Islands of Santorini & Mykonos

Santorini (Bark!)

This island is definitely not what I expected… I thought I was going to be traipsing around some lush foliage, similar to what I have seen on the islands of Oahu and Nassau. Instead I got what looks like dry grassland that has been plagued by drought. On the other hand, guess it doesn’t really matter, because when the land touches sand, and the sand touches water, that’s the moment you realize that you have left wherever it is you’re from. The beaches in Santorini are made up of gravel type rock… in some areas red and others black… go ahead try walking barefoot in it.. I did. I also let out a lions roar every time. It’s like walking on hot coals. Found it easier to keep my sandals on, till I reached the edge of the water. Boo.

The city is classic Santorini, blue shutters with some blue capped domes and white paint covering everything else.

People were super friendly… met tons of happy travelers (see pics on facebook for our island time) this seems to be the island of relaxation and exploration. Tours to the non-active volcano included a “hands-in-pit,” (to feel the steam come out) experience, as well as a swim into the hot (luke warmish) springs.

Thanks to my new friends, Chris and Moa (moe-uh), for sharing the info on the wine that you can buy out of a barrel… you fill up your water bottle and the price tag is only €2.45. Amazing, I know! So I bought six in order to be ready for Mykonos… as drinks there can cost anywhere from €12-€20 ($20.28 – $27.80) each. The wine was actually great tasting… when chilled.

Overall great relaxing time… I regret not having rented an ATV on this island for a greater submersion of culture.

Bars were filled with locals and travelers… the music was fantastic… the kind of stuff I expected to hear in London.

Doggie’s. What is the BARK about?… we were walking outside  late one night, and I spotted a dirt covered car and quickly suggested having the 3 of us write obscenities on the filthy car’s rear windsheild. And so we did, and it was fun. Suddenly a dog walks over to our trio and plops right in the middle and begins to bite at Moa’s feet in a playful manner. I held his head down with my sandal, being playful as he thought my foot was also a chew toy. The dog just wanted a little love. A love starved dog – I can relate. This is one of many that we saw all over the island. Another pooch,  also shown here, walked right into the open beach bar while we were dancing and laid down and began biting feet as well… haha…I asked the group why there were so many dogs that are abandoned or stray…The answer: shrugs all around.

I noticed that the only people that were feeding the K9’s were the tourists. They all looked sadly malnourished. I’m more of a cat lover myself… but I felt bad for all the dogs I was seeing in Greece.
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Mykonos (Meow)

Mykonos is party central… much like the Island of Eos (so I hear), only far more expensive. The club scene is fun and bursting with wickedly handsome people, no matter what you are looking for. Found the locals to be rude at times, but I think naturally they are accustomed to communicating by asking questions and yelling. What is rude to me, may not be rude to the Greeks.

Landscape: The beaches are white and yellow sand… I visited the beaches of Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise, and Elia – which was the most beautiful of them all… located 45min away by our, sometimes failing up a steep hill, get off and push, ATV… although the renter misplaced my driver’s license… so that is a tiny setback. A unique and wonderful experience, thanks to Natalie and Gohar… You were my amazing fruit flies of Mykonos! LMAO! Definitely won’t ever forget about that part of this trip… you all saw life through my crazy eyes for a minute.

The roads throughout the island have guard rails that are made up of rocks that climb to four feet tall. This makes it scary to drive on the tiny, hilly, and windy roads with other cars present. Buses and taxis race down the streets transforming these dangerous roads into mini autobahns.

Meow … for as many dogs that are on the Island of Santorini, that figure explodes with the stray cat population in Mykonos. Tiny little things. Here a cat can be seen approaching a store keepers hat selection… I didn’t expect the store owner to jump out of his chair, and start yelling, while clapping his hands loudly. He succeeded in scaring the shit out of me and the cat. We both ran away like we stole something and gave each other a high five. Animals here get no love either.

When I returned to Athens, the first thing that I saw, after exiting the ship, was a pair of dogs, similar in stature and color… probably related, coming down the stairs of this massive over highway bridge crossing… one following the other. I thought to myself, where are they going? How are they connected? Where would I go if I was a dog? Who would be my partner in crime? Rather be together, than alone. Suddenly, the person behind me yells, “GO!” Under my breath I mumble “asshole”… I let him pass as I imagine blowing out his needs ala Tonya Harding style… I moved my lips slowly to create the words… *uckin biotch. I laugh and look for the dogs…ah… they’ve disappeared and I have a train to catch for Thessaloniki, located in Northern Greece.

A few subway rides and I board my first ever sleeper train. My cabin has an attractive, physically fit male, and an older woman. The guy helps the woman with her bag, then walks out of my new love pad, and is never to be seen again. Was it something I said? Cause I can’t speak the Greek. I set the bed, sheets and pillow, and arrange my bags. The woman stares out of the window having a late night meal, with the entire world’s weight on her shoulders.

Meet Helena… visiting Athens to stay with her son, who’s married, and has a little 7 month old son, that she has only been able to see 3 times since his birth, because money is really nonexistent. When I began conversation, I asked her if that man that was helping her, had missed the train, being that he didn’t return. I thought that was what was making her so unhappy.

She spoke in very broken English, said that she used to speak the language (English) a long time ago, and requested that I speak very slowly.  For the next hour or so, we would be conversing by filling in the blanks and finding the words. I’ll spare you all that.

Helena is in her late fifties and works at a municipal building as a cleaning lady. She doesn’t really enjoy the job but she needs the money to survive. She asks me about Texas, ways of transport, and why I am traveling alone… I hate being asked that question. I tell her, I don’t know.

Proudly Helena tells me that she lives in a single story dwelling that is unattached. I asked if she lived alone. She said it was her and her four dogs and 40 cats. Uh-oh… that is the point that I should have just kept my mouth shut… but you know me… never.

I said “40 cats!?! That’s why you don’t have any money to travel… you don’t need all those animals. Why not give them away to nice homes and just keep two?”

Helena got quiet for a minute… I remained confused. She started going to a place in her mind… I observed and thought…. “Hooooolllllly Shit.”

In a more loud and rapid than normal pace, she began… the tone of her voice made me want to throw my face into the pillow and start crying: “They are not MY cats, they do not stay inside with me. I feed them, I feed them every day. If I don’t feed them, they won’t eat. I’m sick… I’m sick… I know I’m sick… even my son tells me… he tells me to leave them alone and to stop giving them food. I don’t have enough money for myself because of this… the only time that other people feed them, is when they mix the food with poison.”

I said, “Wow… Has this always happened? When you were a little girl, did you see people doing this to the animals… feeding them poison?”

She said, “Yes… My father used to do it. The Greeks do not like animals.”

I couldn’t talk anymore after this… I regret not paying more attention to every animal that I saw. If you are thinking of adopting a cat or dog… you should make a trip out of it, and just walk around, till you find the one that you love, either in Greece or on the Greek Islands. You’d love it more than any other you have ever had and you would have a fascinating story to tell.

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