We also were in Santorini. Organization of the tour was lacking some important points but the general impression of the tour was great. Our Guide was nice, speaking 2 languages beside native Greek. Though our hotel was in Hersonissos, and the starting point for everyday tours to Santorini was from Crete, we really enjoyed every our “going out” and the transfer by the ferry and once by the boat.
What really entertained me was the fact that on the territory less than Moscow or London to compare with there are several towns, with one of them being the administrative centre as of right and plenty of small villages (the same situation in Crete).
The geological history of Santorini appearance is quite difficult and many-sided.
I only managed to remember from the words of the locals, that the last geological process – thanks to which the island exists at all – was the volcano eruption. The island is lacking the earth (what people are used to understand under “earth”). The soil is of volcanic origin and the hardened for ages lava-flows can be seen everywhere in the Island.
The island possesses numerous churches. For instance, we drove in one village, inhabited by 300 locals and found there 42 churches!! Can you imagine how many of them there are on the island in total?
We were told that this fact had explanation. Since ancient ages the island has been invaded from the sea. Men were leaving their houses to wage war and women were remaining in the settlements and prayed, prayed for their bread-winners to return home. If God returned the man back home, women as a token of gratitude constructed with their hands a church. This was the tradition.
The most part of the houses is of white and blue colors – the guide told us that when the Hitlerite
Troops conquered Greece and its Islands the inhabitants were prohibited to hang out state flags. As a token of protest the dwellers painted their houses in the colours of the Greek flag – white walls and blue windows and doors.
I can add that it is really nice there… Very peculiar architecture of the residential and administrative buildings as well of the churches. Everything is plain and stylish, tidy and with no luxury striking the eyes. Probably the ideology of the locals differs from other people’s one, they are not used to erect a huge house to demonstrate the level of their welfare. Simply white, pink or ochre walls, twined around with flowers, white or blue windows, lines are regular and elegant. Plenty of stone short flight of stairs. Very nice!
By the way the Island has no sweet water, only brine is given from the taps, while sweet water is brought by giant water carriers from the mainland. The locals also gather the sweet water during the monsoon season, which is believed to be the local winter and lasts about 5 months. To make water gathering easier the roofs of the buildings are round or with a slope.
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