Nisyros is a unique island in the Aegean. It is almost perfectly round and is an active volcano. In fact, a majority of this small island is an immense caldera. We arrived after about 5 hours of sailing in the early evening. We had dinner on board and some tour members wandered into town to explore as well.
In the morning Imprint had organized a tour of the volcano. We boarded a bus and were driven up, up, up to the caldera rim and then down, down, down into the immense crater. Within the great bowl is smaller, still active volcanic crater. We snapped pictures from its rim and then followed the meandering path down into the cavity.
Its walls are streaked with yellow and brown, a sulfurous smell pervades the air, the crater floor feels a bit spongy to walk on, and steamy fumaroles emerge from one corner. For those who have never seen an active volcano it was pretty impressive. We continued our sightseeing back up, up, up to a scenic overlook which boasted an impossibly cute sugar cube and blue-domed chapel. We snapped photos, ogled the view, and oohed and awed.
We completed our island tour with a stop at yet another impossibly charming village, clinging to the lip of the caldera for more stunning views and picturesque streets, buildings, and locals. On a tip from one of those locals, we all tried the local drink specialty – Soumades. It reminded me of an Italian soda with almond syrup flavoring. A bit sweet for my taste, but still a worthy cultural connection experience. Back to the harbor for lunch and then sailing on to Astypalea.
