Sunday, March 09, 2008

IN THE HEART OF GREEK ISLANDS

SANTORINI - SPECTACULAR CYCLADES - SEPTEMBER 2006


"SANTORINI, also known as Thira, is a circular archipelago of volcanic islands located about 200 km south-east from Greece's mainland, forming the southernmost member of the Cyclades islands. Santorini is essentially what remains of the Minoan Eruption, an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed what was formerly a single island (some believe the tsunami originated by the eruption destroyed some of the palaces of the Minoan Civilization in Crete, 110 km to the south), and lead to the creation of the present-day caldera. A central lagoon measuring about 12 km by 7 km is surrounded by 300 m high steep cliffs on three sides. 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 the northwest and southwest. Its beauty is absolutely spectacular!"



"SEH120 – We were supposed to take the Flyingcat hydrofoil to Thira, but when we arrived at the port the ship was not running due to the traditional Aegean Sea summer wind. So, we went to the airport, and after a tough negotiation, we convinced the manager of Sky Express to organize a special flight for us, and for 15 other ship travellers meanwhile arrived to the airport. That was flight SEH120 and 25 minutes later (two hours before the ship was due) we were landing at Thira airport. Great trip!"




"VEDEMA RESORT - This was our second visit to Santorini (a post with pictures of the first one may be found here). This time, our home in the Island was the Vedema Resort, a beautiful hotel located in the middle of the village of Megalochori"




"THIRA, THERA OR FIRA, the capital of the Island, grips to the top of the cliff, overlooking a magnificent caldera atop some 300m of sheer black, red and brown stratified cliffs. Astounding views of the caldera are offered from the tables of cafes and bars on the west side"


"PORT - The sea is nearly 400 m deep in the centre of the lagoon, making it a safe harbour for the many cruise ships getting there"


"THE OLD PORT (Ormos) lies directly below Fira in so deep water that ship anchor chains won't reach the sea bed. The old port, which may be seen at the bottom of the picture, is only a small quayside. Tourists are usually harassed with offers of a mule ride up or down the steep, zigzag staircase. It seems that riding a mule down is even worse than up, as the animals career at speeds that suggest they would like to catapult their burdens over the walls and into the sea"


"IMMEROVIGLI is a traditional village, located next to Fira, but on the top of a higher cliff. The village was almost totally destroyed by the earthquake of 1956, but it re-emerged to become a beautiful and quiet village, with interesting accommodation solutions..."



"DOMES - Beautiful domed churches spill down the terraces in Fira"


"SUNSET - The fumes from what is still an active volcano (actually the most active of the South Aegean Volcanic Arc) are responsible for those showy skies"


"VEDEMA BY NIGHT"

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was so impressed with my 2003 cruise visit to Santorini that I wanted to get back there at any rate. So everything was prepared for a longer stay in 2006. The traditional Aegean summer wind was however almost jeopardizing everything, as fast ships could not run on the due date… Fortunately, we solved the problem, and here we have some pictures of a beautiful (though expensive) Island. Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Your photos tell, that Santorini is as wonderful as I have imagined.
Clear, beautiful colours and a great landscape, thanks again for your excellent photos!

Tinsie said...

Your pictures are stunning! I was in Naxos last year and had plans for a day trip to Santorini, but due to the timings of ships etc. I never made it. Maybe this summer...

Shionge said...

Nice smile on board Gil...wonderful pics as usual, love the church...

Anonymous said...

"Impression d'accéder brusquement à quelque paysage dantesque. Santorin,dont le nom vient de l'italien Santa Irini mais qui a repris son nom grec de Théra,est la Grèce d'Hephaitos,dieu des forges et du feu souterrain. Ile témoin de l'histoire géologique de la Grèce mais aussi de son histoire mythique puisque certains ont cru y voir, à la lecture des textes de Platon,l'ultime vestige de l'ancienne Atlantide" Heureux Trotter qui fait un voyage dans l'espace et dans le temps.J

freefalling said...

Ha, ha - I loved the donkey story!
What a beautiful part of the world.
You would always feel a sense of it disappearing into the sea.

S-V-H said...

I saw many fabulous pictures already about Santorini and all my friends who were there visiting, they were all so excited about the beauty of this island. Santorini is THE pearl in the Greek waters.
Thanks for sharing this beauty in your words and photos.

Catherine said...

Oh so beautiful! Thanks for sharing all your lovely captures!
Cat

alicesg said...

What a beautiful trip you have. The scenery is so beautiful and taking a photo of the pilots flying is really cool.

Lynette said...

Spectacular, as usual. I really like the domes and the sunset.

Indrani said...

Totally mesmerized! Pictures are so beautiful and the risky mule ride part that you didn't take... ha ha, nice enjoyed reading the post. I am glad I landed at your website through flying stars, lucky to view this part of the world through your lens.

Peter said...

The hotel looks REALLY nice. Had a check on the site and saw the prices; guess I must think of something else for my vacations!

The place is just magnificient!

I guess you did not use the donkeys for the return trip, but you got the boat?

Regarding the preceding post, I can understand that the way the Knossos palace has been partly rebuilt can be discussed, but also to me this looks like a nice presentation of what it may have looked like once!

(Good that you seem to have some time to post!)

Wendy said...

I'm enjoying this tour of the Greek Isles!

leo said...

blue sea and sky against the white paint of buildings makes beautiful constrast! combine with history below makes greece a travellers heaven eh? i did post a comment in earlier post somehow it didnt saved/appear. enjoy your pics very much. TQ

Azer Mantessa said...

nice but the village of immerovigly looks a bit freaky to me as it is built so to the cliff.

it looks a bit ... errrr ... risky.

the village is magnificent however.

great pics.

lyliane six said...

Depuis longtemps Michel veut aller à Santorin, fasciné par la légende de l'Atlantide, nous irons sûrement mais malheureusement pas dans ce magnifique hôtel.Merci encore pour ce beau voyage.

Joy said...

Oh my! Those are very lovely shots. I especially love the first 5 photos! It makes me want to go to Greece.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and for the birthday wishes. I am very touched by your thoughtfulness. Sorry for the late reply - as I spent my birthday and the day after painting our new home and didn't come home until past midnight.


joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
I, Woman

julia said...

Towns to die for. Learning about the Minoans, when I was in high school, really captured my imagination, and Greek history was pretty good except the facts, the neverending dates of wars etc etc got in the way a bit.

CaBaCuRl said...

Every photo is a feast for the eyes today ,gmg, thank you,

Lilli & Nevada said...

Another great place for me to see, and i love all the photos again, i have two i like the most, the room with the bed, reason being, having a theme motel myself it always inspires me to see others. The second is the sunset, beautiful indeed.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

beautiful, beautiful place.........why did USD had to go so low just when i started to earn!!!! :((((

Oswegan said...

It looks like a beautiful place to visit.

Nihal said...

Santorini, Crete,... Greek islands is the main address for romance:) I just cannot think any other than this;) Admiring beautiful captures, Gil. Briefly, I love Greece and its culture.
A quick note, the traditional Aegean summer wind is not jeopardizing anything here over Turkish coasts:) Ships and all international cruises always run on punctually their schedule:) No delay. No danger. So safe and secure:)

Seda said...

I don't know if you have ever been to Bodrum, Turkey but this place looks just like Bodrum...

JO said...

Looks like a fabulous trip! The hotel looks wonderful, the views magnificent. I love your Domes and Sunset shots! :)

Oman said...

another awesome sets of pics and i love the way you showed it starting from a photo of the island to that stunning night shot. thanx for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Nice exotic holiday! Beautiful photos and nice rich colours.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Noushy Syah said...

Magnificent place!! ANother lovely place for relaxation..

Thanks for the info on each photos.

Nikon said...

I love the opening aerial shot of the island - it looks so green against the sea.
The hillside houses are gorgeous, too - what a town!
This is a really enjoyable series, Gil - great photos.

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Quintarino vient de me tagger sur http://brienne-aube.blogspot.com
J'ai transféré son "Meme" sur un autre de mes blogs avec mes réponses.
http://www.deslilas.com/article-17662585.html
Si cela t'intéresse tu peux prolonger l'expérience.
Cordialement

Rune Eide said...

That photo of Santorini from above was stunning - not to mention the volcanic sunset!

kuanyin333 said...

More photos! I can't get enough! :-) Greece is one of my soul homes!

Anonymous said...

Leena,
It’s even better than the photos show!

Tinsie,
Tell me, how is Naxos?

Shionge,
Would love to see your smile also there!

Anonymous,
Ah, toujours l’Atlantide... ;))

Letitia,
Disappearing into the sea; it makes sense...

Sue,
Santorini is a beautiful island, but I’m checking some other Greek Isles and becoming a fan... Crete, for instance!

Catherine,
Thanks!

Alice,
Those pilots saved our trip, under the circumstances!

Lynette,
Indrani ghose,
Wendy,
Thanks!

Peter,
There is a new hotel in Oia – Mystique – but I suspect they will charge even more than Vedema. I’ll check for promotions, anyhow...
I didn’t take the donkey ride, but I managed to catch the FlyingCat to get back to Crete; that will be the next post! Of course, my first time in Santorini was aboard a cruise ship...
Knossos looks quite nice for a tourist like me, even if one has some doubts on whether it actually looked like that; but it seems the purists have not the same idea… ;)
(Blogging time was only a long weekend exercise...)!

Leo,
Greek Isles are a must!

Azer Mantessa,
I tell you, everything in Santorini is a bit risky; actually the volcano is still active and warming the water in the caldera!

Lyliane,
C’est une île à visiter; d’après la classification Michelin, «vaut le voyage»!

Joy,
It’s a smart wish, that of going to Greece! Hope you’re ready to move to the new home and get rid of the noisy neighbours... ;)

Julia,
Better mythology than the dates!

Cabacurl,
Thanks!

Lilli & Nevada,
The room was quite nice and Oia’s sunset is a must!

Moi,
Don’t worry; you’ll multiply it enough to get there... ;))

Oswegan,
And it actually is!

Nihal,
You’re right about the Greek Isles; as far as the wind is concerned in Turkish coasts, you’re suspect, but I give you the benefit of the doubt... ;)

Seda,
I’m so glad to see you back commenting!
I’ve seen Bodrum from across the sea at Kos Island, but didn’t get there. It took too much time to get through immigration and customs in and out... ;(

Jo,
It was a great trip, and everything is even more beautiful than we expect; well, sometimes the breeze might be a bit too cool at night.

Norman,
Alex,
Thanks!

Noushy Syah,
You’re quite right; a place to relax!

Paul,
The first seems to be a satellite picture in public domain (maybe from NASA?)! The rest is pure Santorini... ;)

Deslilas,
Thanks. I was tagged some months ago and answered on the post Mosel river Experience. You may find the answers here, if you wish.

Runee,
See the reply to Paul!

Kuanyin,
There are more pictures to come. I’ll show...

John said...

Gil,

Greece looks beautiful, wish I was there.

Regards, John

Chris said...

Ola, Gil! I have wanted to visit Santorini, and your photos make me want to go there even more. Of course, Crete is pretty interesting, too.

BTW. . .I know that your gas is a lto higher than ours and has been for years and years. We do tend to get spoiled here, but the reason for/person behind the hike is probably what bothers me most.

lv2scpbk said...

You always seem to get some wonderful height photos. Love the dome photo.

Anonymous said...

John,
Great to see you here, since we have not met in Greece. Maybe one of these summers...

Chris,
It's time to get there...
As far as gas, I still remember 1979, my first time in NYC, and see young people on TV discussing that they «had the right» to have the same standard of «driving living» as their parents; I thought then that they shouldn't take it for granted; I'm sure now...

Lv2,
Thanks. I live on a 13th floor, which is quite high for Lisbon standards... ;)

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi Gil,
Going back in time? 2003:I should do that also more often, Too many places we have visitid , good to see this place, I love the sea, the harbor or the port,The hiking paths, The swimmingpool is "like everywhere in the world" so strange that is...I like simming when its hot , just to coll off, How about you?

And ehh How did you get photo's form the cockpit, someone else did that? Just curious....

JoAnn from Holland

Anonymous said...

JoAnn,
Thanks! These pictures are from 2006; 2003 was the first time in Santorini and has a different post...
Love to swimm anytime (except when freezing...) ;)
Finally, cockpit photo: everything is explained in the text. We chartered the plane, so it was all ours... even for the pictures;)))

Sigma said...

I agree with you ... the place looks spectacular ... and I have only looked at it through photographs! And the picture of the sunset here leaves me speechless!

Anonymous said...

Sigma,
It's much better there than in the pictures... ;))
The Oia sunsets are stunning!