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Santorini – The Island of Gorgeous Splendor
Where do I start? Santorini is one of my top ten most favorite places in the world. I cannot even tell you how breathtakingly pleasing to the eye this place is. We came to this island on one of our Celebrity Cruise stops in the Mediterranean.
Santorini is surrounded by this deep blue sapphire sea with white washed houses built into the island. From a distance the white washed buildings look like snow caps. What I did not realize is that this gorgeous place sits on a volcano. You can see it clearly as you climb to the top of the island.
Stairway to Heaven
You have three options as to how you plan to get to the top of Santorini. 1. You can take the steep steps all the way up, which we did on the way up (it took around 45 minutes). 2. You can take a donkey ride (the husbands did this on the way down). 3. Or you can take the cable car. Fear not, even though the stairs can get pretty steep going down down the mountain, the donkeys are experts on large inclines.
Hidden Treasures
Once you make it to the top, you will find hidden treasures around every corner. I remember being in awe of the beauty of this village. The shops in the village were utterly adorable. Most of the restaurants and cafes were overlooking the Aegean sea. The bright blues, pinks, oranges popping off the white washed buildings is just so brightfully pleasing to the eye. There is nothing more amazing than sitting at a restaurant drinking a cocktail starting at this overwhelmingly beautiful scenery.
An Off Road Adventure
My one piece of advice for visiting the island is you must rent an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) and ride it all the way to the other side of the Island. The group I was with thought this was absolutely amazing. Booking tours with the cruise ship is almost always a No-Go for our group so my number one recommendation is to book with Viator.com. I tend to book most all of my excursions with Viator and have never been disappointed.
Check out the Santorini ATV-Quad Experience Tour – best of all you will get to avoid the cruise crowds. We rode all the way to the other side of the island stopping at the most amazing place for lunch.
Mouth Watering Greek Food
I am not exaggerating when I tell you everything tastes better in Greece. The tomatoes are plump and juicy. The olives tastes as though they were just hand picked from the tree. Who could forget about the feta being so mouth watering delicious. Our ATV tour led us to the West side of the island for delicious wine and food overlooking the most breathtaking view. I often think about that day and how fortunate we were to have been able to experience its ancient beauty. This is exactly why I love to travel.
Climbing Down from Heaven
On our way back to the cruise ship the husbands chose to take the donkey ride down the steep stairs. What an amazing place to visit. Next time I go, I plan on staying a whole week. Or finding a sailboat tour that spends more time exploring through the Greek islands. Check out Expedia.com for the best hotel rates and Viator.com to start planning your excursions.
And Now for your History Deep Dive…
The island of Santorini is also known as Thera. What we see of Santorini today is only half of what was left after a great volcanic eruption. In antiquity the island as we know today was named “Calliste” (Most beautiful).
Santorini is believed to be one of the possible locations of the Lost City of Atlantis described by Plato. The volcanic eruption is believed by archaeologists to have taken place during 1500 B.C. based on the research conducted in Greenland during the 1980s. By dating ice-core and tree ring samples of radiocarbon giving credence to the volcano actually erupting during in the 1620s B.C. The ash would be found all the way as far as Egypt and Israel. Also lending evidence to the Book of Exodus in the Christian Bible.
During the Bronze age (3300 to 1200 B.C.) the island would become inhabited by the Minoans. During the 1960s an excavation south of Akrotíri village reveals a rich city of Minoans buried under volcanic ash. Greek Archeologist Spyridon Marinatos believed that the great volcanic eruption led to the disappearance and end of the Minoan Civilization.
So, the next time you visit the gorgeous island of Santorini be sure to check out the ancient archeological Akrotiri excavations. There are absolutely no reasons why you should not add this amazing place to your bucket list.
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