I like how in Greece, you have enough time to procrastinate AND still follow through with your plans. It's happened nearly everyday. I wake up after a sleep in, ponder if it's too late to do what I planned, decide to linger in thought, walk to the beach to ponder some more and then finally get going two to three hours later. And it always works out!
I've been doing lots of relaxing like I hoped for without cutting dowb on the exploring. After a preliminary beach day, my first adventure was walking up to Ancient Thera and spending an afternoon browsing through Santorini's busiest town, Fira. The next day I walked the famous 9 km between Fira to Oia, climbing up Skaros Rock in between and finishing up with a gorgeous sunset on the steps down to Amoudi Bay in Oia. Today I planned less walking and more beaching, and went to check out the Red Beach in Akrotiri. Reading that the walk down to the Red Beach was slightly treacherous (it really wasn't), I opted for a boat driven by two elderly Greek gentlemen ferrying tourists between beaches and ended up seeing the White Beach too. While neither of the two beaches caught my fancy, being on the boat was an experience and walking along the less-used road back to the bus stop was enjoyable.
Santorini is an island of amazing scenery. They're not joking when they say that this is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Walking from Fira to Oia yesterday had me stopping every so often just to fully take in the view. It is so breathtaking that it demands nothing less, and at times, I wanted to cry because it was so beautiful.
Today's memorable moment was swimming in the sea at sunset. Returning to Perissa from Akrotiri, I found myself back on the beach, sitting around and enjoying the day but itching to get into the water. For four years, I've had issues with swimming. I lost my confidence after nearly drowning in one of the rock pools up in North Queensland. My first day here, I took baby steps with regaining that confidence. Today I was treading the Aegean Sea. :)
I'm beginning to see that I really am a beach bum. I am always happier near water and living the island life. Just before, I was thinking how much I love being able to walk the streets at night without a worry and waking up each day without the stressors you get living in the city. It's in places like this, I truly feel myself.
I am really saddened that it'll be my last day in Santorini and Greece tomorrow. I've been so touched by the beauty of this island, the carefree lifestyle and the warmth of the Greeks. Staying in Aretousa Villa has only made my stay in Santorini more fabulous thanks to the hospitality I've been given by Jacob and his family. It'll definitely be hard to leave behind, but I'll be back.
Greece has stolen a bit of my soul. It is my European Brazil.
