Wow. Let me say that again. Wow. As our boat pulls into the pier at Santorini, we crane our necks to see the top of the island. It looks like there is snow on the peaks, but this is an illusion created by the myriad of white buildings clustered at the top. The island makes a large "C" with two islands in the middle, and two more that used to form a circle around the two in the middle.
Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? They are standing on the edge of the active volcano's crater. This is the larger of the two middle islands. 
The island on which we stand is the newest island in the Mediterranean. It's top emerged from the sea only about 450 years ago. The newest eruption to increase the size of the island was 50 years ago. Santorini lies at the convergence of the African and European tectonic plates. As these move relative to each other, molten lava occasionally spews forth from any of a number of openings. This one is the most obvious one, but we are told a much larger volcano is lurking 7 kilometers off the cost, just under the water. There was a very sophisticated civilization living on Santorini ages ago in 1650 B.C. They had a city and hot and cold running water. A huge volcanic explosion covered the island in meters of lava and ash, causing a tsunami to form. Present day scientists believe this tsunami may have wiped out the cities on Crete, 75 miles away, in a half an hour. An earthquake devastated the island in 1956. We understand that earthquakes here are a way of life, but that doesn't make us feel any more comfortable when the ground shakes under us one evening during cocktails.
We were planning on spending 3 days on Santorini, but high winds prevented our ferry from
running. We spent an extra 2 days on this island, enjoying the waves the wind blew up. We had lunch at the place where I snapped this picture. We had to periodically lift our feet to prevent getting soaked by the waves.
running. We spent an extra 2 days on this island, enjoying the waves the wind blew up. We had lunch at the place where I snapped this picture. We had to periodically lift our feet to prevent getting soaked by the waves.We are staying in a villa, a cave actually, built into the side of the cliffs facing the caldera. Our view, from almost a thousand feet above the water, is breathtaking. The down 
side to having such an awesome view, is that the rest of the tourists come here to watch the sunrise, the sunset and crowds accumulate here at all hours. We've had to shoo people off our roof, and feel a bit like celebraties, with the papparrazzi surrounding us with large cameras pointed our way. If that is the price one must pay for paradise, it is worth it.
side to having such an awesome view, is that the rest of the tourists come here to watch the sunrise, the sunset and crowds accumulate here at all hours. We've had to shoo people off our roof, and feel a bit like celebraties, with the papparrazzi surrounding us with large cameras pointed our way. If that is the price one must pay for paradise, it is worth it.
This is taken on our terrace. Santorini might be the first real "buzz" place that has exceeded all expectations. It is more beautiful in person than in all of the pictures I have seen. The view from our villa adorns countless posters, postcards and travel brochures for Greece. And it does not disappoint.
Yamas!
The Beatties
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