seastack
Apr-11-2007, 09:45 AM
Santorini
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683304-M.jpg
Small church in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. There are well over one hundred Greek Orthodox churches on this island with a population of 7,000. The village of Oia still retains some of the charm of the past, not completely ruined by the tourism trade.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/135834860-L.jpg
A cab driver on the island of Thira, Santorini Greece, epitomizes the tough, proud but open and kind people of Greece.
Story and Photos by Thomas Hyde
© 2007, All Rights Reserved
I read a travelogue once where a woman said, "Ah Greece, it hurts me so."
I didn't understand at the time but I do now - the scenery, the people, the food, the lifestyle, the history everywhere you turn - Greece can take your breath away. Leaving can tear a hole in your heart, a longing that can only be satisfied by once again ambling down thousands-year-old marble mule trails that wind through the Greek countryside, your dusty feet and sandles tracing the same paths that were there before the time of Christ.
We traveled to three of the islands in the Cyclades - Santorini, Milos and Sifnos - each with its own charm. The group of islands named Santorini, with the island of Thira being the primary and most visited, are one of the most photographed and stunning islands in the world. Sitting at the juncture of two continental plates, Santorini is volcanic. Around 1500 B.C. the island exploded and the resulting tsunami may have led to the demise of the Minoan civilization on Crete and given rise to the legend of Atlantis. Today Santorini is a group of islands surrounding the 6-mile volcanic caldera now filled with the sea. Sheer cliffs of red, black and brown rise hundreds of feet out of the painfully rich blue waters of the Caldera.
We flew into the island from Athens, which afforded an incredible bird's eye view of the Greek Isles stretched across the Aegean. It helped that my wife and I were traveling with my brother and his family. In the early 1980's they spent five years living in Athens and teaching at the American School there. They return now to Greece with my nephews every few years and have visited more than 30 islands. They lament some of the changes as globalization begins to strip away the rich cultural heritage. For instance, the once common sight of old men playing backgammon at the ouzeri was not seen once by us on this two week trip.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133679543-M.jpg
The city of Fira perches on the edge of the caldera at Santorini Greece. The caldera of the ancient volcano stretches out welcoming the many cruise ships that come here. Tourism has ruined Fira. The islands population of 7,000 can swell to more than 80,000 as the largest cruise ships in the world, often two or three or more at a time, disgorge their thousands of passengers all at once to descend on the island.
Hordes of tourists descend on Santorini's main city of Fira and have all but ruined this ancient city. Nearby though, all is not lost. Further down the island the village of Oia perches on a spine of the island stretching toward its famous sunsets over the Aegean. Most of the village has been rebuilt after much of it was destroyed in a devastating 1956 earthquake.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682906-M.jpg
The Spine of Oia. Homes of traditional cubic architecture, many with rounded rooftops, straddle one end of the island of Thira in Santorini, Greece. Traditional cave houses descend down the cliffs giving stunning views of the caldera. Many can be rented for reasonable charges although there are very expensive resorts interspersed throughout.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683260-M.jpg
Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
Oia's white houses cling to the cliff face. We stayed in a wonderful traditional cave house at Delfini Studios (highly recommended).
The months of July and August are often the busiest and hottest. August winds can be strong. Many smart travelers come here in June or September, but the low humidity and patchy clouds at sunset make October the favorite month of photographers. While we spent five days in Santorini in early July, the crowds were minimal as the World Cup played out in living rooms throughout Europe. When we left Santorini for the island of Milos on a ferry, however, the world's two largest cruise ships sailed into the caldera and thousands of tourists rushed through the streets to take in as much as they could in the short time allotted.
That's the difference between a tourist and a traveler. The tourist grabs as many experiences as fast as they can, often taking pictures of people paparazzi style, and never really experiencing a place. Travelers, on the other hand, take their time, get to know people, talk to residents and ask to take their picture. Travelers gain a more rich experience through immersion. It can be difficult at times to be a traveler; to come out of your shell and cross barriers of culture, language and our own insecurities but the rewards are many as we realize we are all citizens of the world.
From my Amercian perspective, Greece is a wonderful place to start world travels. The people are very kind and open, although you must often make the first gesture to open communication. Crime is almost nonexistent and costs are reasonable if you stay a bit off the beaten path. Greece is an EU country so the exchange rate for U.S. dollars does put a dent in the wallet but this can be offset by staying in Class B or C properties.
Photography, for me, has also been a means to better experience a place. It helps me to "see" more and can be a bridge between cultures if approached well. I do, though, at times have to force myself to put down my camera.
That was especially true in Santorini. It is an incredibly magical and special place. I will do anything and everything to return to Greece as soon as I am able.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683233-M.jpg
Roundhouse Dawn. Traditional houses restored in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687560-M.jpg
Traditional house overloooking the caldera of Santorini in the Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685706-M.jpg
Travel thousands of miles, check your bags on the airplane, then have them carried through the village of Oia in Santorini, Greece, in the ancient way.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687141-M.jpg
Exploring the labyrinth of old donkey trails and paths leading through the village of Oia can yield discoveries of old cave houses not yet converted or restored for tourist lodging.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687291-M.jpg
A traditional cave house in the initial process of restoration in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682272-M.jpg
A good morning view from the balcony at our cave house in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Here is our perfect breakfast and perfect view of the caldera of Santorini. Greek coffee, orange juice, yogurt and honey, and a little pastry from the village bakery just down the street.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133681750-M.jpg
Early evening view from our traditional cave house in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683125-M.jpg
The sun rises onto the village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133684989-M.jpg
Sunday morning on the narrow, marble "main street" in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685544-M.jpg
Widows traditionally dress in black for seven years. Here, two yia yais (grandmothers) walk to Sunday morning services.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685972-M.jpg
Morning stroll in the village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686105-M.jpg
Morning on the narrow main street in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/135835973-M.jpg
Morning on the narrow main street in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686218-M.jpg
View of the caldera from the main street of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686742-M.jpg
Thousands upon thousands of stairs wind through a labyrinth of pathways in the village of Oia, Santorni, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682798-M.jpg
A young boy looks out a window in village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682746-M.jpgTraditional fishiing boats in the small village of Ammoudhi, Santorini, Greece. The fishing village with several wonderful seafood tavernas is located below Oia down a winding switchback trail of 200 steps or so.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682656-M.jpg
These fisherman worked in their boat just 30 feet from where we ate lunch in the outdoor taverna. Village of Ammoudhi, Santorini, Greece
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687992-M.jpg
Boats in the other small fishing village of Armeni located at the base of the village of Oia. Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685321-M.jpg
Blue and white, blue and white. The most predominant colors in the Greek Isles.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688800-M.jpg
Night descends on Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686340-M.jpg
Most photographed. Sunset over the Aegean with the windmills of Santorini.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133684855-M.jpg
The Waiter's Closet. Village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687778-M.jpg
Sunset in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687857-M.jpg
Night scene in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688353-M.jpg
Moonrise over the Caldera in Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688260-M.jpg
Dinner with a view. Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133681936-M.jpg
Night scene in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688747-M.jpg
The moon and the cat. Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Good night.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683304-M.jpg
Small church in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. There are well over one hundred Greek Orthodox churches on this island with a population of 7,000. The village of Oia still retains some of the charm of the past, not completely ruined by the tourism trade.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/135834860-L.jpg
A cab driver on the island of Thira, Santorini Greece, epitomizes the tough, proud but open and kind people of Greece.
Story and Photos by Thomas Hyde
© 2007, All Rights Reserved
I read a travelogue once where a woman said, "Ah Greece, it hurts me so."
I didn't understand at the time but I do now - the scenery, the people, the food, the lifestyle, the history everywhere you turn - Greece can take your breath away. Leaving can tear a hole in your heart, a longing that can only be satisfied by once again ambling down thousands-year-old marble mule trails that wind through the Greek countryside, your dusty feet and sandles tracing the same paths that were there before the time of Christ.
We traveled to three of the islands in the Cyclades - Santorini, Milos and Sifnos - each with its own charm. The group of islands named Santorini, with the island of Thira being the primary and most visited, are one of the most photographed and stunning islands in the world. Sitting at the juncture of two continental plates, Santorini is volcanic. Around 1500 B.C. the island exploded and the resulting tsunami may have led to the demise of the Minoan civilization on Crete and given rise to the legend of Atlantis. Today Santorini is a group of islands surrounding the 6-mile volcanic caldera now filled with the sea. Sheer cliffs of red, black and brown rise hundreds of feet out of the painfully rich blue waters of the Caldera.
We flew into the island from Athens, which afforded an incredible bird's eye view of the Greek Isles stretched across the Aegean. It helped that my wife and I were traveling with my brother and his family. In the early 1980's they spent five years living in Athens and teaching at the American School there. They return now to Greece with my nephews every few years and have visited more than 30 islands. They lament some of the changes as globalization begins to strip away the rich cultural heritage. For instance, the once common sight of old men playing backgammon at the ouzeri was not seen once by us on this two week trip.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133679543-M.jpg
The city of Fira perches on the edge of the caldera at Santorini Greece. The caldera of the ancient volcano stretches out welcoming the many cruise ships that come here. Tourism has ruined Fira. The islands population of 7,000 can swell to more than 80,000 as the largest cruise ships in the world, often two or three or more at a time, disgorge their thousands of passengers all at once to descend on the island.
Hordes of tourists descend on Santorini's main city of Fira and have all but ruined this ancient city. Nearby though, all is not lost. Further down the island the village of Oia perches on a spine of the island stretching toward its famous sunsets over the Aegean. Most of the village has been rebuilt after much of it was destroyed in a devastating 1956 earthquake.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682906-M.jpg
The Spine of Oia. Homes of traditional cubic architecture, many with rounded rooftops, straddle one end of the island of Thira in Santorini, Greece. Traditional cave houses descend down the cliffs giving stunning views of the caldera. Many can be rented for reasonable charges although there are very expensive resorts interspersed throughout.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683260-M.jpg
Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
Oia's white houses cling to the cliff face. We stayed in a wonderful traditional cave house at Delfini Studios (highly recommended).
The months of July and August are often the busiest and hottest. August winds can be strong. Many smart travelers come here in June or September, but the low humidity and patchy clouds at sunset make October the favorite month of photographers. While we spent five days in Santorini in early July, the crowds were minimal as the World Cup played out in living rooms throughout Europe. When we left Santorini for the island of Milos on a ferry, however, the world's two largest cruise ships sailed into the caldera and thousands of tourists rushed through the streets to take in as much as they could in the short time allotted.
That's the difference between a tourist and a traveler. The tourist grabs as many experiences as fast as they can, often taking pictures of people paparazzi style, and never really experiencing a place. Travelers, on the other hand, take their time, get to know people, talk to residents and ask to take their picture. Travelers gain a more rich experience through immersion. It can be difficult at times to be a traveler; to come out of your shell and cross barriers of culture, language and our own insecurities but the rewards are many as we realize we are all citizens of the world.
From my Amercian perspective, Greece is a wonderful place to start world travels. The people are very kind and open, although you must often make the first gesture to open communication. Crime is almost nonexistent and costs are reasonable if you stay a bit off the beaten path. Greece is an EU country so the exchange rate for U.S. dollars does put a dent in the wallet but this can be offset by staying in Class B or C properties.
Photography, for me, has also been a means to better experience a place. It helps me to "see" more and can be a bridge between cultures if approached well. I do, though, at times have to force myself to put down my camera.
That was especially true in Santorini. It is an incredibly magical and special place. I will do anything and everything to return to Greece as soon as I am able.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683233-M.jpg
Roundhouse Dawn. Traditional houses restored in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687560-M.jpg
Traditional house overloooking the caldera of Santorini in the Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685706-M.jpg
Travel thousands of miles, check your bags on the airplane, then have them carried through the village of Oia in Santorini, Greece, in the ancient way.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687141-M.jpg
Exploring the labyrinth of old donkey trails and paths leading through the village of Oia can yield discoveries of old cave houses not yet converted or restored for tourist lodging.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687291-M.jpg
A traditional cave house in the initial process of restoration in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682272-M.jpg
A good morning view from the balcony at our cave house in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Here is our perfect breakfast and perfect view of the caldera of Santorini. Greek coffee, orange juice, yogurt and honey, and a little pastry from the village bakery just down the street.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133681750-M.jpg
Early evening view from our traditional cave house in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133683125-M.jpg
The sun rises onto the village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133684989-M.jpg
Sunday morning on the narrow, marble "main street" in the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685544-M.jpg
Widows traditionally dress in black for seven years. Here, two yia yais (grandmothers) walk to Sunday morning services.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685972-M.jpg
Morning stroll in the village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686105-M.jpg
Morning on the narrow main street in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/135835973-M.jpg
Morning on the narrow main street in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686218-M.jpg
View of the caldera from the main street of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686742-M.jpg
Thousands upon thousands of stairs wind through a labyrinth of pathways in the village of Oia, Santorni, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682798-M.jpg
A young boy looks out a window in village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682746-M.jpgTraditional fishiing boats in the small village of Ammoudhi, Santorini, Greece. The fishing village with several wonderful seafood tavernas is located below Oia down a winding switchback trail of 200 steps or so.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133682656-M.jpg
These fisherman worked in their boat just 30 feet from where we ate lunch in the outdoor taverna. Village of Ammoudhi, Santorini, Greece
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687992-M.jpg
Boats in the other small fishing village of Armeni located at the base of the village of Oia. Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133685321-M.jpg
Blue and white, blue and white. The most predominant colors in the Greek Isles.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688800-M.jpg
Night descends on Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133686340-M.jpg
Most photographed. Sunset over the Aegean with the windmills of Santorini.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133684855-M.jpg
The Waiter's Closet. Village of Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687778-M.jpg
Sunset in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133687857-M.jpg
Night scene in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688353-M.jpg
Moonrise over the Caldera in Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688260-M.jpg
Dinner with a view. Oia, Santorini, Greece.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133681936-M.jpg
Night scene in Oia.
http://www.hydeimages.com/photos/133688747-M.jpg
The moon and the cat. Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Good night.