Elisa and I went on a little charter boat today. It took us to two of the volcanic islets in the middle of Santorini’s caldera. At the bigger one the boat docked and we walked around. It had all been formed by volcanic activity during the past several centuries. (The guide made that sound so recent). We could see steam rising from some vents and we could smell the sulfur. There’s a law against taking any of the rocks off the island, so someone asked how all the shops sell jewelry made from volcanic stones. The guide said that he has a friend that sells jewelry like that, and he shouldn’t tell us this, but sometimes if you hold a match under the alleged volcanic stones, they will start to melt.
Then we went to the smaller islet, which is known for some volcanic hot springs. The volcano heats up all the water nearby to hot tub temperature. We were under the impression that we would dock and then walk to the hot springs. We were misinformed. We actually had to jump into the freezing ocean and then swim as fast as we could to an inlet where the hot springs were. Elisa and I jumped in the water and it was frigid. I actually was really bummed because I knew that after getting in the water I would never warm up again. So Chad went without me. I finally decided I could either be really upset that it was misrepresented and I couldn’t join the fun or I could jump in and be really cold the rest of our time. I don’t know which was the best decision. It was really super cold. We swam around and found the famous hot springs, but they only heated the water enough to be slightly less shocking. This is not the same activity in the off season as what the guide books all advertise! Our bodies were tingling all over and were close to going numb. That was refreshing and I would never do it again! 🙂 While we were out there I met some travelers from Brazil. I talked with them about our cruise ship, because they had been watching it from the cliffs above.
Elisa and I napped for a few hours in the afternoon. Tonight at 9 pm was the time of the Good Friday observances. We went to a church in Pirgos. We joined the procession and followed the decorated thing representing Jesus’ coffin. All the older ladies dressed in mourning and sung and loudly lamented Jesus’ death. All over the town fires were lit, on all the building tops and lots of the fences and sidewalks. That was a view that shouldn’t be missed. The first part of the procession was when people were the quietest, and it gave us time to reflect on the crucifixion. How would it have felt to have been part of the funeral procession on the first Good Friday? I don’t think I know the answer.