Santorini is a destination for Europeans, Asians, Australians, etc. There are lots of people here, speaking every language. Fira is the central village on the island - and is very congested with tourists. Fira has a main drag and it has constant traffic. I was thinking we would be someplace exotic, but this area of the island actually has more of a feel of the Greek version of Branson. I like Branson and we go there often - it was just not the feeling I expected in Santorini.
Our hotel is a brief walk out of Fira to the south along the ridge of the caldera. We are in a quiet spot out of the congestion which is a nice relief. Yet within a 5 minute walk we are in the midst of everything.
My inner analyst kicked in and wondered - what's with the name? Is it Fira or Thira? A little research:
* In classic Greek - it all started with Θήρα (theta - eta - rho - alpha), Thera. Over the years this has been modified...
* Fira - is the modern name of the village we are near,
* Santorini - the island we are on - the name comes from Saint Irene in the 1300s, and
* Thira (the official legal current name) is an incorporated city that includes all the villages of the islands of Santorini and Therasia.
Confused? Me too, but a bit less so now on this topic.
So then the science guy in me kicks in. We are on the ridge of a caldera. It would just be confusing to describe the components and how this all fits together. So lets just skip that. They estimate this was all formed when the volcano erupted 3600 years ago. This could be the source of the legend of Atlantis. They think Minoan civilization on Crete was wiped out by a resulting tsunami. Could the volcano here go off again? Hopefully not in the next few days.
One of the activities here is to explore the island by renting a motorbike, a quad ATV, or a car, which is why there is so much traffic on the main drag in town. Today we decided to rent a car (a Nissan Micra, not for sale in the USA, quite small but it did the job) and explore the island.
* First south to Akrotiri - a beach / shore of black volcanic rock
* Then up mount Profitis Ilias - the highest point on the island - great views - kind of scary
* Later on we went north to Oia. This is the area of the more expensive resorts on the island - e.g. over $1000 per night - quite beautiful.
This evening and last we went into Fira to for dinner - about 1000 feet above the water with a view of the sunset. An interesting mix:
* The cruise ships, the sail boats, the shuttle boats and a tall ship all in the bay,
* The cliffs and the village,
* The soft music in the place we were at, a relatively private balcony and attentive yet non-intrusive service,
* The setting sun on the western islands and the water,
* The gentle conversation between a father and daughter,
And in a moment you get the place. A kind of ethereal feeling of God's beauty expressed in His creation and man's ability to enjoy Him, each other and your surroundings - it all at once rushes forward - and you get what people find here and why this place is amazing.
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