Not all scooters are created equal and when we first set out on our rental today, I wasn’t sure we were going to survive. Like driving in most other foreign countries, driving here is crazy. Add in an unfamiliar two-wheeled vehicle and 2 adults on it who don’t know where they are going and you have CRAZINESS! The ride did get easier as we adapted to the scooter but there were still a few times where I thought John was becoming one of this “crazy Greek” drivers as he drove up beside cars on the left hand side who were turning left. 😳 I may have a few extra greys now. 🤣
Overall, we have had a wonderful, non-planned day! We began the morning f waking up to John’s work alarm which he forgot to turn off. Dude, we are on vacation! LOL Then the scooter deliver was an hour and a half late. Grrr. We were hungry and needed some caffeine, especially John who was having coffee withdrawal. Just kidding—I needed caffeine too.
Then it was the death defying first scooter drove to a great Greek bakery where we got spinach and cheese pie and some pastries. We also made sure to get that much needed caffeine. Then we just started driving. (It was getting little less scary now.)
We ended up stopping as some overlooks to the caldera which is the volcanic crater. We did some hiking to get even better views. But, you know what goes down must come back up. Actually the walk back up was easier. 😊
We continued our drive and ended up at the red sand beach. It was a little bit of a hike and some steep terrain to a rocky beach, but the water was so refreshing and clear. I even got a free pedicure from a little fish just like the ones they advertise. However, I did stub my toe on a rock and it is now black and blue and pretty sore. I’ll suffer through like I did in PR last year after I hurt my ankle. So, it wasn’t the scooter that got me, it was a dumb rock and my lack of water shoes on this unplanned trip.
Then it was seafood lunch along the coast. The water was lapping at the edge of the dining porch and dinghies docked close by. We had home made wine, Santorinian salad of cucs, red onions, chloro cheese, and tomatoes in olive oil. Delicious! I had grilled stuffed calamari and John had Pandora fish. Dessert was chocolate soufflé and ice cream.
On the way back we stopped at a supermarket to pick up some water, wine, ouzo, bread, yogurt and crackers for snacks tonight and our boat trip tomorrow.
We are resting now and will probably head back out in a bit to visit some tavernas and the sunset.
Take aways today:
1. Be on island time at all times! Remember not all countries work on the US time table.
2. Take risks and be spontaneous. Some of the best adventures will occur.
3. Always be prepared to go to the beach when on a small island.
4. Ask and you might receive. (The owner of the family restaurant where we were allowed John to use his hand tools to fix our power adapters! Thank you to the owner of The Dolphin Fish Taverna.)
5. Make sure to try the local cuisine and drinks. This will
be the first time for ouzo for me!
6. Olive oil tastes much better in Greece!
7. We don’t need grape arbors. Let them grown on the ground like they do here. 🤷🏻♀️
More to come later! Kalispera!
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