Date: May 19, 2007
Partners for the day: Nick Ortiz (text), Kelsey Blodget (pictures)
Sites: Nea Kameni Volcano
Museums: Petros M. Nomikos Conference Center (optional)
Principle Buildings/Monuments:
Time Spent on Sites: c. 3 pm – 6 pm
Weather: Overcast, heavy wind, light rain in the morning; thunderstorm with powerful wind gusts in the afternoon.
Since the release of the first itinerary, many on the Classics FSP had circled “Santorini” and the subsequent Cyclades in anticipation that they would represent the highlight of the trip. And while the excitement of Santorini has probably met expectations for some, it has probably been in a much different context than originally envisioned. To be sure, however, our time here has been quite an experience; almost wholly unique from our stints in Crete, Samos, Turkey, or mainland Greece.
Immediately after stepping off of the plane yesterday, a chilling wind and a spray of rain whipped students in the face and put many in a state of discomfort that derived as much from the disorienting shock of even a light rain as from the physical unpleasantness of the rain and wind itself. Hitherto now, the FSP had been free of precipitation except for morning drizzles in Sparta and our first day in Athens. Yesterday and this morning, however, opaque clouds, brisk winds, and a light sprinkle slightly dampened spirits and our experience in Santorini. This morning’s visit to Ancient Thera and trip to the beach were all canceled because of the weather; an unprecedented occurrence on this FSP.
In lieu of seeing most of the original works of the famous frescoes of Ancient Thera, students went on their own to the Petros M. Nomikos Conference Center to see a collection of 1:1 scale reproductions of the paintings. The Theran frescoes are unique for their remarkable state of preservation and the styles of the compositions themselves. Paradoxically, their preservation – and also of the entire sites of Ancient Thera and Akrotiri for that matter – is vitally attributable to the colossal volcanic eruption that obliterated Santorini c. 1500, the ashes from which were said to have blanketed the sky as far as China “turning the days into night.” Women and active animals – including an abundance of sheep and goats, which Kristina Guild ‘07 can confirm are highly rare in the vast majority of ancient Greek art – play a prominent role in the majority of the frescoes; motifs that are not as prevalent in the later Archaic and Classical art that the students have most frequently encountered on the FSP. Also unlike the Archaic and Classical artwork, the styles of the paintings are highly varied and do not seem to conform to any distinct rules or canons as their successors of a millennium later did. Accordingly, the individuality of Theran art has made our visit to Santorini quite academically unique.
Students were free to explore Santorini the remainder of the morning and early afternoon, and many were most immediately struck by the island’s distinctive geography and architecture. An idyllic sea of white and blue edifices carpets the dark brown terrain of the island, which would perhaps not be nearly as spectacular were the earthen color not clearly a product of the ubiquitous volcanic rock. But it is, and, as such, there is an excitingly mysterious quality attached to a landscape that would otherwise be perhaps bland and depressing. It has also been exciting to finally see the abundance of white arches and blue-domed churches advertised as “Greece” by every travel agent and manufacturer of Greek postcards (They’re coming. Just be patient. The post office usually closes before we return home from class.) Although these postcards are sold everywhere in Greece, we have only actually encountered this architecture here in Santorini. The stone roads are also peculiar to Santorini. The wide spacing of the small, uneven paving stones renders small wheels, such as those on suitcases, frustratingly useless, as many of us discovered yesterday.
Other students perused Santorini’s shopping area, which, like the rest of Greece, features souvenir shops, gyro stands, internet cafés, and restaurants. The souvenir shops were not particularly abnormal for Greece. However, experiences elsewhere were unique for many on the trip. Most who had gyros for lunch reported back with high marks on their tastiness, portion size, and cost. It has been a while since many of us have found any gyros that differ in character other than in cost, so this was a welcome change for many. Others chose Mexican food for lunch – as for dinner last night. Prior to yesterday, we had not encountered a single Mexican restaurant in Greece. Three have already been spotted just during our limited travels around a small section of Santorini, which excited many on the program.
Deceived by the reasonable prices at the gyro stands (a rough estimate of the cost of consumer goods in a given area of Greece), several students tried their luck at the internet cafes. Today’s ‘blog author was blindsided with staggering fees of 2.00€ per 15 minutes for use of one cafe’s internet. Regrettably, a tolerable 15-minute need-purchase quickly became a 45-minute slap in the face. Santorini’s 8.00€-per-hour Lava Café wins the prize for most unreasonable internet prices encountered in Greece, and it is painfully far from the roughly 0.50€ per hour Turkish prices.
Copious tourists have been a staple of virtually every major site we have been to, particularly in recent weeks, but on Santorini, the tourist population seems to dwarf the entire citizen population. Presumably, our perception is skewed by our proximity to what seems to be the central, or at least a major, tourist area. However, the quantity here is staggering, and the concentration of affluent Americans seems to be considerably higher than elsewhere. Reports of American foolishness have inclined many on the trip to prefer to be seen as scholars of Greece rather than tourists of it, much more so than previously. At the Lava Café, today’s ‘blog author overheard one college-aged individual ask a friend how to spell “Greece”. There were similarly silly reports of other poor representations of America, but that one takes the cake.
After our long morning of relative freedom, we embarked on our afternoon’s adventure to the volcano on the neighboring island of Nea Kameni, and it would be difficult to convince today’s weblog author that the experience this afternoon was not the most memorable one of the entire FSP. On account of the conditions, Professor Rutter mandated that we put away our flip-flops this afternoon in favor of hiking boots, questionably alleging that our safety would be at risk walking around the slippery slopes of Nea Kameni with tractionless footwear. The mutiny that had been brewing among the discontented students was quelled, however, when students realized how much more preferable boots were to sandals during their descent to the harbor down nearly 900 wet steps lined with the dung of donkeys.
Perhaps the weather was a blessing in disguise during the early afternoon, as, in its dissuasion of other tourists from bearing the outdoors, it allowed us to be the sole visitors to the volcanic island. For the vast majority of students, the visit to Nea Kameni was their first experience with a live volcano. (Note: The parents reading today’s ‘blog can strike the image from their minds of students dangerously walking around the slippery rim of the volcano’s mouth and leaning over the volcano’s lip to get a better glimpse of its molten, reddish-orange interior. There was unfortunately no such open pit of lava on this volcano; rather, its surface was completely covered with cool, solid volcanic rock – and white, fluffy bunnies.) Even climbing Karphi could not come close to matching the exhilarating uniqueness of traversing the interior of a volcano whose résumé boasts one of the most devastating eruptions in human history.
After an hour of exploration and rock-throwing, we returned to the mainland of Santorini. The day’s adventures were seemingly over until we were inundated with a torrential rainstorm midway through our ferryboat ride. Despite the whipping rain, all of the students except for two chose to ride via donkey-back back up the steep hillside; Ben O’Donnell ‘08 and Peter Kitlas ‘09 chose to ride in the warm, dry luxury of the nearby cable cars. During our ride up the steep incline, the wind and rainfall intensified to the point that Brooks Smith ‘08 believed that it was hailing. A river of fecal matter punitively rushed over the ankles of the donkeys that had produced it in the first place. Kristina, Professor Rutter, Johann Maradey ‘08, Kyle Jazwa ‘08 – the least fortunate of the FSP’s donkey-riders – were forced to dismount their steeds and ascend the hillside trudging through the vile stream because their donkeys were too unstable to support them. Despite being certainly one of the most physically unpleasant experiences of the trip so far, the donkey ride became surprisingly enjoyable once students stopped fighting the rain and simply found humor in the absurdity of the situation. For most, it might very possibly be the experience of the FSP that we most vividly remember years from now.
Months ago, most of us probably could have guessed Santorini might be the most memorable site on the trip, and the peculiarity of the experiences on the island has made it a likely candidate for such an honor – albeit in a considerably different context than originally imagined. For all of its uniqueness, however, Santorini could not differentiate itself from the rest of the stops on this FSP by making any of the students any less homesick than we had been in Crete, Turkey, and mainland Greece. Not even a river of fecal matter or an expensive internet café could change how much we miss you, loyal reader.
Γειά σας!
Με αγάπι,
Νίκος
Apparently you cannot park your donkey outside of the Nomikos Conference Center. Kinsey is mindful of the warning, although no one in the group has yet seen a donkey. The sign proves to eerily foreshadow later events of the day.
The group was disappointed to miss the amazing frescoes from Akrotiri in the Heraklion museum, and was glad to get a look at the Nomikos museum’s incredible reproductions. Kyle, sporting a somewhat recently shaved faux hawk, looks at a fresco from the series depicting an initiation ritual involving shaving heads. It looks familiar to him. The naked boy in the fresco holds a bowl to catch the clippings, however—a step that members of the group forgot until the angry management at the Parnassos Hotel in Delphi reminded them.
The morning’s inclement weather meant the itinerary had to be slightly altered, and members of the group were free to visit the Nomikos museum at their leisure. Since no photography was allowed inside (with the exception of the illicitly taken picture above), Ray, Josh, Kyle, Kinsey and Liz decided to reenact them in the corridor leading to the museum for your viewing pleasure. On the left, Ray imitates a monkey, Josh and Kyle imitate the boxing boys, and Kinsey and Liz imitate the saffron pickers.
With free time to wander about town, Gahl pauses to kiss a blowfish.
Donkeys! While climbing hundreds of steps down a cliff to the Old Port to board The Princess ferry, Nick and Johan encounter a few furry brown friends.
At the port, Nick discovers he is famous, apparently for making Authentic Greek Jewelry. At least he’s not in Turkey making Genuine Fake Watches.
Just like The Titanic, The Princess has never before carried passengers. Gahl celebrates her maiden voyage by pretending to fly at its helm. “Do you trust me, Gahl?” Johan asks. “I trust you,” Gahl says, and Johan holds him steady.
An optimistic Nick brought only a knapsack full of his most treasured possessions for the voyage to a new land. The ominous clouds make one hope he remembered his umbrella.
Oh, no! Captain Hook has commandeered The Princess and captured Tinkerbell!
Phew. Gahl takes hold of the wheel and saves the day. But where will he steer the ferry?
Gahl lands at a small, seemingly uninhabited volcanic island. A terrifying creature—either a Martian or Mohawk-sporting veloci raptor—leaps from behind a rock and proves this is not the case.
The island’s veloci raptor population keeps the population of fast-breeding rabbits at bay.
Kristina breathes deep from the sulfuric gases of the Nea Kameni volcano in an effort to cure her pesky Bronchitis.
Not everyone found the gases quite so soothing. The strange fumes emerging from fissures in the earth made Liz Stamoulis start prophesizing again. Kyle, Johan, and Ray act as her tripod.
The gases certainly did seem to make people act strangely. Before long, members of the group turned against one another. Josh and Mike fight to destroy each other with volcanic rocks.
Is that Josh’s infamous orange hat on Brooks’ head? No, it’s fire! Brooks is on fire! The volcano is erupting!
Ray and Gahl pee onto the volcano, dousing the fire and saving everyone’s lives.
Once arriving back on Santorini the group decides to ride donkeys up the cliff in lieu of taking the cable car.
No one expected the downpour that ensued, and everyone arrived at the top of the cliff wet through. This photographer learns that it is surprisingly difficult to take pictures riding a donkey uphill in the rain. Most of those attempted did not come out well. Fortunately, the photographer’s fleece protected the camera and the rest of the day’s pictures.
Brooks and Liz say goodbye to their mules and head back to the hotel. The group will have to literally wade through the streets before finally reaching their hot showers and dry towels.
Final Comments: If I were a betting man, which I’m not, I might be inclined to guess that it was in fact the sorcery of Professor Rutter – not random chance – that caused today’s weather. You see, this past fall, I, the author of today’s ‘blog text, had proposed an Independent Study Project in which I would analyze the historical evidence supporting Santorini as the site of Plato’s Atlantis. Professor Rutter scoffed and disapproved of my fancy, and I graciously accepted his opinion. Today, however, on our one day to explore Santorini – my one day to uncover evidence for the lost city of Atlantis – the weather was curiously inclement after months of dry, pleasant conditions. Then, around 8 PM, precisely when most ferryboats begin shutting down operations, the weather even more curiously cleared. This seems to me to be clear evidence for Professor Rutter’s tampering with nature in order to save himself from me and what would have been ground-breaking discoveries. It is a sad day when anyone is willing to put protecting his own reputation over the advancement of the field to which his life has been dedicated. A sad, sad day, indeed.
