Day Fourteen -- Traveling to Mykonos

We managed to eat our breakfast, return our ATVs and get our luggage up the steps to the square by 9:30 a.m. Every other time we have asked for a transfer they have arrived early. We waited for 10 minutes and I started to get nervous. When I said that I was worried we would miss our ferry Jane said, "It would be terrible to get stuck in this hell hole." That helped me get perspective. By 9:45 when no one had arrived, Brendon went down the hill to check with our hotel. When he didn't return right away, Brett went to look for him. That is when a large shuttle bus came to get us. Matt ran down to find Brett and Brendon. The square at the top of the hill is tiny and stuffed with cars, ATVs and motorcycles. Once we were all on the shuttle, a truck delivering gas, oil or water (I don't know which) came and blocked us in. Our driver got out and they had some words. The other driver moved his vehicle and was helping direct us out. There were more angry words. Our driver said, "He called me dangerous!" In spite of my worry that we would be late, I found this whole interchange thoroughly entertaining. But it does make me wonder how the infrastructure of this little island is going to handle all the new hotels that are currently being built.  One taxi cab driver told me that there are over 2,000 hotels on this little island already.

I needn't have worried about time. We arrived in plenty of time, plus our ferry was late. We waited with a long line of other people. When the ferry arrived they rush you on so they can get to the next island.  We hadn't even  stowed our luggage in the cargo hold before the boat was rushing out of the port. We stopped at Ios and Paros.

 

We read, slept, snacked and dreamed of Mykonos. 

 

We were checked into our hotel by 3 p.m. I headed out with Matt and Jane to explore Mykonos. We went down to the port,

 

past Panagia Paraportiani,

 

to Little Venice in search of food. We said we weren't trying to find the best food, just the best view.

 

The view was good but the food was so bad that we ate some of it and got out as quickly as possible. 

 

We hiked up the hill to the windmills.

 

Then we wandered down the beautiful little streets.

 

We poked our head in some shops.

 

Matt and Jane waded into the water.

 

Then we returned to the hotel to rest and enjoy the sunset from our rooftop terrace.

 

Matt made reservations for the three of us to eat a restaurant called Nautilus. Just the walk over was lovely.

 

The food was amazing.. 

 

Matt and Jane had sea bass. It was a work of art...with a cup of butter.

 

Using Google Maps we made it home through the winding streets.

Day Thirteen -- ATV Madness

Brett had done some research on how we might be able to get around Santorini without paying exorbitant taxi prices or waiting in long lines for the local bus. So at 9 a.m., after Greek breakfast on the beautiful terrace, we rented three ATVs for 24 hours. Brett, Brendon and I headed for the archaeological site of Akrotiri, an ancient site buried in ash, much like Pompei. I rode on the back of Brett's ATV, which slowed down his speed, while Brendon enjoyed the speed. It was a thrilling ride.

 

Akrotiri is an ancient Minoan site, like Knossos Palace, but not reconstructed like Sir Arthur Evans attempted to do on Crete. The site is covered which helped with the heat.  All the frescoes, art and vases have been removed to museums...of course. We wondered through the site, marveling at how many thousands of years ago such an advanced civilization lived in this place.

 

When we finished we took Captain George's advice and headed down towards the water for lunch at the Cave of Nikolas Taverna. It is difficult to find and down a steep staircase. Jane and Matt intended to join us but never found the place. Given its location it wasn't flooded with other tourists.  This cave was used as a place to park boats when the weather got too rough.

 

We ate a leisurely lunch next to the ocean. It was actually a lot more leisurely than we intended. You can ask for the check in Greece but they will bring it only when they are good and ready.

 

Back on the ATVs we drove to the other end of the island, Oia. We walked there the first day but we were too tired, hot and hungry to poke our heads in their many shops. 

 

Oia was jammed.  When I say jammed, I mean it. It appears that two or three cruise ships disembark daily for excursions to Oia. Thousands of people are bussed to this picturesque, little town every day during the summer. A bus couldn't pass on the narrow road and the whole road shut down. We parked the ATVs on the edge of town and hiked in.  

 

We found some treasures, ate some gelato and hiked back to our bikes. We drove the exciting, narrow road on the cliff back to Imerovigli.  Matt and Jane had returned from their day at Red Beach and Kamari Beach.  The hotel had moved us to two rooms while we were gone.  They blamed it on an internet glitch. We tried not to give the stink eye to the people now enjoying the terrace.  We watched the sunset from our respective porches.

 

Then we headed for dinner at a restaurant called Avocado. People eat late here and our reservation was for 9:30 p.m. By the time we finished our meal it was 11 p.m. Sometimes by the end of a dinner meal in Greece I feel too exhausted to walk back to our hotel. 

 

We went to bed sad that tomorrow we have to leave paradise.

Day Twelve -- The Reason for the Trip

After Bryan died and I had picked up his ashes, I had a conversation with my sons about what we should do with them. When my grandmother died we hired a boat out of  Long Beach to take us out and spread them at sea. It was a beautiful experience. I knew how much Bryan loved Santorini and enjoyed staring out at the caldera. I also thought of how many times Bryan shared his hope that our entire family would go there together. I suggested to Brett and Matt that we travel to Greece together and take Bryan's ashes with us. I could hire a boat to take us out in the caldera and spread his ashes there. I did some reading online. People made it sound easy. I studied the TSA requirements for traveling with ashes. I figured I could get the right paperwork together. My family began to make plans for the trip and then I called the Greek Consulate in Los Angeles. The woman I talked to let me know I was an arrogant American to think I should be allowed to do that if my husband was not Greek. So I did more reading and learned that the Greek Orthodox do not believe in cremation. In fact, if what I read is accurate, Greece just built their first crematorium in October 2016. The country is running out of space to bury people and the Greek Orthodox Church decided not to block the building of a crematorium. There was part of me that was deeply disappointed. I would love to leave Bryan's remains in his favorite place. There was also part of me that knew that carrying his ashes all over Greece would be an emotional experience and I was relieved not to bring them with me.  Instead I brought a small heart shaped piece of glass.  Someone gave it to me for Valentine's Day and Bryan used it to show his love for me.  I would find the heart on my pillow or next to my sink in the bathroom or on the vanity where I dry my hair in the morning.  It was one of Bryan's many wordless ways of conveying his love for me.  We began to collect heart-shaped stones and so his message in stones grew. After he died I took all the heart-shaped stones and placed them around the dish of stones we had picked up together. I brought with me that original heart instead of his ashes. It was hard to let go of it but I very much needed to leave something of Bryan in Santorini. 

 

The day began with difficulty for me.  I was overwhelmed with emotion but trying, unsuccessfully, not to let it show.  I have such a good family and they put up with me. Matt and Jane walked from Imerovigli to Fira and had lunch. Brett and I walked the same direction just to the point where we could see the steps down from Fira to the old port.  Then we walked back and found some lunch at a restaurant overlooking the caldera. We picked the restaurant because we could smell their fresh baked bread.  Brendon stayed back at our hotel in Imerovigli.

 

At 3 p.m. we were at the square above our hotel, where we picked up our transfer to Vlychada port. I hired a 5 hour sunset cruise. We picked it because it would be a private excursion for our family and because it was a beautiful wooden sailboat. Captain George met us at the dock with a story of being a bit discombobulated due to a ship that had sunk there that morning and they all had to pitch in to get it out of the way.  I should have known then that Captain George would be full of entertaining stories.

 

The day couldn't have been more beautiful or perfect. While Captain George piloted the boat to Red Beach, his deck hand Michael brought us plates of food.  We munched on honey dew melons, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and, of course, olives.  

 

At Red Beach, Captain George anchored us at the other end of the cove, far away from the other boats. Brett, Matt and Jane wanted to swim in the Mediterranean. George was willing to let them but he predicted they would last 30 seconds after they hit the cold water.  

 

They jumped in, swam to a shallow part of the cove and way exceeded his prediction.

 

Back in the boat, we headed past the white cliffs...

 

Past the lighthouse...

 

To the "hot springs".  This is actually the center of the volcano that exploded here around 1628 B.C.  The island was blown into several islands and the center collapsed. The volcano still exists sending heat up from its core. Matt, Brett and I jumped into the water and swam towards the sulfur smelling water. It was wonderfully warm...in places. Back on the boat, George and Michael grilled us tomato fritters and fish. It was a delicious meal in a beautiful place.  We kept commenting on what a beautiful experience this was.

 

We headed back to Vlychada with the promise of a sunset on the way. I got out the heart shaped glass I had brought. We shared stories of Bryan and his love for us. I can't begin to describe how much we miss him. The day would have had even more laughter and love if he had been here. I threw the heart into the sea and we watched the sun set in a very reflective mood.

 

It was such a bittersweet day and it was filled with so many slices of heaven that I will cherish this day for the rest of my life. Family is so precious that I want to savor every moment.

 

Day Eleven -- Imerovigli to Oia

It is hard to sleep in here...at least for me. It is so beautiful I want to go outside and enjoy the view. Greek breakfast is served to us on our porch, sometime after 8:30 a.m. We called at 8:20. 

 

During breakfast we decided that we would like to walk from our hotel to Oia, the town at the north of the island. The man at the hotel desk had told Matt and I on the first day that we should try Taverna Katina for amazing seafood. It is at the harbor at the base of Oia. Bryan and I hiked from Fira to Imerovigli seven years ago. I figured I was up for the challenge and I wanted to spend the day in the joy of family. We took off and there was a new beautiful sight around every corner. 

 

We stopped along the road at one point to get something cold to drink and I looked up the distance on Google Maps. It said we had walked an hour and we had an hour to go. Plus, the second half looked more rigorous. It definitely was. Brett was so caring and patient with me and my gimpy knees. He carried my things and I used his back to guide me down the steep steps too numerous to count.

 

When we got to Oia we found a little roadside market that sold Ben & Jerry fair-trade ice cream cookies. Matt has only eaten  chocolate that is Fair Trade since he was in tenth grade. We all got one. 

 

Oia is beautiful...

 

with upscale (expensive shops)...

 

and beautiful views of the caldera.

 

When I Google mapped the distance I only did it to Oia but our destination is Amoudi Harbor. I also didn't think about its descent along the cliff, although we can easily see that from our hotel terrrace. I was so spent by this time but we still had to walk these switchbacks down the cliff, which we shared with donkeys and their poop.

 

We finally reached Taverna Katina. After washing my face and sitting in a chair for awhile I could begin to say that the walk was..mostly...worth it.

 

Brendon, Brett, Matt and Jane went to the kitchen to choose a fish. A beautiful, grilled red snapper was brought to our table a little while later. I don't like seafood so I manage these meals with Greek salad, bread and fried zucchini but I admit that this fish was delicious.

 

I knew that the walk back up the hill to the local bus stop was not possible for me. The restaurant called us a taxi. I didn't even ask the price. I would gladly pay whatever the cost to get me home with the fewest steps. On the way home my iPhone reported 20,000 steps, 8.4 miles and 52 floors. No wonder I felt the way I did.  Back to our hotel, Matt and Jane put on their suits and headed for the pool, but it was crowded. So they settled for our magnificent terrace. Brett and a Brendon took naps.

 

The sunset was amazing. We noticed the sailboats enjoying it. That will be us tomorrow. I have reserved a sunset cruise on a sailboat for tomorrow.

 

I made reservations for a restaurant right below our terrace. Brett and Brendon opted to keep resting. They pushed hard in Italy and need to relax a bit. Santorini is the right place. Matt, Jane and I supped outdoors at Mezzo. The owner of the hotel thought it was too cold but we stubbornly insisted and bundled up. It was cold but lovely.

 

Day Ten -- Travel Woes

Matt is sick. He has been struggling this whole trip with a cough that is the aftermath of a cold he had before he left; what appears to be allergies that are impacting his eyes and nose; and then this morning his overall exhaustion got to him. Hopefully, Santorini and its pace, combined with the arrival of Jane, will bring healing. We are taking a ferry at 9 a.m. and we have tickets in hand, the strike is over and the weather looks beautiful. What could go wrong? 

We got to the port early to return our rental car. Yiannis was waiting for us. We lined up with the other passengers traveling on Hellenic Seaways. There are very few of us with luggage. It appears that there are a lot of day trippers from Crete to Santorini. 

 

While we were in line Matt got a text from Jane that her plane to Santorini turned around while in route. It appears that the plane that landed before her had an on ground crash. It was not possible for her plane to land. Matt got busy and booked the next available ferry to Santorini, which isn't until tomorrow. Meanwhile, Jane is sitting in the Athens airport waiting for her checked bag to be returned or to learn that her flight has been rescheduled. 

Our ferry left the port in Crete. I had taken a Dramamine as a precaution. Good thing I did. Just as the sea began to roll Matt got a text from Jane that they have cancelled the remaining flights to Santorini due to weather. As Jane dealt with the airline, Matt and I made it to Santorini and paid an exorbitant sum of money to get to our hotel in Imerovigli. 

 

Jane booked a flight for 3:30 p.m. on a different airline. While Matt tracked the status of that flight, we kept our fingers crossed. We had lunch in Santorini in an indoor restaurant.  We needed to sit indoors because the wind is whipping here and it is quite cold.  At 4:30 Matt left for the Santorini airport to meet Jane and I sat on our porch overlooking the caldera.  

 

The sun came out and it was beautiful. I took a little snooze and dreamt of Bryan being here with us. How I wish that dream were a reality.  Brett and Brendon had arrived in Athens by now and were waiting for their flight to board. How I hoped everyone would make it today and make it safely. Which they did. The band is back together!

 

We watched the sunset and then headed up to Taverna Anesti, recommended by our hotel. It was delicious. Well-sated, we returned to our hotel a different way and enjoyed the lights in the villas along the cliffs.