Greece in Summer Part 2

From Mykonos we took a high speed ferry to Santorini island of Greece, (one way ticket is 66.80 Euros). It took us 2 hours.  Santorini comprises five islands and the one we visited was Thera (pronounced Fera) and whose capital is Fira. Santorini is a caldera (volcanic crater filled with the Aegean Sea). The buildings are all in white (whitewashed).

Local population is  around 15,000. During tourist season about 20,000 workers come over to work here. Huge cruises come over, each carrying about 4000 visitors. Overall, the total population nears 100,000 during peak season. In winter the scene is just opposite. Locals close their houses and move to mainland. It snows and there’s no scope of tourism. A Greek lunch for two cost 40 Euros.

Like Mykonos, Santorini is a labyrinth of small alleys and easy to get lost. Legend has it that it was intentionally constructed to confuse pirates who came to plunder. One can see Pumice stone mountains. Greece is one of the largest producers of Pumice. Houses that are built on these mountains use the mountain as the base. In Greek agriculture, pumice stone is primarily used as a natural, lightweight hydroponic substrate and a soil conditioner to optimize aeration and water drainage.

Kamari beach is a tourist attraction because of the black sand beach with a white mountain as a backdrop. The black sand is attributed to volcanic eruption.

Akrotiri village has the ruins of excavation. The excavated area is now covered, pathways made and visitors can safely walk around the site. A few cave houses exist in Megalochori village. The village Oia (pronounced Eeah) is where people come to watch sunset from the highest point of the cliff. The sun sets into the Aegean Sea at around 8:25pm and it is wonderful to experience the different colours of the sky, culminating into an almost Tuscan sunset.