Following on from our visit to the active volcano on New Burnt we carried onto the nearby hot springs where the man had a swim and permanently ruined his swimmers with smelly mud!! Then it was onto the little island of Thirassia which is located in close proximity to Santorini. In fact, it was onceContinue reading “Thirassia, a slower pace of life”
Monthly Archives: August 2015
New Burnt
Santorini has been shaped by violent natural events and nowhere is this more clear than at its volcanic heart. First on our floaty boaty day trip is a stop off on the Island of Nea Kameni (New Burnt) where there still bristles an active volcano at its very peak. New Burnt and its nearby neighbour OldContinue reading “New Burnt”
Volcano visiting
Following on from our whistlestop tour of the smaller villages we decide to take a boat trip to visit the volcano that formed the Santorini that we see today. So we hop on a traditional boat (along with hundreds of other eager beavers) ready to set sail from the harbour and onto see the two volcanic islandsContinue reading “Volcano visiting”
Final glimpses
Since the Byzantine times, pirates were a huge problem faced by the Aegean islands, imposing taxes and looting local communities. To protect themselves the inhabitants of Santorini built several fortified settlements known as Kastelia. Emporio is one of five such Kastelia on the island. You can spend hours just wandering the compact little streets, the houses all huddled close togetherContinue reading “Final glimpses”
Enchanting Emporio
The final village on our whistle stop day tour around Santorini is the gorgeous little Emporio. It takes its name from the Greek word for “trade” (Emporeio) and for centuries was the traditional trade centre of Santorini. From the main road Emporio might seem like any normal, fairly bland modern town but head up to the traditional, fortifiedContinue reading “Enchanting Emporio”
Colour burst
Here’s a final glimpse of some of the colourful sights of Megalochori. This little village is the center of the wine industry of Santorini and it is surrounded by vine yards While the majority of the village is still firmly dressed in the traditional white and blue uniform of the island, you can discover some mouthContinue reading “Colour burst”
Magical Megalochori
Megalochori is our next stop and it’s another picturesque village. Its existence is recorded all the way back to the 17th century. Home to historical mansions, old traditional houses and wine canavas it is a colourful, traditional little place. Apparently it has a history of merchants exporting the Vinsanto wine that the island still produces. One striking featureContinue reading “Magical Megalochori”
Free wheeling Greek style!
Continuing our quad bike tour of Santorini here’s a few random shots of the scenery between the whitewashed villages. We head to a tiny beach for a quick picnic and we have the whole place to ourselves. Here’s a few pictures of the north east of the island including a hillside of traditional windmills. Although theyContinue reading “Free wheeling Greek style!”