Santorini... I do what I want

We arrived in Santorini after a really long, hot ferry ride. Strangely, it didn't feel as long as the canal tour of Amsterdam that I took when I was still travelling with Tanya and Devinn. That trip was only an hour, but it seemed to take days. This one, while hot, smoky, and long, was at least pretty fun. We played Asshole, Rummy, Would You Rather, and of course, Marry/Boff/Kill (my favourite). It helped the time pass, especially for me, because all I had to read was Kafke, and when you are hot and tired Kafke is not what the doctor ordered. Looking back, this ferry trip went the smoothest in terms of getting to and from the ferry with relative ease (even if we did get off the subway thinking we were going in the wrong direction when we were in fact heading in the right direction. Note to self: always listen to Erin). When we got off the ferry, we arrived at the port which was packed with cars, buses, and people as far as the eye could see! This was a bit overwhelming for Erin and Jo, who have been travelling in the off season everywhere else they have gone. We found the man holding the sign for our hotel and he led us to the van. I have to interject here that we stayed at a place called Antonia’s in Fira and it was the best place I have stayed on this trip. The location was great, the room was fantastic, there was a pool, the a/c was free, and the owners of the hostel went out of their way to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. They even let us use a shower and towels hours after we had checked out. If you are heading to Santorini, do yourself a service and stay at Antonia’s. I know Jo and Erin agree with me on this (Jo even made me wait for her so we could write the hostel review together).

Anyway, we were all pretty hot and sweaty when we arrived, and there wasn’t really time to head to a beach so we were relieved to find that there was a pool literally at our doorstep. We all changed into our swimsuits and cooled off in the pool. Then I went in to shave my legs. It had been a while, and I was glad I did because we went out for dinner that night and the girls actually wore nice clothes, which is not something I have been accustomed to as of late. I could understand where they were coming from, so I sulked a bit, but then I attempted to look less like a ragamuffin than I normally find strictly necessary. They put on make-up, which they had newly purchased at Mac in preparation for the European leg of their trip. I may have stooped to put on mascara, which I had been carrying around since June, and I can count on one hand the number of times I‘ve used it.


So we were all fancy (well, I was only wearing Ole Yeller, but they looked fancy) so we decided to make our meal suit our outfits and go out someplace nice. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant we ate at (probably because it was Greek), but we went all out. We were true to the “I do what I want philosophy”. I remember the meal being delicious, but the only specific things I remember consuming were the fava bean dip (which I loved) and the local wine, which we splurged on, but which was really good as well. I’m getting a bit ahead of myself I’m afraid. Before we ate we took multiple pictures of the sunset, which was beautiful. The word on the street in Santorini is that Oia has the most beautiful sunsets, but I must say that Fira did not disappoint. Anyway, we paid for our dinner (and it was the most I have paid for a meal on this trip, but I felt like it was totally worth it… anyway, I do what I want) and then we, somewhat drunkenly, tried to navigate our way back to the hotel, while also resisting buying out all the souvenir shops along the way. We all fell into our respective beds, and in typical fashion Jo and Erin were out like lights, and I pushed through my exhaustedness and read for a bit (we found an English bookstore in Fira, so I put Kafke away for another day, in a less sunny place than Greece. Who reads Kafke at the beach… unless you’re reading Kafke on the Shore at the beach, but then that’s Murakami, so it’s a whole different thing. But I digress).

Faking it like we like eachother while the sun sets in Fira. Note the new shades on Erin and me.

The next day we all slept in (well, Jo slept in the least, in typical Jo fashion, but she still did pretty well). Jo had wanted to do a walk to Oia along the cliff, but because of our late start we didn’t have time to go to the beach and then be back in time to do the walk as well. I think she was a bit disappointed, but in the end I think it was for the best, because the bus we took to Oia kept stopping to pick up would-be walkers along the way, and that cliff-side walk is actually along a fairly treacherous road. Anyway, in the early afternoon we went to Perissa beach, which is a black sand beach. It was the first ocean beach that I had been on during this trip, so I was pretty impressed. I think Jo and Erin liked it as well, but they have seen many beautiful beaches on their journeys, and most of them have been much less crowded than this one was. Just the same we had a nice time, except when Jo decided to ask me if I was disappointed to be missing Shark Week while we were swimming in the ocean. Thanks again for that Jo! I impressed the girls with the knowledge that this was only my second time being fully immersed in the ocean ever! My first time was in PEI with Jess, and I always made sure she was between me and the open sea just in case of sharks. Sorry about that Jess. I don’t know what I would have done if there had actually been a shark and you had been attacked. At least I would have been vindicated. Anyway, we swam and lounged for a tick and then we had a nice lunch at a little restaurant along the shore (actually right beside the chairs we rented) and we decided that our waiter looked like he could have been a movie star. He just had that sort of quality about him. When we tired of our lounging, we caught the bus back to Fira, took showers to de-salt, and got all dolled up again to go to Oia and watch the sunset.

Oia is also very beautiful, but it was shocking how crowded it was! Obviously its reputation proceeded it, because it was quite the hunt to find a good place without an obstructed view to stand and watch the sun go down. It was also the first time in my life that I saw people applaud a sunset (first clocks, now the sun. What next?). It was actually pretty funny. The sunset was beautiful, but it would have been more enjoyable without the hordes of people. Anyway, after the sun went down we wandered a bit around Oia and then headed back to Fira, where we visited an internet café, and then Jo and I searched for an open grocery store to buy something light for supper. We ended up getting crackers, turkey, and cheese, with chocolate milk, ice tea for Erin, chips and nutella dip things. It was a pretty good meal, I have to say, but then I might have just been really hungry.

A view of Oia at dusk.

The next morning we packed up our stuff, put it in storage, and said goodbye to our little room. We then took the most treacherous trek of our entire Greece trip down to the port to catch a boat to the volcano at Nea Kameni. It was treacherous because there were, what seemed like, hundreds of donkeys everywhere we went! And they seemed especially interested in Erin. It’s true what Johanna says: animals flock to Erin, and these donkeys were no exception. I swear at one point we walked by and a group of them all turned their heads and stared at Erin. She was, quite understandably, terrified. We ultimately made it down alive (it was a long walk, made twice as long with threat of donkey trampling) with plenty of time to catch our boat, so we stopped and had a drink.

Our trip out to the volcano was okay, but it was hot, and I was dehydrated so I started to feel the stirrings of a migraine. It was worth it, though. It’s not the easiest walk in the world, because you are walking on volcanic ash, and it’s not a flat surface. I think we all slipped at least once. But during our walk we met some other Canadians, who were also from Ottawa, so that was pretty cool. The walk also took a bit longer than expected, so we made it back to our boat in just the nick of time. Next we were off to the hot springs at Palia Kameni. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed the hot springs. First of all, Greece is hot, so I’d prefer my swimming to be refreshing. Secondly, there was weird stuff floating around the surface, and I couldn’t shake the idea that lots of people were peeing in there.

A view from atop Nea Kameni

Erin and me on the boat on our way to the volcano. This one is going up in hopes that if Erin is in the picture, it might make it onto Mil's fridge.

After the hot spring, our boat trip was over so we went back to our hotel, showered, and then did some souvenir shopping. I thought I would like to buy a dress, but none of them looked good on me. They did, however, look nice on Erin, so Jo and I convinced her to buy it. It’s a really pretty white dress, that looks like something a Greek goddess would where. I told Erin she could wear it as a wedding dress to the joint beach wedding Jo is planning for the two of them and their respective beaus. Erin was not impressed with me for encouraging this line of discussion, but I think it’s pretty funny. Anyway, we all know Jo has to get married in Timmins, if only so all of her UNB friends can get the opportunity to visit the Shania Twain centre (she mentions this almost every time she mentions her wedding). We finished up with our last minute shopping, and we were soon on our way to the ferry (we got another ride from our awesome hotel owners) and we all reluctantly said goodbye to Santorini. Next time: Crete.

Jo readies herself for a night on the town in her purple dress and the head lamp that I now covet, because you never know when a night out will end in a spelunking expedition.

Jo and Erin in front of somebody's pretty house in Oia. Look how nice they look!