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A Visit to Thira

© Mary Ellen Bradshaw

Postcards from Santorini 4

We start the day with a delicious brunch at the Boathouse Hotel on the beach at Kamari. The friendly staff, the warm sun, the pool and the view of the ocean make this meal even more special. After breakfast we turn the bone-crusher jeep in for a minivan, then drive to Thira, the capital and commercial centre of the island.

Thira is perched on the top of high cliffs. Side by side, white-washed houses, bars, taverns, restaurants and churches cling to the sides of the mountain. In the distance they look like snow.

Thira overlooks the caldera and the islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni. They are the site of the *volcano that blew the island apart more than 3,000 years ago. Hot air and steam still escape from the depths. Sulphur hot springs in near by Palia Kameni turn the sea a turquoise blue. Tour boats make numerous trips from the Gulf of Thira to the volcano each day.

The view of the caldera is awesome and is another popular place to watch the colourful Santorini sunsets. Thira is also the subject of many travel posters and the destination of cruise ships. Passengers can climb up the approximately 800 hundred steps or take a ride on the overhead cable car. For the more adventurous, they may ride a donkey or mule to the top. The cable car or teleferique was a gift from a wealthy Santorini ship owner whose cruise ships are regular visitors to Santorini. A portion of the money earned by the cable car is shared among the donkey owners.

The narrow streets of the town are clogged with the masses of people during the summer months and even on this late fall day, are quite crowded. Many interesting shops line the quaint cobblestone streets and alleyways of Thira. There's an abundance of jewelry stores, where gold is the preferred item.

Gold is much cheaper here than in the U.S. and Canada and there are many unique pieces, including gold and silver religious icons. There are also many good restaurants, coffee houses and bars including our favourites the Tropical bar and Vanilia and Alexandria restaurants.

Among the many churches of Thira, there are two cathedrals, one Orthodox and one Catholic. There is also the monastery of the Dominican nuns and the Catholic monastery of Panayia of Rodari, near Skaros, where paintings, scripts, maps and other artifacts are on display. The archeological museum is also interesting. It has many finds from the Akrotiri excavations.