggested that was not what was advertised so she said, ok, I will give you the room for 50 Euros and include breakfast.  Then she said, no it would be 55 Euros (5 Euro each for breakfast) and I said no.  She immediately switched back to ok, 50 Euro and breakfast.  I then asked about internet and she said that was extra as well, even though it had been advertised as free in the hotel.  By now I feel that the more she talked the more I wanted to walk, so we did.   She was a bit surprised but I did not feel I could trust her.

We headed off to find another hotel in this area which was the center of town and very busy.  We felt we wanted to stay in this central area if we could.  Now I should explain for those who are not familiar with the style of township layout.  At the center is a circular townpark.  Off of this town center are numerous narrow streets that radiate outward.  In this case attached to the one town center separated by a building is another circular park with road radiate from it as well.  The roads leading away are cross linked in a variety of patterns making this a very interesting area to walk around.

Ok, back to the amazing race day for us as we are looking for a hotel.  We have the GPS helping and we are heading to a hotel in a pattern of going around and find ways to move into the center by reducing the circular route we seemed to be taking.  Finally we are standing in front of a hotel but not the one we are looking for but this one looks really nice and newly renovated.  We discussed prices with the receptionist and were able to get a room with breakfast and free internet for 50 Euro.  We felt much better about this so we immediately rented the room for the next couple of days.

As we went out for dinner after settling into the room we found the hotel we had been looking for, it was right next door, but was closed for renovations which explains why we did not see it as we found this one.

26 Mar 2011 – Santorini (Saturday)

This morning we awoke ready for a new day.  We headed down for breakfast only to discover no one in the reception area or in the dining room.  Since we had brought the computer down with us (this is the only area where the wireless signal is strong enough to be useful) so we worked on the emails and uploaded yesterday’s blog.  We had finished all that when someone came in to serve the breakfast.  I should mention that breakfast in Greece is not common and what we get is coffee or tea, orange juice, bread with jam and butter.   This is fine for us but for many it would be a bit scant.

After breakfast we headed off to the town square and on the way stopped to check out the cost of renting cars.  We have learned that on this island there are set prices for everything and that is what you pay regardless which shop you stop.  Not a problem we learned that a scooter costs 15 Euro, Quads 20 Euro, Standard cars 25 Euro and Automatic cars 30 Euro.  I tried to convince Wes that a scooter would be so much fun and he was not interested.  The quad also could be fun, but it is still a bit cold so we nixed that.  We did decide to rent a car for tomorrow to tour the island.  For today we are off on a tour of Volcano Island, the Caldera and the Hot Springs.

We started to walk down the 300 meters to the old port when we met 3 girls from Australia also on their way down.  We had a great time chatting with them since they have been traveling for about one year now and are getting home in about 6 weeks.  What was really interesting is that they spend the most of this year away in Canada by landing on the east coast and traveling across to Vancouver Island where they spent the winter months.  They shared a lot of stories with us about their travels in Canada and the interesting camper van they ‘rented’ to drive across Canada with and we shared our stories about our travels in Australia.  In particular two of the girls were from Tasmania so were really interested in our comments about that island.  They had taken the overnight ferry from Athens so had not had any sleep since yesterday and were going on the same tour we were on.  Very interesting for sure.

We arrived with plenty of time for the tour boat so we were able to visit and chat even more.  When it was time to board the boat I discovered another couple I had talked to yesterday also on this tour.  They are from India and speak excellent English.   They had decided to rent a Quad and he had never driven one before so was very excited about doing so on this trip. 

As we sailed across the caldera towards Volcano Island, which is in the middle and is a pile of lava rock creating the island, we all commented on how blue and clear the water.  I had plenty of time to look around and take pictures of the towns which seem to be clinging to the top of the cliffs in every direction we looked.  I am amazed how the buildings seem to fill the horizon and then spill over the cliff edge downward. 

The Volcano Island is another story.   This island really was formed by the volcano lava flows and the volcano crater.  There is virtually no vegetation on the island and the pathways lead up to the top and around the top to give spectacular views in 360 degrees.  What there is for vegetation is a ground cover plant that has a small red coloring to it.  The rock is primarily black lava colored and with the blue water and red hue to the ground it was a contrast in coloring that was incredible.

As we walked up the path I chatted with the couple form India while Wes chatted with a fellow from Montreal who is currently working near Nigeria teaching Engineering in a gold mine there.  The couple I chatted with were really interested in traveling in Canada and we had talked about different ideas of how he might be able to get a one year work visa to do that.  Both he and his wife were very intelligent and both have post graduate degrees so it may not be too difficult.

After we finished wondering around the small island and took plenty of pictures we headed back to the boat so we could go around Volcano Island to a smaller island which had a small by where the ship would anchor and for those interested, they could swim over to the hot springs for a short swim there.  The problem of course is that the hot springs were in shallow water so to get there you were swimming in the Aegean Sea for about 50 meters… very cold at this time of year.  Several brave or fool hardy souls jumped into the water and did just that.  However, no question about “warm water only Norm” going into that water and Wes was not prepared either (which surprised me a bit).   As it turned out we were wise since one of the younger swimmers got in to the hot springs but they had to send in a row boat to help her return to the sailing ship.  Everyone else was fine and so was she but it likely was too much cool water for her to handle.  One fellow said that even in the hot springs area there were areas of really hot water and then suddenly you would hit the current and the water was really cold.

So we continued on around Volcano Island and back to Santorini Island and the enjoyable 300 meter climb to the townsite again.  We headed over to the restaurant that we ate at yesterday and enjoyed.  The employees there are so friendly and the food good so we really did not feel the need to go looking around.  At the end of lunch for the second time we were given a shot of Sambuka complimentary which is reason enough to return.

We headed back to the hotel so I could get my driver’s license and head over to pick up a rental car.  We got the car for 24 hours (actually 23 since tonight they switch to daylight savings) and Wes had a nap.  I returned and laid down as well.  It seems that we are tired these days but not sure why.  Regardless we were up again at 5 so we could drive to Oia on the western tip of the island to watch the sunset.  This is a must do when here on the island.   We came across an old windmill, several beautiful buildings and some ‘traditional residences’ (ruins in my opinion) but because of the cloud layer that arrived this afternoon no incredible sunsets.  We did get some pictures of flowers and cats. 

We drove the second road (yep there are two – an upper and a lower) back to our hotel and decided that we would stop at a store to pick up something for dinner rather than go out.  Neither of us are really all that hungry and it is a lot cheaper even though we do not have a kitchen.

We have completed a quiet and restful evening but with the time jump know that morning will be hear soon.  We have lots to do tomorrow before we leave on the 5 pm ferry for Crete.  

25 March 2011 – Fira, Santorini, Greece (Friday)

We arrived to the port at 2:30 am both feeling a bit tired and dragged out.  Of course we had not had any sleep on the ferry (imagine trying to sleep on the seats on a ship with BC Ferries) and we were a bit concerned about where to find a place to sleep at this time of day.  We did not need to worry at all.  As we got off the ship and started to walk to the entrance we were met with a row of hotel owners all vying for hotel customers.  It was like a receiving line.  We had been told this was to be the case but we never would have believed it if we had not seen it.

Now to decide which of the 30 plus options interested us.  The first one we talked to offered us a room for 40 Euro a night plus 7 Euro each for breakfast.  I said I would think about it and started off to speak to another one when he changed his offer to 45 Euro for both of us and breakfast for both too.  We looked at the pictures of his hotel and since it was right in town of Fira plus he offered to drive us to the hotel and back to the port when we left, we agreed.  The hotel is beautiful.  It is about 3 minutes from the main square and is on a quiet street.  We have a second floor room with a sitting balcony overlooking the courtyard.  Although there is a pool, it is not the season for a pool or swimming since the weather here is warm during the day but chilly at night.  We are told this is winter season.

Santorini, officially Thera is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. It is composed of the Municipality of Thira  and the Community of Oía.  Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera.

A giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, is surrounded by 300 m high steep cliffs on three sides. The island slopes downward from the cliffs to the surrounding Aegean Sea. On the fourth side, the lagoon is separated from the sea by another much smaller island called Therasia; the lagoon merges with the sea in two places, in the northwest and southwest. The water in the centre of the lagoon is nearly 400 m deep, thus making it a safe harbour for all kinds of shipping. The island's harbours all lie in the lagoon and there are no ports on the outer perimeter of the island; the capital, Fira, clings to the top of the cliff looking down on the lagoon. The volcanic rocks present from the prior eruptions feature olivine and have a notably small presence of hornblende.

It is the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, though what remains today is chiefly a water-filled caldera. The volcanic arc is approximately 500 km long and 20–40 km wide.

We both felt that we would be very tired but still got up at 8:30 for breakfast thinking that we would return to bed afterwards.  Five hours sleep is not much but we were surprised to feel not too bad so decided to explore a bit by walking up the hill to the town square.  We wanted to find out about some of the tours available to explore the island and surroundings.  The town square seemed deserted and it was a bit early (10:00) so we walked over to the cliff overlooking the caldera.

Before I talk about the views over the caldera I want to mention the incredible beauty of the town with the clean and bright houses.  Houses seem to be built on small lots and often are two plus stories high.  Most have flat roofs and the roofs also are patios.   The houses tend to all be white stucco with bright blue trim and adobe looking.  There are some with courtyards but no lawns or gardens that we could see. 

The streets are all paved or cobblestoned.  They are very narrow – often the width of a car only.  There are narrow streets for cars and bikes to travel on, but once you reach the town square all the streets off of it are way to narrow for cars (maybe 20 feet at most) and these narrow lanes have buildings on both sides giving a feeling that you are walking through tunnels.  There does not seem to be any level places since the walks have steps up or down every 3 or 4 feet.

I have to say that the views of the city, streets and caldera are exactly as I would have seen in pictures and we know that pictures often only show a few excellent views, but so far we have seen almost everywhere showing these types of clean, fresh and beautiful views.

We got to the cliff so we could oversee the caldera which is about 300 m above the water to simply gasp at the beauty.  Unfortunately there is a haze over the ocean in the distance so it is not crystal clear but we could not stop commenting on the beauty.  In the distance on the Thirasia Island we can see the other community but will not likely have time to get to the island to explore there on this trip.  We are only here until Sunday.

We decided to walk down to the old port which involves walking down the switchback pathway (remember about 300 m) with 588 steps.  We had the option of taking the cable car down, riding on the donkeys standing at the top or using our own feet.  The cheapest mode was our feet and we are not concerned about a mere 300 m switch backed downhill path with 588 step built into it, so that was our choice.  The official port was moved to a new location further along since that part of the cliff could have a road built down – even though it is a steady slope with multiple sharp switchbacks.  At any rate the old port is still used for the tourist and tour boats to and from the other islands.

After we walked around down at the port we decided to wander slowly back up the cliff face to the town square.  We knew that we wanted to take a day tour tomorrow to see Volcano Island and the Hot springs area.  We were shocked to see the town square literally packed with people, where did they all come from?  At any rate we located the tourist office to buy tickets for tomorrow and learned that today is a Greek national holiday.  March 25 is actually a dual holiday: 1. Anniversary of the declaration of the start of Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, in 1821. 2. Celebration of the Annunciation - when the birth of Christ was announced to the Virgin Mary.   Included in this is a parade which was to start in about 20 minutes (actually was about one hour but this is Greece).   The parade would involve the school kids, a marching band and Greek dancers.  The following pictures are from the parade and we did note that kids are kids everywhere in the world.  It was a delight to luck out and be here at this time for the parade.

After the parade we headed over to a really nice place for lunch and ate on an open air patio.  I was comfortable but Wes did feel a bit chilled.  It was just at that temperature where you feel comfortable unless the sun ducks behind a cloud and then you feel the chill in the air.  No matter lunch was great and we enjoyed the hospitality.  As we were getting up to leave our waiter insisted we wait for a minute and he brought us both a shot of Sambuka complimentary which of course means we will likely eat there again.

We both were ready for a nap by this time so we headed back to the room for a laydown.  We woke around 5:30 and knew that we needed to get moving if we were going to sleep tonight.   After wandering around town and finding dinner we decided it would be fun to take a walk and explore more of the old part of the city.  We were trying to find the stars and finally found a few but may need some time with the computer to sort out what we were seeing. 

Today has been a great day of exploration, beauty and celebrations.  Tomorrow will be a new day as we look forward to a half day tour to Volcano Island and the hot springs.

Some videos of Greek dances at the parade.