Greece is the word

Santorini 2022

I never really had any desire to go to Greece. I had a Greek boyfriend once and we drank way too much Ouzo and from then on I had a bad taste in my mouth for all things Greek. No pun intended. 

Last year, when my sister Vicki asked me to join her on a trip to Santorini with a small group of women, I decided to put the past behind me and open myself up to new opportunities. After all, it had been 40 years since the Greek boyfriend.

Both of us can talk the other into doing just about anything

I know I am in the minority when I say that I don’t like Greek food; but I do not eat goat, goat cheese, feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves, gyros or moussaka. In my mind, feta cheese is hiding in all Greek dishes. I was worried that I would appear fussy amongst the women with whom I was traveling.

Let’s face it, one of the best things about exploring the world is trying new foods and eating like a local. If worse came to worst, I figured I could always eat salad making sure to pick out the feta.

Yes, I am one of those people who takes pictures of food.

Vicki and I explored our Athens neighborhood and found some very charming, narrow and winding streets lined with shops and cafes. There was a ton of street art, mostly huge murals painted on the sides of apartment buildings and businesses. Much of it was political and some a bit scary.

Some serious art work

Our two days in Athens went quickly and it was hard to get a handle on the inner workings of the city and its citizens. My plan was to return there after Santorini and explore the city for a few more days and to meet up with my partner. 

A short plane ride took us to Santorini and we met up with the 8 other women traveling in our small group, including a yoga instructor whom I absolutely came to adore. 

Casey Coda, my new favorite yoga teacher, friend, and a delightful travel companion

Oh, and we share a birthday!

No words necessary

I am going to skip the part of the trip where I had a bad reaction to something that I ate. I joked with my sister that the Greek gods were messing with me since I expressed my disgust for Greek food. As a retired English teacher, the irony was not lost on me. (I never even liked teaching Greek mythology.) A local pharmacist hooked me up with charcoal capsules, which did the trick. I will carry them with me when I travel from now on.

Never mess with the Greek gods

Santorini is a magical island with fabulous tourist shops, excellent restaurants and interesting food choices. Once my stomach issues were resolved, I was able to see the beauty of the island and enjoyed the fresh fish, most likely caught that morning. Our road trips took us to a winery overlooking a tremendous view of the sea; to a beach where the sand was red and another where the sand was black. Of course, I managed to bring home samples of each in some mini hotel shampoo bottles. One of the highlights of the trip was a boat ride in the Aegean Sea.

My beautiful little sister, Vicki

Patrick met up with me in Athens and we were lucky to have found another very accommodating Airbnb in a different neighborhood than the one I had stayed before. Once again, it was within walking distance to the train and plenty of shops and restaurants.

The view from our Airbnb. We ate there every night. It was amazing.

This time around, I climbed up to the Parthenon and Acropolis. I came this far and figured I might as well haul my butt up there while I still can. It was so worth it!

A little banged up but worth the wear and tear

Athens

Meanwhile, back in Florida, Hurricane Ian was threatening to make landfall on the Gulf coast. Our friends Deb and Kate live in Naples and we have an agreement to harbor one another if we ever need to evacuate. They were staying in my place until the hurricane passed on their coast.

Gimme Shelter

Deb and Kate made it safely back to their home which, thank goodness, suffered minimal damage.

I flew back to New Jersey on a brilliant autumn day and met up with the rest of my siblings.

One of the things I miss about New Jersey

Turns out, I might have watched Clash of the Titans one too many times, but I truly believe I was at the mercy of the gods when I was in Greece. I am glad they allowed me to learn a few lessons and then to move on.