When I picked Crete as the place to go this year, my choices was based on my fascination with ancient Greek myth of the labyrinth. But when the choice was made already and I start to look it up what to expect to see there, I’ve discovered something else in reachable distance that made me change my initial plans to stay all 7 days on Crete. I have to tell another fairy tale now. She is about reality though…
There is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea. Two million years ago there were three islands or rocks. Through many volcanic eruptions over the years, lava filled the gaps and connected the three islands forming a circular island with a crater in the middle of 3000 feet high. It was named Strongili – “The Round One”. People of the World were so enthralled by the beauty of the island that they settled there and gave it the name 'Kalliste' or “The Fair One”. Many years later in the times of the Crusades the Venetians gave it another name with a reference to Saint Irene – “Santa Irini” (and the Greek word “ei - ri - ni “ means - peace).
There is also another version of the legend – pick up whichever inspires you the most:
Mythology tells the story of the homeward journey of Euphemos, the son of the god Poseidon, who received a clod of white soil as a gift from Triton. He threw the soil into the sea. From this was formed the island of Kalliste, the most fair, which was later called Thera…
Santorini is a very special place…geographically it is near the very joint of two tectonic plates. So when plates move, Santorini has earthquakes and eruption. We learned that small earthquakes happened almost monthly there. And then there are the big events. Some big enough to change the world around, no more no less. The eruption in 1625 B.C. caused the island to remain uninhabited for 300 years and also destroyed the whole Minoan Civilization with the 200 meter high tidal wave from the volcano reaching the coast of Crete. The blast was even heard in the Scandinavian countries and Asia and volcanic ash was found in California, Greenland and Ireland. Many earthquakes followed that same year, which caused the 3000 feet crater to collapse inwards and break the central and western parts of the island in 5 different pieces allowing water to fill in and create the present day Caldera.
There is also yet another reason for this tiny island to be special - the legend of Atlantis is associated with it. Plato writes about it in reference to the Atlantis – it was once a very advanced civilization and then it disappeared under the sea.
You can imagine, any one of these reasons on its own could be a good one to visit this place. So we boarded a ferry and sailed away in search of Atlantis…
There is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea. Two million years ago there were three islands or rocks. Through many volcanic eruptions over the years, lava filled the gaps and connected the three islands forming a circular island with a crater in the middle of 3000 feet high. It was named Strongili – “The Round One”. People of the World were so enthralled by the beauty of the island that they settled there and gave it the name 'Kalliste' or “The Fair One”. Many years later in the times of the Crusades the Venetians gave it another name with a reference to Saint Irene – “Santa Irini” (and the Greek word “ei - ri - ni “ means - peace).
There is also another version of the legend – pick up whichever inspires you the most:
Mythology tells the story of the homeward journey of Euphemos, the son of the god Poseidon, who received a clod of white soil as a gift from Triton. He threw the soil into the sea. From this was formed the island of Kalliste, the most fair, which was later called Thera…
Santorini is a very special place…geographically it is near the very joint of two tectonic plates. So when plates move, Santorini has earthquakes and eruption. We learned that small earthquakes happened almost monthly there. And then there are the big events. Some big enough to change the world around, no more no less. The eruption in 1625 B.C. caused the island to remain uninhabited for 300 years and also destroyed the whole Minoan Civilization with the 200 meter high tidal wave from the volcano reaching the coast of Crete. The blast was even heard in the Scandinavian countries and Asia and volcanic ash was found in California, Greenland and Ireland. Many earthquakes followed that same year, which caused the 3000 feet crater to collapse inwards and break the central and western parts of the island in 5 different pieces allowing water to fill in and create the present day Caldera.
There is also yet another reason for this tiny island to be special - the legend of Atlantis is associated with it. Plato writes about it in reference to the Atlantis – it was once a very advanced civilization and then it disappeared under the sea.
You can imagine, any one of these reasons on its own could be a good one to visit this place. So we boarded a ferry and sailed away in search of Atlantis…
More of Santorini to come…