26 Hours on Santorini

The Santorini Caldera at Sunset. Click to enlarge.



Santorini was once a very large volcano, but when it exploded, the core of the volcano sank to the bottom of the sea. What you see is the outer edge/rim of the volcano. Our hotel room was 100 meters from the edge of the former volcano. In Santorini, there is really no flatland, and all the towns and villages are built right into the side of the mountain (no troglodyte caves, 'though!).

We arrived here yesterday afternoon, and will depart for Naxos late this afternoon. Santorini is gorgeous, heavily touristed, and extremely congested due to the serpentatine paths and streets that thread their way through town (town, here meaning the town of Fira, or Thira, the Greek name for Santorini). Mostly we had wanted to come here to see the geological formations and the famous Caldera. Keelin has long weanted to come here to see the famous ruins--one of the finest in Greece--that has been closed for years now, and which we didn't figure out until the day we departed America.




Houses, resataurants, and streets on the stair-step hillside of Santorini. Click to enlarge.

We had an excellent dinner last night at Lithos, a taverna perched on the edge of the Caldera, with fantastic views, and a window on one of the best sunsets I've ever seen in my life. For dessert, they brought us a concoction of Ouzo and cherry juice. After that, we wandered through the narrow streets, did a little window shopping and went home. The youth attempted to go clubbing but were stopped at the door for an ID check Del could not pass (for the first time on the entire trip). I mentioned yesterday how many tourists come through here, both on ferries and cruise ships. And there is a lot of merch. for them to buy. There are probably more jewelry shops here than in all of Seattle. And ditto for fur stores. Fur stores? I don't know who buys furs when it is 100 degrees outside! But I do have a clue, since virtually every fur store we've seen in Rhodes and Santorini have bilingual signs in the window--not the usual English/Greek, but Russian Greek. Obviously the new upper and upper middle class Russians come through here too.

I am definitely starting to feel road burn on this trip, and long for some of the comforts back home. But not that much. I am not looking forward to out return in five days. Road burn aside, I could keep travelling another two months...

I was able to send two pics to the blog via my camera, but this internet cafe has no USB connection, so more photographs later...perhaps from Naxos. Also, there are four Germans sitting here tapping their feet, waiting to get on this fine Belnea computer, so it is time for me to sign off. But first I turn to them and say "Ich verstehe das nicht." Heh heh.
---o0o---

Poem: Rocks, flowers, and walls

Ruins at Knossos - click to enlarge

I sometimes see the faces of Turks and Greeks
Fog in bafflement
When a tourist snaps a photograph

Of a pile of shattered bricks
Or a hole in the ground.
I can almost channel their thoughts:

Don't you have your own
Rocks, flowers, and walls
In America, Holland, and France?

Did you really come this far,
This 12,000 miles
To take pictures of a dog?
---o0o---

Arrival in Santorini, Greece

The Santorini Caldera. What looks like an island out in the water is the volcano.

We arrived on Santorini after a two hour hydrofoil boat ride from the port of Heraklion. This incredible island has been through plenty, including a volcanic explosion that scientists say is the greatest explosion to ever rock the earth. That explosion blew a hold right out of the middle of the once around island...the hole is called the caldera.

In 1956, the island was leveled by an earthquake and virtually everything here was built since then.



It is heavily touristed, mainly with cruise ships docking for a few hours. Right now, it is 5 PM and the boats have departed, leaving only the residents and the tourists staying overnight.

Tomorrow we depart for the Island of Naxos, another two hour ferry ride away.
---o0o---

My poetry reading in Heraklion, Crete

I am literally falling asleep as I try to write this, so will wrap it up tomorrow. We stumbled into a Greek poetry bookstore today. After some incredible name drops on both sides of people we mutually loved, the owner looked up some of my poetry and then hauled out a bottle of wine, and wanted to talk poetry.

After a glass of wine, he handed me two books of translations of Kazanstakis and Odysseus Elytis. He wanted me to read two long poems in English aloud and we both had a great time hearing them in English. One was the prologue to Kaz's Sequel to the Odyssey. I was very moved by the event, and it was a real highlight of the trip so far. What a great, random find and event. I have now had my first European poetry reading, and made a friend in the poetry world of Greece.
---o0o---

Sitia to Iraklion to Santorini

The amazing fresco of leaping over the sacred bull, from Knossos. The painting is about 4,000 years old. Click to enlarge.

This morning, we packed and left Sitia and a brief beach interlude (punctuated by one ruin tromping stop). After four days in Sitia, we drove back to Heraklion, along the mountains, with the rugged Crete coast alongside us.


We came to Heraklion for one night, mainly to catch a ferry from here to Santorini tomorrow morning. We will stay in Santorini one night, check out the calderon, and then head off to Naxos for three days.




The Phaistos disk from the Knossos Minoan Palace. No one has ever succeeded in translating it, although they did manage to translate the texts of Linear A and Linear B (or one of them...I forget. The disks were created in about 1,600 B.C.Click to enlarge.

Naturally, while in Heraklion, we found time to visit the great archaeological museum here, with all its great artifacts from the Minoan civilizations, and in particular Knossos.

Heraklion was even busier and crazier than I remembered it from 25 years ago. Aside from the museum, we went out for a very good dinner--with a great complimentary dessert of flan, a Cretan pastry, and a bottle of grappa.

More tomorrow from Santorini (aka Thira)...

jack, Heraklion Crete, July 10, 2008
---o0o---

Jesse Ventura to run against Al Franken for Senate

Jesse Ventura, the guy you'd want beside you in a dark alley

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura told NPR's David Welna today that he will run for the Senate, against Sen. Norm Coleman (whom Ventura beat in a race for governor in 1998). He will also be running against Al Franken.

Ventura said the main reason he's running is because of Coleman's support for the war in Iraq. "That's the reason I run," he says. "I run because it angers me...All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if you were in a dark alley which one of the three of us would you want with you?

Poem: The listing freighter in the harbor at Kato Zakris, Crete

Down the hill from the ruins
Of the Minoan palace at Kato Zakris
A battered and rusting old freighter showed up

Six months ago,
With a Pakistani crew
And flying the Egyptian flag.

None of the locals knows
Quite what went wrong.
They do know the ship is still here,

Anchored 30 meters offshore,
Rusting and listing in the harbor,
Waiting for indeterminate repairs

After running into some nebulous “trouble.”
So they parked her, where she sits today,
To the locals’ chagrin,

Waiting for Euros, or parts, or a new owner.
No one quite seems to know.
There may or may not be a crew on board

As she slowly rusts away
And begins listing even more.
Someone will either show up with cash and parts,

Or the crew will slowly drift away
And they will eventually tow it out
And scuttle it in the Aegean.

My waiter told me “It was interesting
The first day, after that it’s a scar
We hope goes away soon.”
---o0o---

Sitia, Crete, and Minoan ruins at Kato Zarkis

a cemetary in a village in the mountains near Kato Zarkis - click to enlarge

Another view...of family tombs at a roadside church - click to enlarge

Yesterday, we drove from our aparment in Sitia about an hour along the rugged, twisting, coastline, up and down steep, rocky hills, to another Minoan Palace. The palace at Kato Zakris is roughly 4,000 years old, and was probably destroyed by the cataclysmic volcanic explosion from Santorini/Thira in 1650 B.C. The volcanic explosion is said to have been the strongest ever on earth.

Zakris is an extensive ruins, far less reconstructed than the one at Knossos. Two nights from now, we will be staying on the very rim of the caldera formed on Santorini when the volcano exploded and blew a gigantic hole in the middle of the island. The hole—a calderas--filled with seawater. Our hotel in Thira is 30 meters from the edge of the caldera. That volcanic blast wiped out most of the Minoan civilizations along the Aegean.

Click to enlarge. Jack and Keelin Curran at the Minoan Palace at Kato Zarkis

We are currently staying in Setia, Crete, a little-touristed, sleepy, 8,000 person town, lined with great beaches (including an almost deserted one right near our apartment). It’s great swimming here, in the 90 degree water. . .the same temperature as the air. The water is very clean, and the Aegean here is bright blue. The beaches are lined with fantastic round pebbles in reds, greens, greys, ivory, white, and agate. I’ve picked up a few handfuls for my now extensive collection of rocks from North Africa, Central Oregon, Puget Sound, Canada, Montana, Idaho, California, the Oregon coast, Turkey, Cape Cod, and the San Juan Islands.

The Central courtyard at the palace at Kato Zakris - click to enlarge

I’ve noticed on this trip that I have not experienced ruin- or museum-fatigue. In fact, on the odd days when we haven’t visited an ancient site, I actually miss them. I keep trying to get Column to write a counterpoint on the ruins. At times he’s clearly felt like “we’re travelling two hours to look at another rubble heap of columns, bricks, stones, and broken statuary?!”

If we didn't have enough museums and ruins for the day, we stopped at an old Greek Orthodox Monastery on the way home for half an hour and inspected many Ikon paintings and old engravings and manuscripts. It was interesting to see how deteriorated the paintings had become since they were painted five centuries ago...when you remember that we have been looking at incredibly intact frescoes and cave paintings on this trip up to 3,500 years older (see, for example the earlier post on the caves and churches of Cappodocia).

Perhaps the most interesting exhibit--for me at least--were the displays of blunderbusses, rifles, pistols and ammunition from wars in the 1800s, World War I and World War II, when the brothers put down their devotions and scholarly pursuits to take up arms and defend Greece, their Monastery and Church against various maurading hordes. . .up to and including the Nazis (who, as you may know, savaged Crete during World War II).

Finally, in the bay at Zakris, sits a listing, rusting freighter thay may or may not be abandoned. I wrote a poem about the freighter, which I will post next.

---o0o---

The Incredible Minoan Ruins at Knossos, Crete

4/5 of the family at Knossos. The other 20% were taking the photo. Click to enlarge.

We visited the impressive Knossos ruins, just outside Heraklion, Crete, about half an hour after landing on our turbo prop flight from Rhodes. This is my second visit here, and it’s still as impressive as I found in 1982.

The famous dolphin Fresco at Knossos. Circa about the 15th Century B.C. - click to enlarge

Although the controversial archaeologist Arthur Evans took some liberties in his reconstruction (but not his excavations), in some ways these are the most impressive ruins of all, and give you a better picture of what once existed there. Some other archeologists strongly disagree with his theories on Minoan culture and life at the palace. And, in particular, people object to his use of reinforced concrete (and other “non-native”) materials to bridge the gaps (of missing timbers, slabs, or tiles) and actually recreate entire rooms and series of rooms and chambers. They also object to his use of copies of frescoes, thrones, and friezes (that he took away and placed in places like the Heraklion Archaeological museum). On the other hand, unlike other British raiders, he left the booty right here in Greece, instead of hauling it back to the British Museum.

Jack's drawing of the famous Minotaur at Knossos - click to enlarge

Seeing even copies of the 4,000 year old frescoes in place is incredible, and puts the palace in great context, unlike the extensive ruins at, say Afrodesia or Ephesus. If you want to see the originals, you visit the Heraklion Museum…just like you don’t see Michaelangelo’s David outdoors, but a copy. It’s not that radical a concept…if you visit ruins and museums a lot, you well know that most Roman and Greek statuary is hidden away in museums, not exposed at their native site.

part of the reconctructed ruins at Knossos - click to enlarge

People do respect much of Evans’ theory and work, but a small group violently object. . .and it’s not hard to see their point either. Evans was brilliant, so sure I don’t begrudge him a few crackpot theories or taking certain liberties. In my booklet, it was all worth it.

another famous fresco at Knossos (or, rather, a copy--the originals are in the stellar museum at Heraklion). Click to enlarge.

---o0o---

The Island of Rhodes, Greece

The fortress of the Knights of Malta

Rhodes was an interesting and fairly frantic stop on our trip (we were there two nights). Aside from the convergance of tour buses on some archaeological sites, this was by far the most touristy part of our trip so far. There weren't many Americans in Rhodes, but there were thousands of Danes, Germans, Brits, Swedes, Italians, and Greek tourists as well. The beach was crowded and intense. There were a fair number of topless sunbathers, most of them 65 year old Dutch women.

The tourist part of the new town is predicatably garish and crowded. The old town--inside the old Knights of Malta fortress was also heavily touristed, but the fortress was so incredible, you lived with it. For a short period of time, The Knights ruled Rhodes, with seven Garrisions that each spoke a different language. They controlled politics and trade until the Sultan Suleyman sent them packing and claimed the Island for his own empire. The fortress is an incredible stone affair, with a moat that is unbelievably deep and wide. I'd never really toured castles much, so I don't think I'd seen a moat before. Wow. I'll put in a picture of it.

Aside from the fortress and fortification walls, Rhodes has the remnants of an Acropolis, and a heavily reconstructed theatre and stadium. We walked up the hill one night on our way to dinner to check out these ruins (even some of the kids have become ruins buffs by now).

After that, we went to a local place our landlord had recommended for the best chicken and potatoes in Rhodes...in the form of the ubiquitous "gyro." It was great...so great, we went back the next night. In addition to being the cheapest food on our trip, it was a real treat for us on Rhodes, because it was absolutely not a tourist joint. Fortunately, our waiter spoke great English and steered us through ordering. She was also a fan of America in general (as many Greeks seem to be...excepting any love for our President), and asked us lots of questions, and expressed a desire to visit the US soon. And she was incredibly beautiful...appropos of nothing at all.

After two days in Rhodes, we were ready to depart on a turbo-prop for Crete. It was great to be back in Greece, and it was everything I remembered. The retsina, the great salads, and most of all the exuberant and warm Greek people (Hellenikis)...it was nice to renew our acquantance. We flew to Heraklion, Crete, stopped at the ruins at Knossos, and drove a winding mountain pass along the coastline to Sitia, a coastal town with virtually no tourists. We have an apartment here, a block from the beach. That is most welcome because the temperature is hovering in the low 100s. The water is warm, the waves gentle, and there are some great ruins to explore, both in town, and in Zakros (where the second largest Minoan palace is being excavated).

Tomorrow afternoon, we depart Sitia for Santorini, a/k/a Thira, to see that amazing geography for one day and night. Then, we take another boat, and head to Naxon, another small island, and the next to last stop on our trip (Athens is the last). More soon...



Claire's friend, who lives in the hotel courtyard, with her mom and seven siblings - click to enlarge


The moat at the Knights of Malta fortress - click to enlarge

Backpacks on, the Brummet-Curran clan get ready to depart the Island of Rhodes for the Island of Crete via turbo-prop airplane

Ruins at the Acropolis of Rhodes

---o0o---

Drawing: The cafe by the creek at Ilhara Gorge

click to enlarge

---o0o---

In Setia, Crete, Greece

We departed Rhodes yesterday, via a 45 minute turbo prop jet flight, and have no arrived in an 8,000 person village on the island of Crete, Setia.

We arrived at Heraklion--Hercules Town--and rented a beat up Hyundai and drove an extremely windy mountain road three hours across the island. But on the way, we did stop at the fantastic ruins of Knossos. I am in computer limbo right now, but will put up pictures when I get the chance.

I am sitting in an insane "Java Cafe" filled with thirty shouting teenagers and pre-teens, mostly playing World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 2, and downloading illegal movies and music on Limewire.

My laptop won't connect to their wireless, so I am typing on a greek keyboard and trying to get in touch with my office to deal with some weirdness.

But hey, that's part of vacation too, after all, for an Americaniki, isn't it?
---o0o---