Santorini

Santorini was by far the culmination of our trip to the Cyclades! The island is basically formed by a horseshoe-shaped mountain ridge towering 500 m. (1600 ft.) above sea level. Towards the inside of this so-called Caldera the mountain drops down almost vertically towards the sea. The Caldera is a remnant of a huge volcano which exploded in a terrifying eruption in 1650 BC. In the middle of the horseshoe where you find sea today was once the peak of the volcano. During the eruption the magma was expelled from the inside of the volcano and left an empty core behind. The volcano became unstable, collapsed into the empty space and sank below sea level. Only the periphery of the volcano remained standing and formed the island as it is visible today. Since that eruption small volcanic activity below the collapsed volcano started to pile up a small cone of solid lava again. This lava already peaks out of the sea in the center of the Caldera. In the fifties of the last century a city buried by a thick layer of ashes was found in the south of the island: Akrotiri. Of course, this finding fueled speculations about the whereabouts of Atlantis. Could it be Santorini?

The volcanic origin of the island offers a special beach pleasure: red and black sand. But be careful: both colored beaches get extremely hot due to high light absorption.  You have to run to the water in the afternoon if you don't want to burn your feet.