The Greek island of Santorini has quite a history, both real and imagined. Some speculate that this could be the site of the lost colony of Atlantis since what is now Santorini was once a circular island that was totally reshaped when the volcano that made up the island erupted around 1500 BC and the center sank leaving what is now a semi-circular island made up entirely of volcanic ash….and tourists!
The only crop grown is grapes which makes up the secondary industry of the Island, wine. The primary industry which employs 80% of the population is tourism…and there is a reason for this. The quaint little village of Oia looks just like a movie set…in fact I expected to see Anthony Quinn around every corner. The houses and hotels are situated on the hillside overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. All of the houses are white, just like in the movies, and the blue roofs belong to the churches, of which there are many. Many, many shops line the very narrow cobblestone streets with restaurants and bars aplenty. It is a very popular vacation spot for tourists from all over the world.
The capitol city of Fira is much larger than Oia and is quite a bustling community. The basic tourist and shopping area is very crowded with shops, hotels and restaurants all built into the side of very steep cliffs overlooking the port. The only way up or down is by cable car or donkey down 500 very steep steps. Since I don’t like riding a donkey on level ground, we opted for the cable car, for which we waited in very hot sun for almost an hour. Notwithstanding this decent problem, the tour and views were spectacular and was a most pleasant welcome to Greece.
The only crop grown is grapes which makes up the secondary industry of the Island, wine. The primary industry which employs 80% of the population is tourism…and there is a reason for this. The quaint little village of Oia looks just like a movie set…in fact I expected to see Anthony Quinn around every corner. The houses and hotels are situated on the hillside overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. All of the houses are white, just like in the movies, and the blue roofs belong to the churches, of which there are many. Many, many shops line the very narrow cobblestone streets with restaurants and bars aplenty. It is a very popular vacation spot for tourists from all over the world.
The capitol city of Fira is much larger than Oia and is quite a bustling community. The basic tourist and shopping area is very crowded with shops, hotels and restaurants all built into the side of very steep cliffs overlooking the port. The only way up or down is by cable car or donkey down 500 very steep steps. Since I don’t like riding a donkey on level ground, we opted for the cable car, for which we waited in very hot sun for almost an hour. Notwithstanding this decent problem, the tour and views were spectacular and was a most pleasant welcome to Greece.
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