Sign in with Facebook"Thira Volcano: Destroyer & Creator of Santorini" Santorini Island by FruitLover
Santorini Island Travel Guide: 1,603 reviews and 5,129 photos
The reality in Santorini [Thira] is so astonishing that photos, prose or poetry, will forever be forced to limp behind. Only in science fiction you'll find anything quite like this extinct volcano of white marble, which blew its head off at some moment in the Bronze Age, and must have partially destroyed a rich and elaborate culture of the Cretan type. The tidal wave alone caused floods as far away as Egypt and Spain, while the rain of volcanic ash, the scholars surmise, may have been what finished off the Minoan civilization once and for all. Such theories are not only fanciful suppositions - the most modern scientific evidence goes far to support them. And Crete is only sixty miles away. All early traditions speak of a world engulfing flood at some early time.
What happened?
A deep fault in the earth's surface opened, and with a roar the whole sea was siphoned into it directly on top of limitless beds of molten magma, the earth's core, causing a prodigious explosion of steam.
Once you sail into the huge bowl [locally called Caldera] which the Santorini explosion created - 18 miles round the inner rim - the smell of Sulphor and the pit still seem to hang in the air, giving a diabolical flavor to the scenery.
And then the cliffs, with their ravaged-looking ghost town on the crest.
Sunset and sunrise here put poets out of work.
Reviews (14)
Hiking from Fira to Oia
Things to Do
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Hiking from Fira to Oia (11K) for the sunset and dinner is M-U-S-T. It's not easy but well worth the effort. Take it... more travel advice
Vinsanto Wine, Nykteri Reserve Wine
Shopping
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Wines of Santorini are special because the vines are grown in the rich and fertile volcanic soil. There is no fresh... more travel advice
Folklore Museum
Off The Beaten Path
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Travelogues (2)
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Comments (25)
Shalom Avi, Thinking of a trip to Crete and possibly Santorini in September. Wish that there was still a ferry :( Thanks for the tips.
Hello Avi, I hope to go to Santorini soon. It's just a matter of time. Thanks for the lovely tips. I hope your birthday celebration was a blast!
Good information!
what dramatic geological & vulcanic history in the mediterranean, amazing! Cat
I might get here yet!thanks for the inspirational tips.
Great memories of last year's EuroMeet! Gillybob greetings.
Great photos & enticing tips. I'm looking forward to my trip here in 2008! Ann, The Travel Slut
Good page on Santorini. Interesting about the vines and how they get their water too! Loved the pics...cheers
Interesting introduction and some nice photos. Liz.
Hello Avraham! Nice photos from the EuroMeet 2007! So, you're having a big meet next October? Sounds enticing... am hoping to make the EuroMeet 08 in Germany, and could then head towards your meet as well... maybe... Have a great day / Jess