Journal - Day 18

Day 18 - Akrotiri/Kamares, Santorini

Friday, May 30, 1997

Up early, actually didn't sleep too well. The wind came up and was banging a shutter somewhere. Anyway, down to the excavation at Akrotiri first thing before the tour bus stampede. The excavation began in 1967 and is still very much a work in progress pottery

Apparently an archeologist studying the Minoans in Crete thought that perhaps their civilization was destroyed as the result of a tidal wave following the volcanic eruption in Santorini in 1520 BC. He speculated that if he began a dig near Akrotirii, he might find evidence of a civilization on Santorini as well. No skeletons were found, so they assume there were warnings and people evacuated. But they found a whole city, very much intact, complete with mosaics on the walls, pottery, and buildings up to three storeys tall. Karlos' daughter, Maria, intends to study archaeology in Athens, and then work at the excavation.

Oia From there it was on to Kamari. We e-mailed home, and then went for breakfast on the beach. I shopped a little (seashells and seahorses for the kids) while Dad explored.

After supper at 9:00 PM Dad evened up with Eva. They charged us 6,500 dr/night ($32) for the room. Karlos had our tickets and will drive us to the ferry at 2:00 AM. That's when it's supposed to Leave! Karlos says "No problem? That boat, she is always late, maybe 3 o'clock, maybe 3:30, not 2 o'clock." Well, as it turned out, we got there at 2:15 (of course, Dad and I were frantic when we got to the port and no boat - we were sure we had missed it). The boat arrived at 4:30 AM!! The night boat to Crete! We met some people from Calgary (Andrea & Keith) who were headed for a weeks time-share at Agio Nicolas! Small world.

sailboat on blue water When we got on the ferry, the crew was directing everybody to the upper decks. I don't know whether Dad didn't see him, or just ignored him, but he headed directly for the main floor lounge area. I just followed Dad, never looking at any crew members. I was pretty sure they'd kick us out. So when we got there it was just us and a lady with a broken leg. We found a nice comfy sofa to lay on, and got settled. About 5 minutes later the rest of the people started to find this room too. But we definitely had the best seat in the house. People spread out all over - on the chairs, on the floors, on two chairs pushed together, wherever they could fit. Andrea & Keith slept in the video arcade. The night boat to Crete. Another cool experience. We arrived in Crete about 8:30 AM.

Day 19 - Heraklion/ Analipsi, Crete

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