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Published: October 20th 2014
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I awoke to a wonderful view as I normally do at Astra Suites with the geological formation, Skoros before me. My habit now is to go out onto the balcony every morning to get fresh air and absorb the magnificent view. When I went outside, I saw whitecaps on the Aegean and felt breezes strong enough to take my breath away. Suddenly, a big gust came up and blew over our umbrella. The umbrella has a very heavy base. Astra Suites has provided us with a double-sized lounging bed, and the small pillows were starting to blow off of the bed. Despite a little bit of fear, I felt invigorated and alive—the way that children do when they are faced with just the right amount of fear coupled with excitement. Though it was no day for extensive outdoor activity, especially near the coastline, it was still a day to absorb new experiences and to snuggle with Deke : )
Marinos, who brings us our breakfast in the morning, whom Deke and I like, had to brave steep stairs and big trays of food to bring us our breakfast. He is very muscular and if he can do it, anyone can
do it. He has a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor, which was fun for us. He pointed out a small island off of Santorini, which had dust blowing off of it; it almost looked like a steady stream of smoke. Later, the concierge told me that when a child in the hotel saw the island with the dust blowing off of it, he got scared and thought that a volcano became active and was going to blow.
The concierge offered us complimentary use of the relaxation room, and I took advantage of this. Deke stated that he was going to have a restful day; the day before, wherein we toured Santorini wore Deke out, and he needed a rest. The concierge met me and accompanied me to the relaxation room. We have found the staff to be helpful in this manner; the different staircases here can seem like a maze. The relaxation room had a Jacuzzi and steam room, and the staff provided me private use. Skoros is also visible from the relaxation room. I saw some overly bold people climb to the top of Skoros! They looked very precarious up there in the strong winds! Perhaps
they just wanted to feel alive; perhaps they were foolish.
Deke bundled up and went out on the balcony. The wind, while not restful, somehow made Deke and I feel alive. If you’re not breathing deeply, the wind will force you to do this.
Deke was happy that there was a sound system, which allowed us to plug in our media players, and he was quite content with his book.
The concierge recommended a restaurant nearby, Aegean. It was a few minutes walk along the seaside pedestrian path. The winds were still strong, and it was starting to get dark. I ordered a beef moussaka, and Deke had pork gyros. The portions were generous, and Deke enjoyed speaking to the owner. The owner stated that he had only been open for five months; he was already very busy, and Deke congratulated him on his success. The gentleman said that he lived upstairs above his restaurant, and he wanted to do a good job because this was going to be his whole life.
When we left Aegean, the winds seemed stronger than before; there were eerie sounds when the wind blew through certain materials. By now, it
was dark, and we were glad that Deke had a small flashlight. We still managed to take a wrong turn before we made it back to the hotel, tired, invigorated, and glad to be back.
In reading Book IV of Aristotle’s
Ethics, I came across the following regarding wealth: (Aristotle defines Liberality as “In respect of giving and receiving Wealth, chiefly the former.”) “And the Liberal are liked almost best of all virtuous characters because they are profitable to others, and this their profitableness consists in their giving.”
This includes tipping well when one travels.
Yasas,
Monique
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