The Roundup: Santorini & Crete

It's almost June! Where has the time gone? I feel like I write at least two posts per month that start out with something in that vein. It's been about two weeks since I returned from Greece, but I spent Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans with my best friends from high school, so needless to say I haven't had much time in front of the computer!

I'm finally ready to blog about the second half of our trip - we spent time in Imerovigli (Santorini) and Rethymno (Crete), both of which were beautiful! In Santorini we went on a sunset and traditional villages tour that included a wine tasting at Santos Wine Winery. Santorini is part of a collection of Cycladic islands, all of which form a circle around the island of Delos (where Apollo and Artemis were born according to Greek mythology). Santorini is a seventy-two square kilometer island with 14,000 residents, 7 villages, and a whopping 1.5 million visitors per year. Here are some of the highlights from our time in beautiful Santorini:

• Akrotiri Where the Aegean Sea currently flows, there used to be land connecting Greece and Turkey. Two million years ago there was no volcano and three islands. Twenty thousand years ago, the volcano erupted and the three islands formed one large, circular island. In 1612 BC, the center-most part of the island disappeared into the sea to form the second largest caldera in the world. The Akrotiri archaeological site remained buried for the next 3500 years. While the site houses 40 buildings in total, researchers believe that this only represents 3.5% of the original town. As of 2016, only 3 houses have been fully excavated (due to lack of funding). The town is estimated to have had 10,000 inhabitants - it was a cosmopolitan region and an important town due to its status as a port city. In 4500 BC Akrotiri was likely a fisherman's village. By 3000 BC it became one of the biggest commercial ports of the island. By 2000 BC the inhabitants knew how to build two- and three-story homes, used a sewage system (with toilets on the upper floors of the home), and displayed artwork (e.g., wall paintings and frescoes). This artwork was buried under pumice stone and therefore very well preserved. From these frescoes, researchers were able to determine that the inhabitants of Akrotiri had contact with other metropolitan areas in Crete, Egypt, Syria, and Africa. The artwork shows examples of the papyrus plant, African merchants, grey monkeys, antelopes, and women wearing silks from China.

• Pyrgos This small town was the original capital of the island and is also the highest point of the island. At one point the Venetians built a fortress at the top of this small town. Pyrgos plays host to a number of beautiful churches.

• Megalochori This (relatively) small town is affectionately named "large town." Our tour guide said that perhaps it was, at one point, but that now it's merely a quaint place to grab a nice lunch or coffee. The town has many small streets, winding roads, and beautiful white-washed churches with Grecian blue domes. Walking through a small residential area, our town guide pointed our attention to a sign that said "PRIVATE PROPERTY - DO NOT ENTER" and explained that many Greeks are reluctant to sell land (they prefer to pass it on to their children). Unfortunately, after the economic crisis hit, children and grandchildren were unable to repair homes devastated by the earthquake. Unwilling to fix these properties, many families settle for paying the (increasingly) high taxes on these properties in hopes that future generations will be able to restore them to their former charm.

Our time in Santorini was short-lived, but very wonderful. We boarded a ferry to Heraklion after two nights. We arrived in Heraklion at sunset and ended up taking a cab to our hotel in Rethymno. I'm so glad that we decided to stay in this charming little town (as opposed to the port city). Unlike the other two cities, I didn't feel the constant need to be taking in the sites and "on the go." We spent mornings wandering in and out of small streets and squares, taking in the local scenery and paying several visits to the nearby Venetian harbor. Our second day on the island was spent scuba diving off the coast of Chania.

I can't say enough good things about this vacation. It was the perfect combination of history, culture, food, and adventure. That being said, the trip came to a rather somber end. I met someone back in February and, despite knowing that I was leaving for school in June and he was leaving for a three month backpacking trip through Europe, our relationship blossomed into something that, to this day, is very special and close to my heart. He met me in Greece and we spent about a week with each other - sharing many firsts, indulging in late night walks through new cities, and talking late into the night. It was the happiest I had been in a long time. We decided to part ways, despite caring for one another deeply. The process of letting go and moving on is a long one, but I'm grateful that I was able to spend the last days of our relationship in bliss and joy.