After the hustle and bustle of Turkey we
were ready to soak up the sun and the sea on the Greek Islands. Our first
destination - the "party island" of Ios. Getting there meant hopping
between a few islands, and on the 2nd of May we finally disembarked from the
ferry and were whisked to every party-going backpackers dream- Far Out Beach
Club. This resort (you can't call it a hostel) had everything from a bar to a
water sports centre. We had barely unpacked our bags when we were invited by
the Far Out residents to join them for dinner and the island’s main attraction-
the nightlife.
As it is not yet high season and not
many bars are open, the night begins at the inventively named "Fun
Pub". The company includes a mix of locals, backpackers and temporary island
refugees - travellers who get so sucked into the excitement of the island
nightlife that they decide to stay on and work for the season. After a few
beverages, the crowd then progresses in a group from one bar to the next,
getting rowdier as the night goes on. The night ends when (or well past when)
the sun comes up, with a long and scenic stumble home along the beach. There is
no rest for the wicked, with the same process repeated every night after a long
afternoon nursing a hangover by the pool.
As self-confessed foodies, we can’t
write this blog without mentioning our favourite Greek restaurant named Fiesta,
which was perched on the cliffs outside of the village in Ios. Owned by a
lovely English woman named Lorna, and her talented Greek husband/chef. Lorna
arrived in Ios when she was 19, seeking travel and adventure, only to instead
find a husband and a place she never wanted to leave. 30 years later, her
restaurant is home to the most delicious moussaka we have ever tasted. Moussaka
is a Mediterranean dish similar to lasagne, with layers of eggplant, mince,
potato and béchamel sauce. The only thing we can complain about is that it has
now ruined all other moussaka for us. If you ever visit Ios, make sure you try
it!
We were curious as to what else the
island of Ios had to offer, so we dragged ourselves away from the pool for one
day to explore it with the help of quad bikes. The island is incredibly
beautiful, and we thought it was a shame that not many other backpackers
attempt to see it. The day brought us to Homer (the famous Greek poet)’s tomb,
and a deserted beach. We felt like we had actually earned our beverages that
night!
The next stop on our Greek island tour
was the famous Santorini. The white houses with blue roofs balanced
precariously on the cliffs are the signature feature of the island. They are
made famous by movies such as Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Mamma Mia and
Tomb Raider 2. This is only one small part of the island called Oia, which is a
popular destination for honeymooners, but a little out of our price range. The
rest of Santorini isn’t quite as picturesque as you would expect, with older,
less lively villages and not as much to see or do.
We managed to make it to the main
attractions of Santorini in the few short days that we were there. Oia boasts
the most stunning sunset in the world, so we decided to enjoy it in true
backpacker style. Sitting amongst the romantic couples with our store bought
bread and bottle of wine; we wouldn’t have traded it for the most expensive
restaurant in Oia. Despite being sceptical at first (we’ve seen a lot of
sunsets) we were impressed. We also made a day trip to the island’s dormant
volcano and thermal springs. Santorini used to be much larger, but a volcanic
eruption thousands of years ago resulted in a huge crater in the middle of the
island, called the Caldera ring, which is now filled by ocean.
Due to the current economic climate in
Greece, we were hesitant to cross-overland mainland Greece to reach our next
destination. After locating cheap flights Rome became our next port of call, so
we bid Yassas (goodbye in Greek) and bonjourno to Italy!
Until next time, Ash and Soph x
