Milos: The Cat’s Meow

While they still weren’t sure Milos existed until they stepped foot off the ferry (even the boat attendant gave a quizzical look when they tried to confirm, “Going to Milos?”), Milos not only existed, but turned out to be the perfect refuge in between the touristy islands of Santorini and Mykonos.  Milos is not a small island, however most of it is uninhabited, home to less than 5000 residents and more than 70 beaches.  Tourist season in Milos predominantly occurs in July and August, meaning that a) the sunglass price for JD was inflated to 15 euros for a pair (suffice it to say, JD could not bring himself to buy a pair), and public buses weren’t yet running to main tourist attractions.  Thus, requiring the three travelers to take a taxi to the remote moon-scaped beach of Sarakiniko, Klima fishing village, and the main ancient town called the Plaka.  But more on these adventures later!

Where they stayed: Villa Notos, in the port town of Adamas.  The studio apartment was located right on the main street of the port, with a porch facing a small beach and a picturesque mountain background.  The villa was run by a man, Ionnis, who seemed to take a particular liking to Ash, and his wife, who the three never managed to meet during their brief stay.  They did however try her banana bread and it was delicious.  
What they ate and drank:  They tried new types of alcohol – Beptina, a pleasantly light beer, and Raki – an unpleasantly harsh liquor.  Their first dinner they sat overlooking the port, charmed by the server, and ate the most delicious eggplant dip and the worst pork souvlaki (you win some, you lose some!).  They had a carmelized onion pasta dish, some green beans, and a minty eggplant chicken dish (they really couldn’t get enough of the eggplant in Milos!). 

What they did:  They managed to fit in almost all the things in their one full day in Milos.  They started out their day by taking a taxi to Sarakiniko Beach, and, upon learning that the buses are not in fact running, arranged with their limited-English-speaking taxi driver to come pick them up 1.5 hours later.  Sarakiniko is indescribable in it’s beauty and other-worldliness.  It was like walking on the moon, with big, white rocky formations enclosing and protecting a water inlet from a rough portion of azure blue Mediterranean sea.  Because of a) the lack of tourists in general on Milos, and b) their keenness to head to Sarakiniko first thing in the morning, they were able to explore the beach by themselves.  Photos taken in Europe that are uninterrupted by people are a true luxury.  The only nearby mammal was a cat, lovingly referred to as “rogue space kitty”, but avoided by the three due to it’s erratic behaviour and their fear of space rabies.  From Sarakiniko they took a taxi to Klima Fishing Village.  They asked to be left at the seaside for an hour, to which their driver responded “You need 20 minutes.  I wait.”  Britt’s photos of Klima fishing village were taken as if on a challenge for a hypothetical ‘America’s Next Top Photography’, it remains to be seen if these fast taken flashes will make her famous one day.  Their last stop of the day was the Plaka, where they climbed up to see a hill top panorama of Milos, wandered cobblestone streets, and coaxed an orange cat in front of a blue door so Britt could get a quintessential Greece shot.  They ended their day swimming outside of their villa and lounging beachside.
    
Lessons learned:  Be realistic about your expectations of bus service in the off-season.  The cats in Greece are gluten free, but can be bribed for photos if the pastry also has ham.  Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and get out of the cab, even if you are worried you may have to walk home.  If you feed one starving kitty, their starving mama will be right behind.
   
Scariest moment of the trip:  While you might suspect that the time they jumped into the ice cold waters of the Mediterranean from the side of a boat in Santorini was the scariest imaginable, the scariest moment was actually when JD got up to go to the bathroom and Ash in her sleepy state thought it was an intruder, letting out a blisteringly loud terrified scream, waking Britt, and making JD’s heart race.  Luckily he wasn’t scared enough to leave a puddle on the floor!

A few more questions for Mykonos:

1) Will Brittany finally get to see traditional Greek dancing?

2) Will JD's bar/club hop experience be everything he's been waiting for?

3) Will their fancy hotel be paradise for Ashley?

Stay tuned!

Santorini: When Life Gives You Grapes, Make Wine

Santorini was amazing, it was easy to see why it's such a popular tourist destination.  They didn't recreate the scene from Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants where Lena rides a donkey in Oia, but they did wade through a sea of donkey's to get down to the old port, successfully avoiding being pooped on or kicked.  The famous white wines of Santorini were definitely worth the wait - especially the time they mistakenly ordered a litre of the house wine at a nice restaurant and then were brought an extra half a litre for free because they were having such a great time. Hospitality in Greece has been spectacular.  They did a wine tour and sampled 4... err 6... different types of Santorinian wine, some of the best they've ever had.  However they decided to buy the cheap wine to take back to the hotel and it was some of the worst wine they'd ever had... The day they hiked 4 hours to Oia from Fira to watch the sunset was the only day of rain they had the whole trip.  The sunset was a bit lackluster but they got great suggestions for food in Mykonos from two women also trying to watch the sunset.  Luckily, the night before they had caught the sunset in Fira complete with 500 photos.  Ash and JD have determined that Britt is next on the show Intervention to deal with her photography addiction.  Britt not only saw her first active volcano but took a number of volcano 'sulfies' (it smells like sulfur, they're clever, see). 

Where they stayed: San Giorgio Villa, right across from a bakery and the main square of Fira.  The villa was run by an adorable family and their three children.  They basically planned out their three days for them and told them how to get everywhere and where to eat.  They also gave them free homemade cake, made by "mama" (aka grandma) and coffee each day.  

What they ate and drank:  The best gyros from #FoodBar (Bagiatiko Food Bar) ... twice the first day they arrived and then again before they left.  They also had the best meal of the trip at Noussa [who, coincidentally, also provided the free wine], which consisted of a greek salad, mousaka, and a garlic mushroom pasta.  Ash expanded her horizons to include parsley, and Britt uttered the words "I enjoyed that" after eating an olive.  They also had some nice big breakfasts in the main square, ate an unmeasureable amount of pastries and managed to find a lemonade strawberry slushie in the middle of nowhere along their long hike from Fira to Oia because JD was craving it.  

What they did:  Thanks to strange ferry schedules, they had almost four full days here, so they did a lot - starting with a wine museum and tasting.  The museum wound through a cave under ground, which sounds cool, but was actually really musty and consisted of a series of scenes about wine production played out by creepy looking manequins.  They had a night out on the town, at 'Town Club', which offered the best two for one drink deal.  They took a guided tour of Santorini's volcano island, hiking to the top to see the large craters and a spectacular view.  The guided tour then took them to hot springs, where Ash managed to convince JD and Britt to join the brave few who jumped off the side of the boat into the cold Aegan sea to swim to the hot springs... they must love her a lot... especially since the hot springs ended up being luke warm and full of a suspicious red sludge.  Turns out the entire time swimming their Ash was panicking about the possibility of drowning, JD was panicking about sharks, and Britt was just cold, and blind, since she couldn't wear her glasses.  Totally worth it just to say they did it, though.  As mentioned, they hiked 14 km from Fira to Oia, which takes in shape people about 3 hours and took them about 4.  From the walk they saw the picturesque beauty of Santorini and had lots of time to chat, which turned most often into singing snippets of songs.  They also visited Akrotiri, an excavated ancient city of Santorini, and finished off their trip to the island with a visit to the Black Beach, where Ash swam and JD and Britt got some sun.  

Lessons learned:  Always trust restaurant recommendations from your hotel - especially if the restaurant is also listed in travel guides and has a good review on Trip Advisor.  Don't put cologne on before going to the bus stop - you will miss your bus by 30 seconds.  Bay Breeze's have a lot of alcohol in them.  The Fish Boy Frescoe from Akrotiri may be in storage - ask before you go to Akrotiri to find him.  Impulse buys at bakeries may turn out to be poor decisions... or the best decision of your life.

Biggest Secret of Santorini:  The "Hot Springs" are actually luke warm - aka, the temperature as if someone recently peed in the water.  But so much fun!

A few more questions for Milos... 

1) Will JD find sunglasses that rival the prices of Crete?  He's been searching the whole trip to replace his free sunglasses that broke when the screw fell out.  Unfortunately tape wouldn't hold them together.  

2) Will Ash's premonitions of having to walk everywhere or hitchhike in Milos be accurate?  

3) Will Britt become famous from her photos of Klima fishing village?  

Stay tuned!