Return To Santorini

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
~ Anita Desai

So, here we are, sitting in a very low-brow bar in Santorini. We’re up on the roof, drinking cold beer on a hot day, and availing ourselves of the free wi-fi, which is patchy but hey… free.

There are many gorgeous (and very expensive) ‘tourist cafes’ lining the cliffs and looking out over the cauldron of Santorini’s extinct volcano and the glamorous yachts and cruise liners below. The cafes are full of beautiful people, and the wealthy elderly.

But that’s not us. And I rather like this humble eatery we have found. We look out over rooftops to the ocean on the other side of the island. We peer down into people’s backyards. It cost us just 8 Euros for the two of us for cold beers and excellent gyros with all the trimmings. There is a local radio playing ‘easy-listening’ Greek music mixed with an eclectic blend of 1970s and 1980s hits. A sleepy cat is watching us from under a canopy of grape-vines, and the breeze is scented with wood smoke and spicy roasted meats and vegetables from various Sunday lunches.

There are locals eating here. So I figure that speaks to the quality of the food, cheap as it is.

I’ve truly relaxed into the pace of holidays now, although I must confess that it took me a while, and now our travels are almost at an end. We’re back to Rome in a few days. From there a flight to Thailand and a few more days of rest, and then home.

The most important thing I discovered on this vacation?

Me.

Okay, gotta go. We need to walk this beer off, before a gelati and then a cable car ride back down to the harbour, where we’ll hop on a tender back to the ship.

Blowing kisses to you from Santorini,

Nicole xx