Last Stop Santorini

 
The last stop of our enchanting tour of the islands      was Santorini (also known as Thira by the locals).  She rises from the Aegean Sea more beautiful than we could ever have imagined.  Strange red rock formations rise dramatically while overhead blue-domed villages cling precariously to the island’s edge.  Santorini was born out of catastrophe:  a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami in 1400 BC that wiped out the Minoan civilization.  Behind the obvious beauty, Santorini has a strange, almost dark energy.

We arrived after a final ferry ride from Naxos to Santorini.  As expected, it was chaotic but effective.  The port was even more chaotic than the ferry but our transport driver was there to meet us and collect the luggage for the ride up to the Aressana Spa Hotel.  The road zig zagged upwards jammed with vehicles all headed to the top where the hotels and other accommodations were located.  The road is made of volcanic cobble stones.  They were narrow and crowded with all sorts of cars, vans, motorcycles and people rushing to get to their destinations.  Our van could not take us all the way to the top to our hotel so we were met by a bellman driving a golf cart at the bottom of the hill.  Our luggage was loaded from the van to the cart along with me!  Jim and Debi followed on foot with our guide and met me in the reception area.  The Aressana Spa Hotel was to be our home for the next four days.  Eleanor, a lovely, friendly young lady from the reception staff sat with us in the lobby and did the necessary paperwork for us to check-in.  Afterwards, she took us on a tour of the hotel facilities that ended at our room.  The hotel itself is very elegant with a spa, restaurant, bar and large pool.  Our suite was such a surprise.  Not only was it well appointed, we had a private pool!  Oh my gosh!  Well, I say private, we shared it with three other rooms that were adjacent to ours.  Still, we would not have to go the the crowded pool but rather enjoy the sun and water right in the comfort of our suite.  What a treat!

We immediately went out to explore Fira, the capital of Santorini.  The view from the top was magnificent!  We stood at the edge looking down at the beautiful, blue sea below surrounded by the caldera.  Yes, caldera.  Santorini is actually a big caldera.  From above one cannot appreciate it fully but from the sea, the various layers that show all the eruptions are clearly seen.  Below, there were three cruise ships anchored; a sight we would become accustomed to as the days passed.

Unlike the other islands we had visited, Santorini is crawling with tourists.  Though it is unfathomable now, for much of its modern history, Santorini has been a place of extreme poverty.  Ironically, it is this hardship that created some of the island’s most unique features; the volcanic soil that allows assyrtiko and vinsanto wine varieties to flourish, and the sweetly curved bioclimatic dwellings intended to protect the environment and shield homeowners from the harsh sun.  Tourism slowly trickled starting in the 1980s and today, it is one of the most visited places in the world.  It is the dream destination, especially for honeymooners.  Beautiful beaches and sunsets beacon many to come.    

All this tourism creates problems for the locals and the environment.  Why?  Lack of potable water.  It only rains here once or twice a year and there are no rivers.  A few springs exist in the highest elevations but mainly water comes from desalination of the sea.  This water is good for cleaning and bathing but not for drinking or watering crops.  All drinking water must be brought to the island in plastic bottles; therefore they do not produce olive oil or grow crops like the other islands — but more about that later.  Santorini is a master of elegant tourism.  Anyone who has a house or property wants to cash-in by turning it into either a hotel or a B&B or some other type of private tourist destination.  In years past, the poorest of the people made caves in the sides of the cliffs and hills to create low cost housing.  Today, those very humble homes have been elevated to costly tourist accommodations.  The amount of cost for a hotel room or villa is staggering!  At Oia, some of the rooms cost $5,000 a night!  Too rich for our blood for sure.

But I digress.  We moved through the streets going up and down stairs over cobble stone walkways trying to take it all in.  We were shoulder to shoulder with tourists of all sorts.  The shops ranged from high end to street vendors.  Everything for haute couture to t-shirts was there if you had the price.  We could see immediately that things here were much more expensive than the other islands we visited.  After walking quite a bit, shopping as we went of course, we turned and headed back in the direction of the hotel.  Suddenly, we could hear folks talking loudly and hear laughter as a group of donkeys appeared in the walkway.  We had seen lots of donkeys on t-shirts and even some that advertised Red or Yellow Donkey Beer!  Why donkeys you may ask?  Well, from the base of the caldera where cruise ship patrons disembark to the top are 400 steps.  One must either climb all those steps or, yep, take a donkey to the top!  Oh my gosh.  Back in the day, donkeys were the only mode of transportation except for bicycles.  So you can see the significance of the donkey.  Of course, now donkeys are more of a bit of fun as there are cable cars to bring tourists to the top.

Back at the hotel, we showered and dressed for dinner.  Our destination was Naoussa Restaurant only a short walk from the hotel.  It sits on the edge of the caldera with a great view of the sunset.  Sunsets in Santorini are a must see for any tourist.  The restaurant was small and quaint and bustling with activity.  We settled at our table and perused the menu filled with Greek delicacies.  We had traditional Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, capers and of course Feta cheese, no lettuce.  Funny, we all ended up ordering chicken with lemon sauce on rice for Jim and Debi and pasta for me.  A compliment of pita with olive oil rounded out our table.  There is only one word for the food, delicious!

Soothing music played as we ordered and began eating.  Then suddenly, traditional Greek music started playing and the volume ratcheted up several decibels.  An older gentleman, threw his arms out to his sides, began to dance shouting Opa!  This was followed by the sound of plates crashing to the floor, shattering in to bits and pieces.  It was a bit of a shock but then we remembered that Eleanor had told us we would be there for the breaking of the plates.  If you have seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you would remember this custom.  It was a raucous, fun evening filled with food, beer and laughter.  Oh, how we love Greece!

While all this was going on, the sun slowly sank below the horizon.  The sky filled with color and everyone enjoyed a sense of peace as the day gave way to the night.  We left the restaurant sated and happy.  Sleep was not far away but first, a game or two of Uno Flip, a wicked twist to Uno that we had started playing each evening before bed.  Perhaps tonight I might actually win!