International Travel Adventure

A dear friend suggested that she would like to see at least one article here about Greece, which is her “dream getaway” for a romantic adventure. Indeed, it seems Greece is a popular destination for many travelers, and for various reasons. For this particular episode, we’ll glimpse a bit of one of my favorite Greek islands, Santorini, which is a beautiful gem in an archipelago of volcanic islands in the south Aegean Sea, and is about 200 km off the mainland of Greece. It is not limited to romantic adventure, at all.

Many of you may remember this as the featured island in the 1982 movie Summer Lovers, which starred younger versions of Daryl Hannah and Peter Gallagher as a young and sensuous American couple who traveled to the Greek Isles for an expected quiet summer vacation in isolation from everything with which they were familiar. Their plans were turned upside down with the arrival of the French lovely, Valerie Quennessen (hey, she inspired me to want to visit Greece [and France?]!). While the movie is a bit “racy”, it is also somewhat representative of romantic adventure lifestyles to be had in the Greek Isles.

You can view photos here and here. The island Thera, renamed Santorini, after “Saint Irene”, through Latin influence, is actually the main outer caldera island resulting from the volcano that erupted spectacularly in about 1628 B.C. (subject to dispute of up to 100+ years), resulting in the destruction of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization on the islands of Thera and Crete. The other islands, of today, include Aspronisi (smallest) and Therasia, completing the outer rim of the sunken and water-filled caldera, with Nea Kameni and Palea (Palaia) Kameni making up the islands of the central “cone” of the volcano. Nea Kameni is nearly round, and about 2 km in diameter. While these other islands are uninhabited, they make great excursions from Santorini for that extra bit of privacy desired by those who want to leave it all behind. (There are regular boat trips to Nea Kameni for tourists to view the sulfuric yellow wasteland surrounding the area that still spews sulfur plumes into the air.)

Adventure opportunities abound, whether it be those of a sporting nature or adventures ‘of the heart’. The numerous rock cliffs of the caldera provide great climbing areas, as well as spectacular dive points nearer where they meet the water. The town of Thira sits atop sheer cliffs of the collapsed caldera, providing spectacular views of the surrounding islands, the caldera, and the beautiful Aegean. Anyone wanting to explore should include the ruins of Akrotiri, the town which some call the ‘Minoan Pompeii’. Akrotiri enables our time machine to travel back to a civilization that flourished between about 3000 to 1600 or 1500 B.C. Amazingly, however, one finds houses as large as three stories, and with “water closets” that included both hot and cold running water. To quote from an article in Wikipedia: “The dual pipe system suggesting hot and cold running water, the advanced architecture, and the apparent layout of the Akrotiri find, resemble Plato’s description of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, further indicating the Minoans as the culture which primarily inspired the Atlantis legend”. So, if you want to explore a bit in the Bronze Age – and, for that matter, even possibly Atlantis, definitely visit Akrotiri!

Santorini’s population centers of today include the towns of Thira and Oia, famous for the dynamic nightlife as seen in Summer Lovers, and which makes Santorini a hot spot for European vacationers. The sunsets are amongst the most beautiful in the world, and the deep blue of the Aegean Sea is spectacular in its own right. For a romantic getaway that includes a different flavor of nightlife, you might just find Thira to be your tonic. On the other hand, if strolling on beaches or cliffs, with dazzling views of volcanic beauty against an unmatched backdrop of the Aegean, or even classic Greek architecture - ‘island style’ - are more to your liking, you’ll likely want to stay on Santorini forever.

If you’re still unsure of anything about your next international travel - and you want it to be cheaper, safer, and more adventurous, get my free “Smart Tips Handbook” available exclusively to Registered Readers! Click the link below.

International Travel Adventure

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 6:54 pm and is filed under Photos, Travel Ideas, Travel Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.