Day 238 - Drink

Thought of the day: I can't believe that the Greek trip is over and we are already back in Switzerland. If life is but a dream, the Greek trip is a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream. It's a lot of layering but we'll eventually wake up from all our dreams, layer by layer, and return to eternity. Thankfully, in the same way that a bright moment makes a day special, a trip like this makes the dream of life worthwhile.

Photo of the day:

We had a late flight but had to check out at noon.  Luckily, we were able to spend the rest of the day at the hotel pool.  It was another warm day - perfect for a frozen strawberry daiquiri at the pool!

Day 237 - Moonlight

Thought of the day: Today we took a tour of the caldera on a catamaran.  We swam in the hot springs and a few beaches, took in the view of cliffs of various colors, and set sail on the ocean for a while with a silent motor. It was interesting to spend some time on a boat, as the experience on the water was completely different from the experience on the land. When the boat was sailing smoothly and the wind was blowing on my face, it felt as if I had wings and all other thoughts drained out of the mind.  I can see why some people love, or are even addicted to, sailing. I was happy on the boat for a couple of hours but I was even happier when I got back on the land. Perhaps I need the solid ground under my feet more than the exhilaration and unpredictability of flying.

Photo of the day:

If the day time in Oia seems unreal already, the night time is simply out of this world.  With the cooler summer air at night, people come into the street for dinner only after it's dark - often after 9pm. Tonight is our last night in Greece. The lights are already on everywhere. From our veranda, we can see a full moon casting an elongated strip of silky, golden light on the ocean and touching the boats docked in the harbor ever so lightly. The image is unforgettable and we're going to miss it. In fact, I already am.

Day 233 - Port

Thought of the day: Today we walked down to the port and had lunch at a popular tavern called Ammoudi. We met the restaurant's owner, a friendly Canadian woman who came here for vacation 23 years ago and never left. After settling down on the island, she fell in love with a cook called Dimitris. They got married and opened the restaurant together. Judging from their reputation and the size of the lunch crowd, they must be doing just fine. The owners of another local favorite, Atlantis Bookstore, are an American and a British who came as tourists 9 years ago and decided to open a multilingual used-book store for tourists. They have a good, tasty collection of English books and the bookstore feels more like a cozy college library than your normal run-of-the-mill bookstore. On a pedestrian street filled with glittering, colorful souvenir shops, this bookstore was a rare find. I spent a good hour there this afternoon browsing the books and took home a few with me. Oia is primarily a tourist town but the tourists are not merely the source of income here, they contribute to the local culture as well, as amply demonstrated by the owners of Ammoudi and Atlantis.

Photo of the day:

The village of Oia is built on top of the cliff.  At the bottom, it's the port which is accessible by a path with a lot of steps and a paved road for cars and tour buses.  We walked, of course.  It was fun to walk and the view was spectacular along the way.