June 11, 2026
The next day we visited Santorini, perhaps the most beautiful of all islands we visited. Halfmoon-shaped, the island was shaped by the volcano nearby. As the guide told us, the island was a full circle in size, but the volcano eruption millennia ago changed its shape. The island is also beautiful from another point of view – I am talking about the rock structure. If one observes the mountains of the island, one could clearly see patterns in its structure, as if some architect built the mountain. I am no expert on mountains, but I can make a reasonable guess that the volcano played a role in the development of this mountain, and the rock formation itself is peculiar in the mountain, perhaps owing to its distinct geological development. I did not see this layered rock pattern in other islands, not sure if I missed it. But this island is certainly one of the most beautiful islands. The locals call it by a different name, Thira. The guide told us that the ancient name of the island was Atlantis, and the Greek philosopher Plato referred to it in his writings. I am not sure, but I think a search of Plato’s writings would prove it.
Santorini is also known for its churches. One of its first churches was built by Italians who came to the island many centuries ago and gave the island its current name. They also built a church on a mountain cliff, which is still there but in a very dilapidated condition, hence not open to the visitors. The island is known for round-dome church structures. The guide told us that there are about sixteen thousand people in total on the island. It is comparatively a small island, and there is no institute of higher education, for which the students after high school must go to another island. I walked on the narrow alley on the top of the mountain to have a view of the sea, and from there I could see the volcano. The volcano is not open to public view, and the guide told us that it is inactive, though sometimes one could see smoke. The volcano was close to the place where the ship was docked. Its color was dark and brown, and I could see a few boats at one side of the island; perhaps geologists were studying the volcano. The tour guide also showed a picture from her phone showing how orange dust blew over from Africa to this island and covered houses in dust. I should mention that the Aegean islands, particularly those in the south, are not far from Africa, and hence winds and dust from the continent affect these islands.
On the fifth day, we went to the island called Mykonos, also a small island. The island is known mainly for two things – its windmills and its houses built on the seacoast, thus giving it the name, Little Venice. As I walked around the island, I could see the mills from a distance. The windmills, as the tour guide informed us, were built sometime in the 16th century. They had a huge base and rising structure which one can compare with a lighthouse but of a smaller height, and on top of those structures there were huge wooden blades. These huge mills were used to grind grains and make flour. I could see six windmills close to each other, almost in a straight line, on the top of the mountain.
And from that top one could see the Little Venice of Mykonos. I have not been to Venice yet but have seen its pictures. There was one part of the island in which the houses were on the sea, and there were lots of restaurants to give tourists a feel of Venice while serving food and drinks. Naturally, that area was packed with tourists.
The next day we visited Milos Island. Also, a small island, Milos is more known for its beaches. I saw people on the beaches swimming, walking, playing in the water. There are also places on the island where people go kayaking and swimming. The watercolor was a little different here, perhaps a little turquoise. I also saw small fishes swimming in the water. I was thinking how could these small fishes survive in the saltwater.
Greek historian Thucydides talks about Milos – particularly in his book, the History of Peloponnesian War. The war continued for many years, ultimately leading to the defeat of Athens. In this book, Thucydides talks about the Melian dialogue between the leaders of Athens and Milos, after the Milos got a crushing defeat by Athens, and the Athenians demanded that the Milos must accept all conditions imposed on them. To quote the famous words of Thucydides, “…while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must”, thus providing a historical basis of the famous international relations theory, called Realism. This is a major theory in International Relations subject, and students taking this course must know this theory. As I teach this course in my college, a visit to Milos evoked in me the ancient dialogue and I was trying to feel the ancient air where the Athenians and Melians engaged in dialogue.
