Today we took Beauty to where we spent our honeymoon 18
yrs ago. The beautiful Santorini Greece. Eighteen years ago we spent a month after
our wedding in parts of Italy, Crete and a totally luxurious 3 night stay in a
hotel on a cliff with a stunning pool in Santorini. Today as we walked around
for hours in these beautiful streets we could not stop thinking as we looked at
our daughter skip ahead of us “We created her together….” We are back here where
the thought of our three children was only a dream (for me anyways as Hubby
wanted noneJ).
We looked for that hotel today but did not find it. But found plenty of other
things to do.
Started off with me as a donkey’s ass. If you had the
choice between climbing a huge cliff, taking a cable car up, driving up or
getting on an old donkey’s back who would take you up there with no
instructions, supervision or clue what the damn donkey is doing which would you
choose?
Clearly I insisted on the donkey.
And of course Beauty and Hubby got to go together. Second.
I got to go first and alone.
Ok…let
me clarify it’s not a pretty pony ride where the jockey guides it and directs
it. It is a lame ass smelly old donkey that somehow makes its way up the most
massive cliff towards a volcano and probably 10,000 steps. It is sometimes slow
and sometimes fast enough to throw you right off the edge of the cliff towards
your death. And it bumps into all the other donkeys coming in herds up and down
the cliff. And it is not tame-nor does it care about human life or give a shit
(unless it decides to literally take a shit on your foot).
I have never been so pissed off and scared and alone in
my life. And it seemed to last forever. The woman besides me had the misfortune
of a true whacko of a donkey that kept biting my leg and trying to throw her
off of it. She was crying and screaming at her husband on another donkey in
front of her that if he could not make
this end..she wanted a divorce and could he please stop taking pictures of the back
of her ass in spanx as her dress was riding up! That made me laugh a ton and
was so worth the 5 euros and chaos I went through. My donkey was not crazy but
was just really really stupid and smelly and had no idea where he was going at
all.
At least there was a big sign at the front that we were
insured for our donkey rides.Phew for that at least eh?
This was the funniest part of the day though although
very smelly and a very adventurous start to this beautiful old city. Words
cannot even describe the beauty and wonder of the way this city looks. Would need to spend 5 days there to do it any
justice. I will be back that is for sure. Most beautiful place in the world as
far as I am concerned. We had a café on a gorgeous terrace on the cliffs, did a
lot of shopping, I got a gorgeous dress and Beauty t-shirts and two sweet
sweaters. We wanted to beach it today but cold and windy with only hints of sun
unfortunately. We made the best of it anyways which was very easy to do in a
place like this.
At 6pm Hubby decided we were renting a car for an hour
and a half. He is the only person I know in the world who could rent a car in a
foreign country-drive to the other end of the island, gas up, drive back and
get us safely to the cable car and the cruise by 9pm. He has no fear, is totally
capable and like he describes himself: “totally resourceful” thank god for this
saint of a man I married-I could not do life without him. Between his cooking
and his driving- I have been saved.
We went to admire a volcanic beach in our little car with
black sand and cliffs and then had the most AMAZING pita and eggplant dip of
our lives at the best resto I have ever been too with the most magnificent view
EVER. I love Greek food-I will crave it forever and ever as long as I live.
Beauty thought it was scrumptious and so did Hubby. If we had more time we
would have sat there eating forever. The downside of cruises for certain is the
rigid schedule. You end up missing so many adventures and only wet your lips a
little in each gorgeous place.
We walked today forever it seems, up hills , down hills
etc. You have to be in damn good shape to keep up with a trip like this and to
keep up to my daughter and husband! Thank god my ankle got mostly better. It is
only stairs and hills that hurt-but hey I have a donkey for that!
We took the car back and went to a little souvlaki bar on
a side road that was also very delicious. Three chicken yeros were quickly
gobbled up. Hubby went to get an NA beer at a special place and asked a guy at restoo
to open it and the guy cut his finger, broke the bottle and bled into the beer!
A sign or what?? We had iced teaJ
We had a great cable car ride down that was pretty much
as scary as the donkeys but we were with 3 other super funny people and a woman
who made us laugh all the way down as we tried to keep her from hyperventilating
as she thought the missed her ship. It made me realize how talking to other
people…is so wonderful;. Connecting can make your whole day. It lit Beauty up
from the inside out talking to this lady in particular. Today I really felt
sorry for IPhone and users of them during travel.
Beauty found some homeless girls to give money too and
she felt happy doing that (she does this in each port). Beauty is a star
traveller. I never expected this much passion and pleasure from her; she truly
never complains and has energy and lots of it. She is curious, interested and
very very compatible.
Beauty and I close as ever. All sorts of inside jokes
that even Hubby doesn’t get “Penelope Carole” name of our purse…”Hi Mom”…if no
answer then a hug….Beauty worrying about the state of our bank accounts (no
machine will let us have any money and says zero dollars so we keep taking Visa
cash advances and living on credit…..I am having the time of my life here
bonding in a beautiful way with my daughter (although today I got a really
taste of her real personality when I asked her to clean up her side of the room
and she was back to her bitchy self!!!)
This morning I kind of felt like it was time to come home
(little tiny cabin hard, touring wearing me down, miss the boys) but by tonight
I am again all pumped up and praying for sun tomorrow for Mikonos to have a bit
of beach time and enjoy all the gay nude beaches we remember so well with Bear!
Super paradise anyone???
Anyways Santorini is a place everyone needs to see before
they die. It is honestly heaven. The views, the ocean, the architecture, the food
the shopping the culture, the people. I am glad we began there..and glad that
our child the most sacred bond of all ,got
a piece of this today with us. It was super special. Even a little romantic as
weird as that seems. Today I knew deep deep in my heart that Hubby and I will
always be together. Something about today safe proofed that for me. Even with
all of life’s obstacles and challenges and things that drive the other one
crazy about the other one. In it for the long haul we are.
Equally as special am I have our cabin tonight for a whole
hour to myself!!! They went to the show and I stayed here. Heaven.
