The sun is rising over the Mediterranean Sea, as we are on our way to Santorini. Yesterday, we were scheduled to go to Mykonos, but the high winds there caused the captain to divert the boat much further south to Milos.
The boat anchored offshore. The first tender left for shore at 8:30. Seeking to maintain our official Iron Tourist family status, my goal was to be on the first tender. We made it – and we were the only ones on the tender. Even on a cruise, we are certified (or certifiable) Iron Tourists.
I would write more about the ride to shore, but Billy Joel advises to "leave a tender moment alone." (Sorry – if you haven’t figured out that I go for the cheap joke by now, it’s time to find another blog to read.)
We came ashore in Adamas with one goal – to seize the island! (Not really, but it sounds much more dramatic that way.) Well, our real goal was to rent a car. Right along the port there are a number of car rental places. The first one we walked in, the guy said (after making a quick call to check avails) he only had a car that fit four people. So we tried next door. No cars till 11am. Down the street, the place was closed till 9:30. Another place had no cars (it is a small island, and it is August).
So, on the verge of being shutout like the Red Sox in a key August series, I went back to the first guy and beseeched him (possibly my first case of beseeching ever – it wasn’t begging, because it was too confident to be begging) to rent us the car. He shrugged and said, okay. I got picked up to be taken to the main location in a Jiminy that was a bit of a banger – no top over the back, and some bangs and bruises. Turns out that our car.
So, in a move that made Ralph Nader turn over in his grave (he’s not dead? Bummer of an analogy) we drove around Milos unsafe at any speed. Torie sat on Julia’s lap, with her head at the perfect level to bang into the metal covering Carol and I. My seat wasn’t far enough back for me to be comfortable driving, and given the stick shift feel, I was never exactly sure which gear I was in.
But at least the roads were narrow, windy, and steep. We first set out for the Tripitl/Plaka area to see the 1st Century AD Christian Catacombs. At points we were collapsing the side mirrors just so we could fit down the road between the houses. At least the Greeks on their way to church did everything they could to not get out of the road. Mrs. Iron Tourist looked at me at one point, and said – "well, you are happy now – you get to drive a beater car on tight, narrow streets." We only got lost once, because we were taking the back, more difficult way to the Catacombs, and the sign for the final turn was only visible from the other direction (apparently, no sane tourist would take the route we did).
Carved into the side of the cliffs overlooking the bay, the Catacombs were down a path. Not nearly as dramatic or moving as the ones outside of Rome, it was still nonetheless a worthwhile visit.We then took the easier route back, and headed for the north side of the island. We made a quick stop for water and provisions at a popular bakery. It was there that we first saw Greek chaos theory at work. People park half into the street, hither and yon, providing virtually no space to get through. In the States, half the cars would have been ticketed, and the other half would have been towed. The trick to parking in Milos (or Athens for that matter) is to find a square of land that appears to be unoccupied, and leave your car there.
We then drove to Sarakinko Beach, which is one of the most dramatic beach-scapes in the world. The rocks were stark white, carved by the wind and waves in a very dramatic setting. There was a small cove with about a 25 foot long sandy beach, set back in the rocks. As the waves pounded the rocks, the cove was an enjoyable oasis. The girls climbed nearby rock formations for dramatic white rock/pure blue sky photos.
(Speaking of photos, I’m having troubles downloading any to the blogger.com site. Hopefully in Istanbul when we reach land.)
We stayed at Sarakinko for an hour or so, and should have stayed longer. There may be other places like it on earth, but not many. More people were showing up when we left, but it was pretty deserted at first. We drove the north shore looking for Papafragas beach, but it turns out it was some scenic cliffs with water smashing the rocks. Very pretty, but not what we were looking for.
So we crisscrossed the island, heading for the "resort" "town" of Paleohori. This was Greek chaos theory at its best. Cars were strewn along the sides of the street (there’s pretty much only one street). While parking in a beach town in the States has more rules and regulations than any other human endeavor, parking here was – "if my car fits, it’s a space!"
We hung out on the sandy/rocky beach that was both very long and hemmed in by volcanic rock cliffs. I was struck by the number of women in bikinis who were smoking. The water is clear as can be, and the bay had the requisite sailboat anchored in the middle to make the picture complete.
We stayed for a few hours, and then went to Sirocco’s for lunch. They actually cook the meat in the volcanic rock. (I suppose if your meat gets cooked too quickly, that’s a bad sign). Maddy and I both had the pork kebab, which was both delicious and served in a very cool fashion – hanging straight down on the skewer on the kebab holder. Don’t get the crab salad – Mrs. Iron Tourist had it, and later lost her lunch (literally), but she did recover.
Afterwards, I hoofed it back to the car, and delicately made my way out of the town. No scrapes, despite gaps in the parked cars that appeared smaller than our small jiminy. We drove back to Adamas, and returned the car. We walked back to port, and caught the tender.
While Milos isn’t the most spectacular island, it was still a good stop. Renting the car was crucial. Others from the ship who didn’t rent a vehicle had a rather dull day. There are few better ways to feel like you’ve cheated death than to drive around in a Mediterranean country (see previous Italy blog posts, and Spain write-up).
After returning to the boat, we spent the afternoon relaxing. Carol had a massage in the spa, I worked on the blog and then watched the dramatic scenery as we left the bay in Milos. Maddy joined me on the bridge, where we talked a while to the captain, and checked out the charts. The ability to walk on the bridge, talk to the Captain, look at the radar and check out the charts is pretty cool.
We then hung out for a while on the back of the boat by the (very small) pool and pool bar. Very relaxing looking at the nearby islands.
Dinner was a disappointment. Not the food, but the service. The first night, we ate outside at the smaller "Candles" on the 4th deck (there are only four decks), and the service, the food, and the view was great. Tonight (the second night), we ate in the inside, dress-up restaurant. It took us 90 minutes from when we sat down to get our entrees on the table. The kids were tired and the wait was far too long. The food was good – although there’s no real Greek component to it.
The first night, we had a good bottle of Italian red. After dinner, we took our glass and stood on the 4th deck at the front (bow) of the ship. Both nights, once the sun went down completely, the red moon rise was dramatic, as were the stars that revealed themselves. Very peaceful, beautiful setting.
The sailboat cruise is a good way to see the Greek islands – you travel at night, and get up the next morning in a new port. Even now, as I write whilst the wife sleeps, I can look out the windows and see the dramatic cliffs on the island of Santorini.Now, I just gotta figure out how to post these articles more easily!
More observations about the sailboat cruise in a future post.
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