Travel Snaps Tuesday – Santorini Part II

If you missed my first post on Santorini you may view it here.

Here is a little information about this magical island I gathered from these two sites dedicated to Santorini, here and here.

Santorini is the southern most island of the Cycladic group in the Aegean Sea.  The entire center of the circular island sank into the sea during the tremendous volcanic explosion 3.500 years ago. The eruption caused tidal waves which virtually wiped out the advanced Minoan civilization of Crete 70 miles to the south. Some scholars believe that the island is part of the legendary lost continent of Atlantis which supposedly slipped underwater during the disaster.  What remains today of Santorini is a large crescent-shaped island enclosing a vast bay, the largest caldera on earth (7X14 miles).

The volcanic rock that covers the island is an eerie reminder of just how active this volcano has been.  The colours of the rock it created and the layers you can see almost everywhere are so incredibly beautiful.  Not to mention the insane drops into the sea with homes built right to the edge.  Darren and I had a fun time exploring the island.  We were staying in Imerovigli, but were easily able to walk to some of the neighbouring towns.  I particularly loved Fira.  They had all the cute donkeys, need I say more 😉

Most of these photos were taken on a fairly overcast day and I think they provided a bit of a moody feel.  We ended up having a wild storm that night and we lost power for the whole night and up until noon the next day.  I thought our adorable villa was going to blow right into the sea!

Now on to the photos!

All of the above photos were taken from our hike to this amazing lookout.

I know my last travel post was all about kitties, but here is another cute one I overlooked.

JenelleSeptember 10, 2010 - 11:10 am

oh and I really like the donkeys 🙂 I can’t wait to own a miniature donkey!

JenelleSeptember 10, 2010 - 11:07 am

thanks for going on a hike up to the viewpoint and sharing the beautiful view! stunning. really enjoying your travel snaps!!

shanniAugust 26, 2010 - 11:23 pm

why again wasn’t I invited?!?!?

MeganAugust 24, 2010 - 12:44 pm

It’s amazing how much the overcast sky changes the colour of the water!! And i’m loving those cute little donkeys! Great photos, Kim!

Kim SpearsAugust 18, 2010 - 5:20 pm

Thanks for the comments guys! Christina these shots totally take me right back there too 🙂 Sean – thanks for the reminder of that lovely memory lol. Darren still hasn’t gotten over the trauma!

Christina MoodieAugust 18, 2010 - 2:22 pm

It is insane how the they built right on the side of the cliff!! I love your travel photography it makes me feel like I am there. Thanks!

seanAugust 18, 2010 - 4:05 am

haha, for some reason, these remind me about that story of you on a plane throwing up all over yourself and then laughing hysterically about it. HA!

ANYWAY, kim, love the vantage point you two achieved. what a rewarding hike, and how cool you got to experience a great storm that night!

p.s. i understand if you modify this comment 😉 haha!

s h e r r yAugust 17, 2010 - 8:52 pm

Oh man. I really wanna goooo! It looks so awesome there!

AylaAugust 17, 2010 - 7:34 pm

I love these photos! They remind of the hike up to the wedding place in the movie “Mamma Mia” =)