Santorini and Oia

We made it to Santorini a day late, but this island is so spectacular that almost any hardship would be worth enduring to get here. The town where we were staying is called Oia. Like a number of towns on Santorini, it is perched on a cliff's edge.

The view from Oia. Those white parts on the distant cliffs are other villages.

Santorini is a huge volcano that exploded around 1600 BC. Some people say it gave rise to the Atlantis legend. The explosion blew the center of the island away, leaving a partial ring. It was the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history. It caused tidal waves that slammed into Crete, perhaps part of the reason the Minoan civilization there collapsed.

Oia is simply picture-postcard beautiful. Day...

...and night.

This is the veranda of our villa in Oia. The apartment was built into a cave in the hillside. (A shout-out to Leo and Christina for turning us on to this place!)

Perhaps the best view from any kitchen window in the world. It certainly beats the oil change place behind our apartment in Queens.