A Taste of Greek Island Paradice

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It was time to get away from the city, away from the London rain and into a blast of Mediterranean sunshine. At 6am on Friday I sat at Pireaus Port (Athens) trying to keep my eyes open, awaiting my ferry (which turned out to be the size of a cruise liner) to arrive. I raced hundreds of holiday makers to the decks to find the best seat for the journey. Level five, at the stern, looking back at the view of Athens. It couldn’t be better. The heat was already in the day as we cruised away from the port. I lay my head in my hands to try and catch up on some sleep and dreamed of the Cyclades – the islands that were on the top of my travelling wish list and now only five hours away.



I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as the boat arrived in Ios. I looked around at everybody else about to disembark. They were all just like me: keen, young backpackers, ready and waiting to hit the Ios party and beach scene. I was lucky enough to have a free transfer to my hostel which turned out to have the perfect location at the top of the village, with spectacular views overlooking the ocean. It was named Francesco and owned, of course, by the local Francesco who was there to great everyone on arrival. He was just like all the other Greeks that I had met so far; friendly, loud, animated and most of all, extremely hospitable. I was immediately given some tips for the island and was told that I must join the rest of the hostel guests later that night for a welcome drink or three. Ok I thought, if I must I must!



The next two days were spent wandering through the small, cobblestoned streets, lying on the beautiful beach and partying with a great bunch of people who I met at the hostel. That is pretty much the Island of Ios; you eat and drink, relax in the sunshine, dance, sleep and do it all again! You certainly need some stamina to keep up with the party-goers on this island; while I called it a night at around 3am, many kept going to see the sunrise. There was never a dull moment that was for sure.

I was sad to leave Ios and my new friends but my next stop was Santorini, which turned out to be everything and more that I had ever dreamed of. With blue domed churches, sharp, sloping cliffs and stunning white painted villages it was picture perfect. I took a donkey ride up to Oia (over priced and touristy but I couldn’t resist!) and stayed to see the sunset that the island is famous for. It was well worth the wait; spectacular enough for a round of applause from the many travellers watching from the ruined Kastro (castle) walls. A few days later –consisting of a trip to the volcano, relaxing at Perissa and the Red Beach and eating plenty of great Greek food – it was time to return to Athens for one last Gyro before returning to London.



Although I only had a taster of the Greek Islands, it was enough to make me want to go back to the Cyclades in an instant and see what else the other islands have to offer. It was hard to say goodbye to such beautiful landscapes; I must say I was very tempted to “accidently” miss my boat, grow some dreadlocks and run away with a couple of nomadic hippies I met in Santorini. It wasn’t only the islands themselves that made my trip so special however, my trip would not have been the same if it wasn’t for all of the wonderful people I met and became good friends with in such a short space of time. Its ironic really, when you backpack solo you never seem to be alone!

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