If there is one place Gym would not want to start amassing a legacy of real estate assets, it would be in Santorini. Did you know that many of the coolest hotels and bars there are perched 300 meters up above the sea, on the edge of a sheer cliff, on the remnants of a large volcanic caldera? Does it not scare these locals, that as recently as 2012, there have been tremors and noxious odours emitted from the shifting of molten lava to nearby subsurface chambers, that have resulted in an increase in the height of the island of up to 12 centimetres in some areas? Furthermore, those cafes with the beautiful views of the Mediterranean are built over top of a layer of volcanic ash and pumice under which are buried the remains of a town that was destroyed by the Minoan Eruption of about 1620 B.C. So, there is evidence that previous eruptions destroyed someone else's fortunes.... Sure, Santorini looks nice and it is probably a great place to quickly have a glass of wine and some table olives. However, Gym's recommendation is to buy your condos and vacation properties elsewhere.
We cruised into Santorini on October 29th and dropped anchor underneath Fira, the capital of Santorini. As we had anchored we would have to ride tenders into port. Mrs. Gym had had a bad night but "manned up" and jumped onto the bumpy little tender that took us to the docks. From there, Mrs. Gym had to grin and bear a bus ride that would see us wind back and forth along the hairpin curves of the road that rose 300 meters to the top of the cliff. With great determination, Mrs. Gym kept her cookies down.
We were on our way to Akrotiri. This is the site of the Bronze Age, Minoan archaeological site that was the highlight of our stop on the island. Akrotiri is a very impressive attraction and it was enjoyable to visit because we had a fantastic guide (see below). Basically, after decades of digging through the tens of meters of volcanic ash three-storey buildings laid out complete with streets and squares and serviced by indoor plumbing are slowly being unearthed. And since 2012, you can enter the site under a roof that protects it from the elements and walk around the outside on a raised boardwalk. You can also descend into one part of the town and walk the streets and through a couple of the buildings.
After our archeological trip we re-boared the buses to wind our way back up the island to Fira where we got a walking tour of the capital before descending back down to sea level in cable cars that took us back to where the tenders were docked, for our return to the Marina. Mrs. Gym kept her cookies down all day.
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| looking up at Fira, Santorini from the anchorage |
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| stratigraphic evidence of multiple eruptions over time |
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| Alexandra, our Greek guide |
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| the beautifully well protected archeological sight at Akrotiri |
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| looking up at the cafes and hotel clinging to the cliffs |
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| ancient beds of Akrotiri |
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This is interesting because it is a work in progress.. Whenever
they find holes like these it means that possibly some wooden object
rotted and left a hole in the volcanic ash. They then fill it with cenent and then they
clean the ash from around it. What appears is a piece of furniture or a tool. |
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| A community building with three doors |
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| a Bronze Age storeroom |
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looking at the remnants of the volcano in the centre of the caldera
from Fira |
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| Fira from the edge of the cliff |
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| the cable car would be situated just to the left of the bell tower |
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