Linda had been to Santorini before- I should have been there but the excessive indulgence on the neighbouring island of Ios while travelling with friends in the eighties, resulted in too big a hangover to even consider a ferry ride to Santorini, every morning it was suggested. So when friends (two of whom were part of the 87’ Ios contingency) suggested we meet up with them along with more than a dozen others, some of whom were celebrating 60th birthdays in 2018, Linda and I looked at each other and said “Why not?”. Thanks Sean and Emily, that was the catalyst of our decision to plan this journey we are on with the focus of the G.O.D. (Growing Old Disgracefully) week in Santorini being one of the highlights.
Our flight from Rome arrived a little late, a bit inconvenient actually because the British Grand Prix had just started as I was standing by the carousel waiting for our luggage, with a phone pressed to my ear, getting caught up in all the excitement of the first lap chaos. Perfect scenario for collecting the wrong bags or being pickpocketed but fortunately, Linda was sat far enough away not to be embarrassed but close enough to keep an eye on me. I didn’t get to see much on the drive to Oia because it was a cracking race and we arrived at the hotel just in time to see the podium presentation on the TV – bugger. The Aisling Micro Hotel Linda had booked months earlier was very novel. Micro because there was only five rooms in the hotel, not because we had to crawl along on our hands and knees. It was ideally located on the promenade and featured a magnificent view typical of the many postcards you see of Santorini. The room was very white, including the furniture and the floor! The Jacuzzi and shower were elevated and occupied about a third of the room. The French windows in front of the jacuzzi, when opened, offered a panoramic view of the Aegean Sea. I knew I was going to enjoy staying there for a week. Worlds apart from some of the ‘hole in the wall’ places we had been staying in, (Telese Terme being an exception), and Sean & Emily’s Hotel was just across the promenade! Viewable from our balcony that breakfast was served on everyday. I don’t know how Linda does it!
Sean’s brother Michael and his wife Annette holiday regularly in Santorini and therefore became the unofficial ‘social directors’ and duly organised a welcome sunset dinner for the eighteen of us down at Ammoudi Bay. The G.O.D. group was always going to be a rowdy one. Some we had just met but had close connections with from my early years and some we hadn’t seen for many many years. Although we only represented Australia and England, we had all ascended from different parts of Europe arriving methodically like olympians, that afternoon and the day prior. Let the games begin!
Even though we were one of the largest, thirstiest, loudest tables by the seaside, the first night was relatively mild and once we got back up to Oia, most wanted to go to a bar and watch the World Cup finals so Linda and I opted to go home and watch the moon glistening on the sea from our jacuzzi.
The week was an extravaganza of sunshine, long lunches and wine fueled dinners. None more memorable than the Armeni Restaurant, recommended to us by the host of one of the couples in our group. Not a popular restaurant, we expect for no other reason that it was accessible only by donkey track or by boat arranged by the owner- we chose the latter.
Let me tell you a little about the owner, I can’t remember his name but let’s just call him Demetrius because he was the epitome of a Greek taverna owner. He was a large man with a thick moustache and the signature blue and white striped shirt. The restaurant was nothing fancy but sat right the water’s edge, and they encouraged a swim prior to dinner. Once seated, the jovial Demetrius, who was very entertaining, arrived at the head of our table with an assistant carrying a large bucket of fresh fish. He began displaying each fish and explaining them, in way too much detail, all one after the other. We finally settled on the largest fish which apparently, was a deep water fish and said to be very rare. The skeptic in me figured it was rare because it was the only one he had and that the word ‘rare’ just appreciates its value. But I have to admit, it was up there with one of the most succulent, fresh, tasty fish I have had.
The night was a hoot and we had stayed so long we were the only table left, although I think there was only one or two other tables anyway. Demetrius, in his loud bellowing voice, announced to us that the traffic on the road back up to Oia was gridlocked and our only chance of getting home was to climb the donkey track as unfortunately, the donkeys had knocked off for the night! – a very daunting task. But with enough wine in us, we saw it as a challenge. Not only did we have to contend with the lack of lighting, the piles of smelly donkey poo, steep rocky stairs and the balmy evening but some of us saw it as a time trial and needed to be the first to the top. We all made it successfully to the top (some faster than others!) but needed a few bottles of water (and cleansing ales)
To top off a grand week, our forward thinking ‘social director’ had chartered, several months earlier, a catamaran for the eighteen of us to circumnavigate the Island on, culminating with a sunset viewing on the western side.
Something I had been looking forward to for a long time. It wasn’t until just a few days before we set sail that Linda agreed to tough it out as she is not a friend of floating craft and just about gets sea sick in a bathtub! Guess who starting feeling queasy just as our bbq lunch was served? I never get seasick!- it must have been something I ate the day before, or more likely, drunk. I eventually came good as the day went by and even managed a beer or two. I was by far, the soberest sailor on the boat.
It was a great week, not only catching up with and spending time with friends but being able to have a conversation with someone other than ourselves without google translate or using mime. But, it was time to move on. We shared a car with Sean and Emily to the airport- they were flying to Athens for a few days before going home and we were headed for Cyprus, coincidentally, on the same flight as Mark and Jane (Friends of Michael) who had planned to stay for several weeks before heading back to France where they were doing a year long sojourn.
Keep an eye out for the ‘Cyprus’ edition. If you want to be alerted by email when new posts are added, drop us a note in the ‘feedback’ section with your email address and I’ll add you to the ‘non and infrequent Facebook users’ list.