It sank, right before our eyes just off the sun baked cliffs of the caldera. It seemed inconceivable, even impossible, but it happened on April 5, 2007 and we were there.
But I guess I’ve jumped ahead of myself. Since I last wrote, we’ve been to Venice, Cortina and Athens. We took the train from Florence to Venice where we stayed a week in a spacious apartment near the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, near the end of the Grand Canal. The weather was chilly but we had some clear, sunny days and Venice was as enchanting as ever. We avoided most of the tourist attractions but did tour St. Marks Basilica and took a day trip to Murano, an island filled with glass blowing factories and showrooms. Midweek, Jacob and I took a road trip to Cortina for a day of skiing in the Dolomites. They had gotten a couple of feet of snow in the previous week and conditions were reportedly the best of the season. The mountains are steep but generally groomed and very dramatic. In spite of the great conditions, very few people were there and we found untracked powder and corduroy for much of the day.
From Venice, we took the train back to Milan and then flew to Athens where we spent 4 nights before heading to Santorini. Athens was much cleaner and cosmopolitan than I remember it 25 years ago. We stayed in a rooftop apartment about 6 blocks from the sea and 25 minutes by trolley from downtown. We hit all the obligatory sights in the City and gave ourselves a heavy dose of Greek history and mythology. Then we set out for Santorini to meet up with some Canadian friends that we had met in Vietnam.
Ron and Grace Sarosiak lived in Toronto before they packed up their two girls Savannah (11) and Zoe (6) and headed off to tour the world for 12 months. Ron is an Actor and set decorator and Grace is a school teacher. They started their voyage in Fiji and moved west and we happened to connect on our first day in Vietnam and for several days after that, we seemed to be on exactly the same schedule. We kept in touch by email afterwards and managed to coordinate schedules again in Santorini and Crete. It’s been wonderful to spend time with them. Their stories are funny and familiar and we’ve bonded through our children and a common commitment to this extended travel experience.
We got a cave house a couple minutes aways from theirs in Oia, perched right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the caldera. It took a full day of searching before we settled on the Strogili Villas. Ronn had negotiated an incredible deal for a one bedroom place and I felt certain that if I could get to Santorini, we would find something comparable. Unfortunatlly, is was not to be. We arrived during Easter week and no one was in the mood to negotiate. So began an expensive and sometimes frustrating week in which we were unexpectedly shuffled to another property andt then missed our ferry to Crete, thanks to our shuttle bus. We had to book into a budget hotel on the outskirts of Fira for the night and wait until 5:45 the next day to catch another ferry. But I digress. Let me get back to the story you’re still waiting to hear about the spectacle in Santorini.
It was about 4pm on Thursday when we first noticed the enormous cruise ship listing to one side as it appeared to be heading away from the port in Santorini. We thought it was an optical illusion at first, a distortion of perspective perhaps created by the angle and distance. But binoculars reinforced what the naked eye could recognize, the cruise ship was riding dangerously low in the water and leaning precariously, as if it could capsize at any moment. The drama continued to unfold over the next 12 hours as they rescued almost 1200 passengers and crew before the boat disappeared into the cobalt blue depths of the Aegean Sea. Rescue boats and a variety of aircraft circled the site for many hours and news reports began hitting the airwaves late that night. Reportedly, the Captain hit a reef near the coasline and then proceeded to cut 25 meter gash in the side of the hull. He hand the crew now face possible criminal charges for, among other things, environmental damage caused by leaking fuel and oil that was contained but plainly visible. It was a grand if improbable spectacle, one I hope I only see once in a lifetime.
4 comments:
What that ride Frank so much history, so much to do and so little time I taly defently looks amazing I love the little streets and the city on the montains on front of the ocean men it look so cool and beautiful and i love the Gelatto picture yuummmmmmy and The ship was sinking that is scary and terrible here at Pen Park just a blok where we live 3 houses got on fire it was bad too ok Guys you all enjoy the rest of the vacations love you and see you shortly
Maria
I like what you wrote in your previous entry re the fact that life will never be the same for your family and that the trip has really opened up your eyes...it sounds like this truly has been a once in a lifetime experience. I hope that you enjoy the remainder of the journey.
Safe travels and we look forward to seeing you when you return.
John
Hi everyone! I lost my username and password but I'm going to try to remember them. I hope this message goes thru. More to come if I'm successful.
Hey, I'm back in the communication loop. The last email I sent Liz was Easter and it returned to me as undeliverable. The sinking of the Santorini was a big news item here. I think there was a group of NC students on board. I'm sure it must have been alittle surreal to watch something like that occur. I think I would have liked the trip to Murano. I see that name on some items when I'm shopping. It is amazing what can be done with hot glass. I went to an exhibit of glass artwork by Chilhully several years ago. It really left an impression on me: the shapes, colors, and the size of some of the pieces. My lunch break is up. It is nice to be back in touch. Must go for now. Love to you all.
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