I am a happy person. I like to laugh, eat good food with good people, read, and travel. But there have only been a handful of moments in my existence where I have felt truly full of life. June 13th, 2016 held one of those moments. Every passing day on this paradise, I learn or try something new, which is exciting in and of itself, but June 13th was different than the other days. That was the day that I decided geology and I would be together forever.
June 8th, 2016: Today, NAU in Greece visited the moon…in a Fiat van. With my head out the window and my hair not-so-elegantly-wind blown, we had arrived to Vlychada beach. Upon arrival, my ears were overwhelmed by the sound of the waves gently picking up stones and dropping them and my eyes didn’t know whether to take in the deep blue of the ocean, or the rigid outline of distant islands, or the massive moon-like rock wall to the left of me. All of this pleasant thinking was quickly interrupted by a hefty gust of wind that dusted my eyes with a uninvited layer of ash. At that moment, I directed my interest to the origin of my pain: the moonscape.
May 30th, 2016 15:00: A group consisting of 11 geology students, a T.A., and a professor, finally roll into the caldera of Santorini after an eight-hour ferry ride (let me mention, this ‘ferry’ was definitely the size of a small cruise ship). All passengers swarm to the left side of the ferry to get the best view of the place of their home, honeymoon, or in our case, our classroom. After it took me too long to find my glasses, I was immediately speechless by what I saw. Continue reading “Karavolades Stairs: A 600-Step Geologic Wonderland”
One Day and One Night of Misfortune: The Cataclysmic Eruption of Santorini Volcano 