“And then the cliffs… where has one ever seen such colours, seen rock twisted up like barley sugar, convoluted and coloured so fancifully? They remind me of the oil marbling on the endpapers of Victorian ledgers. Mauve, green, putty, grey, yellow, scarlet, cobalt… every shade of the heat from that of pure molten rock to the tones of metamorphic limestone cooling back into white ash…. Sunset and sunrise here put poets out of work.” Lawrence Durrell
Posted in backpacking, Beaches, Cyclades, Europe, Greece, Greek islands, History, island hopping, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Akrotiri, Cyclades, Greek Ferries, Greek Island Hopping, Santorini, Theory of Atlantis
Oia is even more picturesque than Thira but fortunately not nearly so crowded and we walked along the top of the cliff, along narrow roads and down twisting footpaths, around whitewashed churches, creaking windmills and an abandoned castle and it was so much more leisurely and enjoyable than the capital. It was now extremely hot and as the sun blazed and the rays bounced around the whitewashed streets and houses it made us think of mythos and shade so we found a taverna in a back street and enjoyed a meal at about half of the prices in Thira.
By 2008 I had been to Santorini three times before, in 2002, 2004 and in 2006 and although I rather like it I have to say that it is no longer my favourite. The trouble with Santorini is that once you have been elsewhere it simply becomes less impressive. Everyone says ‘Oh, you are going to Greece, you must go to Santorini!’ but generally these are tourists who haven’t been to Amorgos, Sikinos or Folegandros and these islands, let me tell you, are many times better.
Posted in Europe, Greece, Greek islands, Travel
Tagged Atlantis, Cyclades, Greek Ferries, Greek Island Hopping, Santorini, Theory of Atlantis
