island hopping, aegean style

Next (and last) stops in Greece:  Mykonos and Santorini. 

After bidding a pre-dawn good-bye to my folks, Aman and I left from Athens for nearby Piraeus, the port city where we caught a boat for Mykonos.  One of the largest and busiest passenger ports in the world, our taxi pulled up to Piraeus amid loads of other vehicles, coming and going, and traffic police quickly directing vehicles this way and that.  It was chaos, and I was nervous about picking up our tickets, finding the right boat, etc. while still on crutches.  Kindly, our driver ignored whatever instruction we received from the police officer, and instead, rolled down his window to explain that he had an injured woman on board.  I flashed my walking sticks and shot an innocent, hopeful look in an effort to help us skirt whatever rules were trying to be explained to us.  Despite some initial hesitation on the officer’s part and an ensuing argument between the driver and the officer, thankfully, whatever the driver said worked.  After getting the go-ahead, our man waited with me in the car (in a no-waiting zone) while Aman ran to the ticket office and got our tickets.  We then drove (through an authorized vehicles only area) straight up to one of the biggest Blue Star Ferries in the port.  Instructing me to wait in the car, our man ran off and got the attention of a ferry attendant who came back minutes later with a wheelchair for me.  Unsurprisingly, I was not all too excited about being carted in a chair again (the second time this summer), but it was somewhat necessary.  The ferry was way bigger than we had expected; as Aman and I commented upon boarding, it was the biggest boat that either of us had either been on.  The lower two levels held cars and commercial trucks carrying deliveries of everything from ice cream to building supplies for shops on the islands.  The upper levels were reserved for the hundreds (if not thousands) of passengers, and outfitted with several cafés, bars, fast food counters, bakery stands, and gift shops.  Not that we had ever been on a cruise ship before, but we imagined that this is what one might resemble. 

Aman and I were escorted to the elevator, lifted six floors up, made it through the crowds, and eventually settled down at a table on one of the outside decks.  It was a beautiful morning, with not a cloud in the pale blue sky.  We grabbed a couple of spanakopitas and frappe coffees from the nearest vendor, and quietly watched the action on the pier down below as the tables around us filled up with fellow passengers and the boat prepared to leave. 

Aman, waiting patiently for the moment of departure:

Soon, we were off!  Just one of several large ferries coasting gracefully through the sapphire blue waters of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  It was a few hours at sea before we finally came across the islands of the Cyclades.  (The Cyclades is one of several island groups in the Aegean Sea–both Mykonos and Santorini belong to this island group).  The brown, barren islands with their white stone houses stood in stark contrast to the deep blue of the sea.  Our vessel made lightning-quick stops (sometimes, fishtailing into port, which was kind of fun) to let some folks off and pick other folks up in the neighboring islands of Tinos and Syros.

Finally, it was our stop.  Mykonos.  

The dry, brown landscape of Mykonos is marked by white, cube-shaped houses that have colorful shutters, and the island's iconic windmills.

Aman and I were staying at a cute hotel on Platys Gialos, a beachside village on the south shore of the island.  I had visited there once (years ago) and really liked the location.  It is close enough to the infamous Paradise beach, but not too close.  (Paradise beach has the best beach scene on Mykonos; it is a short water taxi ride from Platys Gialos.)  I knew that Aman would want to check it out.  And, Platys Gialos itself is not too shabby either.  Soft golden sand and beach umbrellas made of straw cover the shoreline.  Meanwhile, idle sailboats and luxury yachts sit in the waters offshore.  Chilled out house music plays from the hotels, bars, cafés and restaurants that line the edge of the beach.  It is an incredible setting - tranquil, and yet full of energy, at the same time.

We had three nights to burn there, which, in our opinion, is the perfect amount of time to spend in Mykonos.  We spent our first afternoon bathing in the sun, swimming (more therapy for my recovering knee injury), and playing tavli.  As sunset approached, we moved to the hotel’s beachside bar to enjoy a drink.  There, we ran into a lovely, hilarious family of Aussies that we had met earlier when we checked in.  The father, Max, was tall, broad chested and one hell of a character.  Aman hit it off with him immediately while I chatted away with his wife, their daughter, and the daughter’s friend.  All of them had been traveling together for a while, and we had fun sharing stories about our respective adventures of the road.  We were all having such a good time that we drank and talked long into the night.  Just another bunch of awesome people that we have met on this trip!

The next day, after sufficient time indulging in the beach, Aman and Max took a boat to Paradise beach, just “to have a look.”  The guys came back later in the evening, with Aman on cloud nine.  Not only did he love, love, LOVE Paradise beach, but one of his favorite DJs (Afrojack) was appearing there the next night.  What an awesome stroke of good luck. 

Aman joined practically everyone else in Mykonos on Paradise beach the following night (our last) for the Afrojack show, which was “ohmygodunbelievable.”  He danced until the sun came up, a must for anyone visiting the island (unless you are on crutches, which makes it kind of difficult...), and a great finish to our first stop in the Cyclades.  

To get to Santorini from Mykonos, we arrived at the port in plenty of time for our early morning ferry.  Sadly, however, when we got to the ticket office, we learned that our ferry had been canceled without notice (not terribly uncommon for the Greek islands...).  So, we were put on a boat heading to Naxos, where we got off and transferred to another vessel inbound for Santorini.  Suddenly, the three-hour boat ride that we were anticipating turned into an almost all-day event.  Nevertheless, it was nothing but excitement when Santorini's collapsed caldera, which makes up the island's western coast, finally came into view.  From the water, it is one of the most stunning natural sights in the world.  

Aman and I spent four relaxing days in Santorini, mostly on the eastern shore of the island in a beach village called Perissa.  Unlike the western shore of the island, which owes its steep cliff-like appearance to an enormous volcanic eruption that took place thousands of years ago, the eastern shore slopes gently into the Aegean Sea, and the area is well known for its black (read: HOT) sand beaches.  This is where we spent most of our afternoons.

  

In the evenings, we threw my walking sticks on the back of our ATV (one of the more popular ways of moving about the island) and traveled to various towns and villages on the caldera to watch the sunset.

Watching the sunset is probably the most popular thing to do when visiting Santorini.  People typically flock to the western coast from all parts of the island and line up along the west coast of the island, just to watch the sun fade into the sea each day.

Obviously, there is good reason for this.  Of all the beautiful sunsets that we have seen this year, the sunsets in Santorini were arguably the most spectacular.  

From Fira (the capital):

From Firostefani (north of Fira):

From Oia (northernmost tip of Santorini):

Once the sun set each night, Aman and I would stroll around the narrow, stone-paved lanes of each town and marvel at how amazing the caldera and all the towns along it looked at night. 

In fact, we were just about to run out of towns from which to watch the sunset, when the day came for us to leave.  I insisted that Aman make a solo mission to Santorini's famous red beach before our ferry was scheduled to depart.  (Having been there once before, years ago, I knew that I could not access it with my recovering knee.  The only way to get there is to climb along a rocky dirt path.)  

Santorini's red beach, another uniquely spectacular sight.

Our trip to Santorini would not have been complete without our ferry being several hours late to depart, which, of course, it was.  We got into Piraeus really late that night and took a cab straight to the airport Sofitel. Since we were leaving for Istanbul the next afternoon, there would be no time for more sight-seeing in Athens.  Instead, we had a lovely breakfast with my cousin, Kris, and her husband, Taso, the next morning.  It was not nearly enough time to catch up fully, but at the same time, great to see more family on our last day before leaving.  

Yassas Greece - see you next time!

alpha, beta, gamma, delta

I was flipping through our vast collection of pictures from Greece when I realized that I almost forgot to add a note on one of my favorite things about being there:  trying to teach Aman the Greek alphabet.  (In the interest of full disclosure, let it be known that I am in no way, shape or form fluent in Greek.  As I like to describe my level of proficiency, “I can get by.”)  No, we did not have formal textbooks or study sessions or anything crazy like that.  I just had a habit of pointing to posters and signs and asking Aman to pronounce whatever words we saw.  Sounds easy, but for someone unfamiliar with the Greek alphabet, it can be daunting.  There are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet, some of which are unique to the Greek alphabet (i.e., Δ, Π, Σ, Φ).  Aman did well with these letters; it helped that most are recognizable from the name of some university fraternity or sorority.  Other letters in the Greek alphabet resemble characters from the English alphabet, but have wholly different sound values.  Beta's sound like “v’s,” but look like “b’s;” eta's sound like “i’s,” but look like either H’s or n’s (depending on the capitalization); and so on and so forth.  The pronunciation of these letters can be even trickier to nail down than the ones you have seen on a college-branded sweatshirt.  At any rate, it was “day number ten” in Greece, and Aman and I were meeting my parents at my Thea Tasoula’s apartment after spending the morning at the U.S. embassy getting extra pages for my passport.  Based on prior visits to see my aunt, I remembered the building, but not the exact apartment number.  Brilliant!  A perfect opportunity to test Aman’s progress, I thought as I asked him to identify my family’s last name - a name he has seen, heard, and been able to spell countless times - among the other tenant names listed on the buzzer system.  This should be easy, he thought.  He stepped up to the challenge with enthusiasm, which turned into frustrated laughter after the fourth or fifth incorrect attempt. I couldn't help but smile with each "nope" that I uttered.  Not wanting to keep the family waiting, in the end, I helped guide him to the right intercom button.  Not sure how any non-Greek-speaking person could have missed it…

the greek isles - limnos

Limnos was our first stop in the Greek islands for good, but perhaps not obvious, reason.  Although it is the eighth largest island of Greece, Limnos is not exactly famous for its tourism.  No, the island has more of a reputation for its production of local cheese...  

(Incidentally, all this cheese makes for killer local tiropitas (cheese pies), or as Aman affectionately calls them, cheese-kopitas.)

Besides cheese (not to mention melons, figs and almonds), its main crops are wheat and barley, the growth of which tints the island with an overall light brown landscape during the hot summer season.  


The feel of the island is as authentic as can be, and the perfect contrast to ever-popular Mykonos and Santorini, where Aman and I were heading next.  Plus, we were with my parents, and I had not traveled to Limnos with them in years–it was priceless that we would all have the opportunity to visit together, even if just for one short week, given our family ties to the island.

Our group arrived one early morning after a 50-minute flight from Athens that took off as the sun was rising.

On the way, I warned Aman that the simplicity of the island's one airport is astounding.  Only about a half-dozen flights arrive and depart each day, even during the peak summer months.  After our plane arrived, we were whisked by transfer bus from the plane to the terminal building, which seemed a bit like overkill given that (a) the distance between these two points is approximately 50-60 feet, and (b) our arrival was the airport's only activity at that hour of the morning.  Inside, our bags appeared minutes later on the single conveyor belt that loops through "Baggage Claim Area A."  We arranged a rental car on the spot through one of the two rental car companies that had offices at the airport and waited for our compact car to be cleaned, as all of the other arriving passengers dispersed and the sleepy airport grew quiet again.  When the car was ready, we crammed our bags in the trunk, under our legs and on top of our laps.  We closed our doors in amazement and with a sigh of relief that everything fit in, before waving good-bye to the smiling rental car employee who had been helping us and was enthusiastically waving back to us from the curb.  Umm, does anyone have the key, asked Aman seconds later from the driver’s seat...  It took another few minutes for Aman and my father to go back inside the terminal building and track down the rental car employee, who had quickly hurried off, before we were on our way.  In any event, our Limnian family holiday was officially underway!

From the airport, we drove about fifteen minutes east to Kalliopi, where we stayed for the week in the home where my father was born and raised.  A cluster of stone houses with pitched roofs made of red tiles, Kalliopi is a place that I have visited several times throughout my life, and a place that holds for me countless happy memories.  In 2001, the reported population of the village was 264.  Since then, the village has not grown much; if anything, it is shrinking.  So needless to say, practically everyone in the village knew of our arrival within a couple of hours.  Randomly enough, my Thea Stratoula was driving by as we pulled up to our house and an over-joyous, impromptu family reunion ensued in the middle of the street.

Dad and Thea Stratoula:

People from the village continued to stop by all day, and throughout the week really, just to say hello.  That is the kind of place Kalliopi is.

Our days on the island were relaxed, and fairly routine.  They generally involved a homemade lunch (thanks Mom!) followed by a trip to one of the island's plentiful beaches. Per the local custom, we would arrive at the beach in the hot mid-afternoon hour and oftentimes stay until the sun began to set.  On our first visit to Keros, the 3-kilometer beach near Kalliopi, Aman could not help but comment how beautifully calm the waters of the North Aegean Sea are (it is true, the waves–carried by a warm wind–gently lap at the shore rather than crash upon it).  We spent our afternoons in and out of the sparkling blue sea, and, on shore, playing tavli (Greek backgammon).

Here are some scenes from our favorite beaches:  

Keros:

Fanaraki:

Zemata:

Plati:

After frolicking at the beach each day, we spent our evenings feasting on the local cuisine, which involved a meal of fresh baked bread, mezes (tzatziki with paper thin slices of fried eggplant, melitzanasalata, and grilled octopus were very much the norm), Greek salad and some type of fish that was invariably caught earlier in the day (the local specialty is called barbounia and it is fantastic). 

Here we are one night at one of the two restaurants in Kalliopi:

And another night, at the village's other restaurant:

After dinner each night, we typically retreated to the house and sat around telling jokes and playing cards over a bottle of wine.  My father would share stories about growing up in Limnos with his sisters, as well as his cousins who grew up in the house next door. One night, we stayed up so late, sharing stories, that I heard the chickens stirring nearby.  It was a sound that I was familiar with based on previous trips to the island, and meant that dawn would be breaking soon.  So Aman and I went to Keros to watch the sunrise:

In short, simple, slow and beautiful is how life exists on Limnos.  Aman and I had a relaxing and spectacularly good time there.  In addition to spending time with my parents and introducing Aman to one of my most favorite places, the added bonus was that my knee was really starting to recover.  I was able to walk around the house with no knee brace, and cover short distances outside with no crutches.  With Aman’s help, I was even able to get in the water at the beach and swim, which felt glorious!  (It was also pretty comical–we approached in conga line formation with Aman in front and me in the back, holding Aman’s shoulders for support as I hobbled from the shore into the sea.  Silly as we may have looked, it felt great to be in the water.)

From Limnos, we returned to Athens for one last day with my parents.  Aman and I spent a good part of that day at the U.S. embassy.  (It seems that I failed to appreciate exactly how many pages I would need in my passport for this grand adventure.  So we stopped and had some more added.)  Afterwards, we met up with my parents and my Thea Tasoula who took us out to lunch at a fantastic restaurant in the Paleo Faliro neighborhood where she lives–it was the best souvlaki that we had while we were in Greece.  It was a really enjoyable afternoon.  In the evening, Aman, my parents and I jumped in a taxi and went over to Syntagma Square where we watched the changing of the famous pom-pom footed guards (also known as Evzones). 

We did not stay out long, however, because all of us had an early morning the next day.  My parents were catching a plane to visit friends in Chios, while Aman and I were catching a ferryboat to Mykonos for a few nights.  As Aman and I have said many times this year, it was “unbelievable” how fast our time together went.  Unforgettable, as well!