Lost Cities and No Hummus?

Today we explored the ruins of an ancient city, as well as towns that have been on Santorini for centuries.

The city of Akrotiri was buried in a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, and is currently being excavated. The volcanic ash has perfectly preserved the town, and despite structural damage, it looks similar to what it looked like thousands of years ago. Large pots, the structure of buildings, looms, paintings, and mosaics can be seen among the ruins, and it is often compared to Pompeii. However, no human remains have been found, and archeologists believe that the town was evacuated before the eruption. The civilization was very advanced for its time, as there was running water and plumbing. It was amazing to walk among the ruins, and to see how people lived thousands of years ago. It did feel very eerie, though, as it had been abandoned for a very long time.

We then went to the a traditional greek village on the water and explored a black sand beach. It was really cold, but we were able to collect shells and beautiful rocks on the shore.

For lunch, we went to a traditional greek village, and ate at a traditional taverna. Most people there were locals, which is one of the benefits of going to Santorini in the summer. We ate chicken and pork kababs, homemade taziki sauce, and tomato fritters. One thing I did not expect about Greece was the lack of hummus. While Greek restaurants in the US serve hummus, it’s more of a Turkish dish. Instead, greeks dip their pita in mashed fava beans with onions and olive oil on top.