Santorini
Approximately 3600 years ago, a volcano in the southern Aegean Sea erupted. Estimated to have been five times the magnitude of Krakatoa, and perhaps 30 times the magnitude of Mount St. Helens, the eruption of Santorini wreaked havoc on the ancient world. Giant blocks of pumice were ejected nearly 25 miles into the atmosphere, ash darkened the sky over the entire eastern Mediterranean and a giant tsunami wave washed shorelines hundreds of miles away. Ash from the eruption has been found on the Nile Delta and wave-borne pumice on the shores of Israel. Archaeologists once thought that the eruption of Santorini occurred in about 1450 B.C. , and was directly responsible for the disappearance of the Minoan civilization, but recent scientific evidence puts the date nearly 200 years earlier. Branches from the crown of an olive tree, alive at the time of the eruption, have been radiocarbon dated, and the tree’s growth rings have been correlated with global dendrochronology sequences to virtually pinpoint the date of the eruption to 1627 – 1600 B.C.
Today, we simply marveled at the stark island landscape left behind by this cataclysmic eruption. Sailing into the caldera just after sunrise, our Captain maneuvered close to the 1000-foot-high walls below the village of Oia, then continued to take our mooring near the small port below Firá. Traveling first by local tender boat, then by bus, we were able to see the entire island today. Our drivers took us north along the lower road, where we saw the gently sloping eastern shore of the island, cultivated with wine grapes, cherry tomatoes, pistachios and fava. Arriving at the northern tip of the island, we spent a leisurely morning in Oia, photographing, shopping and enjoying a coffee on the caldera rim. Continuing back to the south along the upper road, we marveled at the views below us. Midday, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch with an amazing view at Restaurant Aeolus, situated right on the rim of the caldera. Although the afternoon was warm, we continued back to the island’s principal village of Firá, where we visited the excellent archaeological museum and shopped just a bit more. Finally, it was time to leave the island, so we made our descent by cable car, on foot, or by donkey. A short tender boat ride back to the ship, and we were home again.
The Captain repositioned the ship a short distance to an anchorage between the two “burnt” islands, Nea and Palaia Kameni. Here, we took a much needed swim, jumping from the stern and off the rail of Panorama. The water washed away the heat of the day, and we were all smiles in short order. A delicious dinner, followed by sunset watching and an evening on deck rounded out our wonderful day.
