Where Was I?

Again, I'm back in Bruch, laundry is pretty much done, and I'm back in the swing of things...only to leave tomorrow for another place I've been dying to visit for years (Cinque Terre, Italy). But first, before I lose all you readers (hello, five loyal readers!) because I haven't posted in ages, more about Greece.

I was talking about staying on Sifnos for three nights, which wasn't really in our Grand Plan, but worked out just fine. We weathered some pretty rough nights there where the waves moved us back and forth for hours and I awoke to the sounds of boats scraping together, and I was convinced that one of us would fall off the plank when leaving the boat. Thankfully, that never happened! We rented scooters to see the other parts of the island, which was so much fun. It's rather easy to acquire wheels, and after donning a rather large, embarassing, bright red helmet, we zipped to the other side of Sifnos in about 20 minutes. Quick! So many white churches dotting the landscape, and we enjoyed some fried pumpkin fritters and a greek salad at a table on the beach before watching the sun set over the water.

On the day we finally set sail for Santorini, Stavros warned us that the ride would be bumpy. Did I listen? No. I didn't take any meds, and after seven or so hours on the water, I nearly tossed my cookies as the port came into sight. It felt so good to get on solid ground and get some real food in my stomach (and water for the boat's tanks, which meant a nice, fresh water shower). Santorini was everything I thought it would be, and I couldn't believe I'd finally landed there. I've wanted to go for years and years to see Oia, that picturesque town all dressed in white that looks as if it spills from the cliffside into the blue Aegean. And the pictures don't do it justice! The beaches were great, the weather was perfect, our rental car was fun, things weren't too busy yet, we found an amazing restaurant (that we returned to three times in two days!), and the company was fantastic. I never wanted to leave...except I knew the next great island was just around the bend.

We left Santorini after three days and pulled into Schinousa, part of the Little Cyclades. At this point we were ready for something really secluded, no port, where we could spend the night. Stavros found us the perfect place, and we docked in a small bay without any other boats. We rowed the dinghy to shore and set up the most bad-ass fire pit/grill in the history of handmade grills. Seriously. It was engineered perfectly with rocks we found nearby, and our steak, chicken, sausage, and peppers were wonderful. The best part, besides the blinding full moon illuminating our meal, was cramming all sorts of stuff and four people (including three men over six feet) into the dinghy for a rather comical ride back to the boat around midnight.

After Schinousa we went straight to Paros, but only stayed on night there so we could be sure to get to Mykonos. Before arriving in Port (just in the nick of time - I think we got the last good spot, away from the waves), we stopped at a beach on one end of the island. It was only after we all jumped in the warm, blue water and swam towards the sand that we realized we were at a nude, gay beach. We got some looks when we rolled in in our bathing suits...In hindsight, we probably should have stayed two nights on Paros and skipped Mykonos altogether...but oh, well. I absolutely loved Paros, for it's windy, narrow streets and colorful windows. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at A's cousin's restaurant (and also enjoyed the limoncello, vodka, and mastiha bottles after dinner...) and N and I ran around the small port town in the morning before we sailed for Mykonos. Best run of the whole vacation.

Mykonos was predictably wild, with a thriving night part scene that N and I took part in for a few hours. I'd heard that it was the place to be for dancing and drinking, but it also turns out that it's the place to be for overpriced drinks, a crowded port, and beaches filled to the brim with chairs. I would have liked to stay another afternoon to wander the alleys and gaze in the shops, but I think we were all a little overwhelmed at the number of people and tourist feel of the place. Great sunset on the water, though.

Finally, we spent one night in Syros on our way back to Athens. The island had a totally different feel to it - houses that looked like nothing we'd seen in our two weeks in Greece. Grand, old things with round turrets and gated drives. We found the old, walled city and climbed the steps to the church on top. The view! Amazing. The walk up reminded me of Santo Steffano, outside of Rome, where we spent five days over Christmas. One last dinner cooked on the boat, and we were off for Athens the next day. Boo.

Seriously - best vacation I've ever taken. So relaxing (read Life of Pi!) and calming and beautiful. If you go, I highly recommend stopping at both Santorini and Paros, and various others along the way. And whatever you do, DO NOT go in July or August. The islands were really great without throngs of people. The people were so friendly, too. And the feta...