Right now I am sitting on a cliff at a cafe in the town of Fira on Santorini island drinking a frappe, listening to Greek music, watching the donkeys saunter past, and of course loving every moment of my present existence. This trip has truly been too good to be true and exceeded all expectations. In saying that, I want to note that I have wanted to go on this trip for many years past, and my expectations were through the roof. The people, culture, food, history and scenery have taken my breath away everyday and makes me never want to leave this amazing country.
The thought of leaving makes my nose and eyes tingle because it is so close to the end.
Life is so different here - it is slower and modest, and people are instantly treated as family. The day I arrived on the island of Syros, I automatically relaxed and felt more like myself. I thought it would take days, or even the entirety of my trip to feel relaxed. But on these islands, you cannot be anything but that and thankful for being led to such a beautiful place.
I could sit here everyday if I was able.
Now that I have given the thesis of my trip, I should start at the beginning and how it all unfolded to where I am sitting eight days later. I still have a couple days left, but I will be back in Athens. I felt like writing now because of the music serenading me, and it is quite suiting to my feelings of inner peace and contentment.
Day 1 - Toronto - Brussels - Athens
After going to work for 5 hours, My holiday started by going home and packing. I thought I was very short of time so i was rushing - as most people do everyday in Toronto. I took a cab and got through baggage and security in the entirety of 10 minutes. I called my boss and told her that 3 hours before departure was complete bs. I got a very blueberry muffin and tea, and was one of the last to get on the plane. Why spend more time in cramped courters and recycled air? I was going to do it for 11 hours.
Sidenote: while I am writing this, some woman is screaming in a foreign language about her donkey.
What an ass. Lol, pun.
Anyways, I boarded the plane, thankful I booked a window seat for both flights. I sat beside a woman that did not speak a word of English, but was very sweet to me. I always pop a couple Gravol, wear a sleeping mask and earplugs and sleep as much as I can to pass time. This lady beside me got me snacks while I was sleeping and woke me up for dinner. I was absolutely starving so I ate all of the chicken-potato-veggie concoction they brought out. The television in front of the lady beside me did not get any brighter, so I tried to help her and communicate through hand motions. This communication got me through the entire trip! The lights were dimmed early to get people adjusted to the time change, so I watched a few Friends episodes and New Girl before the Gravol ensured I could not stay awake any longer. It was probably the most uncomfortable plane ride I had ever encountered, but I managed to pass the time. Before I knew it, we were making our stop in Brussels. It was raining but green, green, green. I knew that I was in a different country. I thought I was going to miss my connection, and the lady beside me pushed me ahead of as many people as possible. I started to run, when I realized I had my time change wrong and had an hour longer than i thought. Oops - what an idiot. I walked around the airport surrounded by Belgian chocolate (I resisted surprisingly), grabbed a smoothie and had another difficult time telling someone the time - so I used my hands to motion 8-4-0 and gave the thumbs up, and she did it back.
It was a very short stopover, so we were back in the air in no time. I sat beside these 2 young boys who were dowsed in a cologne that I have smelt before and not fond of. I curled up in a ball and slept for the full three hours to Athens - with my face in my sweater.
From the airplane, Athens doesn't look like much. It's very dry and brown. I was still a little drowsy so I tried to wrap my head around the fact that I was in Greece. It should've been a YAYYYYY!!! But was more like a whoop. Thank goodness everything was in Greek and English, because I had only read over a few words in my little book. My bag was one of the last out - my biggest fear when traveling. I navigated my way to the metro (subway) and was thankful that I had a map with directions, in English. There were a bunch of fresh people getting on the metro and no one knew where they were going. We all just hopped onto one and hoped for the best. I figured, what was the worst that could happen? I met a fellow Canadian from Manitoba and a guy from the states that had no idea where they were going. We all just chatted until we got off at our stops. I walked a few blocks out of the way and got slightly lost, but ended up finding my way to the hotel. I learned very quickly that pedestrians do not have the right-of-way and to look both ways, twice, before crossing. Also, I had never seen so many motorcycles, mopeds, vespas, scooters in one place - this became the norm as the trip progressed. I got my hotel key and walked into the smallest room I had ever seen. The view was gorgeous - a wall and air conditioner. I didn't keep the window open.
Day 2 - Four corners of the world.
I took a nap for a bit before meeting everybody for the first time at 630pm. It was a very eclectic bunch- all ages and continents. I was the only one from Canada, three from the US, one from Germany, one from New Zealand, five from Australia, one guide from Slavania and two from Greece. Wowzers. After a brief stop back to our rooms, we all ventured out together down the winding streets for dinner at a locally ran Greek restaurant. I don't think I had ever been in such a small place. This is when names were matched to faces and starting to get to know each other. We ordered some local Greek wine, which I thoroughly enjoyed and shared some tapas. I ordered a Greek inspired pasta, which I ate in entirety because I was so hungry. The first meal was a success and delicious, even through the language barriers. Wine is as cheap as water, so we sat and enjoyed some political discussions of Greece and other European countries, and learned about the Euro. A few of us were not ready to call it a night so Theo took us around the town and we sat at a cool bar that sat on a slant and was situated right below the Acropolis, which is lit up at night. It was a beautiful evening. We drank some Mythos, one of the local beers and continued discussion on politics and other subjects. We definitely spent a lot of time talking about politics because it was the eve of the election. Everyone knows the turmoil that Greece has faced over the past year, so I am happy that we were around. (I'll continue this part later). We witnessed a waiter dump an entire tray of drinks on a table, finished our drinks and headed back to the hotel because we had to leave at 600am. I was blown away by the amount of graffiti in the city - I had never seen so much before. Galia (Germany) said that this was typical for Europe. I settled into my single room and went to sleep.
Day 3 - Athens - Syros
Although it wasn't a very long sleep, I actually slept quite well and woke up at 545am. I got all my stuff together and very sleepily went downstairs. I was the last person to meet, as per usual, and walked towards the metro. It was amazing how busy the city was so early in the morning. We took the metro for about 30 minutes toward the ferry that would take us to the island of Syros. Galia gave me a hat that she bought the day before on the way because it was so incredibly bright. We stood around waiting for boarding, and started talking to Bex (NZ) for the first time. This was a trip she was treating herself to for her upcoming birthday, and then moving to London to start a new chapter... All the while, only bringing a backpack to do it. I had a lot of respect for her because there are not many people that can move half way around the world with a single backpack strapped to their shoulders.
We loaded the ferry and dropped off our luggage. We walked up to the back deck and got settled. It was a perfect morning.
I went to get some tea and a Greek breakfast item that was a pastry with feta inside. It was quite tasty. As we pulled out of the harbor, it was getting much clearer that I was in a different world. The view of Athens and the cool ocean breeze was absolutely wonderful.
We sat around for a bit and chatted - getting to know Ashley, Sarah, Galia and Bex. Kris came over and told us a brief history of the formation of Greece from 5000BC onwards. I have never been into history, so I didn't realize the extent of the importance of ancient Greece. Most importantly, democracy. But I soaked up every word and learned alot.
We started playing cards, first some asshole (which is a universal game apparently) and hearts (which I wasn't very good at). Cards and talking made the 3 hour ferry ride much more enjoyable. We walked up to the front to get some freah air and see if we could go hang out with the captain. We sent Bex to use her hot accent to win him over. Unfortunately it didn't work. This was when I realized how blue blue blue the water was - not the turquoise you see many places, but a dark clear blue, a color I had never seen before. We watched as we got closer to Syros island and when we came around to the harbor, my breath was blown away. Such a peaceful, beautiful town situated on a hill with churches at its peaks. Picturesque. Words cannot describe the feeling of peace and happiness that gripped my soul at that very moment. I knew it would be an unforgettable trip, and wouldn't want to leave.
We pulled up into the harbor and was amazed how the captain could whip around the boat and land it perfectly stern out by the harbor. This was not a small ferry. We rounded up our things and walked out and toward our hotel. It was about a 5 minute walk. Our hotel was situated in a square with bakeries, restaurants and markets. Bex and I decided to be roomies, so we got our key and headed to the second floor. The room wasn't much, but the view from our gigantic balcony faced onto the square, bustling with busy life. It was fantastic! Everyone was pretty tired but went on the orientation walk around the "downtown" area to familiarize ourselves. Once we got to city hall, we sat at a small little local place as a group. The people working there put up umbrellas all around us to block us from the sun. The view and the atmosphere was pretty cool. There were little kids playing soccer beside us and I was tempted to get up and join them.
Theo and Kris ordered food for the entire table so we could test and try many different dishes. This became a theme of the trip. I don't think there was any better way to try Greek cuisine. Dishes upon dishes were brought out, and I tried and loved every item. I was stuffed by the time we had finished. The owner brought out a dessert (I forget what it was called) but we were trying to figure out what it reminded us of. Sarah put it best by calling it "gingerbread jello". It was quite delicious. Getting free food or drinks also became a theme of the trip as well.
We divided up the bill and had free time for the rest of the day. Bex and I walked around for a bit and stopped in one of the only stores open during siesta. Siesta is the time of day around 12-5pm that everyone basically says f-u work, and goes to drink at a local bar etc. I tried on a few long dresses which would never fit me back home, but Greek woman are shorter so they didn't hit the ground! Everything was super see through so I didn't get anything. I purchased a really tacky towel since it was the only thing I had forgotten, looked at some postcards, tried Rose flavored sweets (the worst thing on the planet) and headed back to the hotel to get ready for beach time.
Syros wasn't exactly known for their beaches, so when we weaved (got lost) down to "the beach" it was made of connecting concrete platforms.We roasted in the sun for a bit, but it was getting close to dinner time so we headed back to our hotel on a much more direct route than on the way there. Bex had a strange sense of direction even if she had never been down those roads before in her life!
Back at the hotel, I struggled with the stupid shower head because in Europe.. they are stupid. They don't turn the right way and are the worst water pressure. I basically showered against the wall because it was the only place it would point. So by the time I got out I was frustrated and cold, ha. We got ready for dinner and were the last to meet everyone once again. We met everyone at City Hall and walked a short distance to the restaurant we had a group dinner at. We shared wine, fried cheese and sun dried tomatoes (oh my god, so good) and had chicken souvlaki which wasn't quite as good as I had hoped. Mostly because it was served with rice AND potatoes. Talk about starch overload. We were brought free dessert that was similar to a soft creme brulee, which I was tempted to have two but resisted. Everyone sat around chatting for a little while, mostly about the election that happened earlier that day. It was an interesting time to be there because the minority had become the majority. This was important since it showed that the Greeks were tired of how it was being run with all the turmoil going on.
Once back at the hotel, I stood outside on the balcony for a while, watching/hearing all the people on their bikes going by. We had an early morning to prepare for.
End of Part 1.
