Santorini’s Akrotiri: An Impressive Ancient City… but Is It Atlantis?

January 30, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 8 Comments

This piece of pottery is one of my favorites on display at the museum. I like to believe that the Minoans of Akrotiri had a sense of humor.

This piece of pottery is one of my favorites on display at the Museum of Historic Thira on Santorini. I like to believe that the Minoans of Akrotiri had a sense of humor. Note the red lips.

The small Museum of Historic Thira is definitely worth a visit if you are on the Greek island of Santorini. Located in the town of Fira, it’s mission is to trace the development of prehistoric Thira from 3000-1600 BC by displaying artifacts found in the ruins of ancient Akrotiri. Before Santorini blew its top in a massive volcanic explosion around 1600 BC and buried the city under a sea of volcanic ash, Akrotiri was a center of a Bronze Age Minoan Culture second only to Knossos on Crete.

Picture hot and cold water running water, indoor bathrooms, two and three-story buildings, beautiful frescos, intriguing pottery, weights and measures, and a fleet of ships that delivered cargo throughout the known world of the time. We are fortunate that many of these artifacts have been preserved under the volcanic ash, which makes Akrotiri similar to Pompeii. Unlike Pompeii, no bodies have been found in the ruins. Apparently the Minoans were given ample warning to escape.

This fresco is one of many that lined the walls of buildings in Akrotiri, Santorini is close to 4000 years old.

Excavations of the ruins, which are located on the southern part of Santorini, began in 1957 and continue today. Only a small portion of the city has been uncovered. Because of its level of civilization combined with the fact that it disappeared, there is speculation that Akrotiri may have served as the inspiration for the myth of Atlantis.

Plato mentioned the fabled city around 360 BC. He described it as an ancient civilization existing some 9000 years before his time that was buried under a flood of water. Modern archeologists suggest that the 9000 years may have been mistranslated from earlier Egyptian accounts and actually be 900 years, which would put the destruction of Atlantis right around the time Akrotiri met a similar fate. Substitute an ocean of ash for a sea of water and there is ample room for the speculation. Buried is buried. We will probably never know the truth.

The volcanic activity that brought Akrotiri to its spectacular end continues to be a fact of life on Santorini, however. “Santorini Bulges as Magma Balloons Underneath” a September 12, 2012 article in National Geographic news reported. Somewhere between 13-26 million cubic yards of molten rock were filling the magma chamber located directly under the sea where our cruise ship was anchored! The Crown Princess did not cover the bulge in its newsletter. Apparently, there is no imminent danger… at least to speak of.

Here’s another favorite Akrotiri artifact of mine. It’s called a nipple ewer (or pitcher) for obvious reasons. This one comes with tiny breasts, ear rings and a beak. Archeologists speculate that the ewers may have had religious significance. My wife Peggy, always practical, suggests that may have been used like baby bottles.

Another nipple ewer. This one featured a swallow. Both wild and domestic animals were featured prominently on Akrotiri artifacts. The yellow color, BTW, is because of the lights used by the museum to protect the ancient works of art.

I found this elongated double pitcher with its leaping dolphins to be quite graceful.

This reconstructed storage container features a bull that appears to be mooing quite loudly.

Much of the pottery found in Akrotiri also featured common crops grown by the Minoans. The grapes reflect the wine industry that has been in existence on Santorini for over 4000 years.

Much of the pottery found in Akrotiri also features common crops grown by the Minoans. The grapes on this jar reflect the wine industry that has been in existence on Santorini for over 4000 years.

The Museum of Historic Thira also displays a number of small figurines such as this bull.

For those who like to attribute alien influence to the development of Atlantis, I will end my photos from the museum with this piece, possibly as old as 2700 BC. (grin)

For those who like to attribute alien influence to the development of Atlantis, I will end my photos of artifacts from Akrotiri with this piece (grin), possibly as old as 2700 BC.

As we returned to our ship, which was anchored above the bulging lava chamber, we had a final look at the towering cliffs of Santorini and their beautiful white villages.

As we returned to our ship, which was anchored above the bulging lava chamber, we had a final look at the towering cliffs of Santorini with their beautiful white villages perched on top.

A beautiful sunset greeted our ship as we headed out to sea and our next adventure.

NEXT BLOG: I continue my travel blog on the Mediterranean with a visit to the second largest city in the Roman Empire, Ephesus, which is located on the Turkish mainland.

The Stairs, Doors and Gates of Santorini… Personality Plus!

January 28, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 16 Comments

Stairways of all shapes and sizes went snaking down off the cliff in Oia, Santorini. This one was rather grand.

When I was growing up in Diamond Springs, California, significant stairways were few and far between. Most of our homes were single floor western style ranch homes. Our climbing was more or less relegated to trees and lumber stacks, the latter much to the dismay of the grumpy watchman at Caldor Lumber Company who could never catch us. We learned a number of interesting words from him, however.

I’ve always been fascinated with stairs, particularly stairs that disappear around corners. They almost beg exploration, like a trail in the woods. Doors share a similar characteristic, especially interesting doors. I’m convinced that people who live behind interesting doors lead interesting lives. Unfortunately, doors tend to be very private affairs; they hide secrets.

Gates are different. They don’t say ‘stay out’ in the same way a door does… even when they sport a no-trespassing sign. Gates in Diamond Springs tended to be low on design and high on barbed wire. We climbed over with impunity except for being chased by dogs or yelled at. Old Tony Pavy was an exception; he had a shotgun that he was quick to pull when he caught kids gigging frogs in his pond or plunking squirrels out of his trees, especially the time I hit one of his pigs by mistake with a ricocheting bullet. The man had zero sense of humor. “Get my gun Mama!” he roared to his wife as we disappeared over the hill.

They have to have stairways in the town of Oia, Santorini. Houses are built right down the cliff and there are no elevators. People must be in great shape from all of the hiking. And here’s the fun part, all of the stairs are different and I think quite attractive. Peggy and I kept our digital cameras busy. We also found our share of interesting doors and two very attractive gates to photograph.

Another set of stairs with unique personality works its way down toward the Mediterranean in Oia, Santorini.

This set of stairs on Santorini added a touch of color.

Our traveling companions, the Dallens from Austin and Saages from San Francisco look down on several sets of stairs. It reminded me of an Echer painting.

Our traveling companions, the Dallens from Austin and Saages from San Francisco look down on several sets of stairs. It reminded me of an M.C. Escher painting.

Mules working down on the cliff used these stairs for carrying construction debris up to the top. These were definitely one-way stairs: the one-way being whichever way the mules were traveling.

The ultimate stairway on Santorini… the one that takes you from the old port up a thousand feet to the town of Fira.

Blue was about as close as it got to being a common door color on Santorini.

Blue seemed to be the most common door color on Santorini.

This halfway hidden door in Oia on Santorini caught my imagination. I wanted to go up and knock.

This halfway hidden door with its plant in Oia, Santorini caught my imagination. I wanted to go up and knock.

This house in Oia displayed an interesting choice of colors.

The most secretive of doors are old ones like this one in Oia.

The most secretive of doors are old like this one in Oia. It must have a thousand stories to tell.

This simple gate in Oia with its dramatic shadows was quite beautiful.

This simple gate in Oia with its dramatic shadows, white pillar and Mediterranean background was quite beautiful. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

The door/gate to nowhere: Peggy shot this photo in Fira, Santorini. There was nothing behind it except open space… and a set of stairs that went downward to a restaurant.

NEXT BLOG: We travel back in time 4000 years to Santorini’s ancient civilization of Thira. Could there be an Atlantis connection?

Let the Cruise Begin: Santorini… A Magical Greek Island

January 22, 2013January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 12 Comments

Buildings cascade down the cliffs on the Greek island of Santorini located in the Aegean Sea.

Churches, homes, shops and hotels cascade down the cliffs on the Greek island of Santorini located in the Aegean Sea.

I am normally not the cruising type; it’s too social, crowded and regimented for the part of me that demands solitude, wide-open spaces, and independence. Still, when my brother-in-law, John Dallen, sent my wife Peggy and me an itinerary of a 32-day repositioning cruise he was planning to take with his wife Francis, I was intrigued.

The cruise included visits to a number of Mediterranean ports I had always wanted to see and a voyage across the Atlantic I had never made. It sounded like an adventure. It also took place during our Twentieth Anniversary and Peggy, unlike me, loves to cruise. It seemed like a great way to celebrate. We signed on the dotted line and sent off our deposit.

Our ship, the Crown Princess, anchored in the caldera located off Santorini.

Our ship, the Crown Princess, anchored off Santorini. The island behind it is a small volcanic island.

Over the next couple of months I will blog about the journey we just completed. Join us as we visit the Greek islands of Santorini, Mykonos and Corfu, stop off at the historic sites of Pompeii and Ephesus, scale the walls of Dubrovnik, and explore the cities of Athens, Venice, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Cannes and Lisbon. I’ll conclude with our brief stopover on the Azores Islands and trip across the Atlantic.

I will also describe shipboard life where food was served 24/7, our bed was always made, and entertainment was just a few floors away. Be warned, though, the trip wasn’t all four-course meals plus dessert; there was also the Noro-Virus that reached red alert status and forced employees to wear rubber gloves, rolling seas that threatened to dump us out of our bed, the guy who dropped dead in our dining room, and the daring Coast Guard rescue off of Louisiana.

Cruise ships sell luxury and visits to exotic locations. This is an inside view of the Crown Princess.

I am going to start this series with the Greek island of Santorini rather than Rome where we began our cruise. Santorini is more personal, easier to comprehend, has an intriguing history, and is exactly what I imagined a Greek island to be. In 2011 Travel and Leisure magazine declared it the World’s Best Island. Rick Steves, the renowned travel expert on Europe, said, “If you can’t snap a post-card quality photo here, it is time to retire your camera.”

A post card type photo of a church in the town of Oia on Santorini

A post card type photo of the Church of St. George in the town of Oia on Santorini

Santorini is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea southeast of Athens. Once upon a time it was a huge volcano, now the island is part of a large caldera. When Santorini blew its top somewhere around 1600 BC, it was one of the largest volcanic explosions in the last 5000 years. Effects were felt as far away as China where crops withered. The resulting tsunami destroyed much of the Mediterranean’s Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Legend is that this destruction included Atlantis. In fact, the ruins of Akrotiri on Santorini are considered a prime candidate for being the Lost City.

Excavated ruins of the ancient city of Akrotiri on Santorini are a candidate for the lost city of Atlantis. If so, this mural taken from the ruins may show a resident of the Lost City.

Arrival in Santorini by ship quickly reinforced that we had sailed into a caldera. Everything was up. Fira, the islands administrative center, was perched above us on top of daunting cliffs a thousand feet high. Getting to the top involved hiking, riding a donkey or taking a tram. Riding the donkeys sounded romantic except we would end up smelling like donkeys and not able to sit down for a day. Walking had more appeal but then we would be dodging Donkey poop. We opted for the tram. Once on top, we were prepared to explore.