Jessica + Grecian Beach= One Happy Ryan!

In the last of my greater european travels while I am still a visa-holding resident of the UK, Jessica and I hit up two of the Greek Islands: Santorini and Ios.

Santorini is a scenic, volcanic island-- I think possibly the most popular for tourists. We stayed in a small hotel about 15 minutes walk outside of Fira (where most of the shops, nightlife, etc are located). Near our hotel (Villa Rosa), Jessica had what she deemed 'the best pizza of her life.' We spent our first two days trying out the different beaches, all of which we had to reach by public bus because they are all on different parts of the island. I think my favorite was the red beach, which you can only reach on foot by climbing over a rocky cliffside... the view is gorgeous and completely worth the short trek. Unfortunately, the beach itself is made of rather painful large pebbles, such that going into the water is a bit of an ordeal. I pretty much said 'Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...' until I was finally in deep enough water to tread. And, in case you were wondering, getting out is no easier, and there is definitely no graceful way to do it. I actually heard an English girl say to her boyfriend/husband that is was the 'most painful experience of her life.' A bit dramatic perhaps, but be forewarned. The black volcanic beaches are also very pretty, but get very hot so you have to rent a beach chair and umbrellas, which we didn't mind. After spending our days on the beach, we would go home and nap. Then, after convincing ourselves we really should go out (at times, this was VERY difficult), we would get all dolled-up and head into Fira. Wanting to dance, but being anti-techno as we are, Jess and I would go from bar to bar in search of 'good' music, ie hip-hop :) We eventually found a place we approved of called 'The Box' and spent most of our time there chatting with one of the bartenders. Jessica had one of my favorite interactions with him when he was just standing by us dancing (he had the night off) and she asked, 'Are you not a dancer?' And he answered quite adamantly, 'NO, I am not a dancer!' She said, 'So, you don't dance?' And he said, 'I dance, but I am not a dancer.' Oh, how I do love cultural confusion and the fact that nothing in American English is literal.

During our last day in Santorini, we paid 30 euro for an all-day boat trip that took us (after seeing the ruins at Akrotiri), to the active volcano, the volcanic hotsprings, Thirassia (a small coastal town community that has only had electricity for 25 years), and Oia (pronounced EE-UH)--on the Northern tip of Santorini, it is known for it's beautiful sunsets. We both fell in love with Oia. Although there is not a ton to do there, it is just gorgeous... I think it would be a perfect place for a honeymoon, if anyone is looking for ideas. It is peaceful and idyllic and exactly how I pictured Greece would look. We sat behind the old windmill to watch the sunset. It wasn't the prettiest I have ever seen, but it was a lovely experience sitting outside with everyone to watch the show; afterward, the crowds applauded. Tragically, for most of our time there, I had a spot on my lens... which makes itself known in just about every picture. Sadness... I apologize for any distraction it may cause.

From Santorini, we took a ferry to Ios (just 1 1/2 hours, compared to the 9 hour ferry we had taken from Athens to Santorini!). We ended up staying at a little place right in the village called 'Kosta's.' It was small, but adequate-- although by the end of our stay, I think both Jess and I were ready to be back to our spacious showers.

For those of you who don't know, Ios is considered (or has been since the 60's I think) to be Greece's party island. Young folk from all over the world go there for a week's vacation...and end up staying for the entire summer. During the day (especially the morning) you would have no clue about the nightlife. That is primarily because everyone sleeps until AT LEAST noon. Slowly, the beaches begin to fill up, and by early evening, people are back at home again and napping. The nightlife starts at around 1 am, and continues until 4 am. Then people stay around visiting in the streets until after sun-up. It is a completely different lifestyle than grad school, that's for sure. But Jess and I adapted pretty well. We got in our fair share of beach time, took naps, gorged ourselves on nutella and banana crepes (heaven) and gyros, explored Ios's beautiful windy streets, and, miraculously, managed to stay up and dance all night. Again, we went from bar to bar in 'The square' looking for hip-hop, but eventually ended up befriending a very cool Australian named Adam who worked in Rehab- which, at least for one night, played primarily techno :) Still, we had fun just people-watching. Strange, but after two days there, you begin to recognize people and everyone says hello. I couldn't imagine what it would be like after 2 weeks or a month. Crazy.

All in all, it was an amazing trip. Not that I would expect a trip with Jessica Lynn to be anything less, but this beat expectations. Also, it made me even more homesick (if that is possible). 2 more months to finish this disseration and get myself on a plane back to California! I realize I keep sending out travel blogs about exotic locations, but I promise you, I am hard at work!

As for life back in York, it is actually (dare I say it?) HOT here! Almost unbearably so, because nowhere is equipped for heat, so there is no air conditioning. But I refuse to complain, because it reminds me of home. Except more humid. We need some Santa Ana winds to really make this seem like a California summer. Or some June gloom :) As it is, the museum gardens...actually the entire town... are full of pale English men with their shirts off. A funny phenomenon... I guess the whole 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' rule doesn't apply over here. Interesting.

I miss everyone, and hope that all of you are having a wonderful summer.
Also, I added the Venice pics to the Italy travelblog.

Now it's back to work!

Cheers!
Ryan

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