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Thera: Door to the Eternal Horizon

View of Santorini

Typical Cycladic towns comprised of small cubist homes, tightly packed against each other as they blanket the irregular contours of the landscape are the images many people identify with Greece. But in Santorini, the cycladic cubist homes take a whole new meaning as they cling precariously to the edge of the largest volcanic caldera in the world, which is filled with the azure blue waters of the Aegean sea. The acute drop of the cliff traverses down from the town's edge all the way to the sea level, abruptly exposing hundreds of thousands of years worth of earth strata while the inhabitants of the towns are treated to unparalleled views of the Aegean.

What makes Santorini unique is the coexistence of grand geologic time in contrast to perpetual ephemeral human activity. The geologic history of the volcano dwarfs the considerable human presence on the island that reaches back to prehistory, and which in other places would have acquired center stage.

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Santorini is an island of extremes. The volcanic explosion, that some say destroyed the Minoan civilization, was one of the largest in human history and the views it left behind are some of the most spectacular on earth. Tight clusters of bright, geometric human dwellings flow atop organic, dark igneous rock formations in a peculiar balancing act against the blue horizon of the Aegean. The eyes can rest on many landscapes; geologic, cultural, or architectural, but they always return to the same point of reference prehistoric man gazed upon: the infinite horizon of the azure-blue sea as it appears a bit more distant and mysterious from the edge of the volcano.

What I found interesting about Santorini was the constant reminder of man's existence in perspective with nature's longevity, and the ability of a culture to flourish despite the harshness and dangers of life on the volcano. Every square centimeter of Thera speaks of time. Time eternal, in the form of rock formations and dramatic terra-forming, and Time ephemeral in the form of little cubist clusters of homes hanging precariously at the edge of the sleeping volcano. Even human civilization that reaches back to prehistory is exposed as ephemeral in Santorini.

On Thera one anticipates the tremendous forces of nature that tend to emphasize our mortal fragility a bit more than usual. A reminder that makes the present moment even more meaningful, its enjoyment even more imperative, and its existence a bit more exhilarating.

Santorini Attractions

While the spectacular views of Fira (or Phira), Ia, and Imreovigli are enough to enchant the most demanding traveler, Santorini's history which reaches back three thousand years, offers another dimension to the natural beauty of the island. The excavations at Akrotiri have unveiled a plethora of prehistoric frescos which speak of the existence of a joyous society before it was abruptly interrupted by one of the largest volcanic explosions known in the history of mankind. In addition to the Prehistoric history of Santorini, evidence of Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine cultures are also exposed on the barren rock they call Mesa Vouno on the South shore of the island.

The Museum of Prehistoric Art in Santorini, located in the town of Fira, is one of the most important museums of Cycladic Art in the world, and it mostly houses artifacts unearthed during the excavations in Akrotiri. The entrance to the museum costs € 5.00 and the same ticket allows entrance to the museum of ancient art which exhibits a collection of artifacts from the Ancient Thera archaeological site. I was also impressed with the exhibition of exact replicas of wall paintings from Akrotiri. I found the exhibit in the Nomikos Conference center at the highest part of Fira, and while the climb there was steep, the view from the veranda, and the exhibit more than made up for the effort.

I visited Santorini with my family in the summer of 2003 and we roamed the island for four full days. The incredible views of the Aegean from atop the caldera will always be etched in our memories. I have visited 48 countries around the world, and I have seen islands famous for their beauty such as Fiji, Puket in Thailand, Maldives, Bora-Bora, the Indonesian, and the Solomon islands among others, but none can rival Santorini's complete package of dramatic landscapes, history, geology, accommodations, and culture.

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