bryndia arrived in santorini and was greeted at the airport by kostmos, the owner of their hotel, villa romantic, in the main town on santorini, fira. right away, they knew they had made a lucky find with this hotel. upon arrival, they met kostmos' girlfriend, mother, sister, brother in law, infant nephew and puppy dog (BOO BOO!), all of which played a role in the upkeep of the 12 room hotel. everyone was so relaxed, so sweet, so gentle, so encouraging and excited that bryndia had arrived. kostmos led them to their room: bright oranges and yellows decorating the space that led to wide french doors opening on to a balcony that overlooked the pool, then the sparkling aegean sea. heaven. after getting settled, kostmos sat with india and a map of the island and pointed out all of his favorite spots, circled all of his favorite restaurants, and hooked them up with a sweet super powered four wheeler for their stay, all before telling them that breakfast was included in the price, and served to them in bed, if they chose. oh. did they mention this hotel cost 35 euro a night? bam.
bryndia circled around fira on their ATV, hopped off in the main square, a tiny patch of cobblestone circled by hole-in-the-wall shops selling crayola colored sunglasses and white linen greecian clothing. the two wandered in and out of the tight, hilly alley ways that were walled with white washed houses with deep blue roofs. "free wine tasting! free olive oil tasting! free shots of absinthe!" by accident, the two stumbled upon kostmos' favorite restaurant in town, where they were greeted like kings. "free shots of ouzo! free dessert for you! the special guests!" they ate spicy tzatziki and stuffed peppers and drank house wine that was served in big glass pitchers.
the next morning, bryndia met up with their favorite aussies, dave and rachel, who were staying in fira as well. the four of them hopped on their ATVs and took off to check out the beaches of the small island, a little gang of vroom vrooms and "yee haws".
first, the red beach, a small bay surrounded by huge, jagged walls of maroon stone, where they lay in the sun and watched greek boys hit stones into the water with sticks. then, to perissa, the black beach, where they drove down the boardwalk, past beach bars still empty, closed until may when the tourist season started. they finally found one that was open towards the end of the beach and ordered cold beers and sweet cocktails and lay in the sun, deep charcoal colored sand beneath their feet. bryn had somehow forgotten to pack a bathing suit for the trip, so dave was a gent, and the two took turns jumping into the chilly water, sharing a single pair of swim trunks. (sharing is caring.) a second round of drinks and the waitress got all greek on them with her super hospitality. "free shots of ouzo! and apples and honey yes yes!"
a few hours and the four of them were tipsy and sunkissed. they hopped back on their atvs and took off for kamari, the black stone beach, where stray puppies ran next to bryndia's ride, tongues out, and dave got cocky with his steering skills, knocking rachel to the gravel, where she sustained some major injuries, but was, as always, a badass, who got up, hopped back on, and relished in her sweet new scars.
that night, the four rode out to oui, the northern most point on santorini, where hundreds of locals and tourists gathered on tiered white walls to watch the sun set. the four hopped a fence and found a nice flat roof to post up on, where they drank wine and talked about rachel and dave's upcoming engagement party and next years wedding, what it was like for dave to be a firefighter in sydney, and what kind of trouble rach used to get in as a teenager in the outback.
the sun set sparkled oranges and pinks and the four returned to fira for more food and more wine and more shared love. rachel and india sought out the best bar in fira, which, it turned out, was a scottish themed bar manned by muscley greek boys, and the girls danced while the boys drank until it got late and their sunburns hurt and the four went their separate ways.
a few hours and the four of them were tipsy and sunkissed. they hopped back on their atvs and took off for kamari, the black stone beach, where stray puppies ran next to bryndia's ride, tongues out, and dave got cocky with his steering skills, knocking rachel to the gravel, where she sustained some major injuries, but was, as always, a badass, who got up, hopped back on, and relished in her sweet new scars.
that night, the four rode out to oui, the northern most point on santorini, where hundreds of locals and tourists gathered on tiered white walls to watch the sun set. the four hopped a fence and found a nice flat roof to post up on, where they drank wine and talked about rachel and dave's upcoming engagement party and next years wedding, what it was like for dave to be a firefighter in sydney, and what kind of trouble rach used to get in as a teenager in the outback.
the sun set sparkled oranges and pinks and the four returned to fira for more food and more wine and more shared love. rachel and india sought out the best bar in fira, which, it turned out, was a scottish themed bar manned by muscley greek boys, and the girls danced while the boys drank until it got late and their sunburns hurt and the four went their separate ways.
their last full day in santorini was an adventure. the four took a glass bottomed boat out to the volcanic island on the west side of the island where they hiked up unsteady, fragile volcanic rock and laughed at their tour guide as he heaved rocks over his head in demonstrations on how volcanoes erupt. their tour ended with the four jumping from the side of the boat into chilly waters and swimming (what seemed like a very far distance!) to some not-so-hot springs that smelled like rotting eggs and threatened to turn india's skin a faded orange. arriving back at the old port, the four got super touristy and each mounted a donkey for the steep ride up. the race was intense, each donkey vying for its spot at first. (arguments continued into the evening who the victor was.) the afternoon was spent in travel agencies, in bikini stores, at huts selling postcards and sunscreens. that night, the four picked a restaurant with huge open windows overlooking the dramatic drop down to the sea, their volcano and hotsprings standing solid in the distance. india ate swordfish, buttery and soft. bryn slurped calamari dusted with feta.
the next morning, bryndia drank their coffee and ate their toast slowly. they didn't want to say goodbye to kostmos and his family so soon. they rode to the new port in a van with an older couple who were gushing over their hosts as much as bryndia had. ten minutes into their conversation, they discovered that the woman had grown up mere miles from where india's father had in wales, and that both husband and wife had been in portland when st. helens blew back in 1980. when they reached the port, the woman grasping at her walking cane and smiling broudly, she cooed at bryn and india: "never stop traveling. never stop going." they promised they woudln't.
rachel and dave found bryndia at the port, drinking cold coffee frappes, and the four boarded a high speed ferry north board, dave and rach hopping off at ios, all four of them depressed as hell to have to part ways, while bryndia continued on to find out what all the mykanos hype was about.
the next morning, bryndia drank their coffee and ate their toast slowly. they didn't want to say goodbye to kostmos and his family so soon. they rode to the new port in a van with an older couple who were gushing over their hosts as much as bryndia had. ten minutes into their conversation, they discovered that the woman had grown up mere miles from where india's father had in wales, and that both husband and wife had been in portland when st. helens blew back in 1980. when they reached the port, the woman grasping at her walking cane and smiling broudly, she cooed at bryn and india: "never stop traveling. never stop going." they promised they woudln't.
rachel and dave found bryndia at the port, drinking cold coffee frappes, and the four boarded a high speed ferry north board, dave and rach hopping off at ios, all four of them depressed as hell to have to part ways, while bryndia continued on to find out what all the mykanos hype was about.
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