Travel Notes: "Santorini is both powerful and beautiful"

After Mykonos in front, continue to the next Aegean Sea tour: Santorini (Santorini). The island belongs to Greece and is located in the southeast of the Aegean Sea area, about 200 kilometers away from the capital Athens.

Strictly speaking, the name "Santorini" is ambiguous, because it is both the name of an island and the general name of a group of surrounding islands. Fortunately, ordinary tourists will not take it seriously. Santorini Island as people call it, covers an area of ​​about 73 square kilometers. It is the largest island in Santorini, and its capital is Thera. If you come by plane, the airport is Thera International Airport.

Geological Features

Geographically, this group of islands is essentially different from other Aegean islands because they are volcanic islands, formed by volcanic eruptions. Now from the air, the ring under the sea is clearly visible. Friends who have plenty of time can consider taking a trip to the sea. The small island in the middle has hot springs and geothermal heat. However, locals say that the hot spring is symbolic and not very hot.

Geologists consider the eruption of Thera to be one of the largest volcanic events ever encountered by humans. According to research, the last large-scale eruption occurred 3600 years ago. The people living here at that time evacuated after discovering the danger, leaving behind a complete village covered in volcanic ash. What is interesting is that this event is recorded in Chinese historical documents: "The Chronicles of the Bamboo Book" mentions that at the beginning of the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, the sky in the west appeared yellow and frost appeared in the summer... which were signs of volcanic activity during that period.

Fortunately, Thera did not erupt again on a large scale. There was a small-scale event in AD 727. Documents say that scorching red flames rose from the island and the sea floor, igniting the surrounding land like a red-hot furnace. In 1956, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred in the local area. The epicenter was located on the seabed 30 kilometers away. Dozens of people lost their lives and 45% of the houses were damaged, which severely damaged the city of San Francisco. Torini.

Although this is a travelogue, it is necessary to review the volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis... these natural phenomena that humans cannot resist. Remembering your own insignificance will naturally add a touch of awe and pity when you write about the beautiful scenery later.

humanity history

The island is famous for its appearance, but its history and cultural connotations are equally strong.

The name Santorini is relatively new, unlike the Mykonos naming mentioned above. "Santorini" sounds like a sequence of Catholic "holy" characters, but in fact it is. "Santorini" comes from "Saint
Irene" "Saint Irini". The first written record was in the middle of the 12 century, which must have been the Crusades. the result of. The original Greek name of the area was Thera. After several reversals, it returned to the official name in the 19 century. However, everyone got used to Santorini and never changed it again. But come.

There were already human villages on the island before the volcanic eruption, during the Bronze Age. Perhaps due to volcanic activity (to be examined here), no one settled again for a long time. During this period, many major events occurred in the surrounding world - the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the rule of the Ottoman Empire, etc...

To this day, Santorini Nepal has developed into a holiday island with tourism as its main business. It is probably one of the most well-known in the world and is very popular among Chinese people. Tourism data shows that among the many visitors received by the island, the most favorite ones in Santorini are "Chinese couples", and the biggest project after arriving is "wedding photography". Really, they have been looking forward to the return of newlyweds for more than two years.

Chasing the setting sun

It was already past 6 when the bloggers and their entourage arrived, and they quickly rented a car and headed to Oia at the northwest end. Stay in the hotel there at night, but more importantly, watch the sunset. We communicated on the phone all the way, and the hotel was very welcoming. After learning that the blogger arrived by car, he gave the parking coordinates and said that he would send someone to carry the luggage. Because I was in a hurry, I declined and decided to drive to watch the sunset first. Then, I realized why the parking coordinates were so important, because it was on the top of a mountain and there was no way to pass it. I fought hard to see the sunset. The car was parked in an alley, and then it raced towards the mountaintop trail to race against time. Fortunately, now that domestic tourists can’t come out, people are not so crowded...

Queuing: A little bit of the shop moves forward, occasionally infiltrating

Finally got the perspective:

Sunset:

In fact, we were very lucky this time, mainly because there were not too many people, so we should go to the island half an hour earlier next time.

To be honest: the focus of the sunset experience here is not the sun and the sea, but more about the surrounding buildings, streets, flowers, and even the atmosphere of the crowds crowded together.

After the sun goes down... "Where is my car?"... "Why are there so many small alleys?"...

after sunset

The island is relatively safe, so you don’t have to worry about safety when you go out for a stroll at night. It is said that their biggest security worry is pickpockets during the peak season. Many crowded road sections even have warnings in Chinese and English.

church

I have seen the church not far away since I woke up in the morning, and I have taken many photos over the past few days. Just post them all together, so as not to worry about readers’ aesthetic fatigue.

By the way, I would like to express my personal opinion: There is a guide on the Internet that says that walking from the yellow-domed church to the blue-domed church is equivalent to walking on the plank road in Santorini. Actually, this is just a small part of a small part. You still need to explore more when you have time.

aegean coastline

Paid photographer:

Vibrant blue and white architecture and decoration:

Traveling by donkey: It’s a bit dangerous and not recommended. In addition to having a bad smell, it is also dangerous.

Winery :

If grapes grow on the island, there must be a winery. This time I stopped by one of them. Everyone said that it was the oldest and largest one, so I just went to one of them.

monuments

A village covered in volcanic ash 3600 years ago. No human or animal remains were found, so they were evacuated in an orderly manner, leaving only well-preserved houses, streets, and large household objects. All wooden structures and utensils have turned to dust, but they can be basically restored to their original appearance by pouring plaster.

vegetarian meal

There are also authentic vegetarian restaurants on this island, but they tend to use salt. Not recommended.

SantoLini is famous far and wide, and blogger Jun’s three-day trip met his expectations. The entire island is crescent-shaped. After all, it is part of a volcanic crater. It takes about an hour to drive one way from north to south. If I go there again next time, I will choose to stay a few more days near Thera in the middle, near the sea. There are more hotels here with their own characteristics. The same five-star hotels are also cheaper than Oia. In addition, it is recommended to rent a car. It is much more convenient to drive yourself.

Compared with Mykonos, which I just visited a few days ago, it is also not suitable for going to the sea because the weather has turned cold. However, there are many fun places. When you are tired, you can find a place to sit down or lie down.