Mip and Bip's Grand Adventures! Part 1: Islands...

Break was oh so lovely and interesting for sure!!! It was so long, and so short. On Sunday morning, soon after our return from the Peloponnese, Mom arrived! At 8 in the morning! We hopped on a bus to head from the airport to Syntagma, and then were going to walk the way to my apartment... a lovely plan until it started raining! We ended up hailing a taxi to get us the rest of the way to my apartment, which was nice, and a really sweet taxi driver gave us a great price. I guess we’re cute! Anyway, after being tired from a week on the go for me and a 10 hour flight for Mom, we were exhausted and took naps before going out to brunch at a neighborhood taverna that I like. We had fun people-watching and enjoying a yummy meal! We took it easy most of the day and visited my academic center and such. It was nice to catch up with Mom and relax before our island adventures!!!

So we got to Pireaus and found our ferry. We found where we needed to go to find our ferry with no big problems, except Jess, a friend who was coming with Mom and me to the islands, had forgotten her suitcase in the fast food place we went to. Throwing her purse and computer onto Mom and me, she started running back to the place to grab her bag! Thankfully a worker had pulled it behind the counter for her! So she met us back again and we went onto our ferry without a hitch. We got nice little seats in the front of our section in the corner. It looked like airplane seats, but with more room. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing on earth, but at least we had seats and such! After a night of pretty bad sleep and a sore neck, we arrived at Santorini at 6 am. The excitement was flowing until on our bus taking us from the port to our hotel Jess realized her wallet was gone… Our lovely island getaway was quickly becoming a stressful experience. Did I mention that it was raining too?! So Jess was very upset, understandably, unsure whether or not it was stolen on the ferry while she slept or if she had misplaced it. She called her mother and we decided to call the ferry and the food place when we got to the internet and could look up numbers. So tension was high after an evening of poor sleep, gross weather, and a missing wallet.

We get to our hotel and the guy tells us that we’ve got to get back on the bus because they don’t have room for us! He took us to another one of the hotels that the same family owns, which was actually more expensive but we didn’t have to pay more (since they messed it up). So it was kind of cool that we got to go to another hotel since it was nicer, but it was a little stressful considering the circumstances, and considering the woman at reception was mad about being woken up so early. We got out of the bus and this crazy precious little jumpy dog was crazily hopping all over me and nibbling my arm and going nuts! He was so excited and was getting his lil teeth caught on my sweater and everything! Not quite what I wanted at the moment, but he was cute! So, we get into a room and it is on the ground floor with absolutely no view! I was told we would have a view! So just as we were about to go ask her for a different room (we’re in Santorini on the edge of the cliff!! We had to have a view!) she walks in and tells us to get out and that she is moving us! We were a bit confused but happy, and we ended up in a nice little room with a good view of the caldera! We had the internet, and it was CRAZY early in the morning, so we started looking up information for Jess to get her wallet back and such. To no avail and many useless phone calls later, the situation did not get better (it never ended up found) and I was getting a bit nervous on how good this trip was going to turn out. I went to talk to our hotel manager to make sure our reservation was set for two evenings (she was confused) and ended up talking to a British woman about the weather and the island. She was intense and very adamant that we were going to have a bad time and that the weather would only get worse and worse. She was going to take the next ferry from the island to another ‘better’ island. It was intense. I was legit praying for the weather to get better for this trip but it was not looking very hopeful…

We relaxed a bit, took little naps, and got ourselves ready for the exploring of the island! We decided to just go out and check our area out instead of waiting for the weather to improve! We ran into a fun shop to get out of the rain and because it looked cute and we loved it. The guy was so sweet and had a PRECIOUS dog!!! I miss Cleo, my pup! But yeah, he was so very nice and had cute stuff in his shop. After getting the courage to venture in the rain again, we walked to the main town, Fira (we were staying right outside of town in Firostefani). We pretty much just wanted food. We ate at the first place we found! It was a gyro place with inside seating and coffees. That gyro was incredible! We ended up relaxing there a while and watching Michael Jackson videos on TV. The guy was nice that ran the restaurant and we chatted with him a while again. I ended up wandering back up the path we had just come down to find a travel agency we had passed to get some more information on what was even open or available to do on the island. I ended up getting a sweet little book and map about the island. Score! After walking back in a little less rain, I met up with Mom and Jess and watched a couple of Michael Jackson videos before we all headed back out into the elements!

By the time we were walking and out again, the weather had cleared up some and it was not raining anymore! It was incredible! We decided to walk down the steps/path to the Old Port and then ride the donkeys back up the path. Good plan, eh? NOPE! We didn’t get to ride any donkeys. Although there was fresh poop everywhere, the people we talked to said that there were no donkeys and we could not ride. It was the saddest moment. The path was beautiful and the views were spectacular, but I did not get to ride a donkey in Santorini. So we took the funicular back up to the town, which was cool, but quick! It took forever to get down those stairs and like a minute to fly up it! We then wandered the town and enjoyed the afternoon. I saw and was intrigued by this place I kept seeing signs for, the Nomikos Center which held reproductions of almost all of the Thera frescoes. We ended up wandering the town a bit more and passing a beautiful Catholic Church of John and a nunnery. We visited many charming little stores. And I found the Nomikos Center! I was so determined! I love the frescoes from Santorini and wanted to be able to see them, even though these were all fake! So I kept trudging up the hill to get to this place and it almost felt like a wild goose chase until we got there! I was the only one to go in because it cost money and Mom and Jess weren’t too into it. I wandered it for about 15 or 20 minutes and took tons of photos. It was cool because all of the frescoes found are not on display, so it was cool to see all of them as reproductions at least. My absolute favorite was there, the Spring Fresco. I took tons of photos and enjoyed that little center and then met back up with Jess. After searching a moment for Mom, who had wandered off to take more photos, we headed to the bus to head to Oia for sunset. The view from the Nomikos Center of Fira and the cliff area was incredible though!

We got on the bus at 5:20 and to our dismay, sunset was at like 5:30! So we missed the beginning of sunset but we caught quite a beautiful section of it! It is incredible how such a horrible day turned so beautiful! We checked out the sweet area and asked a shop owner for a good restaurant that was less touristy and cheaper! He sent us off into random alleyways and we ended up finding this cute little place! We ended up eating lots, drinking wine, and having a lovely time. It was great to just relax and be away from people and just enjoy a meal. We wandered back to our bus and went back to our town. Everything was good until we realized we were lost. We could not really find our hotel in the nighttime, especially after arriving in the early, early morning! We asked a few people (I had an entire conversation in Greek!!!) and ended up finding it after an hour, only to realize that we were originally only 5 minutes from our hotel when we got off the bus! All part of the experience I guess!

We woke up and I, after journaling, went downstairs with Mom to get coffee. We got ourselves together and had breakfast at our hotel, yummy, and started making a game plan for the day. The weather was gorgeous! How incredible!!! Everyone was so negative! We went to the bus station in Fira and checked out the schedules and made a nice little plan for the day. A plan, funny. We ended up on a bus going to Akrotiri. We were going to check out some of Ancient Thira and the Red Beach! We got off the bus, and unfortunately we were unclear about the bus schedule. But we met a few guys from Albania that were there working, so we followed them to the path to the beach. We ended up loving the Red Beach and spent the whole afternoon there! The weather was incredible and I jumped in the water with my clothes on! We swam in the beautiful water, with only like 5 other people on the beach, and loved every second of it! We played a crazy paddle ball game with our Albanian friends and just relaxed. It was so nice to have a break from running around and exploring. I don’t know, sometimes it seems like my focus gets so intent on seeing as many things as possible as fast as possible and I don’t take time to appreciate the moment. I felt so happy and free just swimming with my clothes on. I loved it! It was pretty incredible to just take it all in. We ended up leaving for the bus that was leaving wayyyy later than we meant to, and waited forever. We actually missed the sunset sitting at the bus stop (depressing) but enjoyed hanging out with our new friends and seeing the town on the bus. On the way back to our hotel, we jumped into our gyro place with the guy we had met the day before to drink some coffee. We were soooo fading after a long day! We ended up going back to our hotel and showering and getting ready to go out to dinner. We met up with the Albanians for dinner and enjoyed the company of new people and good food! Good Santorini wine and tiramisu, does life get better?! We slept good that night after a long day!

Day three of our break has us wake up too early and hop in a van to come to the port to go to Milos from our hotel! The ferry was long, but nice regardless! We made many stops and got to see many islands from the boat! When we got to Milos, it was a bit hectic, but oh how that changed!!! We first were met by an old woman telling us that the tourist office was closed because it is a holiday. The 28th is called Oxi Day, which translates as No Day, when the Greeks said no to the Italians (look it up on google!). Anyway, we talked to that old woman for a while about a room. We decided to go look at the rooms, which were okay, but ridiculous. First, we walked up a long hill to get to her hotel even after she said it was only ‘2 minutes’ away. Ugh. Then, the rooms were very simple and we could not even find a triple room. I was practicing tons of my Greek bartering with this old woman, and translating to Jess (who was understanding most of it) and Mom (who was understanding none). So she was asking too much for these kind of bad rooms, and the bathroom was outside! It was too expensive for what it was. So, we tried to say no and this little woman was soooo persistent! We tried to walk away and she chased us, so we talked more. Then, we were walking down the road, because we wanted to eat and look around some, and she ran after us down the hill to tell us not to go to another nearby hotel! She was crazy!!! So we escaped the old woman and a bit frazzled, we wandered to the port area again in order to find a hotel and map.

We ran into a French couple and ended up getting a great recommendation for our hotel! It is amazing here! It is a good price and mostly, amazing people!!! The Greeks here are being sweet and welcoming, unlike many encounters with Athenians (not all, but often). Anyway, so we checked out the room and decided to stay, then ran off to eat our first meal of the day. Pastitio and fried potatoes and lots of bread. Yum. The restaurant owner brought us some Raki, a traditional Cretan alcohol which tastes like paint thinner and burns like crazy, but I only took a tiny tiny sip to be polite, ew! He was from Crete, so he offered it to us. It is homemade, so it usually comes in a plastic water bottle with the label ripped off! Sketchy! Anyway, after dinner, we wandered some, seeing the town come a little more alive, and got back to the hotel to grab out computers and head back out. We went to an internet café, had frappes, and relaxed awhile before wandering the street along the port. By the way, our hotel overlooks the water! But we looked in some shops and met some nice people, once again, before heading back to our hotel to develop our next game plan.

We ended up chatting with our hotel manager for a while before going to our room and Jess and I came back downstairs to chat with her. Her husband, the owner of the hotel and other nearby shops, brought us ouzo and lemonade. It was so sweet, although ouzo is also a strong alcohol that tastes like licorice. So we sat with them for a little while, sipping ouzo, watching television, and speaking pathetic Greek! After a while, Mom came down to chat as well and the French couple also came! The seven of us ended up talking for an hour or two about life and politics and Greece! It was an amazing experience, really. I sort of interpreted Greek for Mom and Jess some, and the French woman who spoke some English was able to help us with the rest! It was great to feel confident in my abilities to understand Greek and speak it. Thankfully, they are all very patient to listen and help me speak. After that, Mom, Jess, and I hopped in the owner and his wife’s car and drove the town! He said, “Pame!” or Let’s go! and we went! We saw an amazing fortification area where the Greeks fought the Turks. I am not sure when, since my translation was lacking there, but it was beautiful. He also brought us to a shop he owns, very cute, and we checked out his items there. I loved many of the old engravings of photos and things from the late 1800s. So fun! After our little drive and tour of the island, we headed back to our hotels to relax. What an amazing day! We had so much fun and truly enjoyed the relational aspect of it all. It’s not about seeing enough things and taking the best photos, travelling should also be about meeting people and interacting. We were sipping ouzo and talking to French and Bulgarian people (hotel owner/manager) in Greek! Learning from each other and sharing experiences. That’s more what it is all about. I just love this trip! Meeting so many new people and learning so many new things!

We woke up after a nice night’s sleep and Jess and I went to coffee. Mom was so precious sleeping we couldn’t wake her, especially after she was probably the most tired of the three of us since the plane! So we went and mooched more internet and had some cute Greek coffee and brought Mom back some. We all went out to breakfast and got crepes. I got yoghurt and honey also, which was super yummy!! After our breakfast, we went to Tripiti in search of catacombs and an ancient Roman theater we had heard about. We were determined to find these things! We were on the craziest bus I have been on since being in Greece! There were a bunch of old people and yelling and craziness. We asked an old woman (in Greek) where the catacombs were and she said they were closed. We were devastated, but determined, like I said earlier! So we just hopped off at the sign that pointed to the catacombs. The old woman invited us to leave our things at her house so we didn’t have to carry them, but we insisted on keeping them and continuing our journey. The weather was beautiful and we were up for an adventure. So, we started walking in the middle of nowhere. I saw an old man and ended up asking him for directions in Greek, and he starts to answer, then asks me where I’m from. I tell him I’m from America and he starts speaking English to me and starts walking us down the street.
We start down the street with this old man and he tells us that they are right down the street we were on and shows us the sign and says that they are close and that Venus de Milos was found there under a tree and all of these random things. He said that he was so glad he met us, which was precious, and then we wanted to take a picture with us and he just wanted to take one with Mom!! He kept saying she was beautiful and touching her face!!! Hilarious! Anyway, we took photos and moved on our way. We find the road to the catacombs and excitedly as we approached the ticket area we learned that it was free and open! Victory! It was an absolutely beautiful area overlooking the water! So incredible. We had a tour around it by the security girl where she gave us a pamphlet and told us a few interesting things. It was pretty cool. Afterwards, we started walking back and I saw a random path that looked like it lead to the same area as the road to the theater, so I decided to explore while Mom and Jess held back. I kept walking about 5 minutes or so and found the theater! I felt so adventurous! I yelled across this hillside to tell them to follow, and soon we were united at the theater! It was cool, but tiny! We went on our way from there to the street again and began our walk to find where Venus was found! We succeeded in that too! There was a sign leading to an area with the plaque under the random tree where she was found. How incredible!

After that, we walked and walked and decided to call a taxi to get to our next destination since the busses were very infrequent in the off-season. We had heard about a pretty area called Pollonia and decided to go there. It took a bit to get there and our taxi driver was nice. He pulled over at one place to show us and it was beautiful! I wish we would have swam there since it was so beautiful, but the weather was getting a bit windy and cold… Anyway, we took photos and kept driving and he stopped another place that was sweet! He said that people swam there too but not recently because of the weather and wind! We snuck into an area that was roped off to get a better view and it was so cool to see! I was so glad he showed us them! Check out my photos to get an idea of what I’m talking about!

We got to Pollonia, which was sort of boring and strange. We couldn’t swim and it was pretty windy. It was so quiet and kind of a weird part of the day. It was so weird to be in the quiet and simple area. I had not been used to such a peaceful place, especially after 2 months of living in Athens! We ended up finding a beautiful church called the Church of Agia Paraskevi (I think) and wandering around in it. It was so beautiful and highly ornamented. We relaxed in the church for a while just taking in the beauty and serenity of the place. The Greek Orthodox tradition is so different from what I am used to! It is so interesting to experience even looking around the building.

After that, we taxied over to Plaka, where we heard we must see a sunset! We hopped off the taxi into another still town and saw a sign leading to Kastro, or a castle. Of course Jess and I were all for it, dragging Mom up the many stairs and chasing the sunset! The walk up was gorgeous and we watched a sunset on top of a castle! Only a few couples and us were there. It was beautiful for sure. After taking in the beauty and joy of that moment, which was so nice to share with Mom, we went back to our town by the port to get ready for our ferry back to Athens. We relaxed at our café for the evening until 10:40! Mom brought our hotel owner over to say goodbye to us and we chatted a bit! He was so sweet! We met some great people on this trip! We got to visit with our friends who owned the café and met more Albanians! One seemed sweet on me since he kept winking at me and blew me kisses when he left! Awkward!!! Anyway, we had thoroughly enjoyed our very long day and walked to our ferry. As we went to say farewell to our sweet hotel owner, my eye was caught by something on the stairwell to my right. You guessed it! The sketch old woman was there to take in her next victim!!! She was still as a deer in the headlights on that stairwell as I looked at her in disbelief! Scariest moment!!! After each of us saw her, we got onto our ferry and surprisingly slept relatively well that night.

We got to Athens at 6 am and hopped onto the metro back to our area and took naps! Mission Island Adventure… Accomplished. That’s how I’ll leave the story for now, but I’ve got plenty to update you on! Sorry it has taken so long!