Lazy days on the Greek islands

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Hmmm...there is something elusive about the islands of Greece. It is sooths your mind and makes you forget all sense of time. That is until a hairy greek man and his diva woman with huge Hellenic hair, big glasses and red lips almost drive over you on his motorcycle as you try to cross the road. You let him pass, because there are no other options and how dare you get in the way, and your mood sweeps back over you yet again. The streets are all narrow and the balconies drip layers greenery and flowers from potted plants. Now and again you pass someone singing to themselves. Though they sing loud enough for an audience but they pay no mind to anyone who may have noticed. They could be singing the latest hip hop song but it is all Greek to me so it all sounds exotic. Even the ramblings from the occasional bum sound mysterious. He is probably only ranting about how his underpants need to be washed for all I know. But that is the joy of not knowing the language of the country you are visiting.

Crete, the island of the long gone Minoan culture. Its sits in rubble leaving only tiny bits of the past to give hint as to how they passed their days away. We visited their city in Knossos. The restoration of the site is a bit controversial because most of what you see was fabricated to emulate what may have been there. The site shimmers in the heat as you walk around as much cement as you do stone stone. Most of the rock that was used to build the city was a highly erodable rock called gypsium. Since the site was dug up in the late 1800's it has been swiftly melting away to the elements. Unless they make a huge covering over the site the city that used to be will be no more.

Crete is rather lovely with rolling hills of arid rock and low shrubbery. As we drove by in our bus we could see goats scrambling about the hills searching out sparse bit of anything to eat. And the Mediterranean down below on the other side. Water is scarce on the island as it is in most of Greece so conservancy is always an issue. Every house has a water tank on its roof to catch and store rain. And next to that are glimmering stainless steel solar hot water heaters. The water was so hard with mineral content our soap wouldn't lather in the shower. I soon realize that half the fun of bathing might be the bubbles 😞

Our diet mainly consists of cheese, bread and hard sausage. It travels well and is cheap. Seeing as Scott loves variety in his food he, in no time, starts to hate eating. What an odd thing to happen to a hobbit. At least the wine is still good. Before long we learn it is cheaper to buy wine than to purchase beer. Another dash at the hobbit Haggus. Luckily he learns to enjoy the robust local red wines. Not as good as a pint of brew but passable. Scott slowly begins the journey towards becoming a Europhile. Who would have thunk it.

The ocean water is a lovely emerald color that is just as clear as the cut gem. And glimmers as vibrantly. I think everything on this island glows. The towns all use white stucco or varied shade there off. Just walking through town I wear glasses so I can look around as I soak up the scenery.

From our camp ground on Crete we walk into town along the beach. Hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand pasty Scandinavians slather their bodies in tanning oils instead of sunscreens. They have week long vacation and intend to get as much vitamin K as possible but mainly succeed in parboiling their hides in the blazing sun. I am befuddled by the display of European men in bathing speedos. It just seems wrong. Most of the women old and young opt for wearing about and much as the men. Which means only the bottom of their bikinis. And to distract ourselves from our long walk into town we take to counting topless sun bathers to pass the time. Immature I know...but you begin to do weird things to amuse yourself after almost 8 months of living out of a backpack. You develop odd lip twitches and the like as well.

From Crete we caught a ferry boat to a tiny island called Santorini. It is an Ancient caldera. Meaning once there used to be a volcano here but now there is a great big basin where the volcano used to be. The basin is now filed with sea water. It is theorized it was the eruption of this volcano that spelled the end of the Minoan society on Crete. It was massive to say the least. It is also theorized that this island was the location of the fabled city of Atlantis but there is isn't much proof to support the theory. Interesting concept however.

Our first sight of Santorini is well... very lovely. I think it would be a hard heart who would not be impressed by this island. Like Crete it glows but with a brighter light. All the tiny towns are perched on the imposing cliff sides of the caldera. Before cars and motorcycles the locals used only donkeys and mules to get supplies and visitors up to the island towns. The donkeys would trudge up twisting switch backs along the cliff side leading to the towns. But now there are motorcycles as well as buses and cars. The donkeys are still used but mainly for loading cruise boat tourists coming in to visit for the day. They can choose to take the gondola up the cliff side or the more authentic Santorini option, the donkey. Everyday there are at least four massive cruise boats anchored off shore.

Even though the town was flooded with tourists it was impossible not to appreciate the charm of the villages. We stayed in little town called Fira. At first we were going to stay at the campground but when we got dropped of in town we got hailed down by a guesthouse owner with a offer we couldn't refuse. Three nights boarding with our own bathroom and refrigerator for the grand total of 50 euro. The offer was so cheap it was almost the same price as we would have paid to stay at the campground. So our first few days in Santorini we in relative luxury 😊

Generally after getting settled in a new location the next thing we search out is the market. We found one soon enough. All the towns on Santorini are tiny. At first glance our market looked pretty good. All the markets we had been to so far had been wonderfully clean and tidy. This place was none of those things. Even though Scott had recently had his eyes fix with lasik surgery and now has better vision than me he didn't seem to be noticing the flies and rot. Instead I got called picky and snooty. Instead of getting huffy about it I held my tongue when the kindly man behind the counter helped him select a hard salami that had green furry mold on it so thick it could be combed. Later on after Scott realized his folly he admitted he thought the green color was herbs and spices and that sounded mighty yummy to him.

We walked every where on the island. It was easy to get away from all the people when you wanted to. Walking an hour outside of town will find you at a wind swept vantage point over looking the sea. On one of our walks we found a lonely bell steeple with a cave next to it. Santorini was hot but if you could find a bit of shade to park yourself in it was instantly refreshing. There was always a nice slow breeze that helped as well.

One thing that doesn't work on Santorini is directions. Don't expect to hear anything about how many blocks you need to pass before you get somewhere. All there are are tight little path ways that lead every which way, every where that may or may not be a dead end. Or it may lead into someones yard. Or it could actually be the path you were looking for. One thing is for certain you never know where you are until you are there.

The views of Santorini both natural and man made have you snapping off pictures at every corner. The white stucco on all the buildings makes everything look pristine. In amongst the shops and residential buildings are little churches and bell steeples every where. Not to sound like the tourist I reluctantly am but it is hard to keep your camera put away.

I have never been one prone to romanticism but this is a very romantic location. It is no small wonder people have to book months and months ahead to be able to hold their weddings here. Santorini wins the award for disgustingly cute and charming. And falls within the same catagories as fuzzy kittens and chocolate pudding.

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Photos

Santorini bell steeples
every house hold seems have its own steeple or altar for prayer