Santorini’s Lessons in Life’s Continuum
That is happiness;
to be dissolved into something complete and great.
- Willa Cather, 1873-1947
Santorini, Greece
After flying to the Greek island of Santorini from Mykonos, a sister isle in the Cyclades, we caught a cab to our accommodations in the village of Imerovigli, on the western side of the island. The scenery on the four-mile drive didn’t prepare me for the view I was soon to behold–I distinctly recall feeling strong initial disappointment, in my mind saying “So this is the famed Santorini? I want my money back!” I’m now ashamed of myself.
Disembarking from the taxi, we were met by a porter, who led us down a steep, narrow and winding path, which abruptly stopped and veered left. In the remarkable light of late afternoon, from atop nearly 1,000-foot cliffs, we looked out over Santorini’s famed caldera. While I have since witnessed many majestic and awe-inspiring sights of natural beauty, this was my first instance of experiencing a physical, visceral reaction to a landscape. Gazing at the ridges of the island fanning out to my left and right, cupping the vast expanse of the shimmering south Aegean, tears sprang to my eyes, and I actually felt my heart skip a beat, my breath truly taken away. In that moment of profound humility, I felt a connection to something perfect and vast. I credit that instant with my transformation into a traveler, despite how my stay on Santorini ended.
Santorini is a circular archipelago, the center of which is a large lagoon, 7.5 miles long by 4.3 miles wide. The island chain is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history, which occurred about 3,600 years ago. The eruption left the large caldera, surrounded by calcified volcanic ash deposits hundreds of feet deep.
This view of the Greek island of Santorini was captured from the nearby lava islet of Nea Kameni. We had taken an excursion on a traditional Greek sailboat to this outcropping across the waters of the caldera. Coming ashore, we hiked up a steep, charcoal hill, approaching the crater of the still active volcano. Wisps of smoke curled up from the ground in places, reminders that this ancient, otherworldly landscape was very much alive. From Nea Kameni, the sheer precipice of Santorini’s inner coast around the caldera is visible, as are the various layers of solidified lava, and the white-washed towns perched on its crest.
The long-ago explosion is believed in many quarters to have inspired the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis, and to have decimated the Minoan civilization. What is more certain is that the eruption buried a Minoan town on Santorini, preserved for eons under the ash until it was re-discovered in 1860 by workers quarrying volcanic ash for use in the Suez Canal. The site is now known as Akroteri and is often compared to Pompeii. Yet unlike that site, it appears the residents of Akroteri somehow understood the danger they were in and were able to escape–no human remains have been found.
We meandered along its ancient paved streets, marveling at the ancient village’s remarkable state of preservation. With dozens of dwellings excavated, the site made history come alive, exuding a sense of having been a real community, it was easy to imagine bustling activity. Particularly moving were the homes’ magnificent murals in still-vibrant colors, elegantly-drawn depictions of a sophisticated lifestyle. Many large clay vessels were unearthed, some with traces of olive oil, fish, and onion inside. Pots and other utensils were found where they had been left. My husband Tom commented to me that despite all of mankind’s advances, a fish hook today is the same as it was then, a teacup is still a teacup.
I was particularly grateful for Santorini’s powerful lessons in life’s continuum several days later. Tom had left to wing his way home and I had stayed on. After a day of vigorous shopping, I returned to the cliff side apartment we were calling home, laden down with packages, and switched on CNN. It was 3:00 p.m. in Greece, 9:00 a.m. EST on September 11, 2001 and I watched the screen in horror at an explosion in the sky and civilization as I knew it changing.
http://www.megarogyzi.gr/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=49
http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/santorini/santorini-volcano/geology.htm