While I may have returned from Italy a long seven months ago, I wrote this blog in my journal while traveling in Greece after my program ended. This is officially the last blog from my time abroad, an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.
May 22, 2010
White and blue buildings sprinkled across high cliffs, donkeys carrying people and baggage along trails, and crystal blue waters expanding as far as the eye could see.
This was the image I had always held for Greece, a country I intended to visit prior to even landing in Italy. I was only a part of the Italian culture for a week before I booked my trip four and a half months in advance to Greece.
The semester went on, trips to other amazing places passed by, however I was constantly looking forward to my Grecian vacation.
It was finally a week before I was supposed to fly out, when the anxiety hit; anxiety fueled by irrational fears and worries. Athens, our first destination of our trip, had been in the news for riots and uproars concerning the fallen economy in Greece and other matters. It was advised as very dangerous for tourists to travel to the county and if they did to be extremely cautious.
I was so close to returning home to America, only 18 days of traveling before me while on the other hand I truly wanted to visit Greece. I was scared though to place myself in a situation that could have possibly jeopardized that chance.
Two days before I was supposed to fly out, I had changed my mind. My mom had been telling me for a month that she didn’t want me to travel to such a currently dangerous area and my instincts were finally listening to her. I was so worked up with my finals, packing up my apartment, and packing for two weeks of traveling that it seemed the most sensible thing was to cancel the trip and not risk the dangers of Athens.
Another two days later and I boarded the plane for Greece with two other girls from my program. After hours of research and conversations with my mom and resident directors, it was finally agreed on that I would be safe to travel. The only change in our vacation was canceling our time in Athens, the only place in Greece the riots were occurring, and adding two extra days to the island Santorini, an eight-hour ferry ride away from Athens and any possible dangers.
The day of our travels went smoothly. Liz, Amanda and I took the two-hour flight from Rome to Athens, an hour-long taxi to the port, then the eight-hour ferry to Santorini. At 10 pm we arrived to the smell of the sea and the sweet, salty air. A van from our hostel, Stelio’s Place, was waiting for us, which then escorted us to our place of stay for the next eight nights.
As we woke the following morning, all my previous descriptions of my fantasies of Greece came true. It was just as I had imagined, only better. We were staying in Perissa Beach, a quiet area of the island with black sand beaches and outdoor restaurants and bars all about.
Many of our days in Santorini played the same agenda, however something we all needed: relaxation. Our hostel was 30 meters from the beach, therefore we would sleep in, then stroll down to the beach to read and soak up the sun for the day. The beach even had free umbrellas and lounge chairs all across them that we took full advantage of.
On Monday we decided to venture away from the beach, so we did something that the island is famous for and rented ATV’s. There were four of us now (Kathy, Liz’s friend from another program, had flown in and joined us the night before), therefore we got two ATV’s. Equipped with a map of the island, we set off. Wind in our hair and the sun on our shoulders, we cruised along. ATV’s, vespas, cars, and any other form of transportation all share the same roads, so we rode on the edge of the road all day to play it safe.
Our first stop was the Red Beach; a beautiful beach with deep red sand and cliffs. Due to intense wind, we only looked at the beach and took pictures before moving on to the lighthouse where we ate lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea. From the lighthouse we moved on to the highest point in Santorini where we were able to view the entire island as if we had an aerial view, taking in all of the different land mosaics, buildings and cliffs.
It was off to Fira next, the capital of the island. We parked our ATV’s before cruising through the Venice-like streets and moving in and out of shops. We unfortunately didn’t get to stay in Fira as long as we wanted before having to travel to Oia to catch the sunset.
We had been informed by many that the sunsets in Oia are some of the best in the world, therefore we knew we couldn’t miss it.
Amidst hundreds of others, sitting on the rooftop of a café overlooking the Aegean Sea, we watched the sun dip down into the ocean in the distance, living up to its standards.
We then ate at a beautiful outdoor café that sat on the edge of a cliff with amazing views before beginning the most interesting journey of the day ⎯ driving back home, over an hour away from our hostel, in the dark, with the wind howling at about 60 km an hour. The misery of the cold and windy drive home didn’t seem to phase me as the day as a whole was amazing and one I wouldn’t soon forget.
Our next day away from the beach was Wednesday, and involved a pre-booked full day excursion of Santorini. We began by catching a bus down to the port before boarding our boat. The boat resembled some kind of pirate ship that would be seen in Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. Laughing as we climbed aboard, we set off to the volcano island. The island was completely desolate- no trees, buildings, or anything, only the craters of the volcano visible. We hiked around, digging in the earth to retrieve burning hot rocks and watched smoke billow up from the ground.
After the volcano island, we re-boarded our pirate ship and sailed to a separate island. The boat made anchor in the middle of the sea, about 100 feet or more from the island, as the crewmembers proceeded to tell us we had to jump from the ship and swim to shore if we wanted to get to the island (the reason for going to this island was the hot springs located on the shoreline).
The girls and I all looked at each other like the crew was crazy. They had just told us the water was freezing, but they wanted us to jump right in. At first, we decided to sit this one out, however upon watching others jumping off our pirate ship, a sense of when are we ever going to be able to do this again swept over us. Clothes were then off, bathing suits on, as we marched to the spot where people were jumping without a look back and plunged overboard into the Aegean Sea.
The water was cold, but not unbearable. We proceeded to make the swim then to the hot springs (which weren’t very hot) before making our way back to the boat.
It was amazing. I was overwhelmed with excitement and joy at what I was currently doing. I just felt so lucky to have the opportunity to jump from pirate ships and swim in the middle of the Aegean Sea. Even though I was a little cold, I was so glad I decided to take the jump.
Once everyone was on board, we set sail to another island with a little fishermen’s port. The anchor dropped and we made our way on the island for lunch. After lunch, we had an hour to kill before the boat left again. A sign ahead of us displayed something we all had been wanting to do since arriving in Greece, donkey rides. Immediately we followed the signs until the smell of manure and an old greek “cowboy” told us we were at the right place. After informing the cowboy we wanted to ride the donkeys, he beckoned us to the stable, overlooking the sea, and with what seemed like much thought, matched each of us to a specific donkey.
I was the last to get my donkey. The other girls were already making their way up the cliff as the donkeys, like robots, knew where they were supposed to go with no leader. Finally, my donkey and I began the trek up the cliff. Laughing a nervous laughter the whole time, our ride lasted about 15 minutes. It was so fun, yet scary at the same time, not knowing what our donkeys were going to do. Yet we safely made it to the top, said goodbye to our donkeys, then proceeded right back down the cliff by foot to our boat.
The fisherman port was our last stop, as we then headed back toward Perissa Beach for the night, exhausted yet so happy and content with the amazing day we experienced.
I have come to discover that anytime you travel to one destination for an extended period of time, you develop routines. Routines that may include getting coffee at the same café every morning or eating from the same restaurant. Therefore, like clockwork, we obtained some routines while staying in Santorini.
The first was our bakery. Located about a five-minute walk from our hostel and open 24 hours, we went there everyday for dessert. While they had an overwhelming array of different goodies, it was the cookies we came for again and again. Huge cookies with soft, doughy centers. My cookie of choice was always the oreo cookie that tasted like a chocolate chip cookie however instead of having chocolate chips inside, it had chunks of oreos. Everyday we went to our bakery until our final morning in Santorini and everyday the shop worker would smile at us and say, “See you tomorrow!”
Our second routine was a bar/restaurant located again only five minutes walk from our hostel right on the beach. Yazz was its name and delicious drinks were its fame. We discovered Yazz our first day on the beach as we were laying on the free lounge chairs under umbrellas. The waitress made her way down the beach with menus and after the drink she claimed as the best, I was delivered a strawberry daiquiri. Adorned with fruit and playful umbrellas and tasting delicious, we were all sold on Yazz. It became the place we would always order our drinks from while laying out along with some nights we made our way out. Everytime we went they would even grace us with free drinks, each one delicious and special in its own way. Like our bakery, all who worked at Yazz recognized us, knew where we were from, and awaited our return the following days.
Our last routine in Santorini was not a place, but more of an object: food. More specifically: Greek salads and gyros. After my first Greek meal, I was sold on those two items. The Greek salad was very simple, yet so good. Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oils, vinegar, and feta cheese (which I always gave to the girls). Gyros were shredded pork, chicken, lamb, or vegetarian ( I always got the pork) with tomatoes, french fries, onions, and tzaki sauce served either in a pita or with pita bread. Both of these food choices were something I got almost daily. They were delicious, cheap and something I had never ordered in my life before.
In the end, we made our way safely away form Santorini, into Athens, and back to Italy. Spoiled for nine days with sun, delicious food and drinks, and very generous people, my Grecian vacation was all I wanted it to be and more; something I couldn’t believe I almost gave up due to some badly fueled anxiety.
jpercy
With a Dash of PR 