June 5, 2014
Santorini Day 2
Morning arrived after a very restful sleep. The first order of business was to open the door to my room and have a look outside. As far as I'm concerned, there aren't too many places in the world with a better "first thing in the morning" view than the view I had here in Oia.
After a quick breakfast, we had a short wait for our limo van to arrive. I spent the wait gazing at the spectacular views from the main walkway through the Villas.
The drive from Oia to Akrotiri is about 35 minutes. There were some wonderful views along the way.
Authentic, time tested Santorini method of travel. More on this later...
Our first destination of the day was a visit to the ancient ruins at Akrotiri. When we arrived, we saw a fruit and vegetable vendor across from where we parked. Located at the southern part of Santorini, the ancient ruins of Akrotiri are a site to behold. The earliest know inhabitants were during the late Neolithic period during 4th millennium BC. It grew to become one of the main urban centers and ports of the Aegean from the 20th to the 17th century B.C. A series of strong earthquakes are believed to be the reason most inhabitants left Akrotiri just before the cataclysmic volcanic eruption around 1627 B.C. The eruption completely destroyed the island and buried Akrotiri under tons of ash. The earliest excavations began in the middle of the 1800's, and the first extensive modern excavation began in 1967. Some of the world's first bed frames, plumbing, toilets, and three story buildings were unearthed at the site and can be seen during a visit to the site.
Here is a link to more information - odysseus.culture.gr
Darrell makes a comparison between the first Corti Brothers and the Akrotiri market.
Below left is what remains of a second story toilet.
An intact example of a sink
Some of the world's first known bed frames
Walking through the ancient ruins at Akrotiri gave a very surreal feeling. One that was very Pompeian in nature as their are many similarities between the volcanic explosion of Threa (Santorini) and Mount Vesuvius (Pompeii). Even thought the eruptions at Mount Vesuvius and the one at Krakatoa (Indonesia) are more well known, the eruption at Thera blew with the energy of several hundred atomic bombs in a fraction of a second, which places it well above Mount Vesuvius and Krakatoa in terms of sheer force. There are no written records of the eruption, but geologists think it could be the strongest explosion ever witnessed. Having walked through all the pathways inside the ruins, we headed outside and gathered in the very nicely landscaped entry area. Darrell took a moment to point out a connection between pine trees and Greek wine.
Within the landscaping and growing wild nearby, we saw Greek capers growing everywhere. The plants were filled with caper buds and many of the very exotic looking flowers.
...and figs everywhere!
Once aboard our limo van, it was about a 10 minute drive to our first tasting of the day.
We pulled into the Santo Wine property, which is a union of Santorini cooperatives. The property is located directly at the cliffs edge above the caldera, and very close to the switch back road leading down to the main harbor.
We were met by the Santo Wines Marketing Manager, Stela Kasiola, as soon as we approached the entry area. We had a few minutes to look around before being lead into a media room to watch a film. Being directly at the cliffs edge above the caldera, the views were spectacular in that "I'm the King of the World" kind of feeling.
While taking in the views, snapping off dozens of pictures, and some video I got a look at the same high speed ferry we rode in from Crete making one of its runs into Santorini.
Next on the agenda at Santo Wines was a wine tasting, which Stela had set up for us in their wine bar area. One unique feature of the room, beside the amazing views, was the Assyrtiko koulara vine baskets fashioned into the lighting fixtures.
The best views while wine tasting ever!
Consistent with all of the tastings we've had, the wines of Santo were all very good. Completely representative of varietal character, pleasing, highly drinkable, and very pair-able with food. After the tasting. I had the pleasure of interviewing Markos Kafouros, Chairman of the Board of Directors - Santo Wines Union of Santorini Cooperatives.
After the interview, a few of us took a look at the wine shop and market next to the tasting venue. The market was well stocked with the wines and food products of Santo, as well as products from Santorini and the Greek mainland. It has a very modern and clean look, which is very nice to browse in. I couldn't resist the temptation to shop and ended up grabbing a few things to take home as keepsakes.
I got a big smile on my face when I saw the display of Santo Fava of Santorini. Darrell found them about a year ago, brought them into stock at Corti Brothers, and offered them in the Corti Brothers Spring 2014 Newsletter, which he writes.
The experience at Santo was a fantastic one. They seem to have a wonderful balance in who they are, and a wide appeal to just about every possible visitor. Our growling stomachs now signaled lunch. Sofia had a very special place arranged. Selene Restaurant. Selene was founded by Yiorgos and Evelyn Hatziyannakis. Their aim is to promote local products and cuisine. Selene located in the center of the town of Pyrgos and is perched on one of the highest points on the island. Some of the island’s most famous vineyards and farmland can be seen from the dining room. Selene's locally inspired food is extraordinary. The menu includes offerings like sardines in bread tart, served with beet carpaccio, walnuts, and walnut oil; and rabbit marinated in red wine, served in herb-scented pastry with variations of onions. Since moving to Pyrgos, the restaurant has added a more informal tavern and a folklore museum featuring exhibits on traditional agricultural production. Visitors can indulge in a package that includes wine tasting, a museum tour, cooking class, and dinner. Here is a link to their website - www.selene.gr
The Daily Meal in New York listed Selene at #98 of the 101 Best restaurants in Europe - www.thedailymeal.com/101-best-restaurants-europe-2014
The Langoustines dish was beautifull plated with the very artful look of Santorini from above.
This has to be one of the very best lunches I've ever had, if not completely the very best. I told co-owner Evelyn Hatziyannakisexactly that, and that I was giving them a Michelin Star for the amazing lunch. She humbly laughed giving me occasion to tell her that I was dead serious! After lunch was finished, some sat and had coffee. I stepped outside to take a look at the restaurant's surroundings.
Chef Pano went into the Selene Cafe next door to the restaurant. I wasn't too far behind. Zachary also joined us. Pano wanted to take a look at a few quick dishes, so we sat down and had one of Yiannis's Yellow Donkey Hip-Hoppy Kick-ass Ales while waiting to be served. Pano ordered fresh calamari with fava of Santorini, some local fish sashimi, and dolmas. The food was exceptionally made and plated. We gave the cafe very high marks.
An antique table top still was on display on the counter, which Darrell took quite a liking to.
A few shots of the classically Greek looking scenes next to the restaurant.
We boarded the limo van and headed back to our hotel in Oia.
Once there, it was now about 3 hours of free time! Chef Pano and I decided to go explore Oia. The weather was absolutely perfect when we headed west into the town.
We stopped into some of the shops to browse the unique offerings, like the metal olive tree sculptures. I had my eye on the one with the ladder below, but there was no way to fit it into my suitcase. The $1500.00 price tag may have also had something to do with it. It was an excellent piece.
When we got to west side of Oia after negotiating numerous stone paths , we found ourselves at top of the 300 steps leading down to Amoudi Bay. The only question was "do we go down?" Then there was the question of "Will we make it back up in one piece?" After a pause and considering the options of climbing the stairs all the way back up, calling a cab down in Amoudi Bay, or hitching a ride from there we decide to go down the stairs.
Remember the authentic, time tested Santorini method of travel I mentioned earlier? Well they were all lined up at the bottom of the steps. Pano and I looked at the donkeys with hesitant curiosity. A 60-ish British couple were being helped onto a pair of donkeys by the tender. Pano asked the tender how much he charges to ride back up in Greek. The tender replied "five Euros" (about $7.00 US). We looked at each other with big smiles and said " Five Euros? That's a bargain... When in Oia!" We each mounted our own donkey guided by the tender and were off along with the British couple, who were in the lead. We felt just like Santorini cowboys as we made our way up the steps. It quickly became some what of a race as we laughingly jockeyed for the lead. All the while the tender keep say "No Mister" as he futilely tried to settle us down. The experience was well beyond fun, hilarious, and completely the best way to make it back up the steps. It was one of the very best rides I've ever made. Since we were a little rowdy on the ride, I did respect the tender's request not to shoot video during the ride.
Still laughing and in a state of complete bliss from the ride, we though that this experience now called for a beer, so we went on looking for a good spot to share a cold one. We found this great tiny little four table bar right on the main path. It had a small balcony facing the caldera. We grabbed a clod beer and toasted to the Donkeys. It will be one of the most remember beers I've ever had. Thank you Pano for sharing the ride and the beer! I had a moment of clarity while sipping the ice cold beer. I realized why Yiannis and his partners named the Santorini Brewery bottlings after the Donkeys. Absolutely brilliant!
We easily burned almost all of our free time. We had just enough time to shower and meet up with our limo van to make our next wine tasting at Boutari Santorini. It was about a 20 minute drive to the winery, which is located next to the traditional village of Megalochori not far from Santo Wines. Boutari Santorini was the first winery on the island to open its doors to the public in 1989. Boutari Santorini wines are focused on Santorini’s indigenous white grape varieties Assyrtiko, Aidani , Athiri and the red Aegean variety of Mandilaria. The Boutari family name and their wines are know around the world. The winery was the first to bring modern vinification methods such as stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses, oak barrels and temperature control vats to the island. We tasted a range of wines including local white, rose, red, and Vin Santo dessert wine.
Here is a link to the winery website - www.boutari-santorini.gr
Boutari Santorini was our last wine tasting of our truly amazing New Wines of Greece tour. Once the last wine was sipped, evaluated, and noted it was time for dinner. We headed for the western side of Santorini to the town of Kamari. The village of Kamari got its name from a small arch which rises at the south end of its beach. It is what remains from an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Poseidon. An archaic sanctuary dedicated to Achilles was discovered in Kamari in 2002. Kamari was once an agricultural and fishing village. Today it is a thriving tourist spot offering a wide choice of accommodations, restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs, plus several water sport activities. Nichteri is located on the main road next to Kamari Beach, which is the longest beach on Santorini. The streets were very lively as we walked from our drop off point to the restaurant. We all sat to the tables to enjoy this our final meal together on the tour.
The evening was filled with good food, wonderful wines, a special treat of 1972 Hine Grande Champagne Cognac bottled for Corti Brothers brought along by Darrell, and great conversation among a wonderful group of new friends. As the dinner came to a close, we walked to our limo van stopping to listen and watch the group at an open are night club with live band and many people dancing to the lively music. Once back to Nikos Villas, it was a long gaze out over the beautiful caldera by night before retiring for the night.