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Published: August 30th 2006
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Ios 3
Our view from Markos Hotel towards the main part of town. Somewhere in there is 'Shooters.' As I sat at the bus stop in Santorini waiting for the metal box without brakes I met some Canadians, and believe it or not, an American (and he wasn't even from NY as they all tend to be so far. Kansas City!) So we made quick friends despite our hangovers and decided to team up for hotel hunting on Ios. A short ferry ride threatened our troubled tummies, but the "Fly Cat Four" arrived on Ios safely. (Yes we named ourselves after our ferry by the same name. We even made a logo and later brainstormed a brilliant business idea to brew a beer called Omega, to be the official party beer of Greece.) But I digress. If you read my 'review' of Murphy's Bar in Santorini in my last blog (Santorini), you now also know what Ios is like. It is EXACTLY like freshmen year spring break in Mexico (Cabo, Cancun, Mazatlan, take your pick), except that it's 90% Italian. So needless to say the Fly Cat Four had a pretty damn good time. I do feel obliged to note however that I never left Hora or the main beach just down the hill. I hear the rest of
Ios 2
Every island has its old windmills. I contemplated sleeping inside this one the second night. the island is quite fantastic so I'm sure it's not ALL like freshmen year spring break. After all, this is Homer's island. I just can't tell you anything about that.
We only had the first night with the complete team together before Jaime (Kansas City) had to leave. We did some apres-beach partying and rocked out until 4am or so. Rookies. Day two fell to "shite" as I hotel hunted for 5 hours with no luck. Night two I was officially homeless. I was definitely dejected, but the good thing is that in Ios, you don't really need a bed anyway. I went back to Markos Hotel where my bags were from the previous night and met up with the Canadian girls and a group of Irish lads (Johnnie, Mark, Owen, and Donnchadh) who had just woken up. (I believe it was around 6pm.) Well, as it goes in Ios, we all made quick friends and had drinks in our hands in no time. They sang some traditional Irish ballads for us which I recorded for prosperity and wish I could post here. Pre-funking for a night out is well accompanied by Irish songs about conflict and lost love. You
Ios 1
Jaime pimps on the beach of which I don't remember the name currently. The apres-beach parties at Far Out probably had something to do with that. feel stronger just for hearing 'em and it steels you for a long night out. Well done Molley Malone! Our hotel bartender Amy signed on as our party guide and by 11pm we were already a few drinks into things and out on the town. Now if you've ever been to Ios you will know that 11pm is quite early. So rather than hit the busiest and best clubs right away, Amy takes us along to Shooters Bar. And we all know that anytime you go a bar called "Shooters" you're in for trouble. This trouble we were introduced to even followed me to Mykonos. It's name, "Flaming Lambroghini." Now, allow me take a moment to describe exactly what this is, and then you can reference the photos included on this blog.
"The bartender pours a harmless shot of orange liqeur in a martini glass. With a confused expression on your face you accept the straw that is handed to you. With eyebrows arched you watch as your drink is lit on fire. A nice hot blue fire. The bartender grabs a bottle of Baileys in one hand, and a bottle of creme de menthe in the other. You realize
The Lads
The Irish lads and the Canadian girls. "I'll remember Markos Hotel Bar in the rare, the rare oul times." this drink will take a day off the life of your liver but it's too late to back out. With a nod towards the martini glass you are told, "go." You stick your straw in the glass and start sucking it down. And you better suck it down quick because otherwise the booze will keep pouring and the straw starts will melt. As you wipe your lips and exhale a proud "Whew!" you realize that it actually tastes quite fantastic. Trouble."
Well, that night everyone stayed up until around 7am. I attempted some sleep on the pool side chaise lounge but was invited in by the Irish lads to sleep on the cold hard marble floor. I appreciatively took it for fear of 3rd degree sunburn and got about 2 or 3 hours sleep. The following night was more of the same, a LOT more of the same, with some Serbian friends mixed in for good measure, ending again in the wee hours. (thankfully I now had my own room and sleeping on marble was unecesary, though only a drink or two away.) On the last night I was told by Johnnie that I was a real "sound punter."
Flaming Lambroghini
With flash so you can see the anti-coolant color I didn't know what to make of that so we had another round of Flaming Lambroghinis. ( I think that was his 8th.) I believe I was there for 4 nights in all but it definitely felt like more. With my body starting to fall apart I decided to retreat to Naxos to recover. The Serbians saved me with a last minute wake up call and I struggled to the ferry with a noticeably lighter suitcase. The lads were by the pool contemplating whether at any point in their vacation they should actually leave the pool and go to the beach. Here's hoping you guys set foot in the Mediterranean! Go on Ireland!
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Jenn Wolf
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Got to love Ios!
Peter! I think that I stayed at the same hotel when I was in Ios. So fun! btw - I even have a pictures in the exact same spot. Too funny! Sounds like you are having a blast! Love getting your blog updates! Keep us posted as we are all so jealous of you! Safe travels, Jenn