I really had very mixed feelings in this wild and amazing place...the moment you arrive you are surrounded by cliffs of a caldera, the remnants of what was once the steep sides of a very big volcano...and you are looking up at them from what was once the heated insides...now of course filled in by the sea, after having blown up 40 kilometers into the sky and surrounding sea. This is the only caldera in the world where people actually choose to live on it's remnant cliffs...which in my mind I would choose to think must be some sort of impossibility that only the insane would attempt. But the unthinkable is accomplished here and with amazing grace and awesome beauty. Who knew?
Once you disembark the boat your feet are upon the small space of man made cement block that is the makeshift harbor amidst the steep rocky cliffs jetting into the deep blue, and upon looking up, you see the only way to get to go anywhere is by boat or via car or bus upward. The only road out leads up a steep cliff where you observe the zig zag outline of a road winding it's way up to the top...and that is when the awe and panic set in for me. I felt so confused!!! To enjoy this adventure, I would too have to take my turn and go up...Once you are upon the top, with the magnificent view, the fear conquered, and behind you,...you arrive at Thira, where you are let loose to go your own way on foot. To enjoy anything of substance, the multiple steps up again and again lead the way lined by shops and tavernas and hotels...each with enchanting views, and Greek ingenuity and charm, which is much different from Greek engineering...
