Prehistoric Pathways
Lazing about all day while enjoying the Sea breeze is all fine and dandy for a bit. But by the third day K and I were itching to move around a bit and explore the rest of Santorini. We listened to the wonderful ladies at the hotel and instead of renting a car got ourselves a quad for a day. Which was the best decision we could have made. Not only does it feel much more like an adventure than your regular old automobile but it is the common way to get around here. In fact there are so many on the roads that even in a car you can't go over their maximum speed limit of 40 km/h as you will always have a ton of them right in front of you. And of course they are easier to find parking spaces for.
So on our merry way we went.
Don't be fooled by the above picture though. K in fact did all the driving while I clung onto her back.
Our first stop was the prehistoric site of Akrotíri. On my request - history nerd that I am. It is a village from the bronze age which was buried in its entirety by a volcanic eruption in 1645 B.C. and thus was preserved in great condition. Nowadays it is housed in a large complex that allows tourists to walk around the site and see the excavations up close. The site is a work in progress so you will see equipment lying around and, if you're lucky, people working towards unveiling new parts of the village. Below is a model of the parts that were uncovered already.
It does unfortunately not do the whole areal justice. It is huge, for lack of a better word. You will walk around it the whole complex with frequent boards and charts explaining what you see and how the excavation work progressed throughout the decades it has been active.
If you don't feel up to reading, you can always (inconspicuously) join a guided tour. As many cruises offer tours to Akrotíri they also ensure that their guests have a guide speaking their language to lead them through the exhibition. Most commonly you will hear English, German, Japanese and French tours but I also saw Italian, Spanish and Russian groups. Just walk in step with whatever language you like.
Or just enjoy the glimpses into life in the bronze age. The floor plans of the houses are as well conserved as the street paving and some interior decorations.
There are whole staircases like below visible.
Even bed frames stood the test of time - showing once again how tiny the early human generations were compared to us.
Back outside in the blazing summer sun we drove out west to the outermost land point of Santorini marked by a (now inactive) lighthouse. All the while having the Sea to our right and stopping to take pictures and enjoy the view. On a clear day you can see all the way across to the Northern side of Santorini. We waved hello to our hotel in Finikia and moved on.
Arriving at cape Akrotíri was like something out of a movie, although if I'm honest the entire vacation was. But just look at the blue sky and the old lighthouse sitting on a rock formation.
K sat down to consult our travel book while I went off along the cliff to explore some more (and cursing myself I did not pack any sneakers; my trusted Birkenstock sandals really weren't the right footwear for that terrain).
The further down I got, the less tourists were surrounding me. With just the breeze, the Sea and the sun and me of course it was hard to convince myself to turn back. I may have let K wait for a little too long up there.
Looking back I realised how far I climbed down, but couldn't bring myself to track back up quite yet.
One more look down and a perfect shot of the glistening water and it sadly was time to go.
All the way back up where K was patiently waiting. She really is a saint that one.
Having visited our two must-sees we decided to just drive until something stood out to us. Thankfully, Santorini is small enough that you really cannot get lost. Perfect conditions for exploring without a plan; which I admittedly am not usually a fan of. As a true control freak I normally need at least plan A to C. So kudos to K for making me relax and trust her to...just drive.
That took us to the village of Emborió. A picturesque little town in the centre of the Northern part of Santorini.We left our quad behind and strolled through the streets.
I took postcard shot after postcard shot. The white and blue buildings as well as the pink Bougainvillea are a photographer's heaven. The colour composition is simply mesmerising.
Every turn is a new beauty landscape shot. I had a rather hard time picking what pictures to include in this post.
We weaved through white alleys with blue doors. Living the life every travel catalogue promised.
And if I ever took a picture that summed up the beauty of Santorini architecture it has to be the one below. So naturally, it also has to be the last shot of our island exploration adventure. You should quit while you're ahead is what they say, right?
So these two explorers saddled up and made the journey home where they recounted their day over a bottle of Rosé, Greek salad with chicken kebab and too much tzatziki. 'Tis a good life, let me tell you.
So on our merry way we went.
Don't be fooled by the above picture though. K in fact did all the driving while I clung onto her back.
Our first stop was the prehistoric site of Akrotíri. On my request - history nerd that I am. It is a village from the bronze age which was buried in its entirety by a volcanic eruption in 1645 B.C. and thus was preserved in great condition. Nowadays it is housed in a large complex that allows tourists to walk around the site and see the excavations up close. The site is a work in progress so you will see equipment lying around and, if you're lucky, people working towards unveiling new parts of the village. Below is a model of the parts that were uncovered already.
It does unfortunately not do the whole areal justice. It is huge, for lack of a better word. You will walk around it the whole complex with frequent boards and charts explaining what you see and how the excavation work progressed throughout the decades it has been active.
If you don't feel up to reading, you can always (inconspicuously) join a guided tour. As many cruises offer tours to Akrotíri they also ensure that their guests have a guide speaking their language to lead them through the exhibition. Most commonly you will hear English, German, Japanese and French tours but I also saw Italian, Spanish and Russian groups. Just walk in step with whatever language you like.
Or just enjoy the glimpses into life in the bronze age. The floor plans of the houses are as well conserved as the street paving and some interior decorations.
There are whole staircases like below visible.
Even bed frames stood the test of time - showing once again how tiny the early human generations were compared to us.
Back outside in the blazing summer sun we drove out west to the outermost land point of Santorini marked by a (now inactive) lighthouse. All the while having the Sea to our right and stopping to take pictures and enjoy the view. On a clear day you can see all the way across to the Northern side of Santorini. We waved hello to our hotel in Finikia and moved on.
Arriving at cape Akrotíri was like something out of a movie, although if I'm honest the entire vacation was. But just look at the blue sky and the old lighthouse sitting on a rock formation.
K sat down to consult our travel book while I went off along the cliff to explore some more (and cursing myself I did not pack any sneakers; my trusted Birkenstock sandals really weren't the right footwear for that terrain).
The further down I got, the less tourists were surrounding me. With just the breeze, the Sea and the sun and me of course it was hard to convince myself to turn back. I may have let K wait for a little too long up there.
Looking back I realised how far I climbed down, but couldn't bring myself to track back up quite yet.
One more look down and a perfect shot of the glistening water and it sadly was time to go.
All the way back up where K was patiently waiting. She really is a saint that one.
Having visited our two must-sees we decided to just drive until something stood out to us. Thankfully, Santorini is small enough that you really cannot get lost. Perfect conditions for exploring without a plan; which I admittedly am not usually a fan of. As a true control freak I normally need at least plan A to C. So kudos to K for making me relax and trust her to...just drive.
That took us to the village of Emborió. A picturesque little town in the centre of the Northern part of Santorini.We left our quad behind and strolled through the streets.
I took postcard shot after postcard shot. The white and blue buildings as well as the pink Bougainvillea are a photographer's heaven. The colour composition is simply mesmerising.
Every turn is a new beauty landscape shot. I had a rather hard time picking what pictures to include in this post.
We weaved through white alleys with blue doors. Living the life every travel catalogue promised.
And if I ever took a picture that summed up the beauty of Santorini architecture it has to be the one below. So naturally, it also has to be the last shot of our island exploration adventure. You should quit while you're ahead is what they say, right?
So these two explorers saddled up and made the journey home where they recounted their day over a bottle of Rosé, Greek salad with chicken kebab and too much tzatziki. 'Tis a good life, let me tell you.
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