Tag Archives: Santorini Island

Greece

The volcano Island of Nea Kameni

We decided to take a day trip to the island of Nea Kameni which is the youngest volcanic land form in the eastern Mediterranean. We arrived at the old port of Santorini and boarded a ship which would take us to the island.

Tour boat for the island of Nea Kameni

We boarded and settled in for our trip to the volcano island.

Shelley on the tour boat heading to the volcanic island of Nea Kameni

The view of the islands around Santorini were spectacular from the boat. We enjoyed the trip over to the volcanic island and the views.

A view from the boat on our way to the Nea Kameni island

We arrived at the island and debarked along with two other boat to begin our walk up the volcanic island.

The soil was almost completely made up of dacite lava  and ash.

We began our climb up the slopes of the island making our way towards the 130 meters high summit.

Walking up the slopes of the Nea Kameni Island

It was a hot day with a temparature of 29 degrees celsius. We took several breaks along the way to enjoy the views and catch our breath.

Ray taking a break along the slopes of the Nea Kameni

We continued up the slopes until we reached the highest point. From there the views were stunning. We could see Santorini Island and for miles around the entire area.

Shelley and Ray near the top of the Nea Kameni Island

Ray even climbed the small rock marker that indicated the highest point so he could get a photo.

Ray at the highest point of the Nea Kameni island.
The view from the top of Nea Kameni Island
View from the top of Nea Kameni Island

After enjoying the views and taking a well deserved break we took one last selfie before heading back down to the boat.

Ray and Shelley at the top of Nea Kameni Island
Shelley heading back down to the shoreline of Nea Kameni
Ray heading down the slope of Nea Kameni Island

We arrived back at our boat and prepared for our second adventure of the day. We were heading to the hot springs that were located in the shallow waters on the other side of the island.

Ray getting ready to go swimming into the hot springs at Nea Kameni island.

We approached the bay area where the hot springs were located. The boat was not able to get close to the springs and anchored off shore. Everyone that wanted to go  swimming in the hot springs had to jump into the water from the boat and swim to the hot springs.

People swimming to the hot springs at Nea Kameni Island

Ray jumped in and swam to the hot spring located near shore. The hot springs are noted to have therapeutic benefits. The mud there contains sulfur and many people rub the mud on themselves for the theraputhic effects. After a short swim in the hot spring everyone returned to the boat.

Ray in the hot springs of the Nae Kameni Island

After everyone was back on board, the boat returned to Santorini. It was a very enjoyable experience, spending the day exploring the island of Nea Kameni.

“Απολαύστε τη ζωή και ζήστε τη στιγμή.”

Greece

Exploring the Island of Santorini

The town of Thera on the Island of Santorini was very beautiful and interesting. The white washed buildings and stunning views from the cliffs made for great vistas.

View of the town of Thera on Santorini Island

We walked through the narrow streets of the town admiring the different shops and the views.

Ray and Shelley in the town of Thera in Santorini
Pedestrian walkway along the cliff edge of the town of Thera.

The streets were adjacent to beautiful white washed buildings.

Shelley along one of the narrow streets in Thera Santorini

Some of the stores and shops were very impressive with beautiful art and unique items.

White washed buildings along the streets of Thera

We walked along the streets which were either leading upwards or heading downwards toward the Aegean sea. There was very few areas without some form of incline or decline.

We walked up stairs along the cliff edge and eventually came to a restaurant with a perfect spot to enjoy a glass of local wine. We relaxed at our table which provided us with a perfect view of the island.

The views at our table also provided us with a fantastic view of the caldera which was caused by a volcano which is still considered active today.

Satellite image of the Santorini caldera. Photo courtesy of NASA – http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02673

The volcano was one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history, which occurred about 3,600 years ago.

After enjoying a rest and admiring the views, we headed back down towards the old port of Santorini. Along the way we would stop and just take in the moment admiring the views.

Ray on the Island of Santorini, Greece

We decided to go down the steps which lead to the old port located at the base of the island. Each step was numbers and they were fairly steep.  We took our time and walked carefully and slowly down the  587 steps to the bottom.

Stairs leading down to the old port of Santorini.

Along the way down we came to an area which had lots of donkeys. There were people selling rides down the steps on the back of a donkey for five euros.

Donkeys along the steps leading down to the old port of Santorini.

We continued walking down the steps and about half way down we came across more donkeys. These were just standing on the stairs and were not tied. They just stood there and we had to cross behind or in front of them. It was somewhat apprehensive for some people.

Donkeys standing on steps on the way down to the old port of Santorini.

It was not a pleasant walk down because of all the donkey fecal matter on many of the steps.  Once we reached the bottom we came to a cruise boat offering tours to the volcano. We decided to take the tour and explore the volcano, but that is for another post.

“Κάντε μια υπέροχη μέρα και μείνετε ασφαλείς.”

Greece

Wine tasting in Santorini Greece

We enjoyed a very unique wine tasting while we were on the island of Santorini. We went to a wine restaurant called “K’nttos” in the town of Fira on the Greek island of Santorini.

K’nttos wine restaurant on the island of Santorini Greece.

We entered the restaurant through an outdoor patio area which was quite impressive.

Garden area of the restaurant

We were met for our wine tasting by our sommelier who lead us to a unique entrance into some wine caves.

Ray at the entrance of the wine caves

These caves were over 300 years old and fitted for wine tasting.

View of the cave area with different wines and spirits are stored.

We explored the caves looking at the displays of wines and specialty spirits.

Wine on display in the caves
Cave walls with dug out spots for wine bottles
Different spirits stored in the caves

We sat down at a table in a section of the cave where the tasting would take place.

The sommelier then explained the history of the wine in Greece and in particular on the island of Santorini.

Ray and Shelley with other guest at the wine tasting.
Display with samples of wine and a box with specific aromas associated with wine.

Our sommelier explained the different types of soil on the island and how the soil impacts the overall taste of the wine.

A box with the different soils of the area where wine grapes are grown on the island.

She explained how they coil the grape wines in a unique way to help make the harvest easier.

A photo of the grape vines and how they coiled them into small rings for easier harvest.

The tasting of the different wines and learning about the specific wines of Santorini was very enjoyable and interesting.

“Ζήστε τη ζωή στο έπακρο και έχετε μια υπέροχη μέρα.”