Santorini

When it comes to pretty Greek Islands, Santorini has to be near the top of the list. It's a rocky outcrop in a blue, blue ocean. In 1600 BC (or there about) the outcrop (called Thera at the time) was a volcano that blew her top! The result was a huge caldera (now Santorini) and a 200 foot tsumani that wiped out the Minoan culture. In other words, it was one mighty explosion. It was so great that stuff from the blast has been found in Scandanavia!

Today the island is the remains of that event...a quiet caldera that is shaped like a crescent. Clinging atop that crescent are several villages with whitewashed houses, white and blue domed churches and spectacular views of the sea.

To get to the villages, you have to take a vehicle up the meandering road; ride of cable care, or walk up the wiggly donkey path. All 3 methods are fraught with problems. The road is just too wiggly for the faint of heart; the cable car is cursed with long lines; and the donkey path is filled with donkey poo. We have taken the road and the cable car, and I think the road is the least worst way to see the villages.

Over the millennia the island has been ravaged by earthquakes and tsunamis and it's easy to see the record of the past devastations that have happened to this place. As you look at the pictures, you can see its "rocky" history (please forgive my pun).

Given that, it's still a very pretty place. If you have a "bucket list" you might consider putting Santorini on it.