Santorini is believed to be the lost "Atlantis" because of the fact that half of the island was sunk after the eruption of a volcano in 1,500 B.C.
The island was inhabited at around 3,200 B.C. by the Cretes. It was the explosion of the volcano which was in the center of the island and the greater part sunk. The tidal wave caused by the explosion, estimated at around 100m high, destroyed the palace of Knossos and did a lot of damage at the north coast of Crete too.
What was left today (apart from the clusters of buildings dating from various different eras, there are the agoras, public baths, theatres, a number of sanctuaries, the House of Ptolemy Euergetes, tombs from the Archaic and Classical periods, Early Christian relies, etc.) is still a treasure. It makes us dream of what would it be like during the best time.
But that's not actually makes Santorini one of the most popular tourist spots of Greece. It's the colorful houses and buildings, unusual landscapes, beautiful beaches, clear dark blue sea, dark fine volcanic sand, the people's friendliness, the food, the usually clear sky, and the warm climate.
The houses, churches, monasteries, hotels and restaurants lie down the cliffs one on top of another using the neighbor's roof as their terrace. All are painted in white and blue. Some are brave enough to use peach or shiny yellow. The youth hostel is a lovely small building, painted in orange. You can walk past through places via narrow paved alleys. Or you can also ride on a donkey-taxi.
The most delightful moment of mine was when I was sitting on a hotel terrace with a few friends, looking at the bright blue sea, having our calamari, fish and the local yogurt/rice soup (Do you know Greeks make the best yogurt?).
They are nice people... We told the server that we wanted to have the same things as the next table. He told us that those are the owner and his guests. They brought their own food. But he sent somebody out to buy it for us anyway. Afterwards, I found out that whatever we wanted to eat, just explain it to the restaurants, they'll make it for you and we had never been over-charged once.
Have to add that everything I ate in Greece was delicious!
Are the pictures of the famous Santorini scenery beautiful? At http://santorini.net , there is a live camera show taken from the cliff. It's updated every 3 minutes. More:
How to get there...
Ferry from Piraeus (Athens) takes 10-12 hours. There're also Olympic Airways flights from Athens.
Upon arrival, you'll be approached by local hotel owners. Bargain for the best price. The Greeks are nice people. They won't get mad or try to hurt you if you bargain too much (I made it 50%, and felt sorry I should have asked for more).
When I went there, it was October. Already low season. We got everything in a thirds of the regular price. Of course it's too cold to swim or surf, but it's still beautiful and worth the visit. We stayed in the middle of Thira. From there, we took buses here and there for days until all the bus drivers and conductors remembered us (and went a bit out of the routes to send us where we wanted to go).
Everybody speaks English, French or German. Guys are good looking (Don't tell my husband I said that) and friendly. Women are shy and pretty.
From May on it's the peak season, The best time to visit. Everybody is heading to the island. You'll have to rush making reservation if you want to spend this summer over there.
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