Santorini:

Santorini Reflections, Then & Now

As we wait out the balance of the day sitting in front of our cave house, I couldn't help but reflect a little on the changes Santorini has experienced since our last visit here in 1975. The geology is little changed, still spectacular, but man's impact on the island has been significant. Gone are the little villages where we stayed, bathing from the ice cold well beside the small house we stayed in. It was so cold you'd almost pass out when a bucket of water was poured over you by a friend to wash the soap off you. The small old style pensions and guest houses have today been replaced by endless 'layers' of upscale boutique hotels often complete with pools to dip in. As we walked out early yesterday morning we could see the large numbers of workers cleaning the outside pool and sunning areas. In 1975, chances are all the labour in the small cafes and pensions came from the local population. Today because of the explosion of accommodations, eating establishments, ferry ports, tourist industry support services and a small airport there are workers here from all over Greece and beyond. The fellow who served us at the restaurant last night is from Albania, has lived in Thessaloniki in the NE for many years and will move to Hanover, Germany to work next year. He's likely a fair representation of much of the work force on the island. 

None of this is in any way wrong, just an indicator of the massive changes tourism has brought to Santorini. Much could be said of many other tourist havens on the planet. One would hardly recognize the Island of Capri in Italy...well it's shaped the same:)  We have no regrets about coming here again. The views of the caldera are spectacular and we've had some fun here. That said, we are a little tired of the crowds and the touristic pressure on this island. We three are more than ready to head for Crete....and we depart on the 5 pm ferry!

This is Kathy back in the day as we walked the crater trail in the opposite direction from what Annemarie and I walked yesterday. This exact location is home to about a dozen hotels stacked down the side of the caldera head wall. Note that there isn't any sign of cruise ships or the like behind Kathy. Ferries arrived only 2 or 3 times a week. Today with a modern port there are many ferry arrivals each day and on both nights we witnessed no fewer than 4 cruise ships at anchour.

This morning two new ships stopped in and were disgorging hundreds of clients with a small flotilla of tender boats plying the waters between shore and the ships. 

In 1975 we had access to the town of Thira from the small ferry landing only if we were prepared to climb the 588 stairs up the cliff face from the port. This is Kathy with an American Egyptologist student we travelled with for some time. Note his cool pith helmet! The stairs are numbered on the face of every fifth stair. The donkeys behind them were largely used to move heavy items up from the port...

Today they are used to move the cruise ship passengers up from the old dock. There are dozens of donkey carrying these folk up the hills. Guess the food is pretty good on board! A wealthy local family built the new gondola system with half the proceeds to go to the island trust, but the locals suspect that the money may not be getting there as the Greek government has been involved.'

Annemarie and Kathy at the top step. I remember counting 603 steps, but then I realized that I must have included the steps that go to the left of this photo and they aren't numbered. Good, I've not completely lost it yet!

The road system on the island and transport buses has grown exponentially. Kathy and I walked across the island one day passing donkey pulled carts piled high with straw, firewood, and other things. The picture below has us stopped in the shade for a refreshment break half way across the island to Black Beach.  I've always loved this shot. We walked because the rickety old buses on the island only ran occasionally and not every day. Imagine that world!! No cell phones and of course no internet. 

Having my hair rinsed from the well. Yes, I had hair in those days, actually quite a bit of it:) You might notice the simplicity of the island slopes behind me. Fmarmed and very few structures.

This from our walk yesterday. Clearly lots more development and it's heavier closer to where the early photo of me washing was taken.

These next two shots were taken late, late at night as we enjoyed the cheap local domestica wine and fed on red pistachios processed on the island our fingers and mouths were bright red the next morning as I recall? 

I thought you might like to see a portion of the famous Santorini sunsets. Last night was the best since Kathy's birthday celebration on Milos. The humidity has been very high, so a heavy haze has been evident the past week. It eased for the sunset.

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A long post today, but a special stop on this trip given our history with Santorini. You may recall we are staying in a cave house and we met and spoke with our host Elvira several times along the way. She showed us inside the one remaining cave still to be updated...

Annemarie had a good chat with her about the cave and it's recent family history, and she has written this up as follows;

Elvira's Story of the Cave House

She was diligently ironing our pillow cases and sheets while chatting with me, providing the history of the caves we are inhabiting for a couple of days. Elvira was born and lived the first six years of her life in New York with her father from Athens and her mother from Santorini, hence her excellent English. Her family returned to Athens and lived there for the next 20 years. Elvira's mother had bought her first cave house when she was 26 years old, and the neighbouring one 2 years later, and she always dreamt of living in them, but wasn't to make that a reality until much later in her life. In the intervening years, the caves were taken over by squatters. Elvira as an adult began a career in Athens in the advertising business, engaging in a fast paced and stressful life. When her father passed, she and her mother moved back to Santorini with Elvira working from home in her cave. After her mother passed, She began refurbishing the caves into three separate units, living in each of them for two years while undergoing this work and maintaining her home based advertising business. In 2008 a friend suggested she use the property as a vacation rental, and she started our as an air b&b. This is her first year of being a fully established operation, maintaining only one long term client from her advertising business. This winter she will restore the last of the caves, living here with her husband as she does so. We chatted about many other things...mostly the importance of reducing stress and strategies for doing so, her involvement with a committee hoping to establish a marine reserve, as well as her hopes for the future. She has created for us a lovely oasis in a place now overwhelmed by tourism.