The Greek Islands: Santorini and Ios

"Your life is an island separated from all other islands and continents.  You yourself are an island separated by its own pains, secluded in its happiness."

Ahhh the Greek Islands.  I think a common thought that we had while in the Greek Islands was "Wow, this is the life."  Some words that I would use to describe the islands would be: charming, serene, and stunning.  Overall all of the people we met whether locals or foreigners working on the islands exceeded my previous description of nice.  They were so friendly, helpful, and they treated us like we were family.  The islands were much more touristy than I had anticipated, however, it was pretty mellow and empty because we are just entering the off season of the islands.  Both of the islands we visited were filled with breathtaking views, deep blue crystal clear water, perfect weather, and delicious food.  Greek salad in all of its simplicity is truly scrumptious in Greece.  The feta was tasty and the tomatoes were so fresh!  Something else I really liked about this part of our trip was traveling by ferry.  Although our last leg was pretty rocky and I felt a bit sick, I like the form of traveling by water.  I find it soothing and I enjoy being able to walk around. 

Santorini:
I have dreamed about coming to Santorini for as long as I can remember.  I had set very high expectations for Santorini and therefore I was surprised by my experience there.  I would not say that I was disappointed because the place is truly magical as are all of the Greek Islands in their own unique way but Santorini did not steal my heart away.  It was very deserted and more spread out than I thought it would be.  I was also surprised at how high up on the mountain the city was set.  We decided to stay on the beach side of the island called Perissa to be able to catch some sunshine :)  The beaches in Santorini have black sand which was a cool difference to see.  It was beautiful to see the rich dark colors contrasted against each other of the sand and the water.  I felt like I was being taken care of by family at the hotel that we stayed at.  It was run by the cutest family.  They had a little dog that trotted around after the man, following his every move.  The owners would drive us into town and give us countless glasses of wine on the house.  Our room was poolside with a patio and mini kitchen.

Celebrating Laura's birthday :)

Our little patio at our hotel in Santorini

The main highlight from our trip to Santorini was the day that we rented ATVs.  We rode into the main part of the island called Fira and had bloody marys at a bar called tropical that has the most gorgeous view that I saw while in Greece.  We drove around some more parts of the island and watched the sunset at a famous view point called "The Lighthouse".

On our last day in Santorini we did a day tour where we took a boat around and hiked the volcano, swam in the hot springs, and road donkeys on a tiny island Thirissia.  Santorini was so quaint with its cobblestone streets and narrow winding paths through all of the shops, bars, and restaurants.  I love how on the islands there is one or two main roads and then no cars drive through the area where the stores and life of the city is.  It was so fun to just wander around and get lost through those streets.  This was a very romantic island and I saw love all around us.  I hope to visit it again someday :)

Hiking the volcano.

Donkey ride in Thirissia

  Ios:
Everyone had said that Ios was going to be completely dead and that it would have little to offer.  I have found that having low or no expectations is always when you turn out to be very pleasantly surprised.  It was like night and day going from Santorini to Ios.  Although Ios was definitely smaller and a bit less picturesque than Santorini it had a great feel.  All three of us instantly had great vibes from the second we walked off of the ferry.  One of the people we talked to said "You don't get hung over in Ios, it's just how it is here.  It's magical" We were picked up by this hilarious British man named Allen who used the F bomb every other word and immediately informed us of the main activity in Ios: partying!  We stayed at this awesome hotel/resort/village called Far Out which was recommended to us by Gabby :) and also by some girls we met in Istanbul.  It was absolutely perfect.  Both days we enjoyed great sunny weather by the pool and hung out with a group that was doing an organized Greek Islands trip and at night went to a couple of signature places that became our favorite spots after just one night.  We met some of the craziest, most hilarious, and most interesting people in Ios.  One of the people we became friends with actually left the group trip early and traveled with us to Athens.  It was crazy to talk to some of the girls who come over to the islands just to work during the six month season.  Their hours are from 11pm-6am and they do not get a single night off.

 Our favorite bars were Fun Pub which we started at both nights and Slammer bar.  Fun Pub was filled with hilarious signs all over the walls like: "AVOID HANGOVERS.  STAY DRUNK" and a mechanical deer head that danced to the music.  They also had a bunch of games so we played Jenga and darts.  The Jenga was life sized and we managed to build it so tall it was up to Laura's shoulders before it fell!  Of course I made it fall two out of three games.  The drink of choice on the island seemed to be Jager bombs that were passed around like candy and they even had special glasses with built in shot glasses for the Jager.  The Slammer bar looked Medieval inside with stone walls and arches between the different sections of the bar.  The DJ played great music and the bartenders were really energetic and friendly.  The bar gets its name from their famous shot which is a large shot that you take with a helmet on your head and then after you take the shot they whack you on the head with a hammer/large board.  My head still hurts a bit from that...It was hilarious to watch one person after the other take these shots.

  On our last night in Ios we enjoyed an amazing meal with some of the people that we met at the hotel and from the previous night.  It was the cutest restaurant, with teal painted walls and so many decorations and nik naks all over the place that fit together so well and gave it such a great feel.  It could have been a room in someones home it was so cozy.

Today we made our way back on the five hour ferry to Athens and are trying to figure out our travels to Croatia tomorrow.  I am so happy that I got to get a little tour of the Greek Islands and would love to go back and island hop someday during the high season!  Like I said each and every island seems to have something very special about it and it is definitely worth discovering.

My personal travel companion: Doug, he's become a very special member of the trip to all three of us :)

 
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